Urban
Fantasy / Celtic Fantasy
Date
Published: April 1, 2019
Publisher:
eSpec Books (Paper Phoenix Press imprint)
Mortal.
Immortal. Musician. Mage.
On
a journey from the boroughs of New York to the heart of Tir na nÓg, from
innocence to the deepest darkest crevices of her soul, Kara O’Keefe found power
and strength in the discovery of self. But with that peace came a hard truth.
As a bridge connecting many worlds, none of them held a place for her.
She
must find her own way, forge her own path.
To
honor a vow to Granddame Rose, a matriarch of the Kalderaš Clan, Kara joins the
Romani caravan, only to find herself even more of an outsider than before.
While she strives for acceptance, and to honor her vow, little does she know
she has once more become a lure to an ancient and deadly enemy, drawing danger
into the midst of her unsuspecting hosts.
Once
savior of the world, Kara must now save herself and the innocents around her.
She
has come into her legacy, but where will destiny take her?
****
Based
on the Eternal Cycle Series of Novels:
Yesterday's
Dreams
Tomorrow's
Memories
Today's
Promise
****
Includes
six bonus short stories.
Interview with Danielle Ackley-McPhail
As a
writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A
ferret…definitely a ferret! Spastic, easily distracted, into everything. I tend
to jump all over the place when I am writing. I get an idea and I follow it
until it leads me to another one or it peters out, then I move to the next
idea. Eventually, they all come together into a rather well-woven tale, but
those looking from the outside shake their head and wonder how in the world it
ever works. Surprisingly, even though writing can take longer this way, I end
up with a very cohesive draft at the end that is very nearly ready for
publication because I am constantly going over the material to bring the
threads together and snipping off the loose ends.
How
many hours a day do you put into your writing?
I am not one of those
writers that subscribes to the belief that you must write every day in order to
be a writer. I just can’t. I wear too many hats to make this possible. I might
write for hours, a few minutes, or not at all for long stretches of a time. I
never know. Deadlines help…sometimes, but mostly my writing is guided by
available time and inspiration. Even so, I have six novels, a writers’ guide, a
cookbook, and five short story collections, so I must be finding time in there
somewhere…
Do
you read your book reviews? If yes, do they affect what you write in the
future?
I read every review I can find. I avidly search them out. Sometimes
they galvanize me and remind me my stuff is not crap, other times it is like a
physical blow, but I remind myself it isn’t always a reflection on my skill.
Some people get things, some people don’t. It could be a case where my style or
content just isn’t to that reader’s preference. It could be a case of something
I wrote triggering a negative connection with the reader. You never know. I
read them because I need the encouragement (who among us doesn’t?) and because
if I am not getting something write, I need to know. Do I always agree with
what they’ve written? No! Of course not, but I do try and keep an open mind and
see if what they say is valid and something I need to keep in mind when writing
future works. After all, we could all stand to improve. That is what growth is
about. Of course, reading or not reading the reviews is one thing. What I
absolutely do not ever do is respond, unless it is to simply say “thank you.” I
never attempt to refute or change their opinion, or protest whatever they have
said.
Do
you leave hidden messages in your books that only a few people will find?
I
can’t say that I precisely leave hidden messages, but there are definitely
‘easter eggs’ sprinkled throughout. Whether it is the meaning of a name or some
obscure fact. I try to layer meaning throughout my work so that those that get
it are excited and those who don’t have something to find on a re-read.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Eternal Wanderings?
Kara O’Keefe is the main character. She is a
first-generation American who grew up in New York. A prodigy on the violin, she
trained at Julliard but had to give up a career in music to help care for her
father during his battle with cancer. In the course of the original trilogy she
discovers she has elvin blood and a gift for magic. By the end of the original
trilogy she discovers she possesses an elvin soul. In Eternal Wanderings she is coming to terms with her new reality and
coming into her strength, but isn’t quite sure how to deal with the cultural
differences she encounters as an outsider in a Romani caravan.
Tony DeLocosta is a thug from New
York, raised by his Romani grandmother. In the original trilogy he was
possessed by an evil demigod and bore silent witness to many atrocities carried
out with his body, including the murder of his grandmother. In Eternal Wanderings he has been
reluctantly taken in by his Romani clan, but left to his own devices. He is a
scarred man dealing with PTSD.
