This blog tour is presented by Entangled Publishing.
Click HERE for more tour information.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Paula Altenburg and her book
Demon's Daughter.
Paula has stopped by for an interview:
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Paula: I never wanted to be a writer, I wanted to be reader. I have all these ideas running around in my head though, and I firmly believe in finishing things. I finished the first one to prove to myself that I could do it, and after that, I was off.
How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
Paula: I’ve always written. I’ve had so many jobs while I raised my kids, and then one that I really thought was going to be my career until retirement. I loved it. But after I sold my first series (with a writing partner), I talked to my husband about hopes and dreams, and his advice was that you only live once. He suggested I pick the job that makes me the happiest because it wasn’t making him at all happy to have me working at two. So here I am.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Paula: I feel like I’m pathetically slow. Six months for a single title, three to four for a category. But then you start throwing in revisions and edits on top of the writing, and all bets are off.
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Paula: I really don’t think I have any writing quirks. To me, this is my job. I treat it the same as if I was still going to an office. (Except I write in sweatpants all day, and showering is optional when there’s a deadline involved, so maybe that’s the quirk?)
Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
Paula: I always start with the characters and a situation they’re in, and it could be triggered by anything. I’m an abstract thinker, so “What if” scenarios are big with me. Something snags in my brain—a comment, an image, or a line from a song—and then my subconscious runs with it. You wouldn’t want to look inside that window. The mess isn’t pretty.
How do you decide what you want to write about?
Paula: Same as above. Usually I’ve heard or seen something I thought was interesting, and my subconscious takes over. I’d make a terrible police crime witness.
What books have most influenced your life?
Paula: I love books. I go through different stages where I read certain things almost exclusively, then flip back to something else. I’ll re-read well written stories, but they’re fiction and I recognize that. I really don’t have any preferences, and no one thing has influenced me. I think they all have. I’ll often go back to a book I read as a child just to see if it’s really as good as I remember, and I’ve never been disappointed.
What are you reading right now?
Paula: My sister got me hooked on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series. I think the one I just started is called 61 Hours.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Paula: I love movies. I read, and I like to run. Running hasn’t been happening for me with deadlines lately, and that’s the one thing I obsess about.
What is your favorite comfort food?
Paula: Fresh-baked bread.
What do you think makes a good story?
Paula: A talented writer or story teller, and there’s a difference between the two. I can appreciate a well-written book, but it’s talent that brings it to life. I always use George RR Martin as an example because he has this huge imagination and the talent to back it up. He’s good with all the writing elements required to translate his vision onto paper. I can totally get lost in his worlds, and each of his characters is individual.
Who would you consider your favorite author and why?
Paula: I have favorite authors in each of the different genres I read, and no one sticks out in particular. Obviously, George RR Martin is the fantasy guy for me right now. Stephen King is horror. For paranormal romance and urban fantasy, I’m going with Larissa Ione and Kim Harrison—but my list isn’t exclusive. I’d have to say I chose these ones off the top of my head because they all write such fabulous characters, and for me, when I’m writing, the characters come first.
Fun random questions:
• dogs or cats? Cats
• Coffee or tea? Coffee
• Dark or milk chocolate? Dark chocolate
• Rocks or flowers? Rocks
• Night or day? Day
• Favorite color? Blue
• Crayons or markers? Crayons
• Pens or pencils? Pens
The Demon’s Daughter by Paula Altenburg
Hunter is the only man capable of killing the demons that left the world in ruins. But when he’s hired by a notorious priestess to bring a thief to justice, the Demon Slayer gets more than he bargains for. Airie was raised in an abandoned temple as a priestess’s daughter, having no idea of her true origins. In a time when any half-breed spawn of a demon is despised by mortal and immortal alike, not knowing the truth is the only thing keeping her safe.
Forced to flee her home in the wake of disaster and discovery of who she is, Airie must place her trust in a man who believes she should never have been born. And when a demon uprising threatens lives he has
sworn to protect, Hunter has to make a choice: abandon Airie to an uncertain fate, or overcome his own personal demons and love her for who she truly is.
My thoughts:
Well written. Fantastic characters, interested and clever - created with depth and care. The world building is exceptional. The story is well thought out and much more than expected. Do not miss out on this one!
Giveaway:
It's international - prize - an ecopy of this fabulous story!
