Today we have another author spotlight on The Book Smugglers (two in one week! Go figure!). Today’s guest is the fantastic Urban Fantasy author Laura Bickle.
Laura is the author of the brand spankin’ new Anya Kalinczyk series, whose series title character is, of all things, an arson investigator. A psychic arson investigator, of the paranormal. The first book in the series, titled Embers hit shelves this month – with impressive praise from the likes of Elizabeth Bear. (And, just so you know, we Smugglers will have a review of Embers up in the near future…) Here’s a bit more about the books of Laura Bickle:
Unemployment, despair, anger–visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit’s unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya–who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern–suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil’s Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya–with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team –can stop it.
Anya’s accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she’s risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she’s ever faced.
The second book in the series, Sparks will be released in September. Check out the purdy cover:
To celebrate the release of Embers, we are having the lovely Ms. Bickle over for an interactive Q&A and a chance to win her books! We have TEN AUTOGRAPHED COPIES of Embers up for grabs. Entry is easy and simple, as usual – just leave a comment here asking Laura a question (about her series, her alter-ego, her writing process, her flirtation with pyromania, etc!). The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada ONLY, and will run until Saturday, April 25th at 11:59PM (PST). ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON, please! Multiple comments will be disqualified. Good luck, and let the questions begin.
Please and give it up for Laura Bickle!
Hi, folks! Thanks so much for having me. I’m excited to answer your questions about EMBERS and the sequel (SPARKS, out September 2010), or what my alter ego Alayna Williams is scribbling away on. We can chat about myths in storytelling, why fire salamanders love chewing on electrical cords, my favorite deck of Tarot cards, bad writing habits, things that go bump in the night, comic books, secret identities, why I’m held prisoner in my house by a posse of barely-reformed feral cats…it’s all fair game.
Looking forward to chatting with you!
Laura Bickle has worked in the unholy trinity of politics, criminology, and technology for several years. She and her chief muse live in the Midwest, owned by four mostly-reformed feral cats.
Her work has been published in Midnight Times, Down in the Cellar, MicroHorror, Theaker’s Quarterly Fiction, Ballista, Byzarium, New Myths, a Blog-O-Novella office soap opera for True Office Confessions, and Aoife’s Kiss. Her most recent project is the Embers series of urban fantasy novels for Juno-Pocket Books.
She also writes urban fantasy as Alayna Williams. Check out her other novels at www.alaynawilliams.com.
She can be e-mailed at: laura@salamanderstales.com. She’s blogging on writing at: www.salamanderstales.blogspot.com.
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82 Responses to Interactive Q&A and Giveaway with Laura Bickle
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Hi Ms. Bickle!
Ember sounds great, looking forward to reading it!
My question is, how many books do you plan in for this series?
Hello, hello
I was wondering, what is your writing process like? I’ve always had long involved stories plotted out in my mind, but it never seems to be as good on paper. I’ve heard everything from writing when inspiration strikes to writing every day, no matter how you feel… How does it work for you?
Hi, Carolyn! Nope, I haven’t been asked to review any books yet, but I’d recommend Linda Robertson’s CIRCLE series. Great stuff!
John, I do enjoy urban fantasy, as well as epic fantasy, paranormal romance, and horror. If it has some element of the fantastic in it, I’m in! I’ve got an epic fantasy I wrote a couple of years ago gathering dust in a shoebox that I’m hoping to find a home for soon, so stay tuned!
My alter ego, Alayna Williams, is a combination of my middle name and my husband’s middle name. My mother SWEARS that she didn’t name me after Rod Stewart’s first wife, but I’m not so sure…
Shara, I spent a lot of time at the library learning about arson. I’m sure I’m on someone’s watch list somewhere, LOL. My background is in criminology, so I have some idea of how an investigation is run, but arson was a new and exciting thing to learn about.
As for the mythology, I was thrilled to dig deeper into myths about dragons, salamanders, and Ishtar. Anya’s got her roots in the myth of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of war and sex. Ishtar’s love was known to be fatal to her lovers, and Anya has to try and resist that destiny. I was fascinated by the idea of a love goddess who is also a war goddess. Not at all common in mythology.
