Author Spotlight: Leigh Ann Edwards Is Back with a New Release!

We have a winner! Congratulations, Latesha B, your name was drawn randomly from all our commenters. Leigh Ann will be in touch with you. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and joined in the conversation. 

Leigh Ann Edwards always brings the magic when she stops by and today is no exception. She has a brand new book out in her Witch and Demon Hunter series and I can’t wait to read this one! She stopped by for a quick chat and to share details about Dark Knight’s Kiss.

Leigh Ann’s fascination with history, romance, magic, fantasy, time-travel and Ireland sparked her interest in creating the Irish Witch Series and her growing collection of published novels. Growing up in a very small Manitoban village on the Canadian prairies left a lot of time to create stories and let her imagination soar.

An author for nearly thirty years, Leigh Ann has almost completed writing her fourth series with Tule Publishing and will soon begin a fifth. Besides writing, Leigh Ann loves spending time with her four grandchildren, reading, traveling, doing intuitive readings and reiki. Leigh Ann and her husband, their two cats, one large dog and their Boston Terrier puppy, live near Edmonton Alberta, Canada.

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1. Welcome to the Spotlight, Leigh Ann. This week, Dark Knight’s Kiss book three in your Witch and Demon Hunter series from Tule Publishing released. Congratulations! This series has been quite a ride for Lorcan and Fiona and the LAMB agency as they fight evil and try to save the world. How did you come up with the concept?

Thanks so much for inviting me back to your author Spotlight, Nan. I always enjoy being here. Thank you for the well wishes on the new release, too. This series has been quite the ride for the two main characters.

I came up with the concept of LAMB (the agency that locates and assesses magical beings) in The Witch’s Compromise, book two of my Witches of Time series. Fiona’s son was employed with LAMB during the American Civil War. Time travel is an important element in many of my stories.

Fiona, too, was introduced in that series, in book three, The Witch’s Journey, and Lorcan in book four, The Witch’s Reckoning. I felt both were interesting characters who warranted a series of their own. I’m so glad Tule agreed.

2. I love how Lorcan and Fiona’s partnership, although sort of forced upon them, is teaching them to trust one another and to be friends, despite the little attraction between them. How is writing them in this light different than writing a full-on romantic relationship?

It has been very different writing this series without as you say, a full-on romantic relationship. In fact when I proposed this series to Tule, I had no intention of them being anything but enemies to friends. I honestly didn’t expect the unignorable attraction between them. Yet, readers have loved the sexual tension right from the get-go. So, that’s kind of fun.

Lorcan is six foot four, gorgeous, charismatic––basically the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. Women are always throwing themselves at him. He’s out of his element when Fiona doesn’t fall for his charm or even want to be friendly in the beginning. She’s pretty, smart, funny and magical and he is intrigued.

After writing book one, I even told my editor, Roxanne, that I was feeling a little out of control regarding the direction Fiona and Lorcan’s relationship was going. The characters seemed to be taking the reins and I was just along for the ride.

3. In book 3, Lorcan and Fiona travel through time to recruit help in fighting a new kind of evil. Tell me about any research you had to do for the time travel.

For any time travel segments, I research the eras where my characters travel.

In this book, Lorcan and Fiona journey to Post Civil War Boston where Fiona’s son is a doctor and her daughter-in-law is a nurse. I had to research some medical information for that time.

I always find it interesting just what you do end up researching. I’ve heard other authors describe research as going down a rabbit hole. It certainly can seem that way.

There’s one scene in Dark Knight’s Kiss, where a child requires stitches after playing kick-the-can. Of course then I had to find out if tin cans were even around in the 1870s. FYI–– the first one was invented in 1810.

Initially, I had Fiona kick the can into a trash bin, but then I discovered there was no trash collection in Boston till decades later. Therefore, the tin can landed in a manure pile instead. Manure, after all, is timeless.

In this book Lorcan and Fiona also travel to medieval England. That time jump called for learning about medieval/gothic architecture and cemeteries. Since a dark knight poses a huge problem for our protagonists, I also needed information on knights weapons and armor. Having written a previous series set in that era (Maidens of the Mystical Stones) luckily I’d already done research on that.

I discovered early on in my writing journey, although authors must be accurate when noting facts or actual historic events, with fantasy you do have more literary license. If time travel, telepathy, telekinesis and seeing ghosts are all possible, mostly anything goes…especially when Fiona can summon items through time.

