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Friday, April 13, 2012

Interview with Ciara Knight, author of Rise From Darkness



Alexander Lorre gives new meaning to the term “tormented teen”. He’s a newly fallen angel, which means he has the self-control of a three-year-old, the hormones of a teenager and the strength of an angel. When he rescues Gaby Moore from drowning, the chemistry between them is undeniable. With a local demon threatening Gaby’s life, he struggles to find a balance between remaining close enough to protect her but distant enough to control his desires.

As danger draws closer, Gaby uncovers shattering secrets that will lead to an ultimate choice. Will she fight alongside her father, an earthbound hunter killing fallen angels and demons, give into the demon blood coursing through her veins and join the demon world, or save the man she loves from both? The first two choices damn her, but the last one could destroy them all.


Hi Ciara!  Thank you for taking the time to interview with me today!
Thank you for having me here, Liz. I’m excited to meet some of your followers and hang out with you today.
  
I’ve just finished reading Rise From Darkness and found it to be quite interesting.  Can you please tell the readers a little something about this story?
 Sure, I ‘d love to. Alexander is a fallen angel with the hormones of a teenager, strength of an angel, and the self-control of a three-year-old.  When he discovers Gaby has been branded by a demon, he feels compelled to protect her. Of course, things are never what they seem and Alexander gets more than he bargained for.
  
My favorite character in this story is Alexander.  He’s proven himself to be selfless in his care for others, willing to give up everything for those he loves – yet he is full of this self-deprecation.  How did this character come to you, is there any particular inspiration?
Alexander’s greatest weakness and best asset is his desire to protect the ones he loves. Everything else fell in around this key trait of his. I think we can all feel for him because he’s made this epic mistake, and continues to make wrong choices, but for all the right reasons.

This story is quite involved, lots of secrets and a lot of history come into play.  Did you have to do a lot of research to write about angels and demons?
The only things I really researched were some demon names, and a little digging in to Greek Mythology. Everything else is part of the world building for the story. I did take a little bit of creative license. J
I think that is what makes the story unique.

Can you tell us what might be in store in the future for Gaby and Alexander?
I can tell you that their story has just begun. There is so much more to be revealed. Who and what Gaby is, and what they will ultimately face. Book II, Fall From Gace, will be released in June. This second installment will dig deeper into the world of Earthbound creatures and how they tie in with Heaven and hell. You’ll learn a lot about why they are on Earth, and what they have to do to save mankind.  Book III, Ascension of Evil, will be out in October, and will be the final book of the Battle for Souls series. This will be the epic battle between good and evil.

Ciara, you have several books out and several set for release.  Can you tell us what a typical day of writing is like for you?
I would love to tell you that I get up, sip on my coffee, and write all day, but I’d be lying. I wrote Rise From Darkness in fifteen minute sprints. I’d write at the ball field, TKD practice, and car pool line. Book II, I did have to designate some writing time because I was under contract, but even then, I mostly wrote during sprints in a chat room.

If you weren’t an author, what occupation do you think you’d like to tackle?
I always wanted to be the first female astronaut in space, but after Sally Ride beat me to that I gave up on that dream. Oh, and I found out I needed to be good at math. Okay, I’d have to go with being Indiana Jones assistant. I could handle the dirt and bugs to hang out with him.

I’ve taken a look at all of your books, and they all have really beautiful eye catching covers.  What is it like to get to pick a cover for a story that you’ve written?
I’ve been lucky. Both publishers that I’m with have amazingly talented cover artists. Dawne Dominique did all of the Battle for Souls covers.  I simply filled out a cover art sheet and she worked her magic.

And what is your favorite genre to read?
I love ALL books. I’d have to go with anything fantasy, sci-fi, or paranormal for my top picks.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the universe – alive, dead, or fictional – who would it be and what you eat?
I’d have to say Edgar Allen Poe. Since you’ve read the book, you know I paid homage to him. I guess we’d have to eat Cornish hens. ;)

Social media has become this entire entity that we have all been enthralled with, its become essential to so many people for so many reasons.  How do you feel about social media?
I love blogging. I’ve met so many fantastic buddies that way. It is a little more effort for me on Twitter, because I’m just not great at one-liners.

And in that regard, how can your readers find you online?

 Are there any projects you are working on that we can expect to see from you in the upcoming year?
The rest of the Battle for Souls series will be released. Also, there is a special young adult dystopian, that is near and dear to my heart, which will be released this summer. It is a story that I think you will love. It is entitled, Weighted. It is prequel to The Neumerian Chronicles. Book I, Escapement will be released next year. 
Short blurb for Weighted:
The Great War of 2185 is over, but my nightmare has just begun. I am being held captive in the Queen’s ship awaiting interrogation. My only possible ally is the princess, but I’m unsure if she is really my friend or a trap set by the Queen to fool me into sharing the secret of my gift. A gift I keep hidden even from myself. It swirls inside my body begging for release, but it is the one thing the Queen can never discover. Will I have the strength to keep the secret? I’ll know the answer soon. If the stories are true about the interrogators, I’ll either be dead or a traitor to my people by morning.

Thank you again, for taking the time to interview with me today!  Best of luck to you on your upcoming releases!
Thank you so much for having me here today, Liz. I had a blast!! 


Also be sure to check out my review of Rise From Darkness HERE

Ciara Knight always had a passion for storytelling. At an early age, she wrote several short stories and poems, and in college she started work on her first novel. It wasn’t until late 2008 that she returned to her true passion of writing. Over the past few years she has penned five novels and joined several professional writing organizations to better her craft.

When not writing, she enjoys reading all types of fiction. Some great literary influences in her life include Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, Francine Rivers and J K Rowling.

Ciara is happily married and enjoys family time. She has learned to embrace chaos, which is a requirement when raising three boys, and utilizes the insanity to create stories not of this world including, Fantasy, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, and Young Adult Dystopian.

Her first love, besides her family, reading, and writing, is travel. She’s backpacked through Europe, visited orphanages in China, and landed in a helicopter on a glacier in Alaska.