Gena Showalter is a well-known and highly respected New York Times bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the White Rabbit Chronicles, Otherworld Assassins, Angels of the Dark, and Lords of the Underworld series. She has written over forty novels and novellas. Her books have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated in multiple languages. She is a leader in the world of paranormal romance, young adult romance and in 2015 she will be dipping her toes into the world of contemporary romance. She’s got as she says “a warped sense of humor” and a pen that just won’t quit. As a long-time fan I thought it would be great to sit and chat with the woman who has created countless works I’ve just died to own.
What I personally love about Gena is that she is committed to the fans and works hard to keep us happy but also just on the edge of our seats waiting on bated breath for the next publication. Also her knack for creating memorable characters is unmistakable. She is an expert at designing intricate storylines, other worldly romances, and sensational villains. Her evolution as a writer has been a pleasure to behold. You can always count on Gena to take you on an adventure with great locations, constant twists and turns and story endings that leave you hungry and begging for more.
Below is a bit of the conversation I was fortunate enough to have with Gena.
DR: Tell me about how you got into writing Fantasy romance and what you love most about the genre.
GS: I started writing fantasy romance about fifteen years ago, and wow, I just shocked myself. Just how old am I? LOL I like the fact that anything I can think up, I can write. Anything is possible.
DR: Can you tell me a bit about your creative process, how you come up with new ideas and characters?
GS: For the most part, ideas just come to me. Boom, there. The grain of an idea, or a scene, or a snippet of dialogue, or a sentence – he dies every night only to awaken the next morning knowing he has to die again. Everything else springs from there.
DR: Who is your favorite character, I know this is a tough one, and I know as a reader I love so many, but tell me about one in particular.
GS: I’m head over heels for William from Lords of the Underworld/Angels of the Dark. He is gorgeous, fierce, irreverent, witty, diabolical, and shameless. He will stab an enemy in the back, and laugh about it…and he will stab a friend in the back, and laugh about it. (He’ll stab them both in the chest, too.) He’s afraid of nothing and no one—except love. When he falls, he’s going to fall hard, and woe to anyone who dares to threaten his girl. Blood will flow in rivers.
DR: What is your biggest frustration as a writer, something you struggle with?
GS: Being too awesome. Kidding, I’m kidding. The real answer is: being WAY too awesome. Kidding again. Maybe. (Do you see the warped humor coming into play?) To be honest, I don’t let frustrations hang around. I cast them aside and move on. It’s the only way to stay 1) sane and 2) happy.
DR: What have you found is the biggest reward you've gotten from being a writer?
GS: Hitting the New York Times was a big one. Huge, actually. But I also enjoy positive feedback from readers. I love knowing I’ve touched someone’s life in a positive way.
DR: Can you tell me a bit about yourself outside of writing, what do you do to unwind and let go from day to day stress?
GS: I hang out with my family—we love to try new restaurants. I spend time with my friends. I read, watch TV (while “nesting,” AKA putting everything I think I’ll need on the bed with me), and I walk my dogs. Some have called this “granny living” and I’m strangely okay with that.
DR: You have some new releases coming out in October and November of 2013, can you tell me a tiny bit about those, No teasers necessarily, just what can we expect from the new books?
GS: Through the Zombie Glass just released and I am SO happy with the response. I’ve gotten some of my best reviews ever for this book.
“An intense, electrifying and unputdownable sequel!”
“I loved it!”
“Couldn’t put it down!”
“Fantastic!”
“Nailed it!”
“An awesome read!”
Here’s a little about it:
Zombies stalk the night. Forget blood and brains. These monsters hunger for human souls. Sadly, they've got mine...
Alice Bell has lost so much. Family. Friends. A home. She thought she had nothing else to give. She was wrong.
After a new zombie attack, strange things begin to happen to her. Mirrors come to life, and the whispers of the dead assault her ears. But the worst? A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do very wicked things.
She's never needed her team of zombie slayers more, but ultra bad-boy Cole Holland, the leader and her boyfriend, suddenly withdraws from her...from everyone. Now, with her best friend Kat at her side, Ali must kill the zombies, uncover Cole's secret and learn to fight the darkness.
But the clock is ticking...and if she fails at a single task, they're all doomed.
My last release this year is Black and Blue. Coming October 22, 2013, and an RT Top Pick!
HE IS EVERY WOMAN’S FANTASY. . .
Corbin Blue is a man of many talents. One of the most powerful otherworlders ever born, he is wealthy, a professional football star, and a legend in the bedroom. But only a select few know he is also a black ops agent...and there is no better killer. When he and his crew are attacked and separated, he’s forced to turn to his boss’s daughter for help―a woman with even more secrets than Blue.
. . .
SHE BECOMES HIS ONLY OBSESSION
Evangeline Black has always been wary, guarded. No man has ever breeched her walls. Until Blue. He has never been denied something he wants, and now, he’s decided he wants her. As he sweeps her into his double life of seduction, intrigue, and danger, he helps her see beyond the darkness of her past. But as an enemy closes in, Blue will have to let Evie go to keep her safe—even though he'd rather die than live without her…
Only a few reviews have come in, but they have been Top Picks all the way around and I’m thrilled!
DR: Can you give me any teasers for the new releases we can expect in 2014?
GS: Certainly!
April 29th will mark the release of BURNING DAWN, the third Angels of the Dark novel. Here’s the blurb:
A tormented past has left Thane with an insatiable need for violence, making him the most dangerous assassin in the skies. He lives by a single code: no mercy. And as he unleashes his fury on his most recent captor, he learns no battle could have prepared him for the slave he rescues from his enemy's clutches--a beauty who stokes the fires of his darkest desires.
Elin Vale has her own deep-rooted scars, and her attraction to the exquisite warrior who freed her challenges her every boundary. But Thane's unwavering determination to protect her means she must have her greatest fears--and enter a world in which passion is power and victory means breathtaking surrender.
September 30th will mark the release of the third White Rabbit Chronicles novel (no official title as of it.) Ali and the gang will be battling zombies—and more!
November 25th will mark the release of THE DARKEST TOUCH, a Lords of the Underworld novel. It’s Torin's story, and I’m excited to write it! The heroine I have in mind rocks my socks! Old fashioned saying? Granny living strikes again.
Gena Showalter is an author you need to check out, her sassy, warped, brilliant mind has no comparison. I am convinced once you pick up her work you will never stop being hungry for more!