Amber, in EMBERS, Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern. Where other mediums see spirits, she devours and incinerates them. Anya has a double life: she spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. She’s part of two worlds, but not fully accepted in either. Anya suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon an ancient dragon that will burn the city to cinders. By Devil’s Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya-with the help of the ghost hunters and her fire salamander familiar, Sparky-can stop it.
In DARK ORACLE, I introduce a new heroine, Tara Sheridan. Tara swore off criminal profiling after narrowly escaping a serial killer who left her scarred for life. By combining Tarot card divination with her own intuition, she must help an intense federal agent find a missing scientist who has unlocked the destructive secrets of dark energy. The agent, Harry Li, draws her out of her self-imposed exile and back into the world
Hi, van! I’d love to keep going with both series as long as possible. I have plenty of ideas I’d like to bring to life. Having new worlds to explore is very exciting, and I hope that I get the opportunity to continue.
Lindsay, I think that the best way to reach writing goals is to write every day, whether you feel like it or not. I know that sounds totally counterintuitive. But you can really surprise yourself with what you turn out when you get in the habit. To that end, I recommend trying National Novel Writing Month: http://www.nanowrimo.org. It was really a breakthrough for me in my own writing process. DARK ORACLE and its sequel, ROGUE ORACLE, were NaNoWriMo books. The process really forced me to streamline and get to the essentials.
Everyone has asked general questions, so I’ll get in-depth :D. Do you use outlines before you start a new book? I know some people live and die by their outlines, but I can’t seem to see why.
Hi, Meredith! I’m a plotter, not a pantser. I always start with a synopsis. I start with a general outline that becomes more specific as I go along. I liken it to putting meat on the bones of a skeleton. I find that if I start with nothing in mind, my writing tends to wander too much. That’s not to say that it isn’t fluid, and that there aren’t surprises. There always are.
I am envious of pantsers who are able to navigate without the pieces of paper, but I need my security blanket!
Having worked with a few different species of salamanders, I have a question. Did you have a particular type of real salamander in mind or was Sparky based off myth primarily?
Hi Laura. How did you get published? Having short stories published before a full length novel made it “easier” to publish your books?
Also, awesome covers! And I love that you picked Detroit for a setting! It’s where I grew up so I’m partial to it. I’m tired of people always bashing it.
Hi, Lexi! I’d love to hear about your salamander experiences. SPARKY is probably a composite of several different types of salamanders: red, tiger, and hellbender. He has the ear-gills of an axolotl. But he’s mostly guided by the mythological descriptions – though, contrary to Paracelsus’ description, he doesn’t have stars on his body.
Roxy, I think the short stories helped me most getting practice in getting to the point quickly. With a 3,000 or 5,000 (or 1,000) word format, it forced me to be succinct. And the experience of rejection did a lot to toughen my skin. I gained a lot of valuable feedback that helped me to grow.
Detroit IS a great town. It’s a rich and wonderful place to find myths and unique landscapes, like the Detroit Salt Mine and Michigan Central Station. My husband is from Detroit. And he still roots for the Lions, no matter what!
My husband says: “I think they made a good draft pick. But they’re gonna ruin his career, because that’s what they do.” Sigh.
Roxy…more on getting books published. I met my editor at a writer’s conference at a time she was closed for submissions. I was totally tongue-tied and said absolutely nothing useful. But she did remember me when I submitted EMBERS to her several months later. So…luck and timing.
[...] Laura Bickle, author of Embers, by the Book Smugglers [...]
I’m kind of late and a lot of good questions already so I will ask Do you have a book you are reading or have read that you would reccomend?
I love the covers of your books and the books sound really great. I have not read this type of book before and it sounds very interesting.
Hi, the book sounds great! Who are your favorite authors?
Hi, Sue and Myra!
Right now, I’m reading EURYALE, by Kara Dalkey, DARKER ANGELS, by M.L.N. Hanover, EYES OF CROW, by Jeri Smith-Ready, and Elizabeth Bear’s CHILL. Other favorite authors are Christopher Moore, Robin McKinley, and Barbara Hambly.
