BookLover Sue: Author Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway

Savage Magic

by Judy Teel

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BLURB:

A deadly disease from an unknown origin…

Addison Kittner and ex-FBI agent Cooper Daine arrive at Bone Clan expecting a warm welcome. Instead they’re imprisoned and placed under quarantine, where they discover that the werewolf mountain Clans are being decimated by a deadly plague which can’t be cured.

An old obligation that changes everything…

With only a few days to live, Cooper’s brother, Alpha of Bone Clan, asks Cooper to fulfill his promise, one that’s crucial to their Clan’s survival. But if he does, Cooper risks loosing Addison. Forever.

An ancient creature bred for genocide…

Determined to stop the plague and cure Cooper’s brother, Addison defies Clan law and sneaks away to an ancient ruin which might hold the key. There she discovers an unexpected link to her past and inadvertently calls forth an immortal monster that will destroy the paranormal races protecting humanity if it can’t be stopped.

But as Cooper and Addison battle to stop the annihilation of the Clans and the forces trying to tear their bond apart, something even more powerful and deadly gathers just out of sight…

And prepares to strike.

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EXCERPT:

The scent of blood got stronger, pulling my thoughts back and making my heart pound a little harder against my chest. Slipping a knife from the sheath inside my right boot, I watched the flutter of shadows on the path below where it turned and disappeared behind a thick wall of laurels. Slow breath in…Silent breath out…

Deeper shadows emerged and took shape — a man and a woman, both dressed for living outdoors and blending in. And there was Cooper, complacently allowing them to roughly pull him along between them, his nose and a cut on his cheek seeping blood. Weird. Cooper was built like an early twenty-first century Olympic gymnast and I’d seen him take out opponents in less than ten seconds without a single blow landing on him. How had they managed to subdue him?

I watched them come closer and pass below me. The woman on one side of Cooper was medium height with light skin and dark red hair that she’d pulled back into a short ponytail with a strip of leather. The man on the other side was tall and muscular with tanned skin, his bright red hair in a military cut.

I adjusted the soles of my logger boots against the branch under me to give myself a more solid launch, judged the distance — and jumped.

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Talking with Judy Teel!

What is your writing environment?

Years ago my husband and I converted our small dining room into an office for me. The best feature is all the windows. I have two desks that make an L shape, with the main one facing the bay window where I have bird feeders and a birdbath set up outside. I’ll often watch the birds while I’m thinking about what direction I want to go in for a scene, or what I think a character might be thinking or feeling in any particular moment. I especially enjoy watching the seasons change.

Who is your perfect hero/heroine and why?

For me, perfect heroes and heroines are people with problems that get them into trouble when they don’t address them. I especially love giving a protagonist something they completely believe is true, but it isn’t. Flaws like that just beg to be exposed through conflict, which makes my job a lot more fun and interesting and ultimately gives my readers a more entertaining experience too.

What authors have caught your interest lately and why?

One of my readers got me onto Kimberly Frost’s Southern Witch series and I LOVE it. (The first one is Would-Be Witch.) They’re funny, exciting and the paranormal world and characters she’s created are very entertaining and lovable. I’m on book 5 now.

By the way, I always enjoy hearing about other books my readers have loved. I’ve found some great series to enjoy because of recommendations my readers and fans have emailed to me.

What type of book have you always wanted to write?

Savage Magic. No kidding. It’s a deeper, more intense book than I’ve ever had the nerve to tackle before and I’m a better writer for it.

Top 3 things on your bucket list?

Live in the UK for a couple of months in an adorable cottage with an office view of its beautiful garden. I’d write and also travel with my husband to all the other countries I want to visit.

Write more books. Lots more. I’ve never had so much fun in my life.

Love on my grandbabies, though that one isn’t really up to me and is several years down the road. Still…a mom can dream. J

How did you get the idea for this particular novel?

I had a pretty good idea what needed to happen in Savage Magic even before I wrote the first sentence in Book 1, Shifty Magic. Experience had taught me to carefully map out an entire series to the best of my ability before starting, so once I got a handle on Addison’s character, I knew what I wanted to do with each book.

What is your favorite scene in your new release?

Ah, great question. For me, it’s the point when everything’s going wrong for Addison and Cooper and there’s a scene where Cooper gives us an insight into how deeply he loves Addison. They fall into this exchange where they re-write their love story, even though both know that what did happen and what is happening can’t be changed. It’s sweet, romantic, heartbreaking, and poignant all at the same time.

What are you working on now and when can we expect it to be available?

I’m currently working on Secret Magic, a novella about Addison and Cooper’s first case. It should be out sometime this fall. It’s been fun to write. Very signature Addison.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I like to spend time with my husband and our daughters, I also love to read, see movies, watch TV shows (currently into Korean dramas – lol). My life isn’t nearly as exciting as Addison’s, thank goodness. No complaints on that score!

What is one interesting fact about you that readers don’t know?

When I was in college, I dreamed that I had tea with my Grandma Judy in a house I didn’t and she told me that she had to go, but she wanted to say good-bye before she did. The next day my mom called and told me that Grandma Judy had passed the night before.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Judy Teel was born in Virginia and moved to North Carolina just before middle school. She's a fiction author and novelist writing in the dystopian urban fantasy genre. Her stories deliver mystery with some thriller elements, a kick-butt heroine with a large dash of snark in her, a bit more than a touch of romance with a guy that makes readers' hearts beat a little faster, and a wild ride full of action and emotion from start to finish.

Shifty Magic is permanently free on all platforms and Undercover Magic is free as a thank you gift for anyone who signs up on my readers list: http://judyteel.com/my-free-book/

Website: http://www.judyteel.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudyTeelBooks

Twitter: @JudyTeelBooks / https://twitter.com/JudyTeelBooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5023501.Judy_Teel

Amazon Author’s Page: http://goo.gl/a7oKub

Tumblr: http://judyteel.tumblr.com

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/judyteelbooks/

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Buy Links:

AMAZON:

Shifty Magic (Book 1): http://amzn.com/B00CXQ7EOE

Undercover Magic (Book 2): http://amzn.com/B00H7M48KM