Interview with Kira Brady

Hi Kira, Welcome to Anna's Book Blog! I'm glad to have you here. To start off can you tell the readers a little about yourself? 

Hello, and thanks for having me! I'm a rain-drenched Seattleitte who likes to read far more than is good for me and is afraid of ghosts. I write the Deadglass Trilogy for Kensington Zebra, the first book of which came out yesterday. When I'm not opening my veins onto the blank page, I'm often found hiking, singing Broadway show tunes, and running after my wee bibliophile daughter.

Heart of Darkness is your debut novel, can you tell us a little about it and the series? 

The Deadglass Trilogy is set in a gritty, alternate Seattle where two shape shifter races fight for control of the Gate to the Land of the Dead. Humans are ignorant of the supernatural war in their midst. The streets are so full of ghosts that electricity is unpredictable, forcing people to use alternate fuel sources and old fashioned, steam-powered machines. In Hearts of Darkness, a human woman who doesn't believe in the supernatural arrives in Seattle to solve her sister's murder. She is forced to join forces with a mercenary werewolf who will stop at nothing to earn his freedom from the cruel dragon-shifter he serves. As they race to stop the Gates from falling, they risk everything--even their hearts--to stop the world from total destruction.

What is your writing day like? 

On days when I have a babysitter for a few hours, I try to catch up on email and then start Write or Die and crank out 1-2k words. Hopefully the baby will deign to take a nap, and I'll get some more work done then. It depends on the day and what other errands I have to run. I try to crank out a fast first draft, and then take my time editing and rewriting a second draft.

When you're not writing what kind of books do you like to read? 
I read a lot of historical romance, YA fantasy, and urban fantasy. Some of my favorite recent reads were Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I love everything by Meljean Brook and Ilona Andrews.

When you learned Heart of Darkness was going to be published, what was your first reaction? 

Ha. Disbelief. It was something that was too good to be true during a tough time for me. I'd just had a baby and had my whole world turned upside down. Selling didn't happen the way I expected it to. I thought I'd query and find an agent, then the agent would shop the book to publishers. Instead I pitched at the Emerald City Writers Conference and spent a year querying and entering contests (and having a baby. Did I mention the baby?). Fifteen months later the editor at Kensington emailed to say he was interested. I didn't want to get my hopes up, because he still needed to sell the book to the editorial board. I expected another fifteen month wait. Instead I got The Call three days later, and I hurried to find an agent over the weekend. It was very fast. It's been another long, slow wait until the publication date. I had this naive idea that once I sold I would have a clear path to follow, but no. Publishing has changed so much just in the time since I sold!

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

Tea, my laptop, and no distractions (the Freedom program helps by turning off my internet). How did you come up with your idea for the Deadglass series?

Anything particular inspire you while writing? 

I took a ghost tour of Pike Place Market and was inspired by the ghost stories and shady political dealings of the city's founders. I grew up surrounded by Pacific Coast Native American and Scandinavian mythology. When I started researching Thunderbirds, I found a story about how they used to fight dangerous reptilian monsters called the Unktehilla. I think another version called them giant lizards, which made me think of dragons. I love writing about the world of the Deadglass because it's tied so closely to my love of Seattle. True, I destroyed my native city, but I'll redeem it in the end.

If you could give your lead characters one piece of advice, what would it be? 

Be true to your heart, that's when the heavens will part, and, baby, shower you with magic! No, just kidding. I think the best advice would be what Hart tells Kayla at the end of Chapter 1: Run.

Since becoming published, what has been your favorite part of the process? 

I love writing knowing that my stories will have a place on the shelf. It's easier knowing I have an end goal of what to do with the stories. I haven't met any fans yet (except you, mom!) since my book just came out, but ask me again in a month. ;)

If you can, tell us what is next for you? 

Hearts of Shadow (book 2) will be out May 2013 and Hearts of Chaos (book 3) will be out February 2014. After that, I have a few ideas I'm throwing around, but nothing solid. I still have to finish the last Deadglass book before I can let myself brainstorm!

AUTHOR BIO: A native Seattleitte, Kira spent her childhood hiking the rainy forests of the Pacific Northwest and drying out by the fire with a good book and a mug of something hot. She graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, where she met her real life Prince Charming and promptly dragged him back to sunless Seattle. She fell in love with historic, haunted cities in graduate school. Now she writes about the twisted cities of her imagination, where wraiths and shape-shifters stalk the night and love redeems even the darkest heart. When not writing, she can be found drinking inordinately large mugs of Assam tea, knitting wool socks, and raising a wee heroine-in-training. Her website is http://kirabrady.com

HEARTS OF DARKNESS

By Kira Brady

Out Now

In the first of a dazzling new romantic trilogy, one woman’s courageous search plunges her into a millennia-old supernatural war—and an irresistible passion…

Nurse Kayla Friday has dedicated her life to science and reason. But for her, Seattle is a place of eerie loss and fragmented, frightening memories. And now the only clue to her sister’s murder reveals a secret battle between two ancient mythologies…and puts Kayla in the sights of lethally-sexy werewolf mercenary Hart. He’ll do whatever it takes to obtain the key to the Gate of the Land of the Dead and free what’s left of his soul. But seducing the determined Kayla is putting them at the mercy of powerful desires neither can control. And as the clock ticks down to hellish catastrophe, the untested bond between Kayla and Hart may lead to the ultimate sacrifice.

Hearts of Darkness can be purchased at these retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | IndieBound