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Showing posts with label Patti Larsen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patti Larsen. Show all posts

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Blog Tour for Family Magic by Patti Larsen. Interview + eBook Giveaway


Patti Larsen
Check out her website: HERE
Find her on Facebook: HERE  
Find her on Twitter: HERE 
Purchase her book on Amazon US: HERE
Purchase her book on Amazon UK: HERE
View Melanie's Review: HERE 

About the Author: Patti Larsen is a middle grade, young adult and adult author with a passion for the paranormal. Her YA thriller series, The Hunted, is available now. The first four books of The Hayle Coven series, Family MagicWitch HuntDemon Child and The Wild are out now. Her YA paranormal novel, Best Friends Forever, and steampunk series, Blood and Gold, are due early in 2012. She is a full time writer and a part time teacher of her Get Your Book Done program. Patti lives on the East Coast of Canada with her very patient husband and four massive cats.

1.      1.How did you come up with the idea for the book?
I had just finished reading Harry Potter on the insistence of my niece and understood for the first time the genre I was supposed to be writing. Young Adult called to me like no other subject matter. The night I finished reading the last book of JK Rowling’s series, I went to bed so excited. I knew at last this was the niche I’d been looking for. I woke up around 2:30 the next morning with a girl’s voice in my head. She was very insistent, made me get up and go to my office so I could write down what she had to say. She told me her mother was a witch and her father was a demon, but she just wanted to be ordinary. That was almost three years ago and I haven’t looked back.
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2.     2.Why witches?
I knew I didn’t want to dive into vampires and werewolves, though those two types of paranormals do show up in the Hayle Coven series. But it was honestly the main character Sydlynn herself who informed me of the subject matter.
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3.      3.What made you bring in the other super-naturals?
I know you’ll think I’m a crackpot, but when I write it’s like I’m channelling the character I’m writing for. She fills me in on who is in her life (such as her vampire Uncle Frank and his undead girlfriend Sunny, her demon cat Sassafras, etc) and what impact they have on her. I think having other supernaturals in her stories also helps normalize and balance out the two sides of her--the part of Syd that wants to be like everyone else, to have friends and fit in weighed against the magical realm and the fact even those with extraordinary powers are still only human. Okay, humanish.
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4.     4. How long did it take to write?
This book poured out of me in about two weeks. It was like Syd had been waiting for years for me to figure it all out. I’d been a hardcore fantasy and sci fi writer up until I was introduced to YA, and as much as I loved writing for adults, it didn’t speak to me the way teen stories did (and do). She was so insistent I tell her tale, I could think of nothing else.
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5.      5. Is the sequel already done?
Yes, and in fact the next three books of the series are already published. I’d outlined the first quadrilogy of her story back when I wrote Family Magic, so when I decided to publish it, I dove into writing the next three books in the anticipation of releasing them. I had an offer from a publisher to take the entire series on, but I finally said no. Syd and I need to take this journey together on our terms.
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6.      6. How many books do you plan?
That’s a very funny question at the moment, though a bit of a private joke. When I first conceived of the series, there were five books and Syd seemed content with that. But when I began to write the third book, she started grumbling about how she had more to tell. So the series has, as of now, grown into sixteen novels, four quadrilogies. For some reason her story arcs cover four books at a time with trailers into the next set. She’s suggested she may never stop and as long as the novels are still flowing and my readers still reading, I’ll keep writing.
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 7.Do you plan on keeping the series solely about Syd or branching out into the other coven members because I’m curious about a couple of characters back stories?
There is always the possibility. I’ve just finished writing the first drafts of a series about her great-great-grandmother, Auburdeen, a steampunk trilogy based in London. I’ve also toyed with the idea of telling her mother’s story, her uncle’s, a rewind back to when Syd’s grandmother Ethpeal was driven mad by an attacking coven. But so far it hasn’t solidified into anything and I’m not about to force it.

