Happy Release Day: Interview w/ Anna J. Evans & Int. Giveaway

Desire burns in the second powerful Demon Bound novel-from the author of Shadow Marked.

So hot it burns...

Emma Quinn satisfies her demonic cravings by feeding on human life force, and keeps her conscience clean by preying only upon those who deserve it. But when Emma overindulges one night, she's in trouble with her victim's gang--or she will be, if they find his body. She turns to mob lawyer, Andre Conti, an arrogant, obsessive-compulsive womanizer--who's also damned good at his job. A couple of phone calls later, and the whole mess is behind her.

Until the body disappears, Emma's apartment is trashed, and her roommate goes missing. Andre is the only person she can trust, but he doesn't believe in her powers--even with Emma's body pressed against his as she searches his memories and awakens other, sensual cravings she wasn't sure she possessed...

Thank you so much Anna, for taking the time to stop by on your busy release day! Welcome to the blog!

You’re so welcome! I’m thrilled to be here, thanks for having me.

Iʼm pretty confident in thinking that many readers are familiar with your first book, Shadow Marked, of the Demon Bound series. But Iʼm also sure many – including myself until a couple of days ago -- are not aware that you have wrote many, many books! So maybe we should start off our question session with, “What types of books does Anna J. Evans like to write, and how did the Demon Bound series end up on that list?”

I started out writing super hot erotic romance for Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing in 2006 and had my New York trade paperback debut with NAL Heat in 2009. SKIN DEEP (the 2009 debut) is an extraordinarily naughty read that I affectionately refer to as my magnum-smutpus. After SKIN DEEP, I just didn’t see how I could write a hotter book. So I decided to put the energy I’d focused on writing sexy into more complex world-building and mystery plotlines. The Demon Bound world came to me a few months later, and thankfully my editor at Penguin was excited about transitioning me over to the Eclipse line.

The Demon Bound series is an erotic paranormal/urban fantasy romance, so before we talk about the world-building, can you tell us what makes the seriesʼ characters so interesting and unique?

Everyone in these books is damaged in some way. Either they’ve had a hard childhood, were raised as part of the mob, or suffer from strange paranormal “gifts” that feel more like curses. I found that all the personal angst made these people very interesting to write. And man, do the sparks fly when they fall in love! I think that enduring all the hardship they’ve faced makes them even more determined not to let love slip through their fingers. 

Demon Marked is the second story in the Demon Bound series, does it pick up where the first left off, or have you created a new story line all together?

The second story picks up a couple of months after the first, but with a mostly new cast of characters. This time around it’s the youngest sister who’s dealing with her demon mark and finding her soul mate. The plotlines are not connected in such a way that you’d have to read the first book to enjoy the second.

Will we see any new supernatural creatures in this book, or in any other book in the future?

DEMON MARKED is full of new creatures. I had a blast dreaming up all the different demons that inhabit this post-apocalyptic version of New York City. Some of them are gross, most are scary, and all have an interesting place in the eco-system of this new world.

Was there a character that was more difficult to develop and write? Or was there even a challenge in the world-building that you had to overcome?

I did a lot of research on sex addiction before I started DEMON MARKED. The hero in this book, Andre, is a sex addict and I wanted to know what made him tick, as well as what it would take for one woman to win his heart and help him slay his personal demons. I hope I did a decent job of portraying someone who suffers from this particular form of addiction.

What are your thoughts about urban fantasy and paranormal romance coming together -- which we seem to see more and more of lately?

I think it’s lovely. I enjoy the edge that urban fantasy elements give the romance genre. In DEMON MARKED, I did my best to write a romance that romance fans could get behind, but also a rich, gritty world that would entertain fantasy readers. Hopefully, I’ve succeeded! The readers will let me know.

Because today is the release day of Demon Marked *throws confetti*, can you give us a little teaser from your new book?

I can :). Here’s a bit from Chapter 3:

South of the barricade, Andre Conti’s Canali suit stood out like a perfectly shaped thumb in a hand full of sore fingers.
 

Just the fact that he’d brushed his teeth before jumping in the car that spirited him through a sleepy Manhattan would have attracted attention, but the suit… It was definitely overkill.
 

Heads turned and bleary, red-eyed men and women stared as he slipped into the coffee shop. The small, cramped room smelled of burnt beans and fried eggs with a top note of sweat—compliments of the drunk people who had spent most of their night partying before stumbling into Hair on your Chest just before dawn to wait for the barricade to open. The tile was dirty and cracked, the white walls smeared with streaks of brown, and not even the large, framed photographs of the ruins just after the demon emergence were able to distract from the absolute filth.
 

It figured Emma would want to meet in a place like this.
 

