Special Guest: J. Annas Walker

Hi all, 

Please join me in welcoming a special guest today who effortlessly combines engineering / construction technology and fantasy / paranormal fiction - and there's a lot more to find out about her. Ladies & gentlemen, please welcome J. Annas Walker

The business ones

Please give us a short introduction about yourself.

My name is J. Annas Walker. I’m a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. I hold degrees in civil engineering technology and building construction technology and am a registered Engineer Intern. These days, I write full time and live in my own personal land of make-believe.

What genre(s) do you write in and why? 

I get enough of the everyday mundane. Fantasy/Paranormal gives me the option to check out and lead an impossible life for a while.

Tell us about your latest release. 

Scion’s Avalon is a sequel to Scion’s Freedom. In the first book Cassy Daniels is a vampire princess on the run from a life she doesn’t want. In the second book we get to see a happy Cassy living in exile with her husband, David. However, vampire politics are just not going to let them have an uninterrupted happily-ever-after.

Do you need a special setting to write in or do you have a ceremony to get you in the mood? What does it look like?  

There’s really nothing special about what I do. I do need quiet space, but this is easily achieved. I’m usually up super early, thanks to a childhood in a farming community.

Describe your feelings when you learnt that your first book was accepted for publication.  

Shocked is the best description. I submitted The Lost Alchemist at the behest of family and friends. I really expected it to be rejected. Surprise! Siren took it.

Has the release of your first book changed anything in your personal life? If so, what?  

Nothing really changed. My husband was one of the people encouraging me to put myself out there and give writing a serious try. He still does.

Where do you find inspiration?  

Great scenery will sometimes spark a thought. I like to use places I’m familiar with. My native mountains and the northeast regions of the state of Georgia are used alot.

Who is your favourite character and why?  

Eleanor from Midnight’s Jewel is a particular favorite. She’s not the heroine, but she totally kicks butt. A demigoddess with a deep sense of duty and several lifetimes worth of knowledge and power makes a formidable enemy.

A favourite line from one of your books.

“Well, my boy, you certainly have a way with the ladies. One vanishes, one stabs you, and the other runs away in tears. You may want to work on that.”~Hadrian to Brandon Thorpe in Midnight’s Jewel

Your favourite drink and food when writing. 

I try not to eat and write. I don’t want to risk getting anything on my laptop. I drink mostly water this time of year. The Southeastern US is very hot and humid.

The nosy ones

How much of the real “you” is in your stories?  

I don’t think it’s possible to completely divorce yourself from your characters. I can see a little of myself in all of them, good and bad. Claire tends to roll with thing, even when they make no sense, and take the impossible on faith. Cassy wants her own life on her own terms. Sabrina feels out of step with those around her and just wants a quiet normal life.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Who was it? I fell in love with the tortured Louis from Interview With A Vampire instantly. I must have read that book a dozen times. The movie was good, but I still think of Louis as my book boyfriend.

What’s the silliest error in a book you’ve submitted? 

Unfortunately, when I proof read my work, I read it back to myself the way I thought of the story. The dropped words don’t always stand out to me. The Lost Alchemist was the worst offender. After it came out, I recruited a cousin of mine to help with the proofing.

Who is your least favourite of the characters you’ve written? Why? 

I really disliked Henri from The Lost Alchemist. His character is so self-serving. He puts being an alchemist above being a good father and loving companion. Love just wasn’t enough, the fool.

The steamiest scene from your books. David and Cassy in his basement hideout from Scion’s Freedom makes the top of my list. I love his reaction the next morning when he realizes who he took to his bed!

Favourite comfort food?  

Tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich

A person you admire. 

Laurell K Hamilton get big props for being about to live with her character for more than twenty novels. I don’t think I have the stamina to put up my people that long. Those aren’t characters. Those are committed relationships!

If you could ask any person in the world one question of your choice, who would it be and what would you ask them? Curiosity would get the better of my manners. I would have to ask the Queen where she puts all those hats we only ever see once or twice.

The fast ones

Favourite colour? Purple

Favourite pet? I have a cat named Mr. Meowgi Von Pussenstein who is very sure I love no one better than him. How vain and narcissistic!

Dog or cat? Cat

Coffee or tea? Iced sweet tea

Quickie or candles? Both!

Hunky or chunky? Pretty packaging is nice, but an intelligent man is my pick.

Suit & tie or jeans & boots? Jeans and Boots

Walk in the park or chat over cocktails? Walk in the park at sunset

Thank you so much for the interview! Let's take a look at your book now  

Three years have passed since vampire princess Cassy Daniels, Scion of the House of Dracul, gave up her title to turn and marry David Ashe. Together, they live in exile with the Council of Crones, a group of elder witches. Isolated from the world, they found bliss. However, vampire politics soon intrude. Born vampire women are being kidnapped, and Cassy’s next on the list.
After a failed attempt to take Cassy from the Council of Crones estate, magical portals lead back to the missing women. Cassy and David are tasked with bringing them home. David is sent after Elisabeta, Cassy’s sister-in-law, who is still on Earth. Cassy, however, has what it takes to enter the elf-kingdom of Avalon and retrieve the other three vampires.
Can Cassy and David hold on to their bliss, or will Avalon’s magic lure her from home?

Buy link: http://www.bookstrand.com/scions-avalon

Author bio:

Born and raised among the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, J. Annas Walker was brought up listening to oral history and traditional storytelling. Her hobby of writing short stories bloomed out of this tradition. With the encouragement of her sisters, husband, an aunt, and a very supportive cousin, she took a chance to turn her hobby into something larger.
After acquiring a bachelors of science in civil engineering technology, she worked for a number of years as a transportation designer. Designing road construction projects by day, she continued writing by night. Today, she writes more than she ever did and blends fantasy and paranormal into romance storylines. The fanged, spectral, magical, and furry have become everyday life.
J. Annas Walker lives with her husband, two teenage sons, and her cat/office assistant.

Author website: http://jannaswalker.weebly.com

http://jannaswalker.blogspot.com