Guest Author - Julie Kavanagh

Today we move away from historical, western, and time travel romance and join author Julie Kavanagh for some paranormal and contemporary romance. Please introduce yourself, Julie. Tell us a little about the person behind the pen.

Hi Peggy, thanks for this chance to chat about me and my work. Who doesn’t like talking about themselves?

 I’m a wife and mother to two beautiful daughters, both grown now. I live in London, England within sight of the world-famous Wembley Stadium.

I work in an inner city Primary school, currently in Year 1 with five/ six year olds. I love working with SEN (Special Educational Needs) children which include children whose mother tongue isn’t English, Autism and children with Global delay. I also deal with many children who have behavioral issues.

I have a background in the paranormal having seen and heard spirits since childhood. Yes, I talk to dead people and I’m also a Reiki Master and a Spiritual Healer. I have taught an open circle online and currently work in a Spiritualist Church. Some of my experiences have been used within my writing. 

Why did you decide to write? What is the appeal?

I don’t think I’ve ever had a choice in writing because if I didn’t write down the images in my head I think my brains would explode. I don’t write within a particular genre, I can’t limit myself in that way. A story might start out as a romance and in the middle something supernatural will jump up. I write whatever lives in my head at the time.

How much research goes into your books, and how do you tackle that?

For many of my stories I will set them in locations I’ve been to. I love to travel around my beautiful country (UK), visiting ancient sites and ruined castles.  I read many of the rumors about these places and sometimes incorporate them into my work.

What is the best comment you ever received from a reader? The worst or weirdest?

I made the mistake of venturing onto Amazon.com and to read reviews left by readers. I must confess to being a little irked by a few. One complained that the story was too short – it was published by Bookstogonow, a short story publisher.  Another complained that she didn’t understand the story, that she felt she had ventured into the middle of the story at the beginning which I didn’t understand. I had to take a deep breath and carry on but people don’t realize how much it takes to create just one story although I wouldn’t change what I do for the world. The positive reviews always make up those for don’t seem to ‘get’ my work.

Saying that, I always learn from other people’s opinions, so please leave a review or contact me on my face book page (details below).

Tell us a little about your writing style? Do you plan and plot your stories, or do you just plow through them?

No, I don’t plan. Ideas jump into my head and if I can’t write them down at the time, I let them brew like a great cup of coffee.

When I started the Demon Witch series, I kept seeing the images of a girl watching a gang of assassins sneaking through her garden on their way to kill here. Once I’d started writing, it became an addiction. Words flowed from my fingers without thinking and fifteen books later, I’m still going.

When I’m creating a life within a book, real life goes out of the window. The headphones go on, music pounds and I’m away in whatever world I'm crafting.

Can you tell us a little about your current work? Is there a story behind the story?

There’s Christmas Kisses where Sophie gets the chance to reunite with the love of her life, Michael.  Sophie is asked to help out at a speed dating evening without realizing that Michael’s there too. He’s been duped too but he makes up his mind to win back her heart. I like the thought of Christmas being a magical time with the hope of people reuniting and realizing their love for each other.

Demon Blood is book three of the Demon Witch series. Luca tries to be ordinary but with a dangerous combination of Demon and Coven blood within her, it’s not easy. In the previous books, she discovers the rumors about her father being half-demon are true and that her murdered mother was the heir to an evil coven of witches.

In Demon Blood, Luca has to face her own demons with the help of Eliot, a good-looking half-demon blood and her first true love, Marcus Grey who has his own demons waiting in the wings.

What sets your heroine Luca apart from all the other women in your hero’s life? Why is she perfect for him?

Luca is unique due to the matchless combination of her blood. She also has the blue fire power, a rare energy even amongst Coven kind. She exudes an energy which attracts all men to her, to protect her and to love her. Marcus Grey fell in love with her on first sight and finds it hard to accept that other men feel the same.  Eliot, Luca’s Pack leader and the only man with the knowledge and power to help her into the world of demon blood, desires her but he has his own lover.

Marcus Grey is Luca’s soul mate but that doesn’t stop her loving other men too.

Have you ever had writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

Yes and I didn’t deal with it. Some people say Writer’s block doesn’t exist, well it did in my house and I was hell to live with. I don’t know what the answer is except is to step away from trying to go off and do something else.

Earlier this year, I found myself overwhelmed by real life, work, family and couldn’t bring my mind back to creating. As I’ve said before, it’s not always easy to create characters and the worlds they live in but when the words are flowing, there’s no better place to be.

Can you give us a little background on your hero that’s only in your author notes, and not found in your story? What inspired you to create this character?

I have lots of heroes in the Demon Witch series. Eliot is my favorite and I have great fun writing the many conflicts being him and Luca.

Eliot and all the demon bloods in the series were sired by demons on human women, all of whom died during childbirth. Eliot is introduced in book three as the lover of Ashan, the son of Didier Patric and the brother of Eliot’s previous lover but Eliot can’t help but be attracted to Luca.

He is arrogant, mean and magnificent and you just know the fire of attraction between he and Luca is going end up in a fiery love scene.

I created Eliot because Luca needed someone more powerful to control her. Eliot isn’t afraid of her anger or the blue fire as he teaches her, in the cruelest ways possible, how to use her demon energy against all those who will come to dominate her. Eliot is Luca’s worst enemy and best friend. He would offer his life to keep her safe.

Describe a favorite scene in your current novel?

There’s a scene in Demon Blood where Didier falls into a coma from an injury inflicted by Luca’s demon blood and Eliot persuades Luca to travel psychically into Didier’s head to heal him.

The repartee between Eliot and Luca brought a smile to my face when I read it after I’d written it. The characters took over but I trusted them to manage the situation as only they could.

What else do you have in store for your readers?

There’s another twelve books in the Demon Witch series already written with another half way done. I have several paranormal romance novellas in the pipeline and a multitude of short stories patiently awaiting their turn.

My website has just opened and I’ve included several free shorty stories about the characters for my readers. I like the idea of uncovering snippets of the past about Nathan, Grey and others.

Thanks Peggy for this great interview.

Here’s where you can find me and my work:-

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Julie-Kavanagh/302777183126320?bookmark_t=page

Come and leave me a message. I’d love to hear from you.

This is my website although it’s still a little raw. I’m planning some new shorty stories about the Demon Witch characters and I have lots of pictures ready to go live. Please keep popping back to catch the new stuff. Let me know what you think.

http://www.jvkavanagh.co.uk/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Julie-Kavanagh/e/B0072O06A6/ref=pd_sim_kinc_bl_3