Today’s Guest: Devon Ellington

Back in August, my good friend, Devon, joined me here for an interview (click the link to read the entire interview). She had just released her adventure, Hex Breaker. Now, she’s working on the follow-up adventures with her characters Jain and Wyatt. Below is an excerpt of her first interview as well as some more information about the coming release in the series. AND! Because the book is so awesome, I’m giving away a copy of Hex Breaker. Just leave a comment and your name will be tossed in the hat for the giveaway. All comments must be posted by midnight CST and winners will be emailed and announced on tomorrow’s blog.

 

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Tell us a little about the book [Hex Breaker].
Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts. Hey, it’s always more fun when they have dark pasts, isn’t it?

Will there be more adventures with these characters?
Yes. I should have a short story available for free download soon. The second story in the series, tentatively titled OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK, is told through Wyatt’s eyes, and is almost finished. The third will be told through Billy Root’s point of view and is set in Scotland. Gee, now there’s a surprise, right? Something of mine set in Scotland – again!

Tell us a little bit about the books following Hex Breaker. What adventures can readers expect to see with these characters?

Ooh, you want me to give things away? 😉

OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK, the book set to release this spring, is told from Wyatt’s point of view, which should please Wyatt’s legions of fans! Jain disappears after a romantic weekend with Wyatt, and he’s the main suspect in her disappearance, complicated by the fact that the manager of the inn insists Wyatt and Jain left in the morning, but only Wyatt returned. The paranormal organization with whom Jain works hires Wyatt to track Jain, and he winds up in the middle of a shapeshifter controversy, saddled with a young, rebellious paranormal-couple-in-training, mermaids, and dragons as he uses his very pragmatic skills to track Jain down.

There’s an excerpt of the new book here and excerpts from HEX BREAKER and the two tie-in short stories.

The third book, which I’m currently writing, is mostly told through Billy Root’s eyes. He was a secondary character in HEX BREAKER, but so popular that he warrants his own book. Most chapters are told from his point of view; a few are from Jain’s. The book takes place in Scotland (with a few chapters in Iceland), and the whole second half of the book takes place at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in which I’ve had two plays produced over the years. So we go back to some of the behind-the-scenes theatre stuff, the way there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes film stuff in HEX BREAKER. I think Billy’s journey will surprise a lot of people, but also really please the ones who fell in love with him in HEX BREAKER. He keeps surprising me in the best possible way.

The fourth book will focus on an escaped killer who’s out for revenge on Wyatt, who put him away; the fifth book is behind-the-scenes on a singer’s concert tour, and the sixth (and right now final) book of the series has to do with a journey to the Underworld, bringing back a couple of characters with whom readers first became acquainted during HEX BREAKER.

While each book stands alone, there’s also an overall character arc for Jain and Wyatt, revealing their pasts and how that shapes their futures. They both have some pretty dark areas in their pasts, and more layers of that are revealed in each book. I’m also committed to breaking the false assumption that once two characters have formed a solid, passionate relationship, they’re boring. Their passion for each other is one of their deepest strengths, and they don’t need to sabotage each other. While they don’t always agree, they’re also not deliberately trying to undermine each other in the name of “love”. They can hash things out and move forward more strongly than before.

HEX BREAKER
Available from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing, www.firedrakesweyr.com
$4/digital novella, $6/CD

Visit the Hex Breaker site to keep up with the latest Jain Lazarus adventures and read excerpts at: http://hexbreaker.devonellingtonwork.com.

Keep up with Devon Ellington’s writing and latest releases on Ink in My Coffee: http://devonellington.wordpress.com