A Small Interview with Maria Violante + Giveway

One of the books that made an impression on me this year was BirthMarked by Maria Violante. It's an original Urban Fantasy read with a very sympathetic heroine.

I already interviewed Maria earlier this year, but I decided to ask her a few end of year questions. She not only answered my questions, but kindly offered a copy of BirthMarked to one reader of my blog as well.


Welcome back to Pearls Cast Before a McPig, Maria.
What was your favorite moment of 2013?

As an author, I'd have to definitely say that the publication of BirthMarked was a huge milestone for me--and when I got the first review, and it was just so positive, I was humbled and pleased and really emotional.

As a professional, it would have to be November 1st, because that was the day I started my new job/career in multifamily housing management. I just got hired at an amazing company that I thought was a total longshot for me, and I can already tell I'm going to be really happy there.

I think a special mention would be Thanksgiving. I went to TWO thanksgivings, with twice the turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing--jeez, I must have gained ten pounds! But being there with two different families was lovely, and my boyfriend (a very stoic man) took the opportunity to say something really romantic and I just melted.

What will you be doing on New Year’s Eve?

Hmm. . . I hadn't even thought that far ahead yet! I almost always figure it out a day or two before. I'm pretty sure that no matter what, I'll be with people I love (and probably tipsy) and with those two, you can never go wrong.

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

The sequel to BirthMarked, which I am having the hardest time titling, is like 75% of the way done. I got off track this last month or so, what with the new career, car trouble, all of the things that life just kinda throws at you . . . but you know, the thing that always brings me back in is reviews, believe it or not. I'll just be doing whatever, and my phone will ping, and I'll see that someone new has left me a review on amazon and just loved the book--and then I'll feel really inspired to work on the next one! So that's great.

What can readers expect from you in 2014?

BirthMarked, books two and three--is she the lighthouse, or the lily? And what's going to happen with her and Shawn/Dean/ALLTHEMEN?

I've also got another series that's just been taunting me. I've rewritten the first half of the first book three times now, and it's just fallen flat for me--and I started this other book, that wasn't quite making it. One day, I'm in the shower and bing!--a light goes on. They're not working, because they're two halves of the same whole.

So I'm really excited about that project. Over a year in just the idea stage, and I know it will be great.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great New Year's Eve.


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Giveaway:

Maria will gift one reader of my blog with a digital copy of BirthMarked.
For your chance to win:
- Leave a comment for Maria
- Leave a way for me to contact you
- Do so before January 12th 2014

Open internationally for anyone who's legally allowed to enter this giveaway

A winner will be picked at random on January 12th or soon after.

BirthMarked - Book Review

BirthMarked
by Maria Violante

What is it about:
Charlie Kale knows life isn't easy. But for the first time, this truck driver might have finally found her little piece of happiness. She's got it all—her big rig, friends, a great mentor, and a man about to join her on the road.

That is, until the good things in Charlie's life all fall apart, and she finds herself at the mercy of a sexy but mysterious gunman who claims to be a member of a secret order dedicated to fighting the supernatural monsters that filter over into our world.

She's given a choice—join up or die, and while the gunman might be insane, Charlie’s hell-bent on not dying.
Too bad it looks like that might not be an option.

What did I think of it:
This is a very cool read.

Charlie is a sympathetic heroine and the things that happen to her make that you root for her and want her to succeed. I like how she isn't a kick-ass heroine. She's an average woman who gets thrown into events she isn't prepared for.

I was pleasantly surprised by the secret order that Charlie gets roped into. In most stories secret orders who fight evil are all about being good and heroics and stuff like that. I liked that Violante shows that orders like that can have their negative and even dark sides. From bland oatmeal for breakfast and tiring lessons in self defense, to conspiracies that might get Charlie killed: the order is no picnic.

The story is suspenseful and interesting. I really liked Violante's take on superatural monsters. It was original and a bit creepy at times.

The ending is quite cliffhangery and there's lots of hints as to what might come next. I for one will keep an eye out for the sequel because I'm very curious what the future will bring for Charlie.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool Urban Fantasy read.


