Interview with author Zoe Forward and giveaway chance!

Hello readers! I recently posted the cover and book blurb of Dawn of a Dark Knight. And now I proud to say I had the chance to interview the lovely talented Zoe Forward. Sign in on the rafflecopter at the end of this interview to win an e-copy of Dawn of a Dark Knight by Zoe Forward!

I hope you are ready for it. Please help me welcome Zoe Forward!

 

 

 

Iris: Hi Zoe! Welcome to Paranormal Cravings! Let’s start off by telling everyone a bit about you.

Zoe: Thank you for having me drop by! I’m a veterinarian by day and a writer at night. In the middle I’m a mom.  My special love of archaeology, especially anything Egyptian, shines through in the Scimitar Magi series.  A deep part of me wishes I had pursued a career that would have me at a dig site in a hot, sandy country, but I’m a small animal veterinarian, caring for everything from chinchillas to dogs…and even one hermit crab in there. 

Iris:  You work a lot with animals and you say you think about a next scene on you work commute. Does that mean that the main characters have an animal as side kick or is there a dog or cat running around in your book??

I have never considered adding an animal side kick for the Scimitar Magi. What a fun concept. Maybe a daemon-fighting German Shorthair Pointer…no they’d be more effective at locating the target rather than fighting. Maybe a feisty Jack Russell Terrier.  Boy, that’s a visual that I might just have to incorporate. There may be an animal making an appearance in upcoming books. I’ve met some truly miraculous creatures over the years in my job that would make wonderful, deep characters, and are certainly worth the tribute of immortalizing in a novel. 

Iris: What was the hardest part of writing Dawn of a Dark Knight?

Zoe: First, finding the time to write. I have a hectic life between being a full-time vet, a mom and a writer. So, I am always thrilled to find a few minutes to pen some lines. I’ve spent many a moment in a closet when I’ve got an idea and need to get in written.   Second challenge for me was weaving ancient Egyptian mythology into a modern day paranormal. The mythology is controversial with not a lot of consensus amongst experts on some subjects. Couple that with the need to slog through textbooks on theories about Egyptian mythology made getting the world designed and rules established a slow process.

Iris:  What is your favorite quote from Dawn of a Dark Knight?

Zoe: “You swore this deal would be a safe little exchange. I didn’t sign up for this—Chinese mafia and Hashishins. I’m an MD, not special ops.” (Kira Hardy)

 

Iris: If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, who would it be and what would they say?

Zoe: Kira Hardy: My favorite thing about Ashor has got to be his tattoos. The guy is blow-your-socks off super hot, but that ink…whew.  He’s marked from head to toe, and they’re sexy as hell.  It’s not ink that he went to a parlor and got, but any time he gets hurt, and then is magically healed, he gets a new tat.  Now that I’m the healer, I get to put those little marks on him, which is extremely cool.

 

Iris: Who is your favorite book character? Written self or from an other author.

Zoe:  I just love both main characters in Dawn of a Dark Knight.  The heroine, Kira…who wouldn’t want to be her? She’s an adrenaline junkie good at handling weapons with a cousin that drags her on black market art deals.  And she’s got a magical ability to heal by touch, which propels her towards a mind-blowing relationship with the world’s hottest, yet tormented hero.

And then there’s the raw, tormented Ashor. He struggles to obey the rules laid down by the gods he works for, but stresses when he can’t.  He desperately desires the woman destined to be the sacred healer for the Scimitar magi (Kira), but the gods’ rules dictate he cannot be involved with her. On top of this he keeps blacking out and going on hunts to take out the guys that do most of the daemon summoning, the Hashishins.  Killing these guys, even though they are clearly hostiles, violates the no-killing-humans-unless-attacked rule.

 

Iris: What would be always in Kira’s and Ashor’s fridge?

Zoe: For Kira it’s Perrier and Ashor would have Red Bull.

 

Iris: What books have influenced your writing?

Zoe: I’m grew up heavily influenced by Indiana Jones, James Bond, Star Trek, and Star Wars…okay not books, but I am a movie junkie.  For books I started with Ann Rice and then got sucked into the paranormal romance world (and never looked back).  So, writing paranormals was a no brainer.  For Dawn of a Dark Knight everything came together at the right creative moment — my love of Egyptian mythology, my long-time passion for archaeology, my ideas about a new type of paranormal hero and more. It all just gelled.

 

Iris: Who is your all-time favorite author?

Zoe: There are just too many to choose one. I certainly have favorites, which I have re-read many times. Those top favs include J.R. Ward, Linda Howard, and Christine Feehan.

 

Iris: When you are writing. Do you have a standard plan? Must it always be on the same computer? Or do you need some kind of lucky toy or pen before you can begin?

Zoe: About all I need is a quiet spot and my laptop. Usually, I’ve already brainstormed the next scene on my work commute or while walking the dog. I just need to get it typed.

 

Iris: I was just browsing your website and I saw that you had posted a small excerpt from Dawn of a Dark Knight. Why did you choose this piece from your book?

Zoe:  This excerpt shows there is always an edge of humor in my writing, and demo’s how these badboy, supernatural mega-warriors are not perfect. They most definitely don’t know everything…in fact, they are not given much to work with when the gods wake up their reincarnated soul.

 

Iris:  The excerpt certainly got me hooked from the start. For the readers who are interested to read it. Check out Zoe’s website. http://www.zoeforward.com.

Zoe, I also see on your website that there is a second book Freedom for a Knight coming up! Can you share anything about that?

 

Zoe: The title is most likely going to change shortly. I hope my publisher to release the novel later this year or early next year. In the sequel, there’s a new magus who just got released from an unjustified stint in purgatory. Long ago, a dark-magik sorcerer cursed him and the woman he loves to murder each other within days of meeting in each new lifetime. Being back means this cycle will start again.  He’s attempted countless curse-reversal rituals over the centuries, and all failed.  Now, he may have discovered a way to break their vicious cycle. But it requires he kill her before she strikes her deathblow, something he’s never done in the past.

Thank you for having me visit! I love to hear from readers, so please feel free to drop me an email: [email protected]

 

You can find Zoe at the following pages!

Website | Facebook | Goodreads |

Buy on Amazon | Nook

 

 

Zoe is giving away one e-copy of Dawn of a Dark Knight!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If this raffle is no showing or if you like to share this raffle on your own site. Click on this link.

Dawn of a Dark Knight by

IN THE SHADOWS OF OUR WORLD, A SECRET BAND OF WARRIORS FIGHTS TO PROTECT US. THEY ARE THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST AN EVIL NO HUMAN CAN STOP.

 

An ancient nemesis has resurfaced. Duty demands that Ashor Vlahos, Scimitar Magi commander, recruit a magical healer to fortify the remaining eight magi. The gods’ choice is the woman who helped him escape torture a decade ago. Ashor couldn’t have imagined a better punishment for his vow-breaker homicidal incidents than for the gods to bind him irrevocably to the only woman in the universe he cannot have. The soul-searing desire she ignites in him is strictly forbidden.

Kira Hardy, M.D. is a brilliant, hardworking internal med resident with big secrets. But when Ashor asks for aid after a brutal daemon attack, she is sucked into his dangerous, secret world. Enslavement to the magi, no matter how hot they are, may be an unattractive life plan, but being targeted for death by their enemies is less tolerable.

She must trust the sexy, tormented Ashor to keep her safe while he must deny his ultimate desire and keep Kira at arm’s length lest he bring destruction down on them both. As a centuries-old evil catches up to them, they face a crucial decision–follow the gods’ rules or follow their hearts.