Interview & Giveaway with Angie Fox

Hi Angie, you have a new series coming out about paranormal MASH surgeons. Some say it’s like the TV show M*A*S*H, turned on its ear. What made you want to tackle an otherworldly MASH unit?

I wanted to do something different. Plus, I love writing books that are not only about the hero and heroine, but also about the community where they live. A quirky, paranormal MASH unit sounded like a blast to write. Plus, I love books about special ops soldiers. They are too sexy. So I made my hero a tough-as-nails wounded warrior and my heroine is the doctor who saves him (in more ways than one).

Is this going to be a new series?

Immortally Yours is the first in a trilogy. The next two books will be out in February and August of 2013.

What can you tell us about Petra and Galen? How do they compare (if at all) to other characters you’ve created in other books?

Petra is one of the strongest heroines I’ve ever written. She’s stubborn, independent and used to being on her own. She’s also dealing with her own personal tragedy. Petra is a thoracic surgeon who has been drafted out of her practice in New Orleans and into the middle of this great paranormal war. Enlistments run until the end of the conflict, which for her will be a life sentence. Still, she manages to keep her dry sense of humor and she’s even created a new family, of sorts, among her colleagues at the MASH 3063^rd.

The only thing she’s not prepared to deal with, it seems, is the hero, who bursts onto the scene first as a critical patient on her operating table and then as the only man who knows her secret ability. He discovers it while she’s saving his life. Unfortunately, her secret ability is forbidden by the gods and could get her killed – or worse. She’s survived so far by keeping her head down and now Galen is threatening that.

But he isn’t interested in hiding. Galen is a hardened special ops soldier, who has risked everything time and time again. He’s focused on his duty and determined to bring an end to the war. Petra and her ability will give him a means to do it. He’s not just an alpha, though. He’s very charismatic. And either by charm or by force, Galen will bring her onto his side. He needs to convince Petra that  a) she can make a difference  and b) she needs to trust him enough to risk eternal damnation. I mean really, it’s hard to talk a girl into that. But Galen isn’t one to give up. And like they say, all’s fair in love and war.

IMMORTALLY YOURS definitely has your trademark humor. Is it ever a challenge to rein it in for the more serious parts?

About a week after I sold Immortally Yours, I called my critique partner and said, “Oh my God, what did I just do?” Because, yes, my first series was lighter in tone, but this book is about war.

It ended up making me grow so much as a writer. One of the challenges – and the great joys – of writing Immortally Yours was balancing the humor with the stark tragedy of war. The darker emotional context makes the light moments even funnier, and the dark moments just tear your heart out.

Petra and her colleagues at the MASH 3063^rd have been drafted until the end of the war. They’re  living in this quirky, ad-hock camp, trying to make the best of it while they work long hours in the OR, putting soldiers back together – knowing that they’re probably going to see these injured heroes again and again – if they’re lucky.

Galen, himself, dies on Petra’s table in the first scene of the book. In this world, immortals can die. They’re hard to kill, but war is horrific and both sides have developed weapons to end lives in stark and brutal ways.

The underlying tragedy brings the oddball personalities in the camp together. They develop ways to keep their sanity and to create the kind of relationships that offer a port in the storm. That’s where a lot of the humor comes from. 

Are you still working on your Accidental Demon Slayer series, with the demon slayer and the gang of biker witches?

Yes. Lizzie is going to finally get her man in book 5, My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding. That book is coming out in early 2013.

What attracted you to the paranormal genre? What elements make a paranormal story a great read?

I love reading and writing paranormals because the genre is refreshingly different. You never know where the stories are going to take you. Each writer builds her own world and takes readers along for the ride.

For example, I wanted a gang of Harley riding biker witches to appear in the Accidental Demon Slayer books. They basically take Lizzie under their wing when she learns she has all these tricked out powers. It was so much fun coming up with ways for them to push Lizzie’s buttons and it was amazing to come up with an entire biker witch world.

The paranormal genre lets you do that. You can combine fantasy with reality. In fact, I made sure to get my “reality” down as well as possible. The “real” only enhances the fantasy.

It can be a challenge, though. The biker witches ride Harleys, and I’d never been on a motorcycle before. Plus, I had to figure out how to get Lizzie’s dog onto a bike.