I think I’m looking forward to the Oracle series as much as the Anya series. I imagine Sparky added a laugh here and there. I love a good paranormal that can take you away and provide a chuckle or smile is an added plus.
Lisa, Sparky was a lot of fun to write. I’d intend for him to do one thing in my outline, and he’d veer completely off course and do something entirely different that would require the intervention of fire extinguishers.
I hope that you enjoy both Anya and the Oracle series!
I don’t know if anyone else has asked this but who are some of your favorite authors to read?
Thanks!
Hi, Laura! I have to say, all the positive buzz about Embers has me intrigued, and I’m interested to see how the salamander familiar comes in play, especially in a contemporary urban environment. You mentioned Paraclesus in one of your comments–do you incorporate anything with his other elemental spirits in the mythology of your Embers universe?
i would love to read embers!!!!!!
Hey Laura I Saw You Over At Bitten By Books, So Glad I Found You Here As Well. If You Were Stranded On A Deserted Island What Three Things WOuld You Just Have To Have To Keep Your Sanity?
Hi, Angie! Right now, I’m reading Kara Dalkey, M.L.N. Hanover, Jeri Smith-Ready, and Elizabeth Bear’s. Other favorite authors are Christopher Moore, Robin McKinley, C.S. Friedman, and Barbara Hambly.
Hi, Megan! I’ve not yet worked any sylphs or undines into the book. But I’m fortunate enough for there to be a third book, a gnome may make an appearance.
Thanks, Tami! I hope you enjoy!
Raquel…hmm. I’d have to go down the route of pragmatism…sunscreen (because I’d go up like a vampire at high noon without it), a machete, and a good rifle with ammo.
But, if we’re talking about a lovely island in the Carribbean where drinks are served on the beach in glasses with little umbrellas…a journal, pens, and a nice supply of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies.
Hi, Angie! Right now, I’m reading Kara Dalkey, M.L.N. Hanover, Jeri Smith-Ready, and Elizabeth Bear. Other favorite authors are Christopher Moore, Robin McKinley, C.S. Friedman, and Barbara Hambly.
Hi, Megan! I’ve not yet worked any sylphs or undines into the book. But if I’m fortunate enough for there to be a third book, a gnome may make an appearance.
Thanks, Tami! I hope you enjoy!
Raquel…hmm. I’d have to go down the route of pragmatism…sunscreen (because I’d go up like a vampire at high noon without it), a machete, and a flare gun.
But, if we’re talking about a lovely island in the Carribbean where drinks are served on the beach in glasses with little umbrellas…a journal, pens, and a nice supply of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies.
I love the covers! How much say did you have in them?
Thanks for visiting us Laura. Most of the books I read are urban fantasy so I’m quite excited to check out your book.
My question for you is, if you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book, Embers?
Hi, Raelana! The covers were a happy surprise. I didn’t see them until my editor e-mailed them to me, and I was immediately in love with them.
Donna, I don’t think I’d change anything. I’m very happy with the way the story turned out. Well, maybe I would have thought of the idea sooner, though!
I haven’t yet gotten a chance to read your new book, Embers, but I am wondering…what made you choose a salamander as Anya’s familiar?
Falling, I wanted to do something a bit out of the box. Salamanders haven’t gotten much press since Paracelsus’ time, and I thought that they were past due to be allowed to run wild on the page.
Thanks for sharing. It sounds like a great book. What was your favorite part of writing it?
Hi, Donna! I think that developing the Sparky character was the most fun. That, and researching dragons.
I’d like to thank everyone who stopped by…I really appreciate you taking the time to chat, and hope that you enjoy EMBERS!
[No need to enter me in the contest; I'll be picking this up myself :)]
Hi Laura,
Just stopped by to say congrats on your release! It was so cool to find out that we debuted on the same day, from the same publisher.
All the best and here’s hoping you get to continue the series – it sounds like a really great read! I’m looking forward to checking out Embers (and Sparks!).
Hi, Sonya! Thanks for the kind words. Your book is in my TBR pile – congrats and happy book birthday!