Title: TASTE OF DARKNESS
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Pub. Date: December 31, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Pages: 464
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes
& Noble
She's fought death
and won. But how can she fight her fears?
Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he's gone forever.
But there's a more immediate threat. The Skeleton King plots to claim the Fifteen Realms for his own. With armies in disarray and the dead not staying down, Avry's healing powers are needed now more than ever.Torn between love and loyalty, Avry must choose her path carefully. For the future of her world depends on her decision.
Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he's gone forever.
But there's a more immediate threat. The Skeleton King plots to claim the Fifteen Realms for his own. With armies in disarray and the dead not staying down, Avry's healing powers are needed now more than ever.Torn between love and loyalty, Avry must choose her path carefully. For the future of her world depends on her decision.
Did you always know you wanted
to be a writer or did you want to be something else?
A: I wanted to be a meteorologist
and chase tornados (way before that Storm
Chasers show on TV!). I even earned a BS degree in meteorology from Penn
State University and worked as an environmental meteorologist for ten years
(doing air pollution studies).
Writing was something I did when bored at work. And when I was home with my young kids,
writing kept my sanity—something I could control! I liked it so much, I continued to write and eventually transitioned
into a writer.
How long does it take you to
write a book from start to finish?
A: A first draft can take me
anywhere from five to seven months to write, and then I need a month off before
I work on revisions (and by that time, my editor, agent and family have given
me lots of feedback on the story).
When the revisions are done, there are always additional tweaks and line
edits before the book is done. It
takes about nine months total.
How do you come up with themes
for your stories?
A: I start with a character in a
dire situation. For example, a
healer on the run, or a woman on death row. And then I figure out what they want the most (to stop running
and to live), and then I determine who or what stands in their way to getting
what they most desire. As for
themes, they appear as I’m writing the story. I don’t set out thinking, “I’m going to write a book about
hope or persistence.” I focus on
the characters and it’s their choices and decisions and how they treat others
that create the theme. Yelena just
doesn’t give up – it’s her actions that show how valuable persistence is. I don’t even see these until the story
is finished and I read back through it – or someone mentions it to me.
Do you have a schedule of when you
write?
A: I write every night from 10 p.m.
to 3 a.m. except for Friday and Saturday nights unless I’m closing in on a
deadline. Then I’ll write Friday
and Saturday and in the early evenings as well. I set a word count goal of 1000 words. I can’t go to bed until I’ve met that
goal.
How are you able to balance
other aspects of your life with your writing?
A: When I have it balanced, I’ll
let you know! J For me, it’s
family first, writing second, and everything else third. When I’m near a deadline then I ignore
my family and write (they understand as long as I show for soccer games and
orchestra concerts). I’ve sacrificed
my social life and I couldn’t tell you the hot new shows on TV or what’s the
big blockbuster movie. It’s
getting better now that my kids are getting older.
What elements do you think make
a great story line?
A: I’m all about the characters. If
you don’t have a sympathetic character that readers care about, then you don’t
have a good story. I also like to
keep the action moving by putting my characters in trouble and keeping them
there. Other elements are having
proactive characters who solve the puzzle vs. those who are given the answers.
What was the hardest thing about
writing a book?
A: The middle! Beginnings are exciting and endings are
satisfying, but it’s that middle part that is hard. It’s where I develop characters, show background, advance
the plot, lay in clues, and add in subplots. It’s the bread and butter and if I’m having trouble writing,
it’s always in the middle.
How many books have you written
so far? Do you have a favorite?
A: Taste of Darkness is my twelfth published novel, and I’m just
finishing up number thirteen (due out next year). I have to say Poison Study is my favorite.
It’s my first book and I spent over five years writing and revising and
sending it to publishers and agents.
I experienced lots of emotion as rejections came back and then finally
an acceptance. We’ve been through
a lot together J.
Do you have a favorite
character?
A: This is always a hard question
to answer as I’ve many favorites, but for very different reasons. Valek will always be one of my
favorites – he’s calm, capable, and deadly, but he’s also passionate and loyal. Janco is my favorite character to
write. He’s so much fun – I was
just writing a scene between him and Yelena and I was laughing so hard, tears
were running down my face!
Devlen’s another favorite because he is the most complex and has shown
that people can change.
Where do you write?
A: I write in an office in my
house. It’s a lovely
place—my husband built the furniture and bookcases for me. I have a collection
of toys on my desk to fidget with when I’m thinking (or procrastinating), and I
have weapons hidden in various places. When I write an action scene, I want to
make it as realistic as possible. So I’ll grab my switchblade and “block
out” the actions in the scene to make sure it’s doable. I also have my
reference books nearby.
When deciding on how to
publish, what directed you to the route you took?
A: Back when I finished Poison Study, there weren’t as many
options as today. There were only the traditional publishers or
self-publishing. At that time,
self-publishing was not as well regarded as it is now so I decided to try to
find a publisher. I wrote a
synopsis and a query letter and I first queried literary agents to represent
me. After 40 rejections from agents, I decided to approach publishers directly
(again, at that time, a number still accepted unagented submissions). I had a
list of 20 publishers and sent out my manuscript. 17 rejections and two years later, I finally received an
acceptance.
Have you gotten feedback from
family about your book(s)? What do they think?
A: My family has been very supportive. My husband and daughter also give me
feedback on how to improve my stories.
And my sister, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins have all been my own
personal street team. I had this huge book launch party when Poison Study was
published and invited everyone.
