Chat With an Author Giveaways

Interactive Q&A and Giveaway with Stacia Kane

Today we bring you another very special author spotlight on The Book Smugglers – this time with the delightful paranormal/sexy/urban fantasy author Stacia Kane!

Stacia is the author of the Megan Chase books, which follows radio call show host and psychologist Megan Crew as she promises to slay callers’ personal demons. This series encompasses three titles, Personal Demons, Demon Inside, and the newest novel, Demon Possessed. Check out her books:

Megan promises listeners to her new radio call-in show that she’ll “slay their personal demons,” and they believe her. So do the personal demons… although she doesn’t know it, Megan is the only human without a demon on her shoulder! Megan and her allies – a demon lover who both protects and seduces her with devilish intensity, a witch with poor social skills, and three cockney guard demons – have to deal not only with the personal demons, but a soul-sucker, ghosts of Megan’s past, and a reporter who threatens to destroy Megan’s career!

Hanging out with demons can be hell….

It’s been three months since psychologist Megan Chase made the stunning discovery that the world is filled with demons, and once more the situation is too hot to handle. Ironically, Megan — the only person in the world without a little personal demon sitting on her shoulder — has become the leader of a demon “family,” but now some unknown arcane power is offing her demons in a particularly unpleasant fashion. And while her demon lover Greyson Dante is still driving her wild with desire, he’s also acting strangely evasive. Then there’s the truth about Megan’s past — the truth she’s never known. Caught between personal problems and personal demons, Megan is having one hell of a hard time. Will the help of her Cockney guard demons and her witch friend Tera be enough so that Megan can finally resolve the past, survive the present, and face the future?

Excerpt online HERE.

Psychologist and psychic Megan Chase has grown remarkably comfortable hanging out with demons. The demon “family” she leads is happy, her solo practice is stabilizing, and she and her steamy demon lover, Greyson Dante, are closer than ever. But when the couple books a week at a luxury hotel to attend a meeting of demon leaders, some unanticipated problems appear. An FBI agent with an unhealthy interest in less-than-legitimate demon business practices shows up; the demon community is urging Megan to undergo the rite that will make her a real demon; and a slightly shady minister is holding one of his wildly popular “weekend exorcisms” just down the road. And oh, yes, someone with scary magical abilities is attempting to kill her. Then, just when it seems as if things couldn’t possibly get any worse, a secret comes to light that could jeopardize Megan and Greyson’s future — if Megan manages to live that long. With things heating up, it’s becoming difficult for her to keep a cool head…

Excerpt online HERE.

To celebrate the release of Demon Possessed, we are having the lovely Stacia Kane over for an interactive Q&A and a chance to win her books! We have TWO sets of Megan Chase books (Personal Demons, Demon Inside, and Demon Possessed) up for grabs. Entry is easy and simple, per usual – just leave a comment here asking Stacia a question (about her series, her writing process, her favorite demons, etc). The contest is open to all, and will run until Saturday, March 6th at 11:59PM (PST). Good luck, and let the questions begin.

Please and give it up for Stacia Kane!

Thanks so much for having me as a guest here at The Book Smugglers! Hanging out with readers is one of the best things about writing. I write the Megan Chase “Demons” series for Juno/Pocket books, and the upcoming Downside series as well. I’m happy to talk about both of them, or about anything else you can possibly imagine, so please ask as many questions as you like! (Just give me a little extra time if you want to talk about math, because that’s not my best subject.) Fire away!

Stacia Kane has been a phone psychic, a customer service representative, a bartender, and a movie theatre usher. Writing is more fun than all of them combined. She wears a lot of black, still makes great cocktails, likes to play music loud in the car, and thinks Die Hard is one of the greatest movies ever made. She believes in dragons and the divine right of kings, and is a fervent Ricardian. She lives outside Atlanta with her husband and their two little girls.

You can read more about Stacia online at her website HERE, her blog HERE, and on occasion over at The League of Reluctant Adults.

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76 Comments

  • Carol Thompson
    March 3, 2010 at 3:08 am

    I would be interested to know more about your stint as a phone psychic.

    Do you believe you are psychic ?
    Do you hold seances for groups or individuals ?

    Thanks

    Carol

  • Saffie
    March 3, 2010 at 4:56 am

    Oooh liking the sound of these! I’m interested to know why Cockney guard demons?!

  • mel butcher
    March 3, 2010 at 5:28 am

    where do you find inspiration?

  • Llehn
    March 3, 2010 at 5:32 am

    Do you have any superstition when it comes to writing?

  • Bianca F
    March 3, 2010 at 5:32 am

    who/what inspires you when your at a point when writing and think, what now?

    What bands do you enjoy?
    What type of characters do you love to write the most,,funny, evil..?

  • Melissa
    March 3, 2010 at 6:10 am

    Have you always wanted to be a writer?

    When it comes to writing, are you the sort of person that won’t let anyone read your work before your done or do you like to run ideas past others to gauge their opinions?

    Look forward to reading Unholy Ghosts!

  • Stephanie D
    March 3, 2010 at 8:26 am

    I love your novels,and your blunt attitude! Your writing seem to cover a wide range from one extreme to the next, do you plan to do a YA book anytime soon?

  • John J.
    March 3, 2010 at 9:02 am

    The premise of this series seems very interesting, definitely more than your average demon-slayer novel. How did you come up with the concept of “personal demons” and translate that into this series?

  • Tynga
    March 3, 2010 at 9:10 am

    I haven’t read any of your books yet but I’d love a chance to! I also heard about your new Unholy series and I’ll most likely buy it ^^

    My question: What makes your demon different then others out there?

  • hagelrat
    March 3, 2010 at 9:27 am

    I loved the first book and am really looking forward to getting into the others.
    My question is do you think personal demons are easier to deal with when they are hanging out in your home or when they are just in your head?
    :mrgreen:

  • Liz
    March 3, 2010 at 9:29 am

    Hi Ms Kane!

    So nice to see you on here. 🙂 Still missing you stacks here in the UK. Pls come visit soon!

    My writerly question of the day is: how much of your novel do you plan or are you a pantser?

    Also: can we expect a rock ‘n roll YA from you in the near future, is it a field you would consider writing in?

