The Forever Song Tour

• Where did you get the inspiration for the Blood of Eden series?

I’ve told this story a few times, but it’s a fun one, so I’ll tell it again.  Way back in the beginning of my writing career, before I even started The Iron King, I told myself that I wasn’t going to write a vampire story.  This was at the height of the Twilight craze, and there were already so many books about our favorite bloodsuckers, I felt I didn’t have anything new to add.  But then, around the time I was finishing up The Iron Knight, the last book in the Iron Fey series, I got a call from my agent.  She wanted to know what was next for me, if I had any ideas for a new book or a new series.  I did.  I told her I’d been thinking about a really dark, post-apocalyptic world where a disease had wiped out nearly everyone and there weren’t many humans left.  I didn’t exactly have, say, a plot, or characters, or what the book was going to be about.  But I knew I wanted to write something a bit darker and bleaker than the Iron Fey, so I asked her what she thought about that.

She said: “Yes, well, that sounds interesting, but what are your thoughts about writing vampires?”

Out loud, I said: “I’ll think about it.”  Inwardly, I was going: Aaaaaagh, noooooooo! *Snarl-hiss makes sign of the cross.*

But, after we got off the phone, I did start to think.  So, on the one hand, I had this cool, dark, post-apocalyptic setting that I really loved.  And on the other, I had vampires.  So, what if I just…

Squashed.

Them.

Together?

And, just like that, the idea for The Immortal Rules was born.

• When you set out to write this series did you know how everything would end up, or did you wing it as you went?

I always have to know the ending of a series before I begin.  Then I at least have something to write toward.  I also have certain points in the story that I know have to happen, but everything in between I make up as I go along.

• The ending of The Eternity Cure was a doozy! Do you enjoy torturing readers with cliffhangers?

I'll tell you a universal truth: authors love to make readers cry.  And laugh, and scream, and rage. Not because we're mean or evil (okay, maybe a little evil), but when people shed tears over our books, and specifically the characters in those books, we know we've done our job well.  It means the reader has connected with them on a personal level, that the characters have become more than just words on paper.  They've become real.

• If your books were to be made into a movie, who would be your top picks for the cast?

Oh man, I am soooo bad at this.  Really, if James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) could play Jackal, that'd be awesome, but I have no idea for anyone else.  I'm open to suggestions.

• Since this is the last book in the series, what's coming next for you?

My next series is called Talon, and it's about modern day dragons and their war with the Order of St. George. 

• What are some of your favorite books in the paranormal genre?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, and anything by Neil Gaiman.

• If you could tell readers one thing about yourself or your books, what would that be?

For aspiring authors, I started exactly where you are right now, unpublished and unknown.  Keep writing, keep practicing, and never give up.

• What is the craziest or at least most interesting thing you have ever done?

Lol, I've done a lot of crazy/interesting things; it's hard to pick just one.  When I was sixteen I tried riding a wild horse and was promptly bucked off and trampled.  (Not the smartest thing I've ever done.)  I met a wild sea turtle while swimming in the ocean one afternoon, and hung out with it for awhile.  I've been chased out of the ocean by reef sharks.  I've trained horses, dogs, cats, and a parrot.  I take Kung Fu and routinely spar people with sticks and knives.  Several years ago I was taking my dog for a walk in the park, and happened to run into Orlando Bloom, who said my dog was cool looking.  So I'm not certain which of these is the most interesting; I'll let you guys decide. ;-)

• Finish this statement: "You'll like the Blood of Eden series if...

...you like scary, old-school vampires, bloody sword fights, romance, snark, and a kick-ass Asian vampire girl with a katana. 

Thanks Julie!

Tour Schedule: 

 Monday, April 7th - Harlequin Paranormal Romance Blog 

Tuesday, April 8th - fiktshun 

Wednesday, April 9th - The Page Turners 

Thursday, April 10st - Books and Things 

Friday, April 11th - Ticket To Anywhere 

Monday, April 14th - Two Chicks on Books 

Tuesday, April 15th - Parajunkee 

Wednesday, April 16th - Refracted Light Reviews 

Thursday, April 17st - Bewitched Bookworms 

Friday, April 18th - Mundie Moms 

Monday, April 21th - A Book Obsession 

Tuesday, April 22nd - The Book Cellar 

Wednesday, April 23th - Supernatural Snark 

Thursday, April 24st - The Busy Bibliophile 

Friday, April 25th - Tyngas Reviews

Author Info:

Julie Kagawa was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish and the odd eel.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all-time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian shepherd who is too smart for his own good and the latest addition, a hyperactive Papillon puppy.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Book Info:
(Also check out my review of The Forever Song)

How do you face the end of eternity?

In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood.

She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever-and possibly end human and vampire existence 

Amazon        The Book Depository

a Rafflecopter giveaway