Interview and Giveaway with Airicka Phoenix!

Today I have one of my favourite indie authors the blog. She is a wonderful person and amazing writer, so I hope you get to know her little more and will think about grabbing a copy of her fantastic books! 

Thanks for stopping by Worlds of Wonderment, Airicka!

Hello Jo-Anne! Thank you so much for having me visit you and your readers! It’s wonderful being here.

Can you tell potential readers about your books? 

Absolutely! I write paranormal Young Adult. My two books out right now are part of the Touch Series, but Touching Eternity is a standalone while Touching Smoke is book one. The Touch Series is about the dark side of love, the shadowy parts that most don’t know exist. It’s about Fallon and the fact that unlike most people, she wasn’t born, but created to destroy, created to be destroyed. Her love will kill.

Since Touching Smoke is part of a series, what can we expect from the Touch series as a whole? 

You expect a lot of twists, a lot of action, suspense and romance. The Touch Series will have something for everyone. I think what most will notice as the series progresses that the Touch Series will hit home. Nothing about this series is supernatural. It’s everything that could happen. Its super powers, abilities that people for generations have claimed to possess. What’s to say that it doesn’t exist or that it couldn’t happen? All it would take is someone taking those abilities and twisting them to suit his purposes, to destroy.

Your paranormal world differs quite a lot from most, how would you describe it? 

I think it has a lot of edge with some seriously dark undertones that keep you guessing and wondering if you should sleep with the lights on. Its modern meets dystopian meets monsters.

How do Isaiah and Amalie (Touching Eternity) differ from Isaiah and Fallon (Touching Smoke)?

Isaiah (Touching Eternity) is very confused. He’s very torn. His loyalties are tested, his boundaries, his self-worth and his courage. While Isaiah from Touching Smoke knows what needs to be done. He has no reservations. He has but one mission, one thought, one desire -- keeping Fallon safe.

Amalie is the polar opposite of Fallon. She’s soft and weak and scared. She’s broken. Fallon is strong and determined. She’s witty and refuses to be taken down without a fight.  

Touching Eternity has some very confronting themes, were they hard to write? 

I can’t speak for other authors, but for me, my characters are like my children. Seeing them hurt, seeing them suffering is pure anguish. There wasn’t a moment in Touching Eternity where I didn’t want to pull Amalie into my arms and protect her. Writing Touching Eternity was emotionally and mentally challenging. It took a great deal out of me.

Do you a have a preferred writing space or time? 

I can write anywhere, but my best ideas usually come to me between 12am-4am. That’s when I do most of my writing.

Was there a specific reason you chose the self-publishing route? 

I tried the traditional path. I sent Touching Smoke to several publishers and always got very polite responses back that it wasn’t a fit or that they didn’t have the space for such a book at the time, etc. So I shelved my desire to publish, thinking I would try again at a later time. Then a friend suggested I go at it myself, which was just terrifying at first. But I did my homework, asked about a million questions and finally decided why not.

What was the last book you read that blew you away? 

I am a huge Rick Riordan fan. I just finished his entire Percy Jackson Series, Heroes of Olympus Series and am now on the Kane Chronicles. I think he’s an utter genius and he always keeps me reeling even after I set the book down.

What are some of your favourite hobbies or interests? 

Reading. I am such a book hoarder. It’s a frightening obsession really. I love gardening, baking and craft making. I also do graphic designs for myself and others. But if I had to pick a single thing that I would pick to do for the rest of my life and that would be the adventures I have with my children. They keep me young and keep my muse hopping.  

Is there anything you are working on that you would like to share? 

I’m actually working on my first ever Contemporary. I’m quite proud of myself, because I don’t normally read or write it and it’s something that just came to me one day. It’s very fun and light which is such a huge jump from Touching Eternity. The book temporarily has no title, but it will be released Feb 14^th, just in time for Valentine’s Day. It’s an action, suspense romance that takes us into the lives of Sophie and Spencer as they embark on a journey filled with broken hearts, new beginnings and a dark evil lurking in the shadows waiting to finish what it had started.

Thank you again so much for inviting me to visit with you. It has been incredible and such a fun journey! All the best to you and your readers!! <3

Airicka Phoenix is the author of TOUCHING SMOKE (Touch Book #1), TOUCHING ETERNITY (Touch 1.5), TORRID, a short story as part of the Whispered Beginnings: A Clever Fiction Anthology and WANTING & INTENTIONS, two stories as part of the Midnight Surrender Anthology. When she's not hammering away at the keyboard, she can be found banishing pirates or crawling through the attic looking for lost treasure with her kids. She loves baking, gardening and reading. She also likes to travel and take pictures of everything she comes across. When asked, Airicka describes herself as a sarcastic basket case that has an unhealthy addiction to chocolate, old movies and really bad jokes. She loves to laugh, make friends and write. If she could have one wish granted, it would be to spend one day as a fly-on-the-wall inside Stephen King's mind. If she could have two wishes granted, she would ask for a castle dedicated entirely to her overwhelming collection of books.

WIN AN EBOOK OF TOUCHING ETERNITY AND TOUCHING SMOKE! LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL AND FAVOURITE TYPE OF CHOCOLATE. (You must be 18+ to win both copies, but if you're under 18 you will only receive an ebook of Touching Smoke.)

GIVEAWAY ENDS JANUARY 5TH 2013.