  • Synde
    March 3, 2010 at 9:34 am

    Howdy Stacia-
    just stopping by to say HI and ask a little question. When you write do you listen to music or must it be completely silent?
    Thanks for being here…

  • Heather (DarklyReading)
    March 3, 2010 at 9:46 am

    You have alot of interesting previous job experience before/while being a writer – do you ever write characters based on people you met during your other jobs?

  • Jackie (Literary Escapism)
    March 3, 2010 at 10:13 am

    Wow…another great series I really need to check out. So many great questions to, let’s see if I can come up with a good one.

    Can we learn more about some of your supporting characters? Which ones were your favorite ones to write?

    Also, I love asking this question: Which authors do you read and/or think “Damn! I wish I had thought of that”? Who would you love to sit down with and discuss fantasy literature with?

  • Jackie (Literary Escapism)
    March 3, 2010 at 10:14 am

    I also want to ask, which of your supporting characters gave you the most trouble? Did any of them want to try and steal the spotlight?

  • Amanda Isabel
    March 3, 2010 at 10:20 am

    Was the inspiration of your books taken from your stint as a call-in psychic? Also, what was that like? And more – do you think that the paranormal genre’s rise is linked to the rise in female readership and what are your thoughts on that?
    Thanks – can’t wait to read these! 😀

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 10:38 am

    Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by and asking me questions! I’ll be here all day, in and out, and will keep checking back.

    Hey Carol, thanks for the questions. Um, no, I do not believe I am psychic, and I do not nor did I ever hold seances. 🙂 I read Tarot cards; I still do on occasion, just because I love Tarot cards and think they’re fun and interesting. I collect Tarot decks, in a loose sort of way, and sometimes will pull the cards out if I’m stuck on a plot point just because the archetypes and imagery can sometimes inspire.

    It was an okay job, for the most part. Most people just wanted someone to talk to, to give them advice and tell them things were going to be okay. Sometimes it was very sad and difficult; sometimes it was a lot of fun, just like any other job working with the public, really.

    Thanks!

    Hi Saffie! Lol, I made them Cockney because I thought it would be funny. Actually, they’re not really fully Cockney; they were once, but now they speak in these horrible, deliberately bad Cockney accents (again, because I thought it would be funny). They’re just such a blast to write!

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 10:53 am

    Hi Mel!

    Oh, gosh, where don’t I find inspiration? I find visual art very inspiring. I’m no good at it at all myself, but images often give me ideas and help me set moods/atmospheres. An artist I know told me once that in ancient Egypt, writers and artists were required to spend time with each other, the theory being that the writers would be inspired by the visual art and the artists would be inspired by the writing, and I think that still works. I’ve been lucky enough to make friends with a few amazing visual artists and always find their work gives me new ideas.

    Ha, Llehn, I certainly do. 🙂 I like to start new projects between the new moon and the full moon. I don’t like to discuss my ideas publicly before the book is finished. I like to read a sample of my published work before I start a new project, the idea being that it will spread the luck into the new project. And I never, ever talk about getting the WIP published until it’s finished, for fear I’ll jinx it.

  • Jo
    March 3, 2010 at 11:00 am

    Hi Stacia! I haven’t read your books yet, but I am so excited to! They look amazing!

    My question is, if the characters from your Megan Chase series met those from your Downside Ghosts series, would they get on?

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 11:13 am

    Hi Bianca! Oooh, good questions!

    Hmm. Generally when I’m stuck I may take a look back at some of the visual images I collected when I was thinking about the work. Sometimes I make word lists to help as well, and look at those. Generally, though, I try to think of what the Next Logical Step might be for the characters, both heroes and villains. If the situation is X, and they need to find Y, what might they try next? Where might they go? What clue would be a good one to find? That sort of thing. And I go on from there.

    Oh, gosh, I enjoy tons of bands! 🙂 The Downside books have a lot of music in them and I’m planning on creating playlists and even a radio station for them on my website. Some of my favorites are the Clash, the Supersuckers, the Devil Dogs, Radio Birdman, Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers, Chuck Berry, the Lazy Cowgirls…and of course I do love the classic stuff too, like Zeppelin and the Stones and CCR (who are especially great for inspiration, I find).

    As for characters…while I do love to write villains and tough people and funny people, I think what I tend toward the most and do the best with are broken people.

  • Cindy
    March 3, 2010 at 11:22 am

    Hello Mrs Kane,

    I didn’t know your books, I’m glad the ladies of Book Smugglers invited you here !

    So for the question : what were your favorite books of 2009 ?

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 11:35 am

    Hi Melissa!

    Yeah, I pretty much always wanted to be a writer. I remember when I was a kid spending hours sitting in front of a typewriter, mostly copying entire pages–entire chapters–from published books in an effort to both improve my speed and try to imagine that I’d written them, and how it must have felt for the author to have written them, and to figure out how it was done. So it was always there, but it wasn’t until I hit my late twenties that I decided to actually do something about it.

    I’m definitely a read-and-brainstorm-as-we-go person, at least with close friends and people whose opinions I really respect. I’m never entirely sure about an idea when I’ve just started it, so it helps me a lot to have people I trust encourage me. I may stop sending them stuff to read after the first few chapters, but I always always want feedback on those first three. 🙂

    Thanks, I hope you like it!

    Thanks Stephanie! I actually have a YA project I’m working on at the moment; well, I’ve been working on it for about a year, because although I love the characters and world I decided when I was about 45k in that the story just wasn’t strong enough, and so scrapped most of it. So we’ll see. I have a few other adult projects in the pipeline as well.

    Hi John J.! Thanks! The idea actually came from a comment someone made online about being tired of seeing the phrase “…must battle their own personal demons…” in query letters and blurbs. I started thinking about what fun implications that phrase had and what could be done with it. Psychological counseling seemed like the obvious career for a protagonist to have; originally Megan was a therapist who had written a book, but I really didn’t want to write a character who would actually use the “slay your personal demons” line in all seriousness. So it became a radio show she’d gotten kind of roped into doing, and that gave me a much better idea of what sort of person she was, and then came Malleus, Maleficarum, and Spud, and I was ready to go. 🙂

    I really liked the idea of a character who is exposed to a new world and forced to find her place in it, and of a character who does a caring job but also keeps her distance from humanity. megan is sort of forced to stop worrying about other people and start worrying about herself, and to join a new world when she’d never really done so with the old one, and I liked that (not to mention the fun conflict inherent in a counselor who leads a family of misery-causing demons).

