An Interview with Faith Hunter

The Reading Cafe is happy to have the fantastic Faith Hunter as our guest today.

Faith has just released Death’s Rival, her 5th book in her Jane Yellowrock series. Our review of Death’s Rival is just below this interview.

Faith is here to talk to us about Death’s Rival, and to tell us a bit about herself.

Let’s meet Faith.

 

TRC: Hi Faith.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book, it is a pleasure to have you here at The Reading Café.

Would you please tell us about yourself?

Faith:  Hi. Thanks for having me here.

Well, I’m a writer with several different pen names (all of them mine, BTW) and I write in a *lot* of different genres. As Faith, I have written post-apocalyptic urban fantasy (the Rogue Mage series) and am currently writing dark urban fantasy—the Jane Yellowrock series.  Lately I’ve been writing 2 books a year, but I am getting ready to slow down on that a bit and see if I have a life left!

When I’m not writing, I am caring for elder parents and in-laws, making jewelry, target shooting, gardening bit, and white water kayaking. My hubby and I like to RV to white water rivers and paddle. I missed most of the paddling season this past summer with those elder-care issues so I am really looking forward to some fall paddling!

TRC: When and how did you become interested in writing?  What is your writing process? Do you have a specific place and time you like to write?

Faith:  I fell in love with writing in high school and decided on writing as a career when my tenth grade teacher told me I had talent. I have a writing room painted a soothing shade of bluish-green, furnished with a lovely little glass-topped wooden desk, a PC, a gas log fireplace, a dual recliner, TV, whichever of my orchids are currently blooming, and most of my collection of skulls and bones.

TRC: How did you come up with the idea of the Jane Yellowrock series?

Faith:  Tea with Kim Harrison. Seriously. We were tired and brainstorming—mostly to remember what it felt like to be purely creative. And Jane was born. 🙂

TRC: Can you please explain the premise of your Jane Yellowrock series?  Also, how many books do you plan for this series?  Hopefully this continues for a long time to come.

Faith:  Jane Yellowrock is a Cherokee Skinwalker who can shift into any similarly-massed, female animal, *if* she has sufficient DNA material. Jane is a hunter of rogue-vampires, and in Skinwalker—the first book in the series—she is hired by the Master of the City of New Orleans, Leo Pellissier, to find and dispatch a rogue-vamp who has turned on his own and started draining and eating vamps.

I am hoping for 10 to 15 books. And then spinoffs. Of course. LOL

TRC:  You just released your 5th book in the Jane Yellowrock series.  Please tell us a little about Death’s Rival.

Faith:  For Jane Yellowrock, having Leo Pellissier as a boss took some getting used to. But now, someone is out to take his place as Master Vampire of the city of New Orleans, and they’re not afraid to go through Jane to do it. After an attack that’s tantamount to a war declaration, Leo knows his rival is both powerful and vicious, but Leo’s not about to run scared. After all, he has Jane. But then, a plague strikes, one that takes down vampires but leaves humans untouched, but as carriers of the dread disease.

To uncover the identity of the vamp who wants Leo’s territory, and to find the cause of the vamp-plague, Jane will have to venture into the underbelly of vamp society, where rules were made to be broken. As she circles closer to the truth, she finds the answers to the secret that could turn every vampire in the U.S. true-dead…

TRC:  Your other series is the Rogue Mage.  Would you please tell those who have not read this series, the premise of Rogue Mage. 

Faith:  The end of the world came. The angels appeared and lifted swords of justice and billions of humans were judged and died in the first of the three great plagues. Then the demons appeared and brought the celestial war to Earth. The first generation of humans born after the “end of the end” were able to twist and work with left over creation energy to do something that looked a lot like magic. Afraid of what they didn’t understand, the remaining humans declared war on the teenaged mages and the seraphs put the magic users into gilded prisons called Enclaves.

Thorn St.Croix is a mage in hiding, the only of her kind living in secret among the humans. If the humans discover what she is, she will be tortured and killed. But when her ex-husband is kidnapped by the Dark, Thorn’s stepchild comes and begs her help. To keep the child happy, Thorn will brave both the Dark and the humans who hate her. But she has no idea what that decision will cost her or the world in which she lives. That’s the premise for book one – BloodRing – and the entire series.

TRC:  Many people are confused as to how to describe Urban Fantasy.  Since both of your series are Urban Fantasy, would you care to try and explain this genre?

