Interview and Giveaway with Jacqueline Carey

Jacqueline Carey

After the huge success of her KUSHIEL series, Jacqueline Carey is testing the urban fantasy waters with her new series AGENT OF HEL.  Dark Currents, the first book, came out last month and has had already massive success.  Definitely one you won't want to miss.  We had the pleasure of getting to ask Jacqueline some questions and we are excited to share them with all of you today.

Welcome to UTC, Jacqueline.  After the success of the KUSHIEL series, how did you feel about stepping away from the genre and into urban fantasy?

It’s always a little scary to make a big change, but I’m excited about it, too. I think artists in any field need to take on fresh challenges to maintain their creative vitality, and urban fantasy is such a fun genre. It’s a treat to be able to view the familiar through the lens of the fantastic, to play freely with pop culture references.

If you had to introduce the Agent of Hel series to a new reader what would say? And if you were introducing it to your KUSHIEL fans, how would you tell them it’s different?   

To a new reader, I’d say it’s an engaging urban fantasy featuring Daisy Johanssen, reluctant hell-spawn, and it blends whimsy, wonder, and creepiness. To KUSHIEL fans, I’d say that while this is more light-hearted and humorous in tone, it has the same attention to detail in terms of worldbuilding and characterization that you’ve grown to love in those books. 

What did you have the most fun with while writing DARK CURRENTS?

Juxtaposing the mundane with the fantastic to create vivid, memorable images was a ton of fun. I’m especially fond of the introduction of Lurine the lamia, half-woman, half-serpent, lolling in a swimming pool in her backyard; but then I also adore that character. In terms of imagery, the frost giant driving a dune buggy is a close second.

What was your favorite quote or scene from DARK CURRENTS?

For some reason, this line just tickles me to no end: “Oh, great. A Canadian werewolf on the down-low was playing the morality card with me. “

Daisy to me was a great heroine, in part because she felt very real. What do you think is the best thing about Daisy (other than her cute tail)?

Despite the fact that her father happens to be a demon, I think Daisy is eminently relatable. She was raised by a single mom. She struggles with the same things many of us do; trying to keep her temper under control, a falling out with her best friend, a childhood crush that just won’t quit. It’s just that for the rest of us, unlike Daisy, giving in to our worst natures doesn’t run the risk of unleashing Armageddon.

From the beginning, there is one guy that is the obvious crush or love interest. As the story progresses you introduce not one, but two other possible options. What can you tell us about this upcoming and brewing love entanglement?

While all three possible love interests remain in the picture, the second volume begins with Daisy dating the one guy she thinks doesn’t come with complicated supernatural baggage. It turns out she’s very, very wrong!

There are many supernatural creatures in this story. Any one in particular that you are most excited to have included in the story?

I’m partial to the ghouls, which are my own contribution to the pantheon of supernatural beings. I enjoyed the process of introducing them as creepy emotional predators, then gradually shifting the perception of them—well, some of them—to one of tragic figures, rejected by heaven and hell alike and condemned to subsist on the emotions of others for eternity.

DARK CURRENTS had an amazing blend of paranormal, small town charm, humor, mystery and relationships. What can we expect of the next book in the AGENT OF HEL series and when will it come out?

Thanks very much for the kind words! The next book is due to come out in October 2013. It will contain the same mixture of paranormal, small town charm and humor, although this time, the central conflict isn’t a mystery, but rather a challenge to Daisy’s authority from an outside source. There will definitely be more romantic entanglements. And sex! 

Do you have any other projects in the works?

There are a couple of side projects I’m excited about! One is UNFETTERED, an anthology featuring an amazing array of fantasy and SF authors. The proceeds will go to alleviate medical debt accrued by the editor, our friend, fellow author, and two-time cancer survivor, Shawn Speakman. The other is a Literary Pin-up Calendar, featuring twelve pin-up style depictions of iconic female characters created by another amazing array of authors, proceeds to benefit Patrick Rothfuss’s Worldbuilders charity, which raises money for Heifer International.

Good causes!

Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Kushiel’s Legacy novels, presents an all-new world featuring a woman caught between the normal and paranormal worlds, while enforcing order in both. Introducing Daisy Johanssen, reluctant hell-spawn…

The Midwestern resort town of Pemkowet boasts a diverse population: eccentric locals, wealthy summer people, and tourists by the busload; not to mention fairies, sprites, vampires, naiads, ogres and a whole host of eldritch folk, presided over by Hel, a reclusive Norse goddess.

To Daisy Johanssen, fathered by an incubus and raised by a single mother, it’s home. And as Hel’s enforcer and the designated liaison to the Pemkowet Police Department, it’s up to her to ensure relations between the mundane and eldritch communities run smoothly.

But when a young man from a nearby college drowns—and signs point to eldritch involvement—the town’s booming paranormal tourism trade is at stake. Teamed up with her childhood crush, Officer Cody Fairfax, a sexy werewolf on the down-low, Daisy must solve the crime—and keep a tight rein on the darker side of her nature. For if she’s ever tempted to invoke her demonic birthright, it could accidentally unleash nothing less than Armageddon.

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Penguin is graciously offering a copy of DARK CURRENTS to one lucky US maiden!   a Rafflecopter giveaway