    Thanks Tynga! My demons have kind of a unique cosmology; they’re not entirely beings of evil but have assimilated into human society quite a bit. They all have unique powers, or rather, each “breed” has a different type of power, though there is some overlap. In this world what we think of as demons, the beings who live in Hell, were wiped out centuries ago, so really the demons who still exist were the ones who looked human enough to “pass.” So you may know a demon and not realize you do. 🙂 Hell doesn’t really exist anymore and there really isn’t a big Biblical issue or conflict in the series, so I was able to really play with the concepts of good and evil and what makes one human and what people are like under the surface and all of that fun stuff. 🙂

  • Donna S
    March 3, 2010 at 11:47 am

    Congrats on the release! I have been wanting to read your series for a while. Now that its up to 3 I need to catch up fast!

    What did you do when you found out your book was going to be published?
    Whats the best part to you of being a writer.

    Thanks!!

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 11:56 am

    Hi Hagelrat! Lol, I think they’re definitely easier when they’re just hanging out at your house and you can tell them to go the hell away! It’s extremely difficult if not impossible to completely rid yourself of those horrible feelings. At least in my experience.

    Hi Liz! {{hug}} Oh, I miss the UK loads, too, and definitely want to be back this summer; we’re working on it!!

    I’m a pantser all the way. If I write too detailed a synopsis or plan the book too thoroughly, I lose the element of surprise and the book feel “written,” even though it isn’t. I need to keep some mystery in it myself.

    And I’d love to write YA, and am (slowly) working on one now, so let’s hope it works. 🙂

    Hey Synde! I listen to music very rarely when I work, but I don’t require silence either. I usually have the TV on in the background; just something to fill the silence and give me something to look at when I pause for whatever reason. 🙂

  • Peta
    March 3, 2010 at 11:57 am

    Rather like Saffie, you had me at “with three cockney guard demons”! Even more so now I know that their accents have slipped and that they were such fun to write.

    So many great questions have already been asked too. Hrmmm – now for mine… What’s your writing routine?

  • GSM
    March 3, 2010 at 12:30 pm

    Stacia–
    What kind of music do you listen to while writing, and is it different than what you play loud in the car? (And do you sing in the car with that loud music?) Congrats on the series–sounds great. Thanks for visiting.

  • Marie
    March 3, 2010 at 12:35 pm

    Hello Stacia,

    Thanks for the opportunity to pick your brain!!

    When writing your stories, have you incorporated any of your job experiences into your novels? any calls/encounters that are too…heebie-jeebie-ish that you just had to include?

    Marie

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    Hi Heather! Ha, well, I do and I don’t, really. I think it would be difficult to write without including qualities of people you’ve met, simply because there are a finite–albeit very large–number of qualities for people to have. But in general the characters come out of my head fully formed, and without calculation; I don’t decide to base them on people and they don’t, as whole people, remind me of anyone I knew, although Character A might react to a situation the way Person A might have, or Character C might have a quirk that Person C had. Do you know what I mean?

    Hey, thanks Jackie! Oh, gosh, which are my favorites? I guess it wouldn’t be fair to say “All of them,” would it? Even though it’s true?

    I hate when writers refer to their books as their babies; I’ve written books and I have two kids, and it’s a very different thing (I wouldn’t die to save my book’s life, you know?). But in a sense my characters are like my children in that it’s very hard to have a favorite or to elevate one over another; they all have qualities that I love. I love Malleus, Maleficarum, and Spud simply because they are and always have been just so much fun to write. I love Greyson Dante because he’s just so smooth and sexy, in addition to being handsome and rich and all those fantasy things. 🙂 In the Downside books I love my big, bad greaser, Terrible, because he’s so scary and tough and complex and smart; I love my Asian criminal, Lex, because he’s funny and sexy and just so cool all the time. Really, I love all of them, they all have different qualities that make them special to me, you know?
    As for which of them gives me the most trouble…oh, gosh. Tera the witch is always trying to make everything about her, but that might be in part because she was originally the heroine of her own book. Terrible in the Downside books originally had a much smaller role but he just fascinated me to the point where I couldn’t stop writing him.

    And who do I read and think “Damn, I wish I’d thought of that!”? Neil Gaiman. Garth Ennis. Alan Moore. Caitlin Kittredge and Richelle Mead and Mark Henry. 🙂 And I’ll talk to anybody about books, lol.

    Hi Amanda! Oooh, good question. Hmm. No, the idea really didn’t come from there at all, but I did use the experience of having worked on the phone to help get into Megan’s mindset a bit. 🙂

    It was an okay job, really, just like any other. Sometimes it was sad–lonely, scared people who just wanted someone to listen–sometimes it was funny. We actually got a lot of people who called just looking for advice; we got a lot of people who knew it was just a Tarot card reading and weren’t so much interested in the “Tell me my future” experience as they were in just having an impartial ear, and in seeing what the cards said as an adjunct to that. Or they wanted to vent, or they were bored. Some of them were a lot of fun and some of them were just dullards.

    Hmm. I think the rise of paranormals and UF is linked to a lot of things. Normal consumer cycles, for one. A generational shift, with lots of us pining for those great SF and fantasy and horror books and films from our childhoods. The uncertainty of the world and people wanting to experience something where it’s not so uncertain. And sure, women drive large parts of the publishing industry, but I don’t think it’s just a “Women like those sexy vampires” thing at all. 🙂

    If anything I think it’s that women who grew up with feminism and are now adults aren’t afraid to say they like traditionally “male” things like fantasy or science fiction, so they’re happily switching into a genre where they can get the action and unique worlds and characters in addition to the romance (if they want it, of course, because NOT all urban fantasy has lots of romance and/or sex).

    Thanks Jo! Oh, gosh, would they get along? I think Megan and Chess (the Downside books’ heroine) definitely would, yeah, although it might be a bit prickly at first. In fact, I think both Megan and Chess would be fairly well liked in each others’ worlds. But the men…that would probably be a bit awkward at first, definitely!