Faith: For me it is three things:
1. Voice. The way the authorial voice (or narrative voice) sounds and feels is called voice and tone. All Urban Fantasy has a similar contemporary voice (though each writer is distinctive within this field) .
2. Setting. Modern, urban, technological, violent, and tough. A story where the bad guy (or the bad thing) gets what he/she/they deserve.
3. Character. One who is modern, urban, cool, and kick ass.

TRC:  What are you working on now?

Faith: Trying to finish Blood Trade. Sigh… And I am getting behinder and behinder. (rolls eyes)

Okay. Let’s talk all things Beastly.

TRC: Beast has her own Facebook page.  How has Beast handled her popularity?

Faith: Beast is . . . preening. And enjoying the invitations to hunt in the fan’s backyards. She believes that she fully deserves all the adulation and attention. Hey. She’s a cat. Know what I mean?

TRC: *frowns and looks toward the doorway…* ‘Was that a scream I just heard?’

Faith: Ummm. Yeah. It *is* okay that I brought Beast along on the interview, right? I mean she gets pretty ticked off when I leave her behind, and she’s been left behind a lot on this blog tour.

TRC:  *eyes wide open…stutters*  Welcome Beast, I hope you ate.  But I do have two rare steaks in the refrig.

 

Beast:  (sits slowly and stretches out, panting) Want to hunt cow. Or Bison. Do you have cow to hunt?

 

 

TRC: Uhhh. No. But since you are here. . . Beast, you have become a big star.  How do you feel about this?

Beast:  Beast is happy as long as hunting is good. But humans who offer belly rubs are good too. Rub my belly?  (Beast rolls over, exposing her belly. She yawns hugely, showing off killing teeth). Come on. Rub. (chuffs with laughter when human backs away.)

TRC:  Beast, since you are so close to Jane, can you tell us something we don’t know about her?

Beast: Jane has no secrets except from herself. She does not remember her past. She does not remember the evil she has done. But she will remember soon. (looks at Writer) Writer knows.

TRC:  What do you think about Jane’s Rick.  Do you approve?

Beast:  Want Rick as mate. Want Bruiser as mate. And Leo. Need strong mates. Jane is foolish kit. Wants only one mate. I do not understand this.

TRC: You do complain about Writer not taking you on trips. How did you arrange to come here?

Beast:  (chuffs with laughter) Writer did not see Beast hiding in back of essuvee. Beast is good hunter. Beast is good hider. Beast is good.

TRC: Beast is there anything you would like to tell your fans.

Beast:  Fans should send Beast deer to hunt. Beast likes deer. Also want to hunt elk. And bison. Cow would be good too but Writer will not let me hunt cow. Says cows belong to cattlemen. Writer is not fun.

TRC:  Faith, I read on your website that you enjoy target shooting.  Does this come in handy when you need to calm down either Jane or Beast?

Faith:  Mostly when I need to let off some steam. After a long week at the keyboard, I need a valve-release. If I don’t have time to go paddling, then a trip to the shooting range is in order. The Hubby hangs my man-shaped targets on the basement windows to scare off burglars. It seems to be working. 🙂

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Shrimp

Favorite Dessert: Italian wedding cake

Milk or Dark Chocolate: Dark

Favorite TV Show: NCIS with Covert Affairs as a rising second.

Last book that you read: I don’t remember the last one, but I am currently reading
Deb Harkness’ Shadow Of Night.

Who is your favorite fictional character (not your own): Harry Dresden.
Hands down. Love me some Harry!

Do you have pets? Oh yeah. We have two spoiled-rotten rescue dogs, Blonde Pomeranians named Tommy and Tuffy. Right now Tommy is asleep on the leather recliner—on a pillow, of course, for his royal comfort, and Tuffy is under my desk chair wedged between the wheels so I can’t shift *at all* without him knowing instantly.
Can you say separation anxiety?

TRC: Thank you, Faith & Beast for answering our questions. We look forward to continuing to read your books, and to work with you again in the future.

Faith: Thanks for having me here. It’s a good day. Come on Beast. Home. Beast! Stop chasing the nice people here. Stop that! They do not liking hiding under their desks. BEAST!

If you would like to know more about Faith Hunter, you can find her at the following links:

Website:http://www.faithhunter.net/wp/
Facebook
Twitter:
Goodreads:
Beast Facebook:
Jane Yellowrock Facebook:

Faith has graciously offered to give a member of The Reading Café a chance to win a copy of Death’s Rival.

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment and say hi to Faith or Beast.

4.  Giveaway open to U.S. & Canada Only

5.  Contest runs from October 9th – 12th.