An Interview with Ann Aguirre + Giveaway

Today it's the official release day of Perdition by Ann Aguirre. Coincidentally it's also Ann's birthday today. She still had time to answer some questions for me though.

Ann Aguirre is the author of the SF series Sirantha Jax, the UF series Corine Solomon, the Razorland Trilogy of which the last book Horde will release in October, and many other awesome books.


Hi Ann. Happy birthday and welcome to Pearls Cast Before A McPig.

Could you tell a bit about yourself for those people who don’t know you yet?

Likes:
Rain
Kittens
Chocolate
Naps
Puppies
Video games
Action movies
Indie music
Road trips
Cooking

Dislikes:
Crowds
Discrimination
Heights
Assholes
Privilege
Being poked
Incompetence
Getting in the slow line
Phone calls
Surprises

You write SciFi, Urban Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic YA, Steampunk, Fantasy and Romantic Suspense. Do you have a favorite genre to write in or are they all equally fun?

I can’t commit to one genre. I would get bored writing the same type of book year after year, so diversity is necessary and fun. I love the genre I’m with.

Today is the release day of Perdition, the first book in a new series. What can we expect from this series?

Perdition is darker than the Jax series and the characters are more morally gray. The series is gritty and violent, and I’d say it’s a little sexier, too. The books are written in third-person, multiple points of view, so that’s a departure from Jax as well.

Any chance you will write more Post Apocalyptic books?

Anything is possible. I’ve had numerous requests for more Thistle & Thorne, characters I wrote for a Luna anthology, and I do have a proposal percolating for a full Red Zone novel.

What can you tell us about the Mortal Beauty trilogy of which the first book releases next year?

Pitched as Doctor Faustus meets Mean Girls, set in a dark world of secret societies, twisted bargains, and forbidden love. The heroine is named Edie, and the hero is called Kian. I’m not going to tell you more than that because the story's insanely complex in what my agent calls the “down the rabbit hole” way; that's where everything starts relatively normal, but the deeper in you get, the wilder and more unusual the world becomes. Plus, I feel a little superstitious about this project. It’s the biggest deal of my career and I don’t want to leak too many details.


What is the best thing about being a published author?

Writing stories that I love and readers enjoy... and calling it work. Writing in my jammies is pretty awesome, too.

And what do you like the least about being a published author?

All of the factors I can’t control.

What authors have been an influence to you?

I spent my allowance on books as a kid. After I got my first job, I put part of the money in my gas tank; the rest I spent on books. In college, I was much the same, but there were certain authors I would buy instead of food.

Sharon Shinn was one of them.

So clearly I can remember how I felt when I discovered her books for the first time. I was in a dungeon of a shop in Muncie, Indiana. I didn’t really want to be there because, frankly, they sold gaming stuff: Dungeons and Dragons, sourcebooks, dice, graph paper, and pewter miniatures. I wanted to be in a proper bookstore because I had a little money to spend. (My part-time job as a pharmacy tech paid all of $4 an hour.) But I had gamer friends (and I played too, but my great love has always been fiction), so I was hanging around the store, waiting for them.

As I wandered, I eventually came upon a wire book rack. It mostly had TSR novels (Drizzt, Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance) and maybe a few White Wolf stories. I was spinning it listlessly when this fey cover art caught my eye.

Hm, what’s this? I asked myself, plucking the book from the rack. The Shapechanger’s Wife. I read the back and it sounded wonderful, so I bought it at once. While they finished shopping, I hugged the paper bag to my chest and couldn’t wait to get home to start reading. In short, I devoured that one in a few hours and then from that point on, I would buy whatever she released, even if I had to dine on ramen… or nothing at all.

The coolest thing about Sharon Shinn is that so many years later, I’ve had the pleasure of her reading my book for a blurb—and then I met her. After that, I cried tears of pure joy over a dream come true. It’s so wonderful when your idols turn out to be even more amazing than you dreamed. Since then, we’ve developed a relationship and I am honored to call her my friend.

She’s inspiring to me because when I found her books, she was a woman living in the Midwest. She didn’t seem to be famous or connected to publishing. She earned her publishing contract through her beautiful writing and through persistence. She gave me hope that I might be able to do it someday, too. If not for her, shining as a beacon of hope for another Midwestern girl, I might’ve given up on my dreams. I’ll never stop thanking her for blazing a trail that I pictured myself following.

And have you read any books lately that you want to share with us or have you been too busy with writing to read?

I am never too busy to read. Ever. Words are my rocket fuel.

The last book I read that blew me away was INDELIBLE by Dawn Metcalf. It was so amazing that you should go read that instead of this interview.

Will there be zombies or pigs in any of your future books?

Unlikely.

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a wonderful day.


About Perdition:

WELCOME TO HELL

The prison ship Perdition, a floating city where the Conglomerate’s most dangerous criminals are confined for life, orbits endlessly around a barren asteroid.

Life inside is even more bleak. Hailed as the Dread Queen, inmate Dresdemona “Dred” Devos controls one of Perdition’s six territories, bordered on both sides by would-be kings eager to challenge her claim. Keeping them at bay requires constant vigilance, as well as a steady influx of new recruits to replace the fallen. Survival is a constant battle, and death is the only escape.

Of the newest convicts, only one is worth Dred’s attention. The mercenary Jael, with his deadly gaze and attitude, may be the most dangerous criminal onboard. His combat skill could give her the edge she needs, if he doesn’t betray her first. Unfortunately, that’s what he does best. Winning Jael’s allegiance will be a challenge, but failure could be worse than death…



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Giveaway Time

Ann Aguirre has kindly offered a copy of Perdition to one reader of my blog.

And the winner is: Heather S.

A winner will be picked at random on September 17th.
Open internationally to everyone who's legally allowed to enter this giveaway.

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Don't forget to leave a comment:
I decided to have an event wide giveaway on my blog for commenters.

At the end of this event I'll pick one commenter on any author post of this event at random and that person will win a book of his/her choice as long as bookdepository ships to where you live, you're legally allowed to enter, and the book costs no more than 10$

And drop by Between Dreams and Reality as well for more great author posts.