  • Alex D
    March 3, 2010 at 1:48 pm

    Hello, I’ve seen your novels around but haven’t read them yet, though they do look really good 😀

    I’ve noticed on other author pages, that you seem to have a lot of author friends. How helpful is that to you and do they ever influence your work?

  • Rosie Carlo
    March 3, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    Hi there, I haven’t had the pleasure of reading your books, but after reading this entry, I’m going to make sure to get them … soon!

  • Michelle
    March 3, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    Thanks for answering all these questions! Mine is pretty simple: Common wisdom says that you have to know at least two things that happen in your story before you can write it. Do you think that’s true; and if so, what bits did you have from the beginning?

  • Alex
    March 3, 2010 at 2:46 pm

    What is your favorite character to write? :mrgreen:

  • Fedora
    March 3, 2010 at 3:07 pm

    Hi, Stacia! Congrats on this series! I love the sounds of it, and am adding them to the TBB 🙂 Does Demon Possessed wrap this up for this series, or might you add more to it in the future? Also, do you celebrate or commemorate your releases in any special way? I don’t imagine it gets any less exciting! 🙂

  • Jenn Bennett
    March 3, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    I’m curious about your release cycle for the Downside books. Instead the releases being spaced every 6 months- year, the first three are all being released in the U.S. this summer, like a month apart, correct? Though I know your publisher sets this, it’s an intriguing strategy for a new series: readers get hooked, you get more notice on the shelf with multiple books rather than one, etc. What are your thoughts on this becoming more common in UF? Can’t wait to read them, P.S. Thanks!

  • Nicole
    March 3, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    hey! How’s it going?

    What was the wierdest thing that took place whiles you were a bartender? Did you incoporate the events that took place when you where a bartender in your books? What was the first thing that you ever read that influenced you into the reading society? Have you ever dreamed about your characers?

    Thank for having an international giveaway! :mrgreen:

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 4:01 pm

    Hi Cindy! Oh, gosh, my favorite books of 2009. Caitlin Kittredge’s STREET MAGIC, definitely. Richard Kadrey’s SANDMAN SLIM is another. THE LIKENESS by Tana French; I love her books. SUCCUBUS HEAT by Richelle Mead.

    That’s not a complete list, but it’s the ones that really stand out. 🙂

    Hi Donna! Lol, what did I do? I think I danced around for a few minutes and then I made my husband go out to pick up dinner so I didn’t have to cook. 🙂 I got the contract for PERSONAL DEMONS several years ago, so I don’t remember it as well. But it’s always really exciting to get the news that your ms will be a real book; I’ve sold over a dozen books now (I was published in erotic romance at Ellora’s Cave before I started writing urban fantasy) and it never gets old.

    The best part of being a writer? Getting to interact with readers! Oh, and not having to get dressed up for work. 🙂

    Hi Peta, thanks! Yep, they are a hoot; it’s hard to write them without giggling.

    I usually write at night, although if I’m on deadline I write every second I have the chance. I keep a drink right next to the laptop, and I smoke a cigarette before I get started. I also keep a notebook and pen next to me in case I need it; I don’t usually, but it’s still handy. I try to do at least 2k words a day, too, although I don’t always make it (and sometimes I do more). I also like to suck on Drumstick lollies while I work, if at all possible; they’re these chewy raspberry-and-milk flavored lollipops that I became addicted to in England. They last forever.

    Hi GSM! Lol, it’s usually the same music–I listed some of the bands above, but there are some others too. I like to hook up my ipod and just put it on Shuffle. And yes, I sing along! LOUD. 🙂 Sometimes when I’m plotting I listen to other stuff; I have some instrumental music, classics and such, that I listen to, or soundtracks. (I like the Buffy “Once More With Feeling,” one, of course, and Sweeney Todd.)

    Hi Marie! Yeah, I guess I have, to some degree. It’s all life experience, and life experiences are the building blocks of what we write. The thing about most of the jobs I’ve had is that they all entailed dealing with the public, and when you work with the public you get a chance to observe them. You see a ot when you tend bar. You hear a lot when you are a phone psychic or when you work for a major credit card company; you hear people’s stories and worries and what’s happening in their lives. So it all goes in, but I don’t think I could point to a specific moment in any one of the books and say, “Oh, yeah, that was based on ____.”

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 4:26 pm

    Hi Alex! Oh, absolutely it’s helpful; I love my friends. And they absolutely influence and help me. We talk about ideas and brainstorm–I was stuck on something the other day, in fact, and called Caitlin at like three in the morning (it’s not as weird as it sounds; I knew she was up and it was only midnight where she lives) to talk and work it out.

    My other critique partner Anna J Evans is great to bounce ideas off of, and both of them read my first three chapters and discuss them with me (and I do the same in return, of course). The thing is, writing is something writers love to talk about, but it’s something we can’t really talk about with non-writers, so we tend to sort of find each other and glom on to each other. 🙂

    All of my friends inspire me, whether it’s through their work or just through talking and having fun or whether I’m stuck and they make suggestions, and I’d like to think I do the same for them. 🙂

    Hi Rosie, thanks! I hope you enjoy them! The upcoming Downside series is much darker and less romance-y than the Demons books; there’s more info and some first chapters posted on my site if you’d like to check them out.

    Hi Michelle! No need to thank me, I thank YOU guys for asking them! 🙂 And that is an excellent question. I’d never heard that particular piece of advice before, but now that I think about it I do tend to know at least two or three things before I get started. I don’t plot beforehand, but I usually have an opening scene (obviously), an idea for at least one major event, and a loose idea of what the climax will be, although that sometimes changes and I almost never know who the Bad Guy is ahead of time.

    For PERSONAL DEMONS I had the opening, and the scene in the park, and some of the Greyson/Megan stuff and some of the Malleus/Maleficarum/Spud stuff. For DEMON INSIDE I had the exploding demons and the stuff in the hospital, along with the bit about Megan’s father (trying to be non-spoilery). And for DEMON POSSESSED I had the major conflict and the major Greyson/Megan scenes waaay ahead of time; I’d been planning some of those since writing the first book.

    Oh, gosh, Alex, I don’t really know! I guess Chess Putnam, who is my heroine in the Downside books. At least at the moment; it changes all the time. A character will do or say something that I just love, and then they’ll be my favorite, and then someone else will take the spotlight. So it really varies.

