Interview With The Villain: Illusion by Lea Nolan

Illusion by Lea Nolan
Published October 5, 2015 by Entangled Teen
The Hoodoo Apprentice Book 3

Blurb:

New school. Cross-country move. Broken heart. If only these were Emma Guthrie’s worst problems. Instead, she must battle a trio of enemies—human and spectral—who may or may not have joined forces against her and everyone she loves. All while pretending to be over Cooper Beaumont, her ex-boyfriend and true love, to shield him from her arch-nemesis’s revenge.



Worse, when the fight escalates, Emma is tempted to use black magic, which will endanger her soul. As her enemies close in, join forces, and fight with new and dark magic she’s never seen before, Emma must harness the power within her to fulfill an ancient prophecy, defeat a centuries-old evil, save her family, and reclaim the only boy she’s ever loved. (Goodreads)

Interview With The Villain(s)

Thanks so much for having me here at Gothic Moms! I’m thrilled to introduce you to Illusion, the third and final book in my Hoodoo Apprentice trilogy, which is out now. I’ve also got a great blog tour giveaway for you, but first I’d thought it might be fun to take a few minutes to visit with one of the character types that are so often overlooked in these blog tours:  the villain.

I’ve invited Claude Corbeau, a decidedly bad actor in Illusion to chat. It wasn’t easy to get him here since he’s not exactly the most accommodating sort, nor does he like to divulge a whole lot about himself, but we’ll see what tidbits I can pull from his blisteringly white teeth.

Lea: Illusion picks up in a pretty dark place. Together with your assistant, Taneea, you’ve managed to have Emma Guthrie’s 97-year old, paralyzed mentor, Miss Delia Whittaker thrown in jail. Do you think that unfairly prejudices readers against you right from the start?

Claude: First of all, I reject your assertion that Mrs. Whittaker’s incarceration is a negative outcome. In fact, it is precisely what I’ve been striving for for quite some time. Rather than a dark place, I consider it one of my greatest triumphs. <Quietly laughs to himself> Though I do manage some wondrous feats in Illusion, but I won’t spoil them here. Readers will have to read the book to experience the full measure of my power.

Lea: So you don’t think throwing an innocent, elderly woman in jail makes you look like a giant bully?

Claude: <Leans forward menacingly> She is hardly innocent. I’m convinced she masterminded the break in at the King Center museum and I’m guessing she lured her apprentice, Emma Guthrie and that young man, Cooper Beaumont into stealing priceless antique artifacts from the collection. And let’s not pretend she isn’t a hoodoo root worker. Trust me, I can tell a conjurer when I see one, and the woman is a master. These are just a fraction of her crimes for which I’m determined to make her pay. <crosses his arms and eases back into his seat>

Lea: <smiles awkwardly> Okay, well now that your vendetta is clear, let’s try to lighten things up. The books are told from Emma’s perspective so we don’t get to see what happens when you’re not on the page. To give readers a chance to get to know you a little better, tell us what you like to do when you’re not plotting to destroy Miss Delia and, by extension, Emma Guthrie.

Claude: No.

Lea: <blinks> No? As in not at all? Why?

Claude: Because answering your questions would reveal more than I care to divulge.

<Door creaks open then slams shut. Taneea Branson saunters in wearing peep toe espadrilles, a leather corset, and mini skirt>

Taneea: If you won’t tell, I will. It’s about time everybody learns what’s really going on St. Helena Island. <She grabs a chair and plops down next to Claude>

Claude: What are you doing here? I told you to stay at home and clean the workshop.

Taneea: <rolls eyes and laughs> Right, like I’m supposed to listen to everything you say. If I’d done that I never would have learned the gambling spells that won me enough money to buy my monster truck in cash. And you can clean your own workshop. I’m not wrecking my nails in that filthy place.

Claude: This is my interview. You weren’t invited.

Lea: Actually, I don’t mind that she’s here since she’s another one of Illusion’s villains.

