Today’s special guest is mystery author Rachel Graves and we’re chatting about her new urban fantasy novel Searching, Book 1 in her Dragons of New York series.
During her virtual book tour, Rachel will be giving away a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for your chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
Rachel Graves writes mysteries that blend the supernatural with steamy, sexy scenes. Her work explores the many shades of gray found between the lines of right and wrong. Rachel’s books focus on strong heroines who take charge of their own fate, their friends, and their families. Rachel is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and uses research skills honed getting a graduate degree in psychology to seek out rare folklore and magical creatures. Her writing incorporates popular monsters like vampires and werewolves as well as diverse creatures like selkies and yuki onna. Rachel has lived in a cursed town, taken far too many ghost tours, and counts down to every Halloween starting in November.
Welcome, Rachel. Please tell us a bit about your new release.
A dragon terrified of being discovered by the government, Ravenna Drake is constantly on the move. When the woman who raised her gets cancer, Ravenna trades her nomadic work restoring black market magical goods for a steady job. But her cautious life ends after her name is found at the scene of a werewolf murder.
Dr. Ian Chen, a sorcerer bonded to a powerful relic, works for the government treating supernatural citizens. He insists on investigating when his patient’s body is discovered completely drained of blood. His search leads him to the beautiful but frustrating Ravenna Drake, who refuses to stay away from the case or follow his instructions.
As more bloodless bodies surface, threats from secret societies and corrupt politicians force the dragon and the sorcerer to work together. If Ravenna and Ian can’t catch the killer, the people they love the most may be the next to die.
Excerpt from Searching:
He wanted to pry more of the story out of her but decided against it. As she followed him down the block, they blended into the small crowd on the street. Ian watched the people around them for a second. Normal people, with no idea my world even exists.
She broke the silence, “You know this neighborhood?”
“There was a gang that recruited a witch. He wasn’t that powerful but he knew how to use sacrifices to call a demon. It took me a while to figure it out.” Ian shivered with the memory of living fire, a monster in the shape of flame. He could work with dead bodies but remembering the smell of burned corpses would always be a problem.
“I thought you didn’t like the word witch.”
He glanced at her expression of wide-eyed innocence. It had to be fake. “This guy, he wasn’t doing much. Calling him a sorcerer would be a bit of an insult to the real ones.”
“Not that you know any real ones.” She smiled up at him. Why were they playing this game? She probably wasn’t the murderer, if she was, she knew what he was. Why not just come clean?
Cloak answered the question as if he’d been asked, “Then tell her about the BPA.”
“Right, that was why.” Because once she knew who she was helping, she’d probably stop. The BPA wasn’t popular with all the people they protected, and even the non-paranormal citizens seemed to think his agency was either evil or a scam. He’d say enough to get her help, but leave things vague enough to keep her, and the investigation, safe.
What’s different about your book?
The dedication isn’t a dedication, but advice to my readers. My books have a theme but I found that most readers didn’t notice it among the mystery plot or the romantic subplot. To make it clear, I changed my dedications to be not-so-subtle pieces of advice along the same theme as the book. For this book it’s “Never be afraid of who you are.” For Dumping Her Demon, my last book it was, “You deserve to be happy exactly the way you are.”
Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?
Molly Harper. Her books are the perfect combination of sass and sweetness. She writes paranormal romance mysteries set in small towns I’d love to visit. Her characters really jump off the page. They feel like people you’ve known all your life. I’ve read all of her books, and can’t wait for her new series to start. If you’re looking for some steamy romance, go read the Mystic Bayou series!
What can readers expect from your books?
A smart, sassy heroine, a found family, some hot romance, and a reason to smile at the end. I don’t like sad endings, not in books, movies, or even tv shows. Life is hard enough. My stories will end on a high note. In the same way, I avoid cliffhangers. I might not leave everything perfectly wrapped up, but the major conflicts will be resolved and no one will be in danger. Along with all that you’ll probably find a lot of descriptions of food (I’m a huge foodie) and more than a few geeky references.
What are your favorite TV shows?
Right now, I’m enjoying Halloween Wars and Halloween Baking Championship. They only come on once a year but the combination of art and storytelling using pumpkin carvings, cake, and sugar work really wows me. I’m also a big fan of the Amazing Race. I love to travel, and learning about all the great places the race visits is wonderful for me. As far as scripted tv, Nancy Drew is some of the best Urban Fantasy on TV right now, although I’m hoping the new Supernatural spinoff, the Winchesters, will give it some competition.
What is your favorite indulgence?
Luxardo cherries, they’re hard to fine sweet cherries grown in the Luxardo region of Italy. They inspired the creation of maraschino cherries, which are any variety of cherry soaked in things like lemon juice or almond extract to recreate the Luxardo cherry taste. If you’re ever in a craft cocktail bar and you see the bright yellow tin of Luxardo cherries give them a taste. Since I can’t have alcohol I drink a lot of mocktails. It only takes a couple of Luxardo cherries to a glass of seltzer water feel extra special.
Links:
Website | Amazon Author page | Goodreads | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram | Blog | Amazon buy page
Thanks for hosting!
Thank you for the fun interview, and for sharing my book with your readers!
Sounds like a great read.