    Hi Fedora! As of right now, yes, DEMON POSSESSED is the final book in the series. That’s not to say it can’t change in the future, but for the moment it’s done. I hope I’ve wrapped it up in a satisfactory way!
    And it depends, really. For me release day is usually so busy that I’m really not in a position to do a lot of celebrating. I tend to do my celebrating when I finish a book and when it’s sold. But yeah, it’s always really exciting, and I spend a lot of time online sort of obsessively hunting for mentions of the book and pretending I’m not terrified that no one will buy it. 🙂

  • Sue R
    March 3, 2010 at 5:39 pm

    Hi! The books sound fantastic. They are my kind of reads. Im curious what inspire you to write a psychologist with a radio show? Did you have to do alot of research regarding psychology and radio talk show?

  • Barbara Elness
    March 3, 2010 at 6:08 pm

    I haven’t had a chance to read any of Stacia’s books, but I’m going to have to fix that very soon, since they sound like my kind of read.

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 6:51 pm

    Hi Jenn! Yeah, the back-to-back release is pretty exciting; Del Rey is referring to it as “a publishing event,” and I’m just totally thrilled that they’re so excited about the series!

    Personally I’d love to see more series start out that way; I know I’m a lot more inclined to buy a first book in a series if I know I can get the second the following month. But it’s a really complex scheduling process and often means delaying the books, too. UNHOLY GHOSTS was originally supposed to be a 10/09 release; they wanted to give the series back-to-back releases but couldn’t find an open slot. Then one suddenly came up, which was/is awesome, but it did require delaying UG until the end of May. So I think that might be part of the reason why it isn’t done more often, is because of the deadline pressures it can put on everyone and the shuffling around that would need to be done. But then, I don’t understand all the logistics of scheduling and everything, either. I just write the books. 🙂

    Hi Nicole! Oh, gosh, the weirdest thing? I tended bar at a chain restaurant, so it wasn’t, like, a cool bar or anything. Really, offhand the only thing I can think of–and it’s not even weird–is the night I made the mistake of admitting to a group of sorority girls that I knew how to make a Miami Vice (which is a rum runner and a pina colada together in a glass–but not mixed, the colors have to stay distinct–and topped with a float of blue curacao. You have to make the rum runner and pina colada separately and it’s an enormous pain in the ass). Everyone else in the restaurant saw them with their cool-looking drinks, and they all wanted one, and I ended up mixing pina coladas and rum runners all night and cursing myself for admitting I knew how to make that drink. But like I said, that’s not weird. Sorry!

    The first book I ever read was MISS NELSON IS MISSING. It was my favorite story, and I made my mom read it to me so many times I memorized it, and I learned how to read from it–I started to understand what word was what and what each letter sounded like. And I’ve been reading ever since. 🙂

    And do I dream of my characters? No, not really. I think about them all the time, and sometimes to help me sleep I’ll imagine what they would do in a boring situation (so I get new insight to their character and manage to bore myself into sleep), lol, but they don’t usually show up in my dreams. At least, I don’t think they do. I very rarely remember my dreams in great detail, so for all I know I have very complex and deep dreams about them every night!

    Thanks!

  • Julie Swaney
    March 3, 2010 at 6:59 pm

    I haven’t heard of your books before but they sound great.
    Will there be more books in this series?

  • Ava
    March 3, 2010 at 7:03 pm

    Are your demons like those in other books?

  • Mariska
    March 3, 2010 at 7:33 pm

    I Haven’t read any of your books ! and i’d really like to start one soon 🙂

    – what’s your favorite scene(s) on your latest book ?
    – have you ever thought to collaborate on write a book with other authors ? if yes, whose the author ? and why ?

  • heatwave16
    March 3, 2010 at 8:04 pm

    Hi Stacia!!! I was curious how you decided to make your heroine a psychologist and psychic. Its just an odd/different occupation. I think its a great idea. You can only have so many dectectives from any agency.

    Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  • Abigail [All Things Urban Fantasy]
    March 3, 2010 at 9:01 pm

    Do you have any plans to write a YA series in the future?

  • van p.
    March 3, 2010 at 9:31 pm

    This series sounds great, would love to read it. Thanks for the chances of winning the books! 😀

  • Spav
    March 3, 2010 at 9:42 pm

    What were your favourite books of 2009? Do you have a favourite genre, or do you read a little bit of everything?

  • Tiffany M.
    March 3, 2010 at 10:03 pm

    Hi! Thank for you for taking the time to answer questions. What other series do you think your books are most like? For example, when I recommend Ilona Andrews’ Magic Bites for those who like Patricia Briggs’ Moon Called. I’ve seen your books in the romance section in some stores, general fiction, and in sci-fi. Where would you like them?

    Also, how did you pick the name Megan Chase? Was it always Megan, or did it go through different spellings? (I have a Chinese-American friend who picked Megan as her name, and is very adamant about correct pronunciation and spelling).

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 10:13 pm

    Hi Sue! The psychologist/radio show thing just sort of happened, lol. I knew I wanted to use the “personal demons” concept, and I thought since I was writing about the actual personal demons (the Biblical Yezer Ha-Ra) that a MC who worked as a therapist or counselor of some type would be a good foil; there was inherent conflict in that. My first idea was that Megan had written a book which became fairly successful right away, but I decided that I didn’t want her too far up in the public eye, and I didn’t really want to write a character who would actually use the “Slay your personal demons” line with anything but sarcasm and faint shame. 🙂 So that’s where the radio show came in, and the idea that she was doing it so she could at least help people but was very uncomfortable with the attending publicity gimmicks.

    I wouldn’t say it was a LOT of research, but that’s mainly because I had a friend who used to work at a radio station so I already knew a bit about that, and I had another friend who was a therapist. She basically emailed me a fairly detailed sort of overview of what a typical day is like and how a group practice might run and things like that, so I had a good basis from which to start. Then I emailed her specific questions as I went.

    Thanks Barbara, I hope you enjoy them!