Taneea: Ha, no I’m not. Hoodoo is my birthright and I should have been the heroine of this story, the real hoodoo apprentice. And I would have been it if wasn’t for that idiot Emma stealing my great-grandmother from me and sucking up to her just to learn her magic. Believe me, that old lady isn’t as great as everyone always makes her out to be. I’m so tired of hearing poor Miss Delia this and poor Miss Delia that. After what that old witch did, refusing to teach me magic, she deserves to rot in jail. And I’m sick to death of that loser Emma and how everyone always wants her to win.

Lea: One could argue that you had a chance to learn that magic from Miss Delia, but you didn’t want to follow Miss Delia’s rules—

Taneea: Rules are for chumps. <snickers> I guess that’s why Emma is such a good little apprentice.

Lea: As for Emma, you haven’t exactly been nice to her. I can think of quite a few times you were the instigator. Remember what you did to her boyfriend, Cooper Beaumont?

Taneea: You mean her ex-boyfriend? Breaking them up was a lot of fun. But not nearly as great as what I do to her in Illusion; and what Claude and I do to both Emma and my great-gran. Hey Claude, remember that time in your workshop when we set your plan in motion?

<Claude jumps up from his seat and snatches Taneea by the arm>  

Claude: That’s it. This interview is over. We’re going home.

Lea: But we were just getting to something interesting.

Taneea: Yeah, what’s your problem? Why can’t I tell them what we did?

Claude: Because secret plans should be just that—secret—until they’re ready to be revealed and this is not the time.

<Despite Taneea’s protests, he pulls her to the door>

Lea: I wish you’d stay. You haven’t eaten the refreshments I put out. And there’s so much more to learn.

Claude: Another time, perhaps.

Taneea: But I’m hungry now.

Claude: We’ll pick up something on the way home.

<The door slams shut behind them>

Well, uh, that wasn’t nearly as informative as I’d hoped. But I think you get the gist of who these two bad guys are. It’s a pity you didn’t get to meet the book’s third villain, Emma’s supernatural arch nemesis, Sabina.  Though to be honest, I’m glad she didn’t show up because she’s one scary witch.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of the characters Illusion and the other books in the Hoodoo Apprentice series!

Thanks so much for having me. This was a lot of fun to put together! Best of luck to those who enter the giveaway!

~Lea

Things aren't always as they appear…

New school. Cross-country move. Broken heart. If only these were Emma Guthrie's worst problems. Instead, she must battle a trio of enemies--human and spectral--who may or may not have joined forces against her and everyone she loves. All while pretending to be over Cooper Beaumont, her ex-boyfriend and true love, to shield him from her arch-nemesis's revenge.

Worse, when the fight escalates, Emma is tempted to use black magic, which will endanger her soul. As her enemies close in, join forces, and fight with new and dark magic she's never seen before, Emma must harness the power within her to fulfill an ancient prophecy, defeat a centuries-old evil, save her family, and reclaim the only boy she's ever loved.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MlULCn Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Lz3AWl

And here are the gorgeous new covers for the first two books in the series, Conjure and Allure:

Lea Nolan is a USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance and YA. Her books for young adults feature bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. She also pens smart, witty contemporary stories for adults filled with head-swooning, heart-throbbing, sweep-you-off your feet romance. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, she loves the water far too much to live inland. With her heroically supportive husband and three clever children, she resides in Maryland where she scarfs down crab cakes whenever she gets the chance. Learn more at her website, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Goodreads

And now for the giveaway, a super awesome Illusion Blog Tour Prize pack. The Grand Prize includes a $25 Amazon gift card, a custom Hoodoo Apprentice tote which features the gorgeous new covers, and six authentic hoodoo spells from the Lucky Mojo Curio Company. There’s also a second prize $15 Amazon gift card, and a third prize $10 Amazon gift card. So what are you waiting for? Enter below to win!

Rafflecopter link:  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/OTAyMjM3MzE4ZWE3ZWQ1YzBkZDE2YTA1YzNkOGNlOjMx/?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Villain Interview: Broken Hearts

Title: Broken Hearts
Author: Ioana Visan
Series: Broken People, Book Two
Genre: Science Fiction, Cyberpunk
Length: Novel

Synopsis

When life breaks you, you pick up the pieces and move on.