Buy from:
Taliesin Publishing
Amazon Kindle
Barnes and Noble
Omnilit

An Interview with Maria Violante + Giveaway

Today we bring you an interview with Maria Violante, author of Wit Awakening among others.


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

My name is Maria Violante. To date, I've published six books (that I actually count), with another two on tap. I'm a mild-mannered self-storage manager by day.

What can you tell us about your books?

I write speculative fiction--some fantasy, some science fiction, some urban fantasy--really, I can be all over the map. A lot of the books have romantic elements.

To give you some examples, I just sold BirthMarked, an urban fantasy with a strong alpha female heroine (a truck driver named Charlie that accidentally gets herself inducted into a monster/demon fighting order) to Taliesin publishing (waves at her homies.) And then there's Bad Moon Sign, which is slated for release in the fall. It's a Dark(ish) Fantasy about a girl that's the Morrigan incarnate--and I'll be releasing it as a serialized novel online in addition to in the normal outlets. On the other hand, I'm about halfway through writing my next Wit book--science fiction with androids, sometimes in love, fighting a giant war for their freedom.

So yeah, all over the place and LOVING it.

Have you ever used people you know as characters in your books?

Yes. In fact, BirthMarked is really special to me because a friend of mine died on the road while I was writing it--he had a massive heart in his big rig, barely getting it over to the side of the road before falling into a coma. His widow flew up and all of the drivers on the team went to visit with her. I had just returned to a normal, non-trucky kind of life (with a day job and no cash) and so couldn't go and pay my respects. It really hit me hard. I wasn't a driver, but I had lived on a truck for several months, and it can be a lonely existence. Jeff was the first driver that reached out to me, had breakfast with me, and just kind of made me feel welcome. He was always telling stories about home while wearing this fedora, and my dog just adored the man.

When I wrote the book, I knew I wanted to give him something, even though he had passed. I called his widow and asked if it would be okay to write him in a character. I was terrified, you know, because I had already written it (couldn't have stopped myself from writing it), but if she said no, I wasn't going to sell it. It just wouldn't have been right. She was really gracious about everything and we cried on the phone for a bit, swapping stories. I wish I can find that kind of love some day. They were married for a very long time, and just so much in love--like true partners.

And now I'm all teary.

Where can you be found when you’re not at your desk writing?

Desk! Ha! I don't really have one--I do most of my writing at the kitchen table or the coffee table, as I just have itty bitty laptop. I spent a lot of my youth traveling and am now trying to stamp out a normal life. It can be hard though.

I've been really getting into board games lately. I've got one I'm actually working on making and seeing if I can't get distributed, but really, it's just great having a bunch of friends over and you know, doing something so interactive.

As far as hobbies--this sounds ridiculous, but I didn't watch a lot of TV growing up and missed most of the famous shows. I just found Buffy the Vampire Slayer last week and ZOMG it makes me squee. Will Buffy and Angel ever find love? What's going on with Willow? I feel like the dumbest fangirl ever but god, it's fun.


What did you do to celebrate the release of your first book?

Honestly, by that time, I had sold another two books--it takes a long time to go from sale to release, it feels like. And I was on the road at the time, so it wasn't like I could call all of my friends and have a party. I'll have a party for book number 10, though, because that seems really significant to me. You can't plan to be a famous writer, or a best selling writer (although I did occupy a best-selling slot on Amazon for Dark Fantasy for a while, and Hunting the Five is still number 45 for free Dark Fantasy, so HOORAY), but you can plan to be a prolific writer. So I'm going for that.

What authors have been an influence to you? 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 think that reading is really important for writers. I mean, there are weeks where I'll get all funky and hate writing and think I'll never write again and it's time to give up, and I'll call a friend to complain, and he'll be all (stern voice) "Maria, have you been reading?" And I'll realize that I haven't, and I need to. And so I'll set it down and start reading again and bam, just like that, something lights up my brain and I find my groove.

I love Scalzi so much it hurts. I've read everything the man has ever written. It's the perfect balance of science and math and heart and characters and every single book he writes makes me cry at some point.

Lately, I've been getting into Heinlein, although I have issues with some of his politics and gender-ing. And then I'm like, oh right, wrote this like, half a century ago, chill out.