I went online and learned about the Biker Dogs Motorcycle Club, made up exclusively of Harley riders and their dogs. I ended up meeting some of them, along with a few other bikers along the way. These bikers were so great to me. They hoisted me onto the back of their Harleys (with dogs in tow). They took me to biker rallies (note to self: don’t wear

pink). And they laughed at me when I tried to put my helmet on backwards (I still say I was distracted by the Pomeranian wearing a tiny pair of motorcycle glasses).

These bikers answered my questions along the way, showed up at book signings. (It’s always fun to hear the Harley’s rumbling outside of the bookstore, not to mention getting to see biker guys in the romance aisle.) They gave me the background to make the biker part real so that the witch/paranormal aspect was believable as well.

Tell us about the creative marketing strategies for your books.

I’m all about creative marketing. It’s fun and my brain just thinks that way. Like for the Accidental Demon Slayer series, I developed the What’s Your Biker Witch Name quiz? It went viral, which has been a blast. You haven’t lived until you get emails from physicists in China telling you that their biker witch names are things like Wino Wally No Brakes and Two Date Tessa Hard Rider. And now for a shameless plug: you can get your biker witch name at: www.angiefox.com.

For Immortally Yours, I’m doing a quirky little viral program that is cracking me up right now because it is getting slightly out of control (which in my world, means things are going well). I’m going to offer readers an interactive experience that centers around the news network that is covering the war.

In this new series, PNN is the paranormal version of CNN. So I’m basically setting up the “official” PNN website to be like The Onion, only paranormal. It allows me to have a blast, while giving readers a taste of the series and immersing them in the world of PNN. Plus, it’s an entertaining way to poke fun at the love/hate relationship I have with 24-hour cable news. PNN kicks off at www.PNN-Network.com on August 23. The Twitter handle is @PNN_News13, and on Facebook, it’s simply PNN.

When you’re not writing what kind of books do you like to read?

I’m the type of person who always has a book in her purse (or these days – a lot of times, it’s my Kindle). I read everything, but my favorite genres are paranormal and historical romance.

What are 3 things that are "must haves" for you when you sit down to write a new book?

A quiet place, Diet Coke and a dog on my lap.

What’s next for you?

The second book in the Monster MASH series, Immortally Embraced, comes out in February. And right now, I’m finishing up on the third book in the series, Immortally Ever After, which comes out in August 2013. I’m also going to release the fifth Accidental Demon Slayer book, My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding, in early 2013.

Author Bio:

Angie Fox is the New York Times bestselling author of several books about vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night. She is best known for her Accidental Demon Slayer urban fantasy series. She is also writing a series about a group of paranormal M*A*S*H surgeons. The first book in the Monster MASH trilogy, titled Immortally Yours, is due out from St. Martin’s Press this month. Angie has also contributed to several short story collections and will be releasing the fifth book in the Accidental Demon Slayer series in January of 2013. 

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IMMORTALLY YOURS

By Angie Fox

August 28, 2012

IN THE WAR BETWEEN THE GODS…
No one patches up the incoming wounded like Dr. Petra Robichaud. Recruited by the gods for her uncanny medical skills, she’s the best M*A*S*H surgeon in the army. Along with a nosy guard sphinx, vegetarian werewolf, and other paranormal paramedics, she bandages soldiers who are built like Greek gods (literally.) But when one sexy immortal ends up on her operating table—half dead and totally to-die-for—Petra’s afraid she’ll lose her patient and her heart…

NOTHING IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN LOVE Commander Galen of Delphi is one gorgeous but stubborn demi-god. When his spirit tries to slip out of his fatally wounded body, Dr. Petra has to slip it back in—unwittingly revealing her ability to see ghosts. Now that Galen knows her secret, he’s convinced she’s part of an ancient prophesy. If the oracles are right, Petra could lead Galen’s army to peace. And if he seduces her on the way to hell and back? Heaven knows—all’s fair in love and war…

Immortally Yours can be pre-ordered/purchased at these stores:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | IndieBound

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Angie I have a signed copy of Immortally Yours to giveaway. To enter leave a comment along with your email address. This is a International giveaway, so it's open to everyone. The winner will be announced on August 29th. Good Luck!