They all bought books and celebrated with me. The funny thing is about two weeks later I started getting
emails from them – basically they said how much they loved the book, but the
tone was the funny part – the emails tone was one of surprise that they enjoyed
the book. When they purchase my
book, they didn’t care if it was good or bad and I think some of them expected
it to be bad!
What kinds of things do you
like to do outside of writing?
A: I enjoy playing volleyball,
reading, and photography. I also love to travel and plan to visit as many
places as I can!
What kinds of advice would you
give to someone who wants to start writing?
A: I like to quote Stephen King
when I get asked this question. In
his book, On Writing, he wrote, “If you want to
be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”
I agree with this. If you want to write a mystery, then you should be
reading as many mysteries as possible and you should write as much as possible. I have a word count goal each night of
1000 words and if I meet my goal, in 100 nights I’ll finish my novel. Setting
small goals is a great way to stay motivated.
Also don’t worry about your writing having to be perfect right
away – that’s the beauty of revision!
Write junk, clichés, and sappy scenes – just get it on the page. No one has to read it. And keep writing. Do not be lured into
the never ending loop of revisions.
Some writers get about three chapters in and then keep going back to
revise those three chapters, believing it should be perfect before they could
write any more. Wrong! Those three chapters will mostly likely
change (or be cut) once you finished the book.
What is your favorite book?
favorite author? Do you have an author that inspired/inspires you to
write?
A: It’s impossible for me to name one book or
author. But I will tell you some
of my favorite books: Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, The Gate
to Women’s Country, by Sheri S. Tepper, Jaran, by Kate Elliott, The
Time of the Dark series by Barbara Hambly, the Morganville Vampire
series by Rachel Caine, and On the Edge, by Illona Andrews.
As for an author who has inspired
me. That’s a bit easier. Many of the authors above have inspired
me. Barbara Hambly, Kate Elliott, and Marion Zimmer Bradley have shown me how
to write strong female protagonists.
But I must credit Dick Francis, the mystery writer for introducing me to
first person POV and teaching me how to end the chapter on a mini-cliffhanger
so my readers can’t stop reading and go to sleep (from the emails I’ve received
at 4 and 5 am, I think I’m succeeding in this ;).
Do you have any go to people
when writing a book that help you with your story lines as well as editing,
beta reading and such?
A: My agent is very good at proving
feedback when I’m in the middle of a book and convinced it’s crap (he’s the
voice of reason). My husband and
daughter also provide critiques after I finish a first draft. I don’t like to show it to too many
people while I’m working because the story will change. My editor also sees the
first draft. I’ll also bounce
ideas off my friend Judi.
Are you working on anything
now?
A: I am just finishing the
first draft of a new Study book with Yelena and Valek and the gang. This book has chapters from Valek’s POV
and I do multiple flashbacks to how he became an assassin and how he met the
Commander. The events start soon after Spy
Glass. The book is tentatively
set for a January 2015 release and I’ll be writing two more in that set so book
2 will come out 9 months later.
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Maria! So great to have you here!
Maria V. Snyder changed from being a meteorologist to a
novelist in 1995, when she began writing to keep her sanity while raising two
children. Since then, she has published numerous freelance articles in
magazines and newspapers, and teaches fiction-writing classes at the local
college and area libraries. The classes give her the wonderful opportunity to
encourage fellow writers, and to keep improving her craft.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maria always
had a fascination with big storms. Dreaming of chasing tornados, Maria earned a
bachelors of science degree in meteorology at Penn State University. But she
discovered, much to her chagrin, that forecasting the weather wasn't one of her
skills. In order to chase tornados you had to predict where they might form.
Creating fantasy worlds where she has complete control of the weather was more
agreeable to her.
Maria's research on food-tasting methods with an expert
chocolate taster, her husband, turned out to be a delicious bonus while writing
Poison Study.
Maria has a brown belt in Isshinryu Karate, and enjoys
playing volleyball and the cello. Traveling in general and via cruise ship in
particular are her biggest distractions from writing. Maria has traveled to
Belize, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and through the
Panama Canal.
Maria lives with her husband, son, daughter and yellow lab,
Hazelnut, in Pennsylvania where she is at work on more LUNA novels. She is also
pursuing a master's degree in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill
University.
Readers are welcome to contact Maria at the following email
address: maria@mariavsnyder.com.
Where you can find
Maria:
Website/Blog/Facebook/Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
12/30/2013- Read
Now Sleep Later- Interview
12/31/2013- Tynga's
Reviews- Guest Post
1/1/2014- Fiktshun-
Guest Post
1/2/2014- Bibliophilia,
Please- Interview
1/3/2014- Snowdrop
Dreams of Books- Review
Week Two:
1/6/2014- http://www.parajunkee.com/ Parajunkee- Guest Post
1/7/2014- Moonlight
Gleam Reviews- Review
1/8/2014- The
Cover Contessa- Interview
1/9/2014- Two
Chicks on Books- Guest Post
1/10/2014- Mundie Moms- Interview
I have not yet started this series but it is one I have had my eye on. It sounds like one I would greatly enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy it when you start it!
DeleteI really need to check this series out. So much to read, so little time.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, way too many books to read. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI was hooked on Maria V Snyder from the minute I read the first line of Poison Study. Wonderful stuff!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoy her work!
DeleteI LOVE the Study series! Though Inside Out was the first of Maria Snyder's books that I read. I still have a few I need to read, but so far I've enjoyed them all.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like her work!
DeleteI haven't read this series but I'd love to! :D Thanks for the chance!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Good luck!
DeleteA good set of questions. Looking forward to more from Maria.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
Delete