Andre spotted her right away, huddled in a corner booth over a cup of coffee, her dirty blond hair hanging limply around her narrow face. She was thin, but muscular, with well-defined arms that looked like she could kick a little ass if she had too.
 

Which she did, occasionally, working at The Demon’s Breath. Andre would have said it was a dumb call to give a teenage kid responsibility for managing a rowdy bar, but Emma handled herself well. She was tough, hard…acidic, like the oily coffee she clutched so tightly her fingertips were nearly white.
 

“Your nails are filthy,” Andre said, the words out of his mouth before he could think better of them. But then, her nails were filthy and it wasn’t quite five in the morning. He couldn’t be expected to achieve lawyer levels of diplomacy this early.
 

Emma looked up, her brown eyes soft and vulnerable for a moment before the familiar toughness seeped in. “Yeah…well that’s the least of my problems,” she said, letting her gaze roam over his suit as he sat down. “You’re looking pretty. As usual.”
 

“Thanks. Due in court later this morning.” Andre smiled, deliberately ignoring the derision in her tone.
 

Emma didn’t care for him, and that was fine. He didn’t really care for her, either, but his cousin Jace had asked him to take “excellent” care of his wife’s little sister while he was away, and that’s what he intended to do. Even is she was a little…rough around the edges for his taste.
 

He might take hygiene obsessive-compulsive-disorder extremes, but she didn’t take it nearly far enough. She was usually clean, but the girl neglected all the little touches that made a pretty woman beautiful. An eyebrow wax, make-up, highlights, and some intense exfoliation could have made Emma the type men dropped their briefcases and turned to stare at. As things stood, she was more the type some beefy biker would throw over his shoulder and drag back to his seedy apartment.
 

Which made Andre wonder…
 

Did her “trouble” involve a man? If it did, if some Southie piece of shit had messed with his cousin’s wife’s sister, he was going to have to call Uncle Francis. He didn’t dirty his hands with that sort of thing anymore, but he couldn’t deny he’d want a man who hurt one of the women in his family castrated or worse.

Do you have a Demon Bound book three, or beyond, planned?

I’d love to write more in this world, but whether we see more Demon Bound books will depend on readers. Sales are even more important now than they were a few years ago. With publishers struggling, only series that perform very well are allowed to continue.

Now for some quickie responses…

What I love to do outside of writing...
Playing with my two little boys, drinking wine with my husband, and taking hikes in the California countryside.

A few favorite romance authors of mine...
Delilah Devlin, Sarah MacLean, Gena Showalter, and too many others to name!

A favorite book Iʼve read within the past year…
“Plain Kate” by Erin Bow. Such a beautiful, rich, sad, uplifting book.

My favorite type of hero…
Flawed, but brave.

My favorite type of heroine...
Real and honest. Also brave.

My writing routine includes…
Working every day. Including my birthday and most holidays.

Something I always have to have near when writing...
Coffee in the morning. Tea in the afternoon.

Pantser or plotster?
Reformed panster, now a big plotter.

Five years from now I see myself…
Having more time to write when my youngest goes off to elementary school; being sad that my youngest is going off to elementary school.

A place Iʼd love to visit…
China!

If I could have a supernatural power it would be...
I’d like to fly.

Is there anything else you would like to tell fans of your books?
Thank you so much for reading. I hope I’ve entertained you (or may entertain you in the future). A lot of my Ellora’s Cave readers helped feed my children when I was living on a fixed income and I am so grateful. You all rock.

Thank you so much Ms. Evans, for stopping by and giving us a glimpse in to the unique little world that makes up the Demon Bound series!

Once again, you’re welcome. Thank you for the lovely interview, and I hope your readers enjoy DEMON MARKED.

Check out Anna's website to keep up on her latest endeavors! You can also find excerpts from both the DEMON BOUND series books, other fun stuff, as well as a host of smokin' hot books that Anna's wrote!

Demon Marked @ Amazon  @ B&N @ Book Depository

Now for the Giveaway! 

• Anna has soooo generously offered two signed copies of Demon Marked to two US winners, and two unsigned copies to two international winners -- where ever The Book Depository ships (so make sure before you enter).

• You must do the following three things in order to be entered!

• Leave a question or comment for Ms. Evans from something in the interview.

• Your email addy AND 

• Whether you're an US resident or INTERNATIONAL!! 

All three must be done to be entered! We need to know where you're from in order to put you in the correct contest. 

International readers, please make sure The Book Depository will ship to you before you enter. Check HERE if you're not sure.

• Winners will be selected via random.org. and notified by email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

• Contest runs from Tuesday, January 4th - Saturday, January 8th, 11:59 PM EST.

Good Luck, and thanks for stopping by to support the new release of 

DEMON MARKED!