That being said, I also have a series I’m working on about a different coven, a male lead this time, who encounters Syd along the way. It will be interesting to see how he perceives her, since the Hayle Coven novels are told from Syd’s first person point of view.
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8. Do you plan on sending Syd or another character to the demon plane for a plot? (maybe Syd could go there to learn about herself more or get sucked through the gate and have to master her powers to get back) 
You’re psychic ;) That’s already planned for the next four books (#7 in fact) as well as much later in the series. She does have family on Demonicon after all, and numerous opportunities for disaster. 
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 9.Who is your favourite character from the book?
I’m so biased. I love Syd. She’s my girl, you know? But if I had to choose outside of her, it would be Ethpeal, her crazy grandmother. She makes me laugh and chokes me up all at once. Whether she’s stuffing herself with chocolate and tequila or lobbing fireballs at the neighbours, she’s a force to be reckoned with.
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10.I get the reason for all the teen angst in the book, it’s quite accurate, is it written from experience?
Syd and her mom have this volatile relationship, a back and forth of “I love her” “I hate her” that she can’t seem to control. Part of the reason I adore Syd is she’s willing to admit when she’s being angsty, when she’s wallowing. Mind you, it doesn’t keep her from doing it! And yes, naturally, I was a melancholy and emotional teen, which is likely why I connect with her so much.
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 11. Who would you like to see portray Syd in a movie?
Ellen Page would be my first choice. I know she’s much older than Syd is in the first book, but she has that attitude and innocence that Syd has. She can be snarky but vulnerable at the same time.
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12. Brad or Quaid?
Teen me is all about football hero Brad, because of what he represents. Fitting in, being popular. Standard handsomeness and the shot of normal. But, omnomnom, couldn’t you just eat Quaid UP? The authentic me, the part of me that is Syd, knows the darkly delicious Quaid is the only choice.
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13. Any teasers you want to share for the sequel?
I’d love to! Book two is called Witch Hunt. Syd has finally made friends in her new town, the bullying has stopped and her family is safe. She even ends up football captain Brad’s girlfriend. But more trouble is brewing when a party goes horribly wrong, releasing an ancient evil on Wilding Springs, while Syd is being recruited/pursued by a group calling themselves the Chosen of the Light.

Giveaway.
Patti has kindly offered three of our followers to win eBook copies of Family Magic. 
Want to win? 
All you need to do is enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form. 
Extra entries are not required but will increase your chances of winning. January 27th, 2012. 
Good Luck! 

Wednesday, 18 January 2012

A Review for Family Magic (The Hayle Coven Novels #1) by Patti Larsen

Posted by Guest Reviewer Melanie 
Published Date: October 17th, 2011
Finished Date: December 29th, 2011
Source: For Review
Format: Kindle
Pages: Unknown

The Blurb from Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Sydlynn Hayle is the daughter of a powerful witch and a demon lord of the seventh plane. The trouble is, she just wants to be ordinary. Syd struggles to survive the minefield of her new high school while being torn between her attraction to football hero Brad Peters and the darkly mysterious Quaid Moromond. When her coven comes under attack, Syd is forced to face the fact only her power can save her family’s magic.

The Review: 3.5 out of 5: Sydlynn Hayle is not your typical 16 year old – although she wishes she was. She just wants to fit in, make a few friends and have a normal life. But, Syd’s life is far from normal because her mother is the leader of the Hayle coven of witches and her father just happens to be a demon lord. Brimming with power, determined not to use it and having to take part in all these rituals, Syd is just biding her time until she is 18 and be done with it all . . . leaving the magic and the coven behind her. But, when the coven becomes a target from some unknown force and threatens them all she is forced to grow up & accept her place in the grand scheme of things or lose those most dearest to her. The thing is, Syd doesn’t have a clue what’s going on or how to use her magic. . . . . no pressure there then ! and to top it all off her school life isn’t exactly a bunch of roses, will it never end ?

I like a good witch book and this was rather good. With it being the first in a series we have all the getting to know you bits and learn all about the super naturals that are in Syd’s life. There are more than just witches – we get a Demon father, a vampire uncle and some type of cursed demon cat – quite a varied bunch really as we’re introduced to the ‘family’. Syd is likeable as she struggles to fit into her human life at school & being bullied for not quite fitting in. She is also struggling at home as she fights against her very nature and what is expected of her from not only her parents but the coven/family as a whole, leading her to reject everything, she wants nothing to do with her powers, their ways . . . . nothing, She is the poster child for teen angst! So, it’s nice that as the book progresses we get to see a more positive, determined, mature Syd emerge, bringing a whole different view of her from the whiny teenager she had been for most of the book, which was starting to wear a bit thin. I loved her little sister, she was so sweet and looked up to Syd so much and Syd didn’t even know how much influence she had over her or how much her words/actions impacted her too. I am also very curious about the connections between Syd and a couple of hotties and I feel the need to mention her Grandma who can only be tamed with chocolate or Tequila, a woman after my own heart (well the chocolate bit).

The plot was good and although it wasn’t hard to figure out who was behind the threat, the path to the discovery was an intriguing journey and I was always wondering if I was correct in my assumptions and that made me question everyone, Which is a good thing. The pace was maintained throughout the book and all of the ‘family’ problems were interspersed with problems at school so that the drama was never ending and making Syd’s life a real hell as she tried to maintain a balance. It was a slightly different take on witches from what I’m used to, the size of the coven for instance, the way they connect and what they get from and do with the power of each member even the communing with demons and their dimensions. These things give the plot some good directions to go in and I would like to see Syd cross the gate to her Father’s realm at some point.  I enjoyed the book, it kept me entertained and it shows real promise as a series and with the conclusion of this book it sets up another threat to the Hayle coven guaranteeing more action to come. I am interested in finding out what’s around the corner for Syd and her ‘family’, she still has a lot to learn and figure out about herself and what she is really going to do with her powers and after the ending I’m also curious to see if the dynamics of the coven have changed. I’ll definitely be looking out for the sequel.
 
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