There are other characters, but
these are the primary ones.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have
planned for the future?
Hmm…I have started the sequel to Eternal
Wanderings, but there isn’t much there yet. I do know what the series is going
to be about, but I don’t want to give anything away. Suffice it to say that
Kara will be wandering far and wide in search of certain objects, trying to
find them before her ancient enemy does. Beyond that, I have several novels in
progress, but I have to figure out where they were going again before I can
finish them. I also have a lot of short fiction in my future as I have four
short stories due for various anthologies: a rescue-and-recovery story for In Harm’s Way (eSpec Books); a proof
of alien existence story for Footprints
in the Stars (eSpec Books); a post-apocalyptic story for Last Cities of Earth (possibly WordFire
Press); and an alternate history Beatles story for Across the Universe (Fantastic Books).
Do you allow yourself a certain number of hours to write or do you
write as long as the words come?
It really depends on what else is
demanding my time. Day job aside, I wear a lot of hats. I am an editor, author,
publisher, I make custom costume horns, and I make homemade flavor-infused
candied ginger. Oh…and occasionally I have to cook, clean, and sleep ;)
Sometimes I can dedicate the whole day to writing, other times I’m lucky if I
get in a few minutes. I have, on occasion, been known to write nonstop, pausing
just to close my eyes a few minutes when it gets too difficult to keep them
open. Generally, that happens when I am nearing the end of a novel and it is
driving me to finish.
Do you have a certain number of words or pages you write per day?
No.
As I said, I don’t always have that luxury. And I don’t beat myself up over it,
either. Either I get a chance to write or I don’t. If I get angtsy over it,
nothing gets done, including the writing.
What inspires you to write?
What doesn’t inspire me to write! I
once wrote a 500-word story just because I saw three perfect drops of water on
the bathroom counter. I have over 50,000 words written on a novel inspired by
the random thought that we are all vampires before we are born. I can’t tell
you how many stories I have written triggered by random conversations with my
friends. The world is nothing but inspiration. Of course, if there is a
particular theme that must be met I delight in finding the most unexpected and
creative way to interpret it.
Would you rather
Read fiction or
non-fiction?
Fiction.
Read series or
stand-alone?
Doesn’t matter.
Read Science fiction
or horror?
Science Fiction.
Read Stephen King or
Dean Koontz.
Neither
Read the book or
watch the movie?
Read the Book.
Read an ebook or
paperback?
Read an eBook (it is easier on my wrists.)
Be trapped alone for
one month in a library with no computer or a room with a computer and Wi-Fi
only?
A computer and Wi-Fi only, because then I could read whatever I find
on the internet or write to my heart’s content.
Do a cross-country
book store tour or blog tour online?
Blog tour online. At least then I have
no way of knowing if no one showed up, and I wouldn’t be exhausted afterward ;)
About
the Author
Award-winning
author and editor Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the
publishing industry for longer than she cares to admit. In 2014 she joined
forces with husband Mike McPhail and friend Greg Schauer to form her own
publishing house, eSpec Books (www.especbooks.com).
Her
published works include six novels, Yesterday's Dreams, Tomorrow's Memories,
Today’s Promise, The Halfling’s Court, The Redcaps’ Queen, and Baba Ali and the
Clockwork Djinn, written with Day Al-Mohamed. She is also the author of the
solo collections Eternal Wanderings, A Legacy of Stars, Consigned to the Sea,
Flash in the Can, Transcendence, Between Darkness and Light, and Eternal
Wanderings, the non-fiction writers’ guide, The Literary Handyman, and is the
senior editor of the Bad-Ass Faeries anthology series, Gaslight & Grimm,
Side of Good/Side of Evil, After Punk, and In an Iron Cage. Her short stories
are included in numerous other anthologies and collections.
In
addition to her literary acclaim, she crafts and sells original costume horns
under the moniker The Hornie Lady, and homemade flavor-infused candied ginger
under the brand of Ginger KICK! at literary conventions, on commission, and
wholesale.
Danielle
lives in New Jersey with husband and fellow writer, Mike McPhail and three
extremely spoiled cats.
To
learn more about her work, visit www.sidhenadaire.com or www.especbooks.
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thanks for hosting
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