As The Nightingale Circus begin a quest to deliver a power source that has the potential to change the outcome of the war in the Far East, their efforts are thwarted when Nicholas is apprehended by French authorities.

Meanwhile, Dale stays in Bratislava to protect Aurore and her power source. When the largest weapons manufacturer in Europe discovers her secret, the chase is on.

With a tracker hot on their heels, Dale and Aurore struggle to stay one step ahead. Their dangerous journey takes them across Europe and leads them to the only ones who can help them – The Nightingale Circus.

Buy Links

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014G39TB2/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B014G39TB2/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B014G39TB2/
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B014G39TB2/

Giveaway

Prizes: 3 ecopies of Broken People and 2 ecopies of The Nightingale Circus

Start with Book One, Broken People

You don’t always get what you want, but if you’re lucky, you might get what you need.

For one week only, an impenetrable castle is open to the public, and Dale Armstrong has come to Bratislava to rob it. When he finds his partner’s arms mangled, he desperately searches for a way to fix him before time runs out.

Because the war in the Far East is sapping all the allied nation’s resources, only The Nightingale Circus has the spare parts, the power, and the expertise to fix prosthetics and help the injured, but nothing is free.

Unfortunately, Dale doesn’t know about The Nightingale Circus’s side job, but a forced encounter with the most dangerous woman in the city, the Golden Lady, sends him their way. On this roller coaster of crazy twists and flips, schemes and deceit, wishes and dreams, no one can foresee how the aerialist will land.

Anything is possible in a world of Broken People.

Buy Links

Get your copy now – only 99 cents!
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PM4SYYI/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PM4SYYI/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00PM4SYYI/
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00PM4SYYI/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/518980

Villain Interview

Interview by Ioana Visan

Hello, everyone! We’re here with Schiller & Liesle CEO, who agreed to talk to us about the current world situation among other things. Please tell us first what your company does.

We are the biggest weapon manufacturer in Europe, sanctioned by the European United Nation Council. Basically, any weapon you can think of, we probably designed it and built it at some point.

And sold it, too.

Yes, of course. It’s a business. It needs to make a profit or we would all be out of a job.

So this war in the East is very profitable for you.

Our accountants disagree. We have an obscene budget invested in designing bots that can stand up to the Japanese bots.

Any progress with that?

Not as of yet but we keep trying. There isn’t much time left. They’re expected to reach Moscow this winter.

Which makes people quite desperate, I assume. There were rumors you assaulted Aurore and tried to steal her power source.

Not I and it didn’t happen like that. We knew about the source and we wanted to rent it from her. We hired a tracker to follow her for a while so we could figure out what offer we could make her that she couldn’t refuse. It didn’t look like she needed anything. The way the tracker reacted, however, was very unprofessional. We suspect he was broken. We’re still having litigations with his department.

Are you going to keep trying to get the source?

Miss Aurore has made it quite clear she isn’t interested so we abandoned that initiative. It’s a shame because a power source that doesn’t run out would have been a great help to cut down our expenses.

It has been recently revealed by the media that your contracts are more than generously remunerated. Will this affect your reputation on the market?

Those are standard governmental contracts. There’s nothing unusual about them. Just because the general public only now noticed the fine print, it doesn’t mean we did anything wrong. So no, we’re not worried.

With all those funds you have access to, one would think you’d invest in better security. What about that nerve disruptor prototype that has been leaked to the black market?

It was obviously a major security breach. We are still looking into it.

One more question… Has the plane sent to bomb the Japanese facilities returned yet?

That is a classified project. I can’t talk about it.

But you did supply the bombs. So can you give us any hope?

All I can say is that we did our best, and I’m sure the pilot does his best, too.

I see… Well, thank you for your time. And let’s hope we’ll still be here in the spring!

About the Author

Award-winning writer Ioana Visan has always dreamed about reaching the stars, but since she can’t, she writes about it.