    Julie, at the moment DEMON POSSESSED is the last in the series. So I hope I did a good job wrapping everything up, lol. But of course, never say never; who knows what might happen in the future, right? 🙂

    Hi Ava! I’m not really sure what you mean by like those in other books? They have a different cosmology, and they don’t shape-shift or anything like I know demons in one series do. Hell really isn’t an issue in my series. But to be honest, I don’t tend to read a lot of books with demon characters–I want to avoid possibly “absorbing” ideas–and when I wrote the first book back in 2006 there weren’t as many demon books on the market as there are now. I certainly think my demons are unique and interesting and sexy (well, at least two of them are) and all that good stuff, but I really couldn’t say with any authority just how different they are (plus I’m a wee bit biased, of course). So all I can really say is that I hope you enjoy them if you decide to pick one of the books up. 🙂

  • Cybercliper
    March 3, 2010 at 10:21 pm

    Hi Stacey – I’ve read some really good reviews about this series and look forward to giving them a try. I’ve always been interested in a Tarot reading but have been kinda chicken about it. Had you previously received any indication from the cards that indicated this would be your path?

  • Escapist Newsletter (Vol 4 Issue 3) | Literary Escapism
    March 3, 2010 at 10:30 pm

    […] Book Smugglers are giving away TWO sets of Megan Chase books (Personal Demons, Demon Inside, and Demon Possessed).  Contest ends […]

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 10:30 pm

    Hi Mariska! Oh, gosh, my favorite scene in DEMON POSSESSED? Hmm. I have a few. There’s a sex scene I’m quite pleased with, lol, and there’s an argument in an elevator that I like; I think one of the characters’ vulnerabilities comes through nicely in it so I’m proud of it. Actually, there are a couple of argument-y scenes and I like all of them. And the final scene, although in rereading there are always bits we would change a little here and there.

    I have collaborated, yes. My critique partner Anna J. Evans and I wrote two erotic romances for Ellora’s Cave (I was writing as December Quinn at the time): AS THE LADY WISHES and DEMON’S TRIAD. Both are m/m/f menages, and DT earned an X rating under EC’s old ratings system; it’s quite a dark little book. We’ve been talking about writing together again but our schedules are just so full these days it’s hard to find the time; Caitlin Kittredge and I have talked about doing something together one day, as have Ann Aguirre and me, but again, time is hard to come by. We all still have hopes that one day it’ll work out, though!

    Hi Heatwave16! Well, she became a psychologist because I thought that would add another really interesting layer of conflict to the whole concept of the personal demons, and the psychic part was to give her some extra ability to see them, lol. No, actually, it was that in part but it was also to give her an additional vulnerability; being someone who was so used to being able to “read” people to determine their trustworthiness would make it harder for her when dealing with demons she couldn’t read. It also gave me a good way to make her a threat to the personal demons and explain her history. So it all just seemed to fit together, and that made me happy. 🙂

    Abigail, I am working on a YA project at the moment, but slowly in between all of my other projects. And of course there’s no guarantee it will sell, either. 🙂 So hopefully in the future!

  • Stacia Kane
    March 3, 2010 at 11:21 pm

    Thanks for commenting, van p! Good luck!

    Spav, I think my favorite books of 2009 were Caitlin Kittredge’s STREET MAGIC, Richard Kadrey’s SANDMAN SLIM, THE LIKENESS by Tana French, and SUCCUBUS HEAT by Richelle Mead.

    I don’t necessarily have a favorite genre, no. I mean, obviously I love fantasy and urban fantasy, and read a lot of both. 🙂 But I also love mysteries and thrillers, especially noir thrillers. Romance, of course. I enjoy literary fiction and women’s fiction, as well as lots of non-fiction–mostly on history or unusual subjects. I think the only thing I really don’t read are self-help books or books on business strategy and stuff like that. Or, no, I don’t read Christian fiction either. So that’s two or three genres I don’t read. Everything else is pretty much fair game!

    Hi Tiffany! Hmm. I don’t really know, honestly, as far as what other series the Demons books are most like. There are so many great authors and books out there that I admire, and I don’t think I could compare myself to them. The Demons books are kind of dark but written in a light-hearted tone, and are fairly sexy but not really erotic; there are one or two full sex scenes in each. There’s one romance subplot and the conflict is all from the characters; they get together in the first book and the relationship unfolds from there, so there’s really not a love triangle or a lot of different love interests.

    Whereas the Downside books are much darker and grittier, and there is a sort of love triangle, but less sex in general.

    I think both belong in fantasy, but the Demons books definitely have a stronger romance thread throughout and focus more on it; I think they kind of straddle the line between UF and para romance. The Downside books are straight UF; there is a romance subplot but it’s not so much of a focus as in the Demons books.

    Does that help? 🙂

    Megan’s name was always spelled that way, yeah, and one of the reasons I picked it (and immediately after I decided on “Megan,” “Chase” popped up as her last name, it wasn’t something I had to think about, really) was as an homage to Barbara Michaels. She has a lot of heroines named Meg or some variation thereof, and so I thought it would be really fun to write my own Meg.

    Hi Cybercliper! Well, I always wanted to be a writer, so it was something I’ve always worked/hoped for. I don’t really read for myself, so I’d never specifically asked if I was going to be a writer or anything like that, but I did once have a Tarot reading where the reader told me I’d be doing something with my hands, that there was talent in my hands (I’m just quoting there, lol, I’m not claiming any special talent or anything). At the time I was kind of too afraid to believe she was talking about writing–didn’t want to get my hopes up or anything–and kind of put it out of my mind, but I look back now and wish I’d gone ahead and gotten started then. 🙂

    And I admit that while UNHOLY GHOSTS was on submission I did pull a card a couple of times, and kept getting the seven of Wands, which is known as “the writer’s card,” so that made me feel pretty optimistic and good. 🙂

  • Lisa B.
    March 3, 2010 at 11:29 pm

    Stacia,

    I’ve heard your writing packs quite a punch. How would you describe it to make it stand out from all the other authors out there?

    Also, you mentioned music. Do you write with music? If so, what kind? Somehow I’m picturing you as a rock and roll girl? Am I close? 🙂

    Thanks so much for taking the time to answer all our questions and congrats on the success!

  • Kuri
    March 4, 2010 at 1:01 am

    Hi Stacia! I read the first Megan Chase book and am looking forward to finally reading the rest!