Plus, while writing my Norse series, I learned the hard way not to spend too much time researching one topic. I spent an entire day reading and writing about the construction of a Viking ship. I began with two full pages. During the editing process I whittled it down to a paragraph, then a couple of sentences.

I’m a history buff, so learning historic facts is fun. I like putting a few in each story. Yet, I’m always fighting to stay within word count so if it isn’t vital to the storyline or doesn’t move the romance forward, I don’t add as much historic detail as I might.

4. What was the most challenging scene to write in Dark Knight’s Kiss?

The most challenging scene–– and I’ll try not to give any spoilers––involves Lorcan pushing Fiona away. He’s trying to end their working partnership and their friendship believing if she remains connected to him, she’ll be hurt. Since he’s half-human but also half-demon, he can be nasty and demon-like when he lets himself.

He says some really unkind things to Fiona bringing up her difficult past and playing on her insecurities. That was tough to write because he adores her.

5. Has it been hard to write the same two characters in each book and how have you kept the spark between them as their relationship grows in each book?

I actually prefer writing a series about the same two characters. My first series, The Irish Witch series, was like that. Readers followed, Alainn and Killian  for seven books. They were also in the spinoff series, The Witches of Time and had a storyline in Dark Irish Demon, book one of this series, too.

I admire authors, like you, Nan, who can introduce two characters, develop a rapport, a romance, a great storyline and tie it up so amazingly well while making your readers fall in love with them in one book. (I know some of your characters are often secondary characters in previous books or series.)

With this Witch and Demon Hunter series, Fiona and Lorcan are enemies who finally learn to tolerate and trust one another. They become friends, even best friends, but constantly fight the attraction and the possibility of anything more. I love having several books for their story to play out fully.

I believe I’m able to keep the spark between them because they’re finally letting themselves be vulnerable enough to show their true personalities. Lorcan has never had a female friend and doesn’t want to risk losing that.

Fiona was in an abusive relationship with the only man she ever married. It makes them both very cautious. They take a long time getting to know one another as friends which has readers hoping for them to become more.

6. What part of the story is most fun to write?

I’m enjoying writing the snarky comments and amusing banter between Lorcan and Fiona. They are literally as different as two people can be, yet they discover they have a lot of commonalities. I especially like taking them out of their comfort zones.

As an introvert, Fiona is stand-offish and doesn’t like crowds. In this book, at LAMB’s Halloween party, Lorcan, who’s outgoing and completely comfortable as the center of attention, calls Fiona on stage insisting she sing.

She’s furious, and nervous, but she’s already had too much to drink, she guzzles another, then complies. Her bold performance where she sings (and dances) surprises Lorcan and everyone else.

Lorcan, with his demon physiology, can drink in excess and never get drunk. However, when he takes part in a drinking challenge (he’s very competitive) he drinks unfamiliar brew from the elven realm and gets absolutely blotted. Consequently, the following day he suffers his first hangover. Excerpt included below.

7. What’s next for Lorcan and Fiona?

In the next book, Ghost Ship’s Dark Spell, both Lorcan and Fiona’s personal and professional relationships are put to the test. When attempts are made on Fiona’s life, they must determine who’s behind them and figure out if it has something to do with why Fiona keeps seeing an ominous ghost ship when Lorcan doesn’t?

They’ll need help with that mystery from Lorcan’s brother, Faolan, a former pirate, and his wife, Angelique, ( who’s like a niece to Fiona) both also from the Witches of Time series. They live in late eighteenth-century Ireland. Of course that’ll mean another time journey.

Thanks again, Nan, for having me on your author Spotlight and for the great questions you came up with. After struggling to make an already extended deadline, I was relieved not to have to think of a topic to write about. I look forward to being here in September for the release of Ghost Ship’s Dark Spell.

GIVEAWAY! For a signed print copy of Dark Knight’s Kiss or an e-book copy and an Amazon gift card, tell me, do you have a sure-fire hangover cure? I simply try to drink a lot of water when I’m drinking wine. I also avoid rye and lemon gin, the only types of alcohol that ever caused a hangover as bad as Lorcan had in this book. We’ll draw a winner on Saturday morning. 

Dark Knight’s Kiss

LAMB operative Fiona Maguire isn’t happy about the company Halloween party. A gathering of magical beings in a remote location when the veil between realms is thinnest? With alcohol, a full moon, and an antique suit of armor possessed by a treacherous spirit? It’s a recipe for disaster.