After fighting the apocalypse aftermath in “Human Instincts”, she played with shapeshifters in “Blue Moon Café Series: Where Shifters Meet for Drinks”, and then she dealt with vampires in “The Impaler Legacy” series, before tackling longer works like a fantasy trilogy and a science fiction series.

Aside from publishing short stories in various Romanian magazines and anthologies, she published a short story collection “Efectul de nautil” and the Romanian edition of “Human Instincts”.

She was awarded the Encouragement Award by The European Science Fiction Society at Eurocon 2013.

Social Links
Website:    http://www.ioanavisan.tk
Blog:          http://weirdvision2001.blogspot.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorIoanaVisan
Twitter:       https://twitter.com/weirdvision
Amazon:     http://amazon.com/author/ioanavisan
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/ioanavisan

Interview With The Villain: Always Kiss Me Goodnight

Always Kiss Me Goodnight

MEGAN GAUDINO

Evernight Teen Publishing

YA Paranormal Romance, 67k words

Released: August 28

Sophia Destino is supposed to die. 

All seventeen-year-old Sophia wants is to coast through her junior year. But with her parents obsessed with her Olympic-swimming-hopeful brother, a psychic best friend with a penchant for reading tarot cards, and prophetic dreams that predict her death—that won’t be easy. As her nightmares begin to come true, Sophia finds herself dodging death and longing for the time when getting over her ex-boyfriend was her biggest problem. Until she meets Leo Knight. The mysterious stranger seems determined to keep her alive—and steal her heart. But Leo has a secret that is about to change everything and Sophia is about to learn that sometimes…your number is up.

14+ due to adult situations

Buy Links:   Evernight Teen    Amazon

       

Excerpt:

What a waste last night was. I would’ve laughed out loud about how tragically ironic it all was if I could have. My lungs started to twinge at the thought of laughing. They wanted to be filled with fresh air.

The finale of my life was playing out before me. I recalled the peaceful feeling from my dream. I was just waiting for it to happen. My lungs were screaming at me to breathe. This was it. Time was almost up and I was waiting for my life to flash before my eyes when movement out of the water caught my attention. Leo was standing on the edge of the pool. He was shirtless and surrounded by the light, making me question if I’d died and gone to heaven.

He dove into the pool an instant later and scooped me up in his arms, obelisk and all, just as he had the night before, then pushed up to the surface of the water in no time flat.

The extra couple hundred pounds of weight I and the obelisk—mostly the obelisk…I think—added did nothing to slow him down. We shot out of the water as if we had the help of a cannon, not just Leo’s legs.

I gasped for air as soon as my face was free of the water. The breath felt so good my lungs craved more and more. I kept inhaling the air as if it were being funneled down my throat.

Leo swam to the side of the pool, using only his legs to keep us afloat. With one hand, he threw the obelisk all the way in the bed of wildflowers and pulled us up out of the water.

We sat on the edge of the pool with his feet in the water and me on his lap, vowing to never again take air for granted and wondering what happened that made my dreams start coming true.

Using his thumbs to push the water out of my eyes, he laced his hands through my soaking wet hair and rested his palms on my cheeks.

“Sophia?” I coughed up some water and he turned my head to the side. “Sophia, are you okay?”

The air was flowing easily in and out of my lungs. They felt calmed; they knew they would be getting air on a regular basis.

“I’m okay.” I coughed one more time, then took another deep breath to clear my reeling mind and tried to speak again. “I’m fine.”

Physically I was fine but mentally I wasn’t. The world I lived in up until this point didn’t consist of anything supernatural or unexplainable happening except the occasional perfect hair day and the beauty of an aquamarine crystal.

Leo stood easily from his seated position with me still in his arms and crushed my chest to his. Of course I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around his bare torso but his skin felt so hot to the touch. Between the freezing cold of my body and the warm temperature of his I felt overwhelmed. Everywhere our bodies came in contact with each other little puffs of visible steam arose.

