Is there a message in your novel
that you want readers to grasp?
I always end up with a bit of a
message even if I don’t initially intend it—which is probably better I don’t since
I’ve got the subtlety of a sledgehammer. One of the big themes I always write
into my books is the importance of finding a community, and this hits home in a
big way with the final book in the series. Waking for Winter is about healing,
about second chances, and about searching for and finding a cause worth
fighting for.
What inspired you to become an
author?
Two things. Stories have always
been a part of my life. When I was little and painfully shy, books were my
escape, the place where I could be braver and bolder than I was in real life.
My father used to tell me and my brother bedtime stories, but not the average
fare—he spun epics, installments that would stretch out over entire months. The
second thing is my connection with people—I love, love, love to connect with
people any way I can. I love to entertain, love to see a smile, love to help
people feel, and writing gives me the ability to do that.
Do you have a specific writing
style?
My god, yes. My readers could
easily pick my books out of a lineup. On top of a snarky voice that doesn’t
quit, I always tend to write deep into the emotional state of things, and my
pacing tends to be fast. I unapologetically write strong, complex women and
equally varied men.
Do you write in different genres?
I do. My favorite genres to write
tend to have some overlap thematically though. My absolute favorites are urban
fantasy, paranormal romance, and young adult fantasy. The reason I gravitate
towards those genres is because I adore writing character-focused stories
rather than politics-heavy books. While mine contain flavors of that, my focus
is always on the individual struggle as they navigate through the world, and
those genres tend to gather more of those types of stories.
Is the book, characters, or any scenes
based on a true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?
I never base anything wholly off
of true life, but like any author, elements are always woven in. For example, I
tend to feature diner scenes in my books, because I’ve been a diner rat my
whole life and it’s familiar. Whenever I do a club scene, a lot of the vibe
comes from my times hitting the alternative clubs in my early twenties. Aspects
of my friends and family weave themselves into the characters naturally, and a
lot of times I don’t realize until I’ve already written the story.
Do you have a song or playlist
(book soundtrack) that you think represents this book?
Oh hell yeah. I make up a Spotify
playlist for every single story I write—it’s an integral part of the process
for me. Waking for Winter’s playlist featured a lot of songs off the beaten
path for me—I’m not super into rap, but it seemed to fit a lot of the fight
scenes for the story, a blend of Lupe Fiasco, Eminem, and Gym Class Heroes. One
of the big songs for the sensual scenes was Pretty Girl by Sugarcult, because
there’s this seductive darkness to the song that fit so well. Another big one
for the dramatic scenes was Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons, since the nature
of the song just meshed with those moments so well.
Do you have any advice for other
writers?
Find your tribe. Seriously. I
languished at first when my first book, An Airship Named Desire, came out, and
since it was a super small press, the community wasn’t really well-established.
However, as I’ve worked with other publishers and connected with authors,
they’ve been essential for the journey. Because writing not only gets really
lonely, but the trials and tribulations of editing and submitting are near
impossible to weather on your own. The authors in my tribe are brilliant,
brilliant people who I learn from, support, and chat with on a regular basis.
We all keep each other afloat, and that’s been one of the greatest joys since
becoming an author.
What is next for you? Do you have
any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?
I’ve got a lot on the burner
right now. With the Philadelphia Coven Chronicles coming to a close, I’m
currently working on a shifter series to focus on next. I’ve always loved the
animalistic rawness of shifter stories, and I can’t wait to share my brand of
spitfire and vinegar to the subgenre. I’ve also begun the final book in my Take
to the Skies series, The Airship Also Rises, which will draw to completion a
journey that began in 2012.
Can you share a little of your
current work with us?
Dante Martinez filled her doorway, his biceps
bulging as he gripped the top of the frame. Shadows clung to his tan skin and
deepened the stubble of his cleft chin. His mussed, dark hair drifted over his
forehead as if he’d just woken up. Like her, he was a night owl, so the hour
didn’t surprise her. No, what set her on edge was the concerned press of his
lips and the fear glittering in those cocoa eyes.
“You called out to me in a dream, in trouble. It
felt so much like a vision, I had to come check,” he offered, filling in the
silence between them.
Cami lifted a brow as she gestured him inside. “You
know visions are more my wheelhouse, right?” Her heart jackhammered, and she
fought to hide the tremble of her voice.
