Angel’s Guilty Pleasures

Hello and Welcome All!

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Katherine McIntyre author of Waking for Winter. Hi Katherine, thank you for agreeing to this interview. 

For those readers not familiar with you, would you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Hey all! I’m a feisty Irish chick who writes strong words and strong women. I’m also easily baited with cats and sugar. I’m a bit zodiac obsessed, so I can tell you the sign of most of the characters I write, and I read almost as much as I write. I’ve been devouring books from a young age. 

How did you choose the genre you write in?

I actually genre hop, but my predominant ones are YA fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance. The common thread between all of them is fantasy and magic, combined with a very individual-focused perspective—how the protagonist explores the world around them compared to more political and plot-driven genres. It fits my style of writing the best. 

What have you written?

My first book published was An Airship Named Desire, a steampunk action adventure that I decided to turn into a series. Book two came out last year, and book three is in the works. I also had a YA post-apocalyptic story, Snatched come out in the novel department. As for novellas, I have two paranormal romance ones out as well as a YA contemporary romance, and a steampunk romance. My most recent project has been the Philadelphia Coven Chronicles, a steamy paranormal romance series set in my hometown. Books one through three are out (Hunting for Spring, Scrying for Summer, and Rising for Autumn), and Waking for Winter, the fourth and final book just released!

Where do you get your ideas?

Inspiration can strike at a moment’s notice. I’ll get ideas while chatting with friends, when someone tells me a story of their own, or when I watch a show, or read a book that really stays with me. Oftentimes, I’m most inspired by other art, whether it’s books, shows, or music—if I connect deeply with the message or tale, I’ll usually come up with a concept of my own quickly, or it’ll be the lit match to ignite some of my other base ideas into my next project. I keep a list of story ideas so long I’ll probably never finish them, so I’ve got an endless reservoir to tap into. 

What types of scenes are your most favorite to write?

Two actually—both are passionate. I adore, adore, adore the culmination of a romance. All the sensual tension building up until that first kiss or first night together is one of my favorite moments to write. The other one I absolutely adore is the rallying cry before a massive battle, where the leader inspires the troops to fight. I’m such a sucker for passionate speeches, and they tend to work their way into my urban fantasy novels.

What are some books you have enjoyed recently?

I tend to genre hop between my favorite genres. Last year I raced through the Black Dagger Brotherhood as well as the Psy-Changeling series while this year I’ve been in a YA mood. So I recently finished A Court of Thorns and Roses series and I wasn’t ready to leave Sarah J Maas’s writing yet so I’m four books into the Throne of Glass series. 

What’s the first romance you ever read?

I honestly don’t remember. Romance wasn’t a genre that I grew up reading, more one I adopted when I realized there was more out there than the growling alpha male and the waifish, helpless female. I can say, I read all of the fantasy novels when I was younger, and I’d breeze through some of the political chapters in desperate hope to get to the next romantic scene between the characters. I’ve always loved romance within a story. 

What is your favorite quote?

I’d have to go with the quote from A Court of Mist and Fury I got tattooed on my back.

➜ “To the stars who listen and the dreams that are answered.”

Would you tell us a little about the Philadelphia Coven Chronicles series?

This series is near and dear to me. Each one ended up being an avenue to explore different issues amidst a city threatened by the Order of the Serpent, a group of Unseelie determined to bring Philadelphia into chaos. Hunting for Spring explores a toxic family dynamic and the complications of having a parent with different views from you. Scrying for Summer is about redemption and breaking the cycle of self-blame and loathing. Rising for Autumn deals with loneliness and those who are left behind when someone commits suicide. And Waking for Winter tackles the struggles of PTSD after someone’s been through torture at the hands of their enemies and how it can tangle your mind. The relationships the characters form through this series are all about the healing effects of love, how individuals can challenge us or support us to overcome our own difficulties. 

Would you share a few reasons on why a reader should try the Philadelphia Coven Chronicles series? 

If you’re an avid romance reader who’s looking for something different from the traditional dynamic, who wants a little variety in their romance, these books are for you. I’ve got a diverse cast, women who are just as strong as the men, and snark for days. I take my mantra of “strong women, strong words” very seriously.

Would you tell us about the main characters in Waking for Winter. Who are they? What makes them tick?

Cami Akiyama is a half-banshee with a fierce love for reading, a sweet tooth she can’t quit, and a tea addiction. She’s seen some rough stuff through her life and lost her mom as a teenager, but she still clings to hope for a better future, chooses to see the positive in other people even when they might not see it in themselves.

Dante Martinez is a flirty necromancer turned mercenary, at least until he fell in line with the Philadelphia Coven. He’s got little loyalty to his broken family but a past in the rough parts of the city that he can’t erase. He’s a bit of a neat freak, crackshot with his pistol, and relentless when he sets his mind on something. 

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write in Waking for Winter and why?

Probably one of the most insane ideas I had. So, the Caoranach, big bad of the series, begins skinriding folks throughout the city, dominating their minds as she controls their bodies. And in the big mid-point of the book, she takes over the entirety of Philly’s ice hockey team, the Flyers, and Cami and crew have to try and stop them on the ice while mass panic is breaking out. 

If you could have given your characters one piece of advice before the opening pages of the book, what would it be and why?

Hiding from your feelings and past only end up wasting time. Cami’s got a lot of damage and reasons for why she vanished in the night on Dante on their first go at a relationship years earlier, but they could’ve had so much more time together if she’d just been willing to communicate with him rather than bear the burden herself. 

Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview.

 

A modern day Renaissance-woman, Katherine McIntyre has learned soapmaking, beer brewing, tea blending, and most recently roasting coffee. Most of which make sure she’s hydrated and bathed while she spends the rest of her time writing. With a desire to travel and more imagination than she knows what to do with, all the stories jumping around in her head led to the logical route of jotting them down on paper. She writes novels with snarky women, ragtag crews, and guys with bad attitudes. High chances for a passionate speech thrown into the mix.

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Goodreads – LooseID 

 

Waking for Winter

Philadelphia Coven Chronicles #4

Katherine McIntyre

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Loose Id

Date of Publication: July 4th, 2017 

ISBN: 978-1-68252-372-8

Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs

Book Description:

The Philadelphia Coven has thwarted the Order of the Serpent’s every attempt to destroy their city only to draw out the scariest nightmare from the Otherworld, the Caoranach. One of the Coven’s own, Cami Akiyama, has already met this creature—the very monster who tortured her, branding her with a mark. Given Cami’s history with the big bad, the Coven leader assigns her a bodyguard, none other than the gorgeous and lethal necromancer, Dante Martinez, the ex-boyfriend she disappeared on years ago. One conversation confirms the spark between them never died, and based on the way Dante flirts, he won’t allow that flame to extinguish out without a fight.

No one has ever compared to Dante and the incendiary passion he inspired in her, but the Caoranach broke her—Cami’s too damaged for any sort of relationship. Not like that stops him. If anything, he fights harder for the memories of a love that kept her sane on the bleakest nights. And despite every effort to distance, she finds herself falling for him all over again. Except the Caoranach isn’t finished with her—the branded mark holds the secret to the city’s destruction or salvation, and Cami stands in the center of the storm.

Loose ID – Amazon