    What’s the biggest difference between Megan and Chess as main characters?

  • CrystalGB
    March 4, 2010 at 8:53 am

    Hi Stacia. Your books sound great. Do you have a certain time of day/night that you like to write? What is the weirdest/funniest comment you have received from a fan?

  • Saffie
    March 4, 2010 at 10:35 am

    Thanks for the reply, Stacia!

  • Stacia Kane
    March 4, 2010 at 11:51 am

    Hi Lisa B.! Wow, um, where did you hear that? 🙂 That’s really flattering! I think I would definitely say that the Downside books have a much grittier feel and that the writing in it reflects that; I think if I had to describe it I would say it’s sort of like if Andrew Vachss wrote urban fantasy? That’s more the feel I was going for. The books are about drug addicts and dealers and thugs in this sort of punk-rock ghetto, so it’s a different sort of world.

    Lol, yes, you are right about that. 🙂 I don’t generally write with music on but I do mention music in the books, and in the next few months I’m hoping to set up an internet radio station on my site to play the music mentioned in them (and stuff that hasn’t been mentioned yet) as well as setting up playlists on itunes and stuff.

    Thanks so much!

    Hi Kuri, thanks! Um, the biggest difference? Hmm. They’re really such different characters in a lot of ways (but they have some similarities as well). Chess is a drug addict, a former abused foster child. So she really doesn’t trust people and doesn’t really want them around, whereas Megan wanted to have people in her life but never seemed to find the right people. Both have a lot of insecurities and troubles from their past that still haunt them, but Megan does a job where she helps people deal with those same problems whereas Chess has a job that enables her to prove to herself again and again that people lie and cheat and hide things. Megan was happy to have love in her life but Chess freaks out and tries to run away from it.

    But both have a lot of strength as well, and a determination to survive. 🙂

    Hi CrystalGB! Oh, I prefer to write at night, absolutely, after my husband and children have gone to bed. But when I’m on a deadline or the words are really flowing I’ll write all day, as much as I can.

    And hmmm…actually, I can’t say I’ve really gotten any weird comments from fans. The people who email me tend to be really smart, funny people, and it’s a delight to hear from them. I did once see someone complaining about the sex scene in PERSONAL DEMONS, though, because although Greyson…um…(I’m not sure what the adult-content rating is here) “performs an act of oral gratification,” is what I’ll say, on Megan she doesn’t reciprocate in that scene. And of course, that person is entitled to whatever complaints they want to make, but it just seemed to me that a sex scene doesn’t have to be paint-by-numbers and everyone gets a turn like in preschool; especially since I’d already written a scene in the second book where Megan seduces Greyson by doing exactly that. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t do it, she just didn’t do it then; the opportunity didn’t come up, you know?

    So it kind of puzzled me, because I didn’t think I was making any sort of statement about that particular act by not including it in that one scene, but it wasn’t a big deal either. 🙂

    Thanks for the question, Saffie!

  • Raquel Vega-Grieder
    March 4, 2010 at 1:54 pm

    Hey Stacia What Are One Or Two Things We Wouldn’t Normally Know About You?

    And

    What Inspired You To Write The Megan Chase Series?

    Your Books Sound Really Good. I Must Admit I Have Not Had The Pleasure Of Reading Any Of Them Yet But I Am Hopeful I Will Be Able To Soon. They Are Definitely Going On The To Of My To Be Read Pile.

  • Unchained Sparks | Literary Escapism
    March 4, 2010 at 4:46 pm

    […] Stacia Kane, author of Demon Possessed, by The Book Smugglers […]

  • heather y
    March 4, 2010 at 5:37 pm

    Thanks for hosting a great giveaway! I’d love to ask… Do you have a writing ritual? Like… everything around has to be “just so” for you to write?

    Thanks!

  • Diana Dang
    March 4, 2010 at 7:27 pm

    Seems like a great series!

    What is your favourite demon or paranormal movie?

  • Bella F.
    March 4, 2010 at 8:18 pm

    hi Stacia!
    I’m new to your books and definitely adding them to my tbr list.What’s the hardest part of writing as full-time career? Was it hard transitioning from “regular” jobs like customer service rep and bartender to writing? Also, what’s a Ricardian?
    ps, I <3 Die Hard too :mrgreen:

  • Stella (Ex Libris)
    March 5, 2010 at 7:28 am

    Hi Stacie!

    I would like to know how do you write? I’m curious about your writing process: once an idea strikes you and you get enough to start writing the story, do you start by writing the beginning or do you come back later and write the first few chapters when you already know where you want to take the story and give it a perfect introduction?

    Thank you,

    Stella

  • Stacia Kane
    March 5, 2010 at 11:49 am

    Hi Raquel! Oh, gosh, two things people don’t already know about me. I can’t think of any, lol. I’m pretty open about things, I think. Um…okay. I have this weird thing about my Achilles tendons and hate having anyone or anything touch them. And I do almost all of my “beauty” treatments at home; I wax my own eyebrows, cut and dye my own hair, do my own nails. Sorry, lol, I know those are kind of lame!

    And what inspired me to write the Megan books? Well, I’d been writing romance and erotic romance and wanted to try something different; I was beginning to feel like my voice wasn’t really “right” for romance, and I wanted to write something where I didn’t have to give the characters a HEA ending. I wanted to move more slowly. So I really wanted to try moving into urban fantasy, and when I got the idea for PD it seemed like the perfect way to transition. Still plenty of romance in that series, but without the structures of genre romance (which I still love, but I do think I’m better suited to fantasy.) The Downside series has less romance and focus on the relationships, even, but of course it’s still there.

    Hi Heather! Ha, not really, no. It’s very hard to have a set ritual like that when you have two children and a husband; if I waited for everything to be “right” I’d never get anything done! But I do generally go outside for a cigarette before I start working, and I like to keep a notepad and pen next to me as I work just in case I need to make any notes as I go. Oh, and I usually have the TV on in the background. Kiddie shows if the girls are around, but anything else if they aren’t. I don’t really pay attention to the TV but it’s nice to look up and see something on it. 🙂

    Hi Diana! Oooh, good question!! My favorite para movie of all time is probably The Changeling, a super-scary ghost story with George C. Scott. I absolutely love the Hellboy movie. Does The Thing count? 🙂 Oh, and Poltergeist, and of course Ghostbusters!