Half-demon Lorcan Wright senses the spirit targeting Fiona and desperately wants to protect her. The powerful witch hardly needs his help, but unfamiliar emotions are driving Lorcan, and it’s making him crazy. Together, they banish the creature but Fiona’s left injured. Wracked with guilt, Lorcan shuts her out. When the grisly remains of women killed by dark magic begin appearing, the agency is tasked with locating and assessing this magical being––without their best team.

The power of this creature, however, is unprecedented, and Lorcan and Fiona have no choice but to travel through time to recruit help. As they fight the malicious magic together, they’re forced to face the worst of their history…and the truth of their relationship. Will they survive their toughest challenge yet? Or will the dark knight’s kiss destroy the bond between them forever?

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Excerpt

The setup: Lorcan has been avoiding Fiona because of a few incidents that happened at the Halloween party–– one he can’t remember and the other she was hurt and could’ve been killed.

Fiona purposely didn’t ride back to Boston with the people she’d come with. She presumes she’ll catch a ride with Lorcan. (She rents the top floor apartment in his home.) But, he’s just made it clear he wants to travel alone.

Now they’re both upset, they’re in the middle of nowhere and it’s a three-hour trip home. And here’s an excerpt from that scene…

Lorcan drove up beside her but she kept walking, annoyed. Ignoring him, she trudges on even though she’s already exhausted.

“Fiona just get in the damn car…before you collapse.”

If she was feeling stronger, she’d walk to the nearest town and catch a bus or even hitchhike home, but she was feeling weak. She scowled, put her overnight bag in the back, got in, then glanced at Lorcan. He looked a little green.

She offered to drive but he stubbornly refused. Driving with a hangover wasn’t an enviable experience. You couldn’t tell the pig-headed man anything.

They rode in silence but for the radio that he soon turned off. He massaged his forehead.

“I have a headache remedy in my bag,” she offered.

“I’m fine.”

“So you don’t have a headache?”

“Listen, Mum, I don’t need sympathy or any of your witchy potions.”

“Whatever!” She knew he disliked that word.

She leaned against the door, turned away from him, and used earbuds to listen to her music. She couldn’t even enjoy the New England autumn foliage with him behaving so grumpily. She should have traveled back with the creepy party planners. No one was bubbly when hungover, but Lorcan was being rude. Fiona tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her shoulder.

Another Halloween for the books. Not as traumatizing as believing her baby was stillborn, but it was a tough one. She couldn’t help dwelling on that emotional time… and everything that happened last night.

Movement pulled her from her somber recollections. Lorcan touched his stomach a few times. She finally looked at him. He was definitely green now.

“You need to stop the car and go throw up in the bushes.”

He sneered. “I have never thrown up…ever…full stop. I do not have to…”

He clamped his hand over his mouth and his eyes widened. He swerved, slammed on the brakes, threw the stick shift into neutral, pulled on the emergency brake, opened the door, and rushed to the side of the road. Good thing it was a rural area.

Fiona heard him vomiting in earnest, and sighed, empathetic now. If he’s never experienced this before, it would be a rude awakening.

When he came back his color was marginally better, but he looked mortified. He opened the car door but just stood there.

“Bloody hell!” he grumbled. “That was disgusting!”

“It isn’t enjoyable. Here, rinse your mouth.” She passed him a bottle of water.

He took it, rinsed and spat twice, then slumped into the driver’s seat, let out a long breath, and started driving again.

After repeating the unpleasantness two more times, he finally permitted her to drive. She eventually pulled into a gas station and got him a sports drink and a clear soda.

“As a runner, you’ll know the sports drink rehydrates you and levels your electrolytes. But the fizzy soda will settle your stomach.”

He took the sports drink.

“Just small sips,” she warned, and he complied grudgingly.

“I bought some soda crackers, too, if…”

“Fuck!” he interrupted. “Don’t bloody mention food.”

He sounded weak and cranky.

“You’ve honestly never been sick to your stomach before?” she said as they drove off.

He shook his head, leaned forward and put both hands on his forehead.

“Vomiting virgin,” she joked. “Nausea newbie? Retching rookie?”

He glowered. “You don’t have to bloody gloat, Fiona.”

“Too soon, huh?” She smiled.