The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom: Interview and Giveaway: Promise of Magic by Melinda VanLone

Please share a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names you use.

Thanks so much for having me! I’m a writer, graphic designer, and photographer who loves to play in imaginary worlds. I’m a huge fan of World of Warcraft, cats, coffee, and dark chocolate.

Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.

Promise of Magic is book 3 in the House of Xannon series. Tarian Xannon is pregnant, cranky, and determined to keep her promises. But fulfilling her Agreement with the Carraig leads to a mess. To set things right, Tarian embarks on a dangerous mission which could cost her the life of her unborn daughter, end in disaster for all planes of existence—or bring magic to the world.

Some promises are deadly to keep. Will the promise of magic be one of them?

Have you ever based your book or characters on actual events or people from your own life?

I’ve definitely found inspiration from things around me and from people I know. While the entire book isn’t based on anything in particular and all things in it are fictional, some characters, such as Alex (Tarian’s best friend) are inspired by friends or people in my life. Alex is a blend of two people: a guy I used to work a day job with, and a guild mate in World of Warcraft. When I write anything about Alex, I hear their voices in my head and it helps me get his words right.

Bad guys in my stories tend to be inspired by people who have…well, irritated me in some way. You know how they say “don’t piss off a writer, they might kill you in their next book?” Well…yeah. That. Sometimes it’s a real-life criminal who catches my attention and spurs the actions of my antagonists, and sometimes it’s someone a bit closer, like an ex-boss. We’ve all worked with someone we thought was a sociopath, right? Or is that just me?

When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

Oh, if I’m not writing, then I’m reading. Hubby and I like to binge watch tv series on Netflix. We’re currently working our way through Dexter, Criminal Minds, Chuck, and Warehouse 13. Most evenings I spend a few quality hours with my guilty pleasure: destroying monsters in World of Warcraft. I play a frost mage on Shandris, and my character name is Tenema. We’re always looking for flex raid buddies, so if you play look me up!

Which romance book or series (or other genre, if you don’t write romance) do you wish you had written?

I wish I’d written Harry Potter. Not because it brought fame and fortune and billions of dollars to the author (though I wouldn’t turn down the money), but because Rowling did what I’d love to do: she inspired more people to read. She introduced them to a new world, and she took them on adventures that delighted, entranced, and entertained, and all of it with the power and magic of the written word.

Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?

I have an idea for a trilogy sitting on the back burner right now that is dystopian science fiction. I think what stops me from writing it is that there’s no magic in it, and I’m enjoying my romp through Tarian’s world right now. I’ll tackle it some day though, because the story is itching to be told and I love science fiction.

Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is your favorite and why?

Oh, I can’t tell. It might upset the rest of them, and I need them all at their best to tell the story!

What is in your to read pile?

Next up in my queue is Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4) by Patricia Briggs, and Broken (Otherworld book 6) by Kelley Armstrong. I’m deeply in love with both of these series. I like to go for long walks with them and hug them on cold nights. Seriously. If you like urban fantasy and haven’t read them, you really should.

If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?

Promise of Magic is book 3 of the House of Xannon series. Book 4, working title Finding Earth, is in revisions now and due to launch in November. It should be up for pre-order soon. Finding Earth takes place immediately after Promise of Magic, and is about a young detective in Philadelphia who is trying to stop a human trafficking ring when she suddenly comes into magic power with no idea how to use it. She’s up against someone who is evil, powerful, and he wants what she has. I hope she can figure out her own abilities fast enough to thwart him.

Promise of Magic

House of Xannon

Book 3

Melinda VanLone

Genre: urban fantasy

ISBN: 978-0-9887455-4-4

ASIN:

Word Count: 65k

Cover Artist: bookcovercorner.com

Book Description:

On instinct, Tarian bowed her head in return, shocked. “Dulra. Welcome.” She breathed the words, awed by the presence of creatures she’d only known through legends. What is the Balance Court doing here?

“Tarian A’marie Maitea Xannon, of the House of Xannon, Keeper of the Water Artifact, you are summoned to the Balance Court.”

She’d been summoned, and every particle of her being cried out to answer it.

Despite the advanced stage of her pregnancy, Tarian has some explaining to do. Fulfilling her Agreement with the Carraig was an issue of honor—but it led to complications. The Keeper of the House of Xannon is called to account, and Tarian must embark on a dangerous mission which could cost her the life of her unborn daughter, end in disaster for all planes of existence—or save the world.

Some promises are deadly to keep. Will the promise of magic be one of them?

About the Author:

Melinda VanLone writes fantasy and science fiction, freelances as a graphic designer, and dabbles in photography. She currently lives in Rockville, Maryland, with her husband and furbabies. When she's not playing with her imaginary friends you can find her playing World of Warcraft, wandering aimlessly through the streets taking photos, or nursing coffee in Starbucks.

http://melindavan.com

twitter: @melindavan

https://www.facebook.com/MelindaVanLone

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6691466.Melinda_VanLone

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