  • Sharli
    March 5, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    I have heard great things about these but haven’t gotten around to order them yet 😛

    So my question is: Are you a fan of your own characters?? And I mean giggly fan girl type lol

    Thanks! I love knowing more about writers 😉

  • Mona
    March 5, 2010 at 12:36 pm

    So do you write long hand on paper or on the computer? And do you need quiet or do you use music to inspire you? Do you have a specific place you have to be in order to write or can you pick up anywhere as long the the muse strikes you? And how do you keep the notes and ideas straight? I have heard some people have post it walls, or white boards or use a computer program.

  • Raelena
    March 5, 2010 at 12:51 pm

    Was there a particular author or book that inspired you to become a writer?

  • Qwill
    March 5, 2010 at 12:54 pm

    Hi, Stacia. I was wondering if you based any of Greyson’s personality traits on anyone that you know? Are any of your characters based on ‘real’ people?

    Thank you.

  • Sharon K
    March 5, 2010 at 1:19 pm

    Hi Stacia,
    you books sound great! Sparked my interest!
    My question
    Which was the hardest book to write and why?
    Thanks for Q/A & contest!

  • jmspettoli
    March 5, 2010 at 2:40 pm

    Hi Stacia! Love your books and looking forward to more. Is it ever difficult to separate your two series in your head / when your writing?

  • Stacia Kane
    March 5, 2010 at 4:58 pm

    Hi Bella! Die Hard is frigging awesome, isn’t it? And it’s not just that it’s so good, it’s such a perfect example of storytelling. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is insignificant. It’s just perfection. 🙂

    I actually was a stay-home mom when I really started writing; I gave up tending bar when I was a few months pregnant with my first. So it really wasn’t too much of a change, although I think once I started selling and having deadlines and everything it was a bit of a transition for my family. They didn’t have access to me all the time anymore, and sometimes I’d be busy and they’d have to wait. I mean, they did before I started writing as well, but it took on a new meaning once I started writing. 🙂

    Oh, and a Ricardian is someone who believes Richard III was innocent of the murders of the Princes in the Tower and was actually a good King, a victim of slander and propaganda spread by the Tudor usurpers. 🙂 A good place to start if you’re at all interested is by reading Josephine Tey’s THE DAUGHTER OF TIME. It’s fiction, but it provides a decent overview of the facts.

    Thanks Stella! Oh, I’m definitely a linear writer; I start at the beginning and don’t stop until I’m done. I do end up going back and rewriting those first chapters or adding completely new first chapters, but in general I have a decent enough idea of where the story is going (even though I don’t know how it ends, really) that I can just keep moving. The only time I ever left a blank spot in a book was when writing PERSONAL DEMONS. After the scene in the park I just had no idea what to do next; I sat on it for a few weeks and finally just decided to skip it and fill it in later, and started writing with the next scene I had in my head, which was the charity ball. So everything in between there was written after the book had an ending. But that’s the only time I’ve ever done that. It felt weird! 🙂

    Lol, Sharli, that’s a great question! I admit I have a real weakness for my heroes. They do make me kind of melty and full of sighs. 🙂 I figure if they didn’t they wouldn’t be very good heroes, though, so I don’t get too embarrassed about it (just a little bit embarrassed)!

    Hi Mona! I’m definitely a computer girl. Sometimes I make notes in longhand, or will use pen & paper to sketch out some ideas, but in general I don’t write longhand at all. I like to have a bit of background noise when I work, and I can work anywhere, really, although I like to be on the couch in the living room–I like to have everything I need close by, and I like to at least feel like I’m sitting with my family even though they’re watching TV or whatever and I’m in my own little world. 🙂

    I keep everything in my head. On very rare occasions I might write something down so I’ll remember it later, but in general it’s all up there; plots, characters, story lines, clues, everything. I keep thinking that one of these days I’ll need to put together some sort of worldbuilding bible, but I never seem to have the time for a project like that and it just seems like such a slog. I’m too lazy!

    Oh, gosh, Raelena, all of them! I don’t think I could point to any one specific author or title; it was just something I always wanted to do. I’ve always been a huge reader, and somewhere in there at a very young age I decided that was what I wanted to do for a living. I didn’t get serious about it until my first daughter was almost a year old, but really, every book I ever read, good or bad, inspired me.

    Ha ha, Qwill, I wish! If I knew a guy like Greyson I probably wouldn’t be writing, I’d be spending all my time following him around. 😉 No, I don’t base characters on real people; if there’s any person who seems to influence my characters it’s me, really. Like Megan has some of my tastes in food and she’s allergic to peppers just like me. Chess listens to the same music I listen to and, actually, is probably the character who’s the most like me in a lot of ways.

    But generally, rather than writing about people I know…I write about people I’d like to know. 🙂

  • josette
    March 5, 2010 at 10:01 pm

    My question is:
    When you are inspired to write another novel in your series, what do you do to keep readers wanting more? 😀

  • Stacia Kane
    March 5, 2010 at 11:59 pm

    Hi Sharon! Oh, wow, that’s a heck of a question. I think it’s probably DEMON POSSESSED. I had a lot going on in my life at the time, some really difficult stuff, and I knew it was probably the last one, and that was hard too; I had to make sure I gave everyone a good send-off and accomplished the things I’d hoped/planned to accomplish, but in less time than I’d originally planned, so…yeah, it was difficult. But hopefully the book is still good and will make people happy!

    Thanks jmspettoli! Hmm. Not really, no, because the characters are so different, but there have been a few times where a line of dialogue or exposition has snuck in and when I reread I’m like, “Hey! That’s not something Chess would say, that’s a Megan line!” or vice versa. But it gets easier as time goes on. 🙂

  • Stacia Kane
    March 6, 2010 at 12:03 am

    Hi Josette! I try to leave some unanswered questions, really, and I try to make the characters’ lives complex and interesting and real enough that readers will care about what happens to them, and be waiting to see. I think the best books are ones where the characters become almost like friends to the reader, if you know what I mean, and that can’t happen if the characters don’t feel like real people. So that’s what I really strive for, I think. Whether or not I succeed isn’t really up to me, though. 🙂

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