Readers, thank you for joining us. Please
enjoy an author interview for the upcoming Rituals and Runes Anthology, coming
out in October 2022!
Author: J.C. McKenzie
Book: Embrace the Flame
R&R: Thank you so
much for joining us! We can’t wait to hear about your book that’s exclusive to
the Rituals and Runes Anthology.
In Embrace the Flame,
what challenging situation do your characters find themselves in?
Ms. McKenzie: Juni is a fox shifter
and used to getting out of complicated situations, but she may have finally
found something she can’t escape. Binding herself to the Lord of War may have
saved her lover, but now she has to serve her family’s number one enemy. And
while she tried to find a way out of the bond, she learns one of her besties
has been charged with murder. Juni knows her friend didn’t do it, but it will
take all her skills as a private investigator to find the evidence that will
prove it.
R&R: What a
predicament! It’s going to be awesome finding out how Juni deals with that
situation.
What was your favorite
thing about writing Embrace the Flame?
Ms. McKenzie: I can’t fully answer this without major
spoilers, but let’s just say, this story feels very Canadian.
R&R: What do your
main characters want more than anything in the world?
Ms. McKenzie: Her family and
friends are safe and loved.
R&R: There are so
many types of Shifters, why did you pick a fox?
Ms. McKenzie: I love the idea of
fox shifters. They have predator and prey-like tendencies. They’re smart,
agile, adaptable, and family-oriented—all the characteristics Juni possesses.
R&R: How fun!
That’s very true about foxes and makes them a great animal to use for a story.
What surprised you
about writing this book?
Ms. McKenzie: Where my brain took
the murder mystery.
R&R: Intriguing!
Can’t wait to find out what happens!
Who are your favorite
authors?
Ms. McKenzie: There are so many who
inspire me every day. There are authors I look up to, who I inspire to be one
day, authors who have no idea I even exist. There are authors who support me
and cheer me on.
One of my favorite authors is Neil Gaiman. I
love listening to and/or watching interviews with him where he discusses his
writing process. Though we are vastly different writers, our writing process is
very similar and to learn a fabulous, highly successful writer like Neil
Gaiman, goes through a similar process was very validating.
R&R: What books do
you have coming out that are not involved in the anthology?
Ms. McKenzie:
Heir of
the Eyrie, a standalone fantasy romance, releases March 31st, 2022.
Immortal Throne, a standalone urban fantasy,
releases in June, 2022
House of Chaos, a standalone fantasy romance, releases
September, 2022.
And I will also be rapid releasing an Urban Fantasy
trilogy starting November 2022.
R&R: Now for our bonus question. Would
you rather have endless winter or endless summer?
Oh, that’s a hard one. I’d have to say endless summer.
R&R:
Thanks again for joining us! Please read on for the blurb, a lovely excerpt,
and where to find Ms. McKenzie.
Blurb:
I don’t
have time to deal with Fae shenanigans…
My best friend was charged with a murder she didn’t
commit. If I don't find a way to exonerate her, she'll spend her life in jail,
along with other wrongfully accused shifters.
With the Fae haunting my every step and
impeding my investigation, I’m forced to rely on Lincoln, the human who crushed
my heart. He’s worked hard to become a skilled fighter and make amends, but can
he play Watson to my Sherlock?
My
skills as a PI will be tested, but not as much as my heart.
Excerpt:
They stared at each other awkwardly while her
heart thundered in her chest and threatened to break free of her ribcage.
“What’s wrong?” Lincoln
asked.
Where should she
start? “Everything has changed.”
He tensed, his hands
balling into fists. “Nothing has changed for me.”
Of course not, he
wasn’t the one tied to the Lord of War’s life.
“I know your
circumstances are not the same, and I would do anything to rewind time,” he
continued. “And I will do everything and anything to see you free of Bane.”
Her heart started
doing weird things again.
“But have your
feelings for me changed?” he asked.
A wide range of
evasions and excuses popped up. She could weasel her way out of this awkward
discussion about touchy-feely emotions. But why? What would be the point
besides ruining something that hadn’t yet had the chance to start?
Lincoln waited. Quiet
and patient, like he had for the last six years.
“No,” she admitted. If
anything, her feelings for Lincoln had deepened, intensified.
Lincoln smiled. Not a
regular smile. The smile. The one
that could light up a room and blind half the occupants.
“Then nothing has
changed for us, Juni. I like you and you like me.”
“It’s not that
simple.” And she was certainly beyond simply
liking him.
He shook his head. “It
really is.”
“But Bane could…”
“Bane could do a
number of things.” Lincoln licked his lips. “But not this.”
He pulled her close,
leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers.
Whatever arguments she
had run out the door.
Lincoln had this way
of kissing her—as if breathing held no consequences as if he stopped time
itself for them to have this moment as if he’d never taste her lips again.
And every time it did
her in. She swung her leg around to straddle him. He groaned and one hand
slipped down her back to the top of her hip to hold her in place. The other
moved around her head to tangle in her knotted hair.
His lip curled up
under her mouth, probably saving some sort of joke about her mass of curls for
later.
At this moment, she
didn’t care. She didn’t care about her blood-encrusted outfit, the state of her
hair, the significance of her caomhnóir bond, and certainly not about her need
for oxygen. She simply needed to consume Lincoln, stamp the feel of his lips on
her brain so she could relish the memory forever.
Author Bio:
J. C. McKenzie is a book-loving,
gumboot-wearing, unapologetic science geek. She's the author of the Carus
Series, an urban fantasy five-book saga published by the Wild Rose Press. Born
and raised on the West Coast, J. C. sets the majority of her books in the Lower
Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal
romance.
Where
to find her:
Website: www.jcmckenzie.ca
Blog: www.jcmckenzie.blogspot.ca
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/j.c.mckenzie.author
Twitter Page: www.twitter.com/JC_McKenzie
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JCMcKenzie
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/jcmckenzie
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@jcmckenzie0
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dc_EQv
Get more magical &
paranormal-themed stories like this in Rituals & Runes!
Universal: https://books2read.com/rituals
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oz9aGJ
No comments:
Post a Comment