Urban Fantasy Investigations

Interview: The Savage Blue by Zoraida Córdova

2013-05-22T03:00:00.000-04:00

UFI welcomes Zoraida Córdova Author of The Vicious Deep Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

1.) What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?

I'm often very silly, love staying home and watching movies like PITCH PERFECT and THE HANGOVER I & II, and I love hot wings. For more, I have this vlog: http://youtu.be/MVDDZobIwWg

2.) What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

I don't have much downtime, but when I do I catch up with my drawings/sleep/gym.

3.) What is your Favorite part of writing?

Creating new worlds.

4.) Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?

I don't. Every writing day is different. Sometimes I write in the day and drink coffee. Sometimes I write at night and have wine. Sometimes there's music. Sometimes I sit in Central Park.

5.) What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres?

Holly Black, Libba Bray, Charles DeLint, Amelia Atwater Rhodes, Sarah Beth Durst.

6.) What can you tell me about the world that The Vicious Deep Series is set in?

The Vicious Deep is set in Coney Island. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcE__mvXFmo

It's a place that really symbolizes "the other" in society and welcomes oddities. Like mermaids.

Then there's the world of the sea court. Toliss Island is my version of Avalon for mermaids. I like the idea of a traveling sea court, much like a traveling circus. Then there are other locations like the Vanishing Cove in book 2, which represents a borderland of sorts where the magical community has exiled themselves as humans grew in numbers over the centuries.

7.) Do you have a favorite scene in The Savage Blue?

I loved writing about the oracles. They're such fluid and powerful women/beings. You see different versions of them, from the lonely to the power hungry.

8.) Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?

Favorite is definitely Tristan Hart. Writing from an emotionally turbulent teenage boy is fun.

The hardest is Kurt. Only because sometimes I find myself liking him too much, and in book 3, that would be trouble.

9.) What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?

I'm happy to say Sourcebooks Fire has bought book 3. The working title is THE VAST & BRUTAL SEA.

After that I'm going to try writing from a girl's POV. She is death and she is magic.

Find Zoraida and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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The Savage Blue
The Vicious Deep #2

A storm is coming...

The ocean is a vicious place. Deeper and darker than Tristan could have imagined. Beneath its calm blue surface, an ancient battle is churning —and no one is safe.

In the quest for the Sea Throne, Tristan has already watched one good friend die. Now he must lead the rest on a dangerous voyage in search of the trident that will make him king. But while Tristan chases his destiny, the dark forces racing against him are getting stronger, and the sea witch of his nightmares is getting closer.

Battling sea dragons and savage creatures of the deep, Tristan needs his friends' support. But they each have their secrets, and a betrayal will force Tristan to choose between his crown and his best friend Layla — the only girl he's ever loved.

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Guest Blog: Superstition Mountain Trilogy by Stacey Thompson

2013-05-21T03:00:00.000-04:00

UFI welcomes Stacey Thompson Author of The Superstition Mountain Trilogy. Thanks for Joining us!!

Why The Superstition Mountain?

Superstition Mountain is set in the Apache Junction area of Arizona in the late 1880's. There are a lot of legends set around the Superstition Mountains and they became the backdrop for this really fun and interesting story. It not only incorporates the Apache creation story, it also uses a form of the Lost Dutchman Legends. That's why it's such a great place to base a story that explores the boundaries of good and evil.

The story is based around a young woman named Ami who watched her mother die from a Vampire Demon named Price. She was trained as a Monster Slayer by a man named Wesley who has a past of his own. She is sent away for her own safety before Price attacks the only real family she's ever known. The Shaman and the other Monster Slayers. This sets Ami and Wesley on a mission to set things right and kill Price. Things don't go as they planned. They become instrumental in where the lines of good and evil really are and how far they will go for the people they care about.

These mountains were the perfect setting because there's so much lore in the area. From the legend of the Lost Dutchman's mines to the unexplained light shows that will happen at night. No one knows exactly where this supposed mine is in the mountains and many people have looked for the mines within the mountain. The legend talks about a man, Jacob Wilks, who found this mine and traded gold from it in the nearby city of Apache Junction. The problem is no one has ever found it.

The Apache creation story is also featured within the story. The legend talks about a small battle between what is translated into the Monster Slayer and the first evil of the Earth. Of course the Monster Slayer defeats the evil, but the question is does evil really ever truly die? I took great care in learning this story the best I could and incorporating it into the main line of the story. There are several versions of the creation story so I did my best to try and honor all of them that I found in my research.

This story is a great mesh of American Indian legends as well as some of the lore within the area. It's a wonderful mix of Wild West with Vampires and a sprinkle of Witches. I love this area and the mountains themselves and hope that everyone who reads these books will want to see the real mountains. They really are a magical and beautiful place to visit or live.

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Stacey has been writing since she can remember. She primarily writes Edgy Paranormal and Paranormal Romance, but has dabbled in the Horror and Young Adult Genres.

She is a mother of Three and lives in the beautiful state of Wyoming. You can find her at her blog and Facebook page.

Find Stacey and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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New Releases: 5/19-5/25

2013-05-21T02:30:00.000-04:00

Tue May 21

Absent by Katie Williams

The Dark Shore (The Atlanteans, #2) by Kevin Emerson

Night School (Night School, #1) by C.J. Daugherty .

Praefatio (Praefatio, #1) by Georgia McBride

The Red Plague Affair (Bannon & Clare, #2) by Lilith Saintcrow

September Girls by Bennett Madison

Tarnished by Rhiannon Held

Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Happy Reading!!