We're happy to host A.J. Locke in the tour for her urban fantasy novel Affairs of the Dead. A.J. answered some interview questions for us, so you can learn more about her and her novel. And don't forget to check the bottom of this post for a giveaway!
Author: A.J. Locke
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Etopia Press
Length: 341 pages
Help ghosts, stop a thief, and try not to die…
Necromancer Selene Vanream helps ghosts settle their affairs so they can move on. But when breaking the rules gets her in trouble, she’s bumped down to tracking ghosts trying to avoid the afterlife. Ghosts like Ethan Lance, who claims he was kicked out of his body when someone else jumped in. Which might be plausible—if such a thing were possible. And if Micah, Selene’s partner, didn’t pull her into an investigation of brutal murders that lead directly back to Ethan.
But when the whole mess puts Selene’s life in danger, she suddenly has very personal reasons to get Ethan’s body back. Between her uncomfortable relationship with Micah, and problems with her boss, Selene learns just how much trouble it can be when you don’t follow the rules…
1. Who are two authors that inspire your work, and why do they inspire you?
Laurell K. Hamilton because she was the first urban fantasy author I ever read. I didn’t immediately start writing urban fantasies after I started reading her work, but when I did start, I definitely learned from her how an UF works, the elements it needs, and how to make everything come together in a way that’s faced paced, interesting and also a little mysterious and sexy. Another author that has inspired me is Yukio Mishima for the way he is able to build deeply personal stories centered around people. His works taught me a lot about successful character development and that you don’t necessarily need to know someone’s entire story for them to be a believable character that you care about.
2. Which scene(s) are your favorite in your novel, Affairs of the Dead?
I enjoy my opening scene (which is in a strip club) because it shows you exactly who Selene is and how she goes about doing her job right off the bat. I also like the scene not long after that where her antics at the strip club, as well as others, get her in trouble with her boss and she gets demoted.
3. What is a unique aspect of your book that makes it stand out from other novels in its genre?
I think my book is unique in the way it tackles ghosts and necromancers, and goes beyond the concept of helping ghosts settle their affairs. I also have reanimation, which is using ghosts to animate corpses back to life, and I did something different with witches, giving them the power to draw out living energy as well as handle dead energy, thus calling them dead witches. My ghosts don’t just stay ghosts either; they can turn into rampaging monsters if their affairs aren’t dealt with in a timely manner. I took concepts we all know well (ghosts, necromancers, and witches), and tried to put a different spin on them from what I’ve seen before. And hopefully that makes my book unique.
4. Which character in your novel do you relate to the most, and why?
Definitely Selene. She has a bit of a wild side, which I also have, and I also lent her my sense of humor a little. She may get herself in trouble from time to time but ultimately she is trying to do good and be helpful where she can, so though it might seem like she doesn’t care, she really does. She just does things in her own way and I can relate to that.
5. Is there anything else you want to share with our blog readers?
Just that I hope they will check out Affairs of the Dead! I plan for it to be a series, so there will definitely be a second book, which I am working on right now.
Lightning round!
Favorite movie? It’s so hard for me to pick my *favorite* of something because I like so many things! So I don’t have a favorite movie, just a lot that I really like. I tend to go for those fast paced action movies, as well as movies based off comic books, so almost anything DC or Marvel related I’d be into. I also like silly comedies and period romances like Pride and Prejudice.
Favorite TV show? I’m a TV junkie so I have many, some are: Vampire Diaries, Scandal, Revenge, Once Upon a Time, and True Blood.
Favorite food? Anything that tastes good! Seriously, I love any good food, and I especially love dessert!
Favorite animal? Birds; my first pet was a parrot, and after that I always had parakeets as pets.
Favorite color? Blue.
Favorite book? The Sound of Waves and Wuthering Heights are a couple favorites.
Print or ebook? Both, but I favor print books more.
A.J. Locke is an author and artist, originally from Trinidad, now residing in New York City. Affairs of the Dead is her debut novel, and other than writing she enjoys reading, drawing, painting, graphic design, and watching too much television.
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Thank you for having me!
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