An Interview with Zoe Forward

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Zoe Forward as our guest today.

She is here today to discuss her new book, Dawn of a Dark Knight, just recently released, as well as to tell us a little bit about herself.

Let’s meet Zoe.

 

 

Hi Zoe.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

TRC: Will you please tell us about yourself?

Zoe: Thank you for inviting me to visit!  I’m a veterinarian with a passion for writing fiction, and a special love for archaeology, especially anything Egyptian.  Although I’ve gone on field expeditions into rain forests, I’ve never had a chance to visit a hot sandy country and see a real archaeological dig site. It’s a goal. And I’m good at goals.

TRC: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Zoe: I had a lot of characters and stories bouncing around in my head for years.  About five years ago I took a leap of faith and penned some of those characters into words.  Now that the floodgate has been opened, there are stories and characters screaming to be heard.

TRC: What is your writing process?  Do you like to write at specific times, in a special place?

Zoe: How I wish I had the luxury of time to schedule my writing. I’m thrilled to steal a few minutes in a busy day to pen some pages. Most plotting and brainstorming happens on my work commute or walking the dog. Bottom line is that I make it happen.

TRC: On your website, it states that you are veterinarian for small animals, how do you find the time to write and work your full time job?

Zoe: I’m a full-time veterinarian by day, a mom after work and a writer late at night.  My life is about schedules and taking it one day at a time.  Some people wear capes and save worlds at night. I have a laptop and create worlds.  I’d say my way is a bit less life threatening, but equally heroic.

TRC: Dawn of a Dark Knight is your debut novel, can you please describe your reactions when you found out your book was going to be published?

Zoe: What a fantastic moment. Handel’s Hallelujah chorus sang in my mind for about an hour.  All that time and work finally vindicated!

TRC: Is Dawn of a Dark Knight a stand-alone book, or is this part of a series.  How did you come up with the idea of this book?

Zoe: This is the first of a series. The idea really just came to me all at once.  I love the mystery of ancient Egypt, and created this small band of warriors trying to make it in a modern world while obeying rules set down by ancient gods.

TRC: Would you please tell us the premise behind Dawn of a Dark Knight? 

Zoe: In DAWN OF A DARK KNIGHT Dr. Kira Hardy jeopardizes her brilliant medical career to save Ashor Vlahos, Scimitar Magi commander, after a brutal daemon attack. Their attraction is instant and, for Ashor, forbidden.  As an ancient nemesis resurfaces and targets Kira, they face a crucial decision—follow the gods’ rules or follow their hearts.

Link to Order Dawn of a Dark Knight: Amazon

 

TRC: How do you keep your writing/story different from others in the genre?

Zoe: I created a new hero.  As a passionate reader of paranormal romance I’ve read my fair share of vampires, weres, fae, shape shifters and demons. And loved them all.  But I decided to pen something new. In DAWN OF A DARK NIGHT the Scimitar Magi are ten pseudo-immortals that live within our world, but struggle to remain incognito. The guys are not exactly thrilled to discover they vowed their eternal soul eons ago to serve the Egyptian gods, and now must execute daemons for the rest of their life.  With no past-life memory, they’ve got no clue how to wield the powers gifted to them by the gods.  Man to super warrior in five minutes with no instruction manual.  So it takes a long time for each Scimitar to work it out. At first losing control is the norm. Incidents happen like blowing up a gas station, which is misinterpreted as a terrorist act.

And then there’s the women. The Scimitars each get matched to one woman for all-time, and she is also reincarnated.  But when and if this woman shows up is entirely up to the gods, who love to muck things up for fun.

TRC: Dawn of a Dark Knight is Paranormal Romance.  Are you interested in writing any other genre?

Zoe: I love writing paranormals – it just fits me so well. However, the future is unchartered territory. I love Sci-Fi and fantasy.  And, someday, there may be a story to tell in those genres.

TRC: What are you currently working on?

Zoe: I’m working hard on the sequel to DAWN OF A DARK KNIGHT, which is deliciously exciting.  A magus cursed by a sorcerer thousands of years ago must try to reverse the spell before the woman he loves is forced to kill him as she does within days of meeting in every lifetime.

TRC: Tell us about your favorite character(s) in your new book.

Zoe: I just love the main characters in DAWN OF A DARK KNIGHT.  The heroine, Kira…who wouldn’t want to be her? She’s an adrenaline junkie good at handling weapons with a cousin that drags her on black market art deals.  And she’s got a magical ability to heal by touch, which propels her towards a mind-blowing relationship with the world’s hottest, yet tormented hero.

And then there’s the raw, tormented Ashor. He struggles to obey the rules laid down by the gods he works for, but stresses when he can’t.  He desperately desires the woman destined to be the sacred healer for the Scimitar magi (Kira), but the gods’ rules dictate he cannot be involved with her. On top of this he keeps blacking out and going on hunts to take out the guys that do most of the daemon summoning, the Hashishins.  Killing these guys, even though they are clearly hostiles, violates the no-killing-humans-unless-attacked rule.

TRC: What books, authors or people in your life have influenced your writing?

Zoe: I love to read, but I don’t get a lot of time to do so anymore.  Sometimes, I’ll have time to pick up a new book, but if I’m awake with free time, I want to be writing. I love paranormal romance, but also action contemporary fiction.  Some favorite authors that come to mind are Linda Howard, J.R. Ward, Heather Graham, and Sandra Brown.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Zoe: Thank you for the interview! This has been such a blast. Readers can visit me at http://www.zoeforward.com or email me at zoe@zoeforward.com.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: baked potato with toppings

Favorite Dessert: baklava

Favorite Author: Too many to name one

Favorite Novel: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

Favorite Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Favorite TV Show: Game of Thrones

Last Movie that you saw: The Bourne Legacy

Thank you Zoe, for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you The best of luck with Dawn of a Dark Knight. 

If you want to learn more about Zoe, you can visit her at the following links:

Website:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Goodreads:

 

Zoe is offering one winner a choice of an e-book copy or paper copy of Dawn of a Dark Knight.

1. 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, please post your email address with your comments as Twitter etc does not allow for email information.

3. The giveaway is open US only for paper, or International for e-copy..

4. The giveaway runs from March 1-4, 2013