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

Yes, sort of. I have a fantasy book I started back before I published anything that I realized was too damn complicated for me at the stage I was at; it has zombies in it. (BUNNY ZOMBIES!) When I hit ten novels, I'm going to revisit it, hopefully as a better writer. There are some GREAT ideas in it that I would love to actualize, but I so wasn't ready.

Pigs? Oooh . . . they're so cute. Now I want to write in a pig. (Note to self). I have a small dog that I tend to write into everything--he was the golden fox demon in De la Roca (Tengu) and the familiar in BirthMarked (Diesel) and I have a feeling he'll keep popping up because I love my dog more than anybody should.

Thanks for having me!

Thanks for dropping by. I hope you do revisit the Bunny Zombies story, it sounds like a must read.


About Wit Awakening:

Leah feels human, but she's actually a "Wit"—her brain is the host of an organic processing unit that regulates her actions and emotions. As part of the lowest subclass of society, she submits to a human handler who owns her, body and mind.

De Leon is the rising star of the Copy Leagues, a no-holds-barred fighting organization for genetically altered and technologically augmented Wits. His past is dark and his future uncertain, but with enough wins, he just might be able to break free of his bondage to his trainer and enjoy life as a citizen of New Dallas.

Neither of them expected to fall in love, but when her handler begins to bring Leah to the fights, a secret and dangerous relationship blossoms, one that threatens both of their lives.

Buy from Amazon

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Giveaway

Maria Violante kindly offered a digital review copy of Wit Awakening and a digital giveaway copy of Bad Moon Sign and BirthMarked as soon as they release to one reader of my blog.

The winner is Mary P.

A winner will be picked at random on September 22th.
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.

Wit Awakening - Book Review by Voodoo Bride + Giveaway

Wit Awakening
by Maria Violante

What is it about:
Leah feels human, but she's actually a "Wit"—her brain is the host of an organic processing unit that regulates her actions and emotions. As part of the lowest subclass of society, she submits to a human handler who owns her, body and mind.

De Leon is the rising star of the Copy Leagues, a no-holds-barred fighting organization for genetically altered and technologically augmented Wits. His past is dark and his future uncertain, but with enough wins, he just might be able to break free of his bondage to his trainer and enjoy life as a citizen of New Dallas.

Neither of them expected to fall in love, but when her handler begins to bring Leah to the fights, a secret and dangerous relationship blossoms, one that threatens both of their lives.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
This is an intriguing and disturbing Futuristic Romance.

Leah is created for her owner Jacob's enjoyment. She's a bio-engineered human with a processing unit that can take over her actions. It was very disturbing to read how Jacob treated her like a toy or at best a pet. Although just as human as Jacob, she is treated as less because of the way she was created. Her life at the start of the story is so bleak, I couldn't help rooting for her to find happiness.

When she meets De Leon she learns she doesn't have to be a slave to her processing unit and that there's more to life than following Jacob's commands. Slowly she starts to explore her emotions instead of letting her processing unit take over. Her growing awereness made Jacob and his actions seem even more horrific I will confess. The way he and other 'real' humans treat the Wits is chilling.

I loved seeing Leah open up and start to question her life and her owner's motives. The developing romance between her and De Leon seems a bit fast, but at the same time I could understand why Leah felt so strongly about De Leon so fast. There's a sweetness to the romance between Leah and De Leon that was in strong contrast to the bitter life Leah and other Wits lead and that I really enjoyed.

Leah's awakening and De Leon's attempts to win his freedom lead to events that change both their lives and even though the story doesn't end on a cliffhanger it did leave me wondering what will happen to them next.

All in all this is a romance that is both beautiful and thought provoking and I think I'll have a look at what other books Violante has written.

Why should you read it:
It's an intriguing and sweet Futuristic Romance.


Want to read Wit Awakening?

Maria Violante was kind enough to offer one ebook copy of Wit Awakening to a reader of my blog.

So for a chance to win:
Leave a comment on this post with a way to contact you before july 27th 2013.
I'll pick a winner at random soon after.

This giveaway is international and open to everyone who's old enough to be allowed to enter giveaways without asking permission and old enough to read this book.