1--What is the title of your latest release?
FINAL HEIR
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
The stakes couldn’t be higher in the newest novel in the New York Times bestselling, pulse-pounding Jane Yellowrock series.
Jane Yellowrock is the queen of the vampires, and that makes her a target as she fights to maintain control and keep peace in the city of New Orleans. She has enemies at every turn, because vampires live forever, and they keep their grudges alive with them. That includes the Heir, the vampire sire of the Pellissier bloodline, which gave rise to Leo Pellissier himself—Jane’s old boss and the former master of the city.
With the Heir and all the forces of darkness he can muster arrayed against her, Jane will need all the help she can get. She’ll find it in her city, her friends, her found family, and, of course, the Beast inside of her.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
As the last book in the series, It seemed only right to bring Jane Yellowrock back to New Orleans, where her saga began, where she turned a corner from hunting rogue-vampires to working for the master of the city.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Oh. Lemme think about that. Ummm. I’d join Jane Yellowrock for tea. That’s it. I’d hang out with Molly or Wrassler or even Jodi from the Jane Yellowrock series, but Jane…? I’d also hang with Nell Nicholson Ingram from my Soulwood series, or even Shining Smith from the Junkyard Cats series. But other than tea, not Jane. She’s a handful.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Tea-drinking, gun-toting, vampire-hunting-badass. (Hyphens count as one word, right?)
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
A lot about armor. Some about weapons. Some about death and destruction and a lot about family of choice.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I start every day’s work by editing the previous day’s work. At about halfway to two-thirds through, I do an edit for clarity, and major edit when I’m done. Yet, even then, there are multiple drafts!
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Like Jane Yellowrock, I like tea.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
My Hubs and I are both self-employed, so dividing up space was important. He imports whitewater kayaks so he needed the full basement and garage for his businesses, as well as an office upstairs. That meant I got the prime spot, the biggest room in the house, because I took over the main gathering room. So I have a fireplace, lots of storage, large windows that overlook the wooded back yard, a TV, and recliner, space for my jewelry (as part of my writing). And orchids.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Ilona Andrews. They can do anything.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Dozens. I’ve been around a long time. But Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire was the one that changed my writers-soul!
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
On a Monday, in (gasp) 1989, my co-writer at the time and I mailed off our book (in paper form via USPS) to 5 of the (then) 185 publishing companies. It went to specific editors, but as it was not requested, it went to the slush pile (an archaic term, if there ever was one!) Today it would never be read, but probably tossed in the garbage. Back then, there was a chance. At any rate, by my calculations of mail delivery time back then, it got to the slush piles on a Friday. And luckily there was a brand-spanking new, fresh out of college, squeaky clean editor who happened to read the first paragraph and liked it. He took it home as weekend reading. And he still liked it.
The Monday after we mailed it, I got a call at 9 am. “Hi. I’m Charles (forgot his last name), an editor at Warner Books. I’d like to buy your book.” I thought it was a joke. It wasn’t. When I got my jaw off the floor and re-hinged, I managed some polite phrases, told him I needed to talk to my co-writer and asked if we could reconnect around lunchtime. Charles agreed.
I couldn’t get anyone on the phone to tell them my news. My co-writer was undercover (cop) at the time and only had access to a pager, which I called incessantly for hours. Finally, I hopped in the car and drove to mom’s, laid on the horn until she and my brother came outside, where I jumped up and down like a frog while I screamed them the news and told them the editor was going to call me back. And I had to go. They followed me back to my apartment where I could tell them the deets. And my cowriter finally called me back. We accepted the handshake deal. With a sell under my belt, I then started calling agents. And got one. I did it all backward. And here I am today. Probably still backward.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I have no favorites. I have some genres I actively ignore, but I love mysteries, thrillers, some romance, Sci-Fi, space opera, action-adventure, and of course, fantasy of all subgenres.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
I honestly don’t have one. There are only a handful of movies I’ll watch more than once. There are TV shows I’ll watch for decades. And Carol Burnett reruns are to die for when insomnia hits!
15--What is your favorite season?
I used to love autumn best, and I guess it still edges out the others, but I love all the seasons for different reasons. That said, I don’t necessarily love the sweat and bugs of July and August.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Oh dear. I’m really not normal. I don’t tend to celebrate. This year I paddled (kayaked) with some friends the day before my birthday and had dinner at the National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC. I think, on my actual birthday, the Hubs picked up takeout steak and potatoes.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I loved RR Virdi’s The First Binding and Ilona Andrew’s Ruby Fever
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I have a corn allergy and also weird tastebuds since probable-Covid. So salty foods and sweet foods are things I can taste. As a cuisine, it’s pretty iffy and limited.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I am a Class III whitewater kayaker. The Hubs and I spend a lot of time at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte NC and on rivers in yak season. I also like to run earthmovers to help restore nature that has been abused by humans. I have a Kubota (her name is Booty) and though she takes a lot of maintenance upkeep, I’m a pro with the back hoe and the front end loader.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I turned in JUNKYARD WAR which will be out this winter and book #6 in the Soulwood series which will be out in 2023.
Jane Yellowrock # 15
The stakes couldn’t be higher in the newest novel in the New York Times bestselling, pulse-pounding Jane Yellowrock series.
Jane Yellowrock is the queen of the vampires, and that makes her a target as she fights to maintain control and keep peace in the city of New Orleans. She has enemies at every turn, because vampires live forever, and they keep their grudges alive with them. That includes the Heir, the vampire sire of the Pellissier bloodline, which gave rise to Leo Pellissier himself—Jane’s old boss and the former master of the city.
With the Heir and all the forces of darkness he can muster arrayed against her, Jane will need all the help she can get. She’ll find it in her city, her friends, her found family, and, of course, the Beast inside of her.
Fantasy Urban [Ace, On Sale: September 6, 2022, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593335819 / eISBN: 9780593335826]
Faith Hunter, fantasy writer, was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. She writes three Urban Fantasy series: the Skinwalker series, featuring Jane Yellowrock, a Cherokee skinwalker who hunts rogue vampires. The Soulwood series, featuring modern-day, dark earth magic user, Nell Ingram. And the Rogue Mage novels, a dark urban, post-apocalyptic, fantasy series featuring Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage. (There is a role-playing game based on the series, ROGUE MAGE.)
Under the pen name Gwen Hunter, she writes action-adventure, mysteries, and thrillers. As Faith and Gwen, she has 30+ books in print in 29 countries. Hunter writes full-time, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic with a passion for travel, jewelry making, white-water kayaking, and writing. She and her husband love to RV, traveling with their rescued Pomeranians to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast.
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