“Couldn’t take the risk,” he said, shutting the door
behind him. His gaze traced her up and down, the look sending a flush to her
cheeks as she tugged the bottom of the tee that only made it mid-thigh. “Not
with the love mark the Caoranach left with you. We still don’t know if that’s
traceable.”
Ah yeah, that. Dante was the one other soul who knew
about the brand the creature had given her.
She slid her fingers along the
raised skin. Two parallel lines rose up, and a slanting one connected them,
traced by a trail of black ink. Cami hadn’t even told Alanna, because she couldn’t risk getting kicked out. The
Coven felt like home, the first place to settle in her bones since her mom died
years ago, and she couldn’t afford to lose the lifeline. A half-breed like her
had to cling to whatever tethers she could find.
Waking for Winter
Philadelphia Coven Chronicles
Book Four
Katherine McIntyre
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Loose Id
Date of Publication: July 4th, 2017
Book Description:
The Philadelphia Coven has thwarted the Order of the Serpent’s every attempt to destroy their city only to draw out the scariest nightmare from the Otherworld, the Caoranach. One of the Coven’s own, Cami Akiyama, has already met this creature—the very monster who tortured her, branding her with a mark. Given Cami’s history with the big bad, the Coven leader assigns her a bodyguard, none other than the gorgeous and lethal necromancer, Dante Martinez, the ex-boyfriend she disappeared on years ago. One conversation confirms the spark between them never died, and based on the way Dante flirts, he won’t allow that flame to extinguish out without a fight.
No one has ever compared to Dante and the incendiary passion he inspired in her, but the Caoranach broke her—Cami’s too damaged for any sort of relationship. Not like that stops him. If anything, he fights harder for the memories of a love that kept her sane on the bleakest nights. And despite every effort to distance, she finds herself falling for him all over again. Except the Caoranach isn’t finished with her—the branded mark holds the secret to the city’s destruction or salvation, and Cami stands in the center of the storm.
Excerpt 2:
He sucked in a
harsh breath. “So it had nothing to do with us?”
So, so
complicated that phrase. It had everything to do with them, with how bright
their flames burned when they were together and how their fire threatened to
consume survival and reason alike. The aching intensity he inspired in her had
reached the fervor of consumption, to the point she wasn’t sure she’d ever be
able to extricate herself. In their time apart, she’d grown. Fallen down,
scraped her knees, and fucked up, sure. But she’d learned to stand on her own
and had become a woman who could fight her own battles. Had she stayed back
then, she risked not only losing him but herself in the process.
“You’ll always
have the place you carved into my heart.” Her words came out quiet while the
enormity of the realization crashed through her. As much as she tried to
distance herself, as much as she’d tried to move on, the second Dante entered
her life again, his presence returned her to a home she’d been away from for a
long, long time. His uncharacteristic quiet unsettled her nerves, but after the
bombshell she’d dropped, she didn’t expect quips or quick conversation.
The inches
between them grew agonizing since she wanted so badly to reach out and stroke
his arm or squeeze his hand and close the distance. To indulge in the comfort
his mere touch allowed. However, the silence reached a deafening crescendo, and
for once she couldn’t read his gaze.
Dante sat up on
the bed, a bandage over his side where he’d been patched. The doctors had cut
off his shirt but left his jeans on. His mouth tightened with pain at the
motion, and he moved carefully as he slid to the end of the bed to grab her
hand. So close, the scent of his smokes and metal surrounded her, intoxicating
in his nearness and his heat a blossom unfurling in her chest. His dark,
honeyed skin looked good enough to lick, and her tongue darted out to wet her
lips on instinct.
He traced his
fingertips down her cheeks to lift her chin, the slight touch electric, an
awakening that traveled through her body in a way that brought her into the
present for the first time in too long.
Closing the
distance between them, he leaned down and brushed his lips to hers.
About the Author:
A modern day Renaissance-woman, Katherine McIntyre has learned soapmaking, beer brewing, tea blending, and most recently roasting coffee. Most of which make sure she’s hydrated and bathed while she spends the rest of her time writing. With a desire to travel and more imagination than she knows what to do with, all the stories jumping around in her head led to the logical route of jotting them down on paper. She writes novels with snarky women, ragtag crews, and guys with bad attitudes. High chances for a passionate speech thrown into the mix.
Website: http://www.katherine-mcintyre.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kmcintyreauthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pixierants
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/authorkmcintyre
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