When we made it to the living room Hercules began lapping up the puddles of water we left behind us. Leo yanked the gray blanket off of the armchair and wrapped it around me because I was suddenly shaking.

He moved a salt stone lamp out of his way and sat on top of the coffee table, motionlessly taking in my expression. Before he even spoke I just knew he was reading me all wrong. I felt like I could read him already too.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Sophia,” he groaned.

“For what? My idiotic carelessness or that you saved my life once again? You shouldn’t be sorry about either of those things.”

“I shouldn’t have let that happen. I shouldn’t have been sleeping still. I promised you I’d protect you and look what happened. Do you have any idea how close you were to dying? Even closer than you were last night. If I was just one second later I would’ve been too late.”

“I know. I was there. But you weren’t too late. It’s all over now—I’m fine.” He put his head in his hands and scrunched his hair in his palms. “Leo.” I reached forward and placed my hand on his arm. He was still so hot to the touch. “Why’s your skin so hot again?”

He flinched away from my hand, stood up, folded his arms across his chest and turned his back to me. His reaction made me question my gesture.

“It’ll go away.”

“Yeah but why does it happen at all?”

He hesitated for just a moment before he answered. “Because I keep saving your life.”

“I thought angels are supposed to save lives.”

“I already told you. I’m not an angel. I’m not supposed to save lives.”

*   *   *   *   *

Interview With The Villain

Aiden Varner, thanks for sitting down with us today.

Well, I’m not really sure why I’m here but you’re welcome.        

                We just think the readers will want more insight into your life and thoughts about the events in Always Kiss Me Goodnight.

I’m always up for talking about myself so fire away.

                You did something pretty horrible to Sophia. How do you feel about being seen as a villain?

Wait. People think I’m the villain? Is that why I’m here today?

                If I’m being honest, yes.

I think that’s a huge exaggeration. Maybe I hurt Sophia’s feelings but let’s not forget someone is trying to kill her. And that person is out there. And that person isn’t me! You’ve got the wrong guy. I’m not the villain.

                To be fair that’s true. But, like you said Simeon is still out there somewhere so we couldn’t really get him in for an interview and that leaves us with you.

Great. So not only am I a villain I’m a second place villain. Let’s not forget that Simeon drugged me. I’m a victim.

                Aiden, we didn’t bring you here to talk about that. We wanted to sit down to discuss your relationship with Sophia. Can you tell us about you two as a couple?

Me and Soph go way back. We’ve been the cutest couple pretty much our whole lives. She’s basically a part of my family and sometimes I think my parents like her more than me. Sophia’s the kind of girl who will always be there for you and when her parents wanted her to move away she did everything she could to stay back. And she did it just for me. That’s the kind of girl Sophia is.

                You make it seem like you’re really fond of Sophia. So why did you cheat on her?

Whoa. Who told you about that?

                Everyone is talking about it

Okay, so I made one mistake. I’m only eighteen and sometimes things happen. I was DRUNK. Does that count for anything? I would never soberly hurt Soph but I make one little mistake and I’m the bad guy? It was all Lauren’s idea to get drunk and Lauren was the one who took her clothes off but no one here is questioning Lauren and calling her the villain.

                You’re getting really defensive, Aiden. I think that means you know what you did was wrong.

Yes, okay? I hurt Sophia’s feelings and that was wrong. But, I didn’t do it on purpose and I don’t think that’s something that should be over looked. I’m a good guy.

                Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap this up?

Yes! I play guitar at my grandma’s nursing home every week. Ask any old lady there and she’ll tell you I’m a real catch!

About the Author:

Megan Gaudino works in a high school library by day and on her own books by night. Always Kiss Me Goodnight his her debut novel and was first posted on Wattpad where it gained over two million reads. Megan lives in Pittsburgh where you can find her reading, writing, and Instagramming. 

Instagram- https://instagram.com/mkgaud/

Tumblr- http://mkgaud.tumblr.com/

WeHearIt- http://weheartit.com/Mkgaud

 Twitter- https://twitter.com/mkgaud

Wattpad- http://www.wattpad.com/user/mkgaud