Happy Thursday, everyone!  I’ve got Urban Fantasy author Stacey Brutger with me today! Welcome, Stacey.  So nice to have you here on the Journal today.  Let’s just dive right in. 🙂

Your new release, Electric Storm is not in the romance genre.  Can you tell me what genre it is and a little bit about both the genre and your new release?

My book, Electric Storm, is an Urban Fantasy. The genre is very similar to paranormal romance except the romance takes second place to the story.

The book is about one character named Raven who works as a PI with the police. Right before her next case, she goes to a club and ends up in the middle of a slave auction. The danger is that her touch can kill. So it makes no sense when she ends up in possession of not one but two shifters. Throughout the book, she must juggle both her private life and the killer who is out to make her the next target.

What was your inspiration for this story?

I love urban fantasy. I love the world building and the possibilities. After I read my first dozen or so Urban Fantasy, I was swept away by the stories and couldn’t resist trying my hand at one as well.

I love creating character names. Are the character names in Electric Storm special in any way?

Normally, I chose my character names very specifically. In this book, all the characters came fully formed and pre-named. I had no part in it at all. At least they let me chose the book title, but they sure gave me their input for that as well. My main character is a conduit. She has the ability to control electricity. There is a spot in the book where she accidentally called down lightning during a storm. That scene is what gave me the name for the book Electric Storm.

What was your process for writing Electric Storm?  Is this different or the same as other books you’ve written?

I’m half plotter, half panster. Some books fight me tooth and nail, but these characters really wanted their story told. I would write one chapter, and ideas for the next chapter would already be brewing. I loved it! It kept me glued to the computer just so I can find out how the story ended! The one book I tried plotting failed big time. Once I plotted the story, I lost interest in writing it. I already knew what would happen.

Do you have plans to turn Electric Storm into a series?  Why or why not?

Yes, Electric Storm is the first in the series. There was just too much my characters had to say to be able to fit everything in one book. Some threads in the first story leak over into the next book.

Do you write in genres other than Urban Fantasy? 

Yes, I write paranormal romance as well as historical paranormal romance.

The next book to be released will be a dark paranormal romance with a demon assassin and her cursed angel lover. Talk about tension between those two!

Do you have a favorite romance hero or heroine?  What qualities do they possess that make them memorable?

I’m not sure I have favorites, but there are very memorable characters that I end up going back to time and time again. When I looked at them all side-by-side, they all end up being very similar. They kick-ass and aren’t afraid to go after what they want.

Who has been the greatest influence on your writing?

Not surprisingly, other authors have been the greatest influence on me. To be able to have the talent to pull a reader into another world for a few hours is an awesome talent. I want to be able to do that, too!

If you could have one wish granted just for you (not world peace, LOL), what would you wish for?

That everyone would have the opportunely to follow their dreams. Life is too short not to give it a try!

What is the most exciting/daredevil thing you’ve ever done?

Besides publishing and my family, I would have to say the most exciting thing I ever did was to travel to Germany with a couple of other students for a month when I was sixteen. I would definitely do it again. I love to travel.

Now, Just for Fun:

What is your favorite amusement park ride?

I love the unexpected thrill, dips and sways of really old roller coasters.

Tea or coffee?

Definitely tea!

French manicure or color (an if color, what color)?

Oh, color all the way. I love dark colors…reds, blues, purples.

Beach or mountains?

I’m going to have to say mountains….unless the beaches have mer-men. J

Who is your favorite villain?

This might be cliché, but I loved Hannibal Lector. He’s a bad guy and doesn’t apologize for it. The next best villains are the ones you root to win.

Thank you for having me on your blog!  To show my appreciation, I’m offering a $5.00 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter on the blog today.

For another chance to win, visit my site where I’m offering a $10 Amazon gift certificate as well.

Contest closes on Friday at 6 pm cst.

Blurb for Electric Storm:

Everything changed when Raven, a natural born conduit, accidentally walks in on a slave auction. She only wants a night out with her friends before her next case as a paranormal liaison with the police. Instead, she ends up in possession of a shifter and his guardian. When your touch can kill, living with two touchy-feely shifters is a disaster waiting to happen.

To make matters worse, a vicious killer is on the loose. As mutilated bodies turn up, she can’t help fear that her new acquisitions are keeping secrets from her. The strain of keeping everyone alive, not to mention catching the killer, pushes her tenuous control of her gift and her emotions to their limits. If they hope to survive, they must work together as a pack or risk becoming hunted themselves.

Excerpt for Electric Storm:

Tiger.

He broke through the wall of people who circled the small group. Broad shouldered, lean but roped with muscles, he easily drew attention to him and it had nothing to do with the elegant clothes or wildly untamed mane of hair. The combination should’ve looked ridiculous but only succeeded in making him appear all the more dominant.

It gave him a dangerous air. An aura of bored arrogance seeped from him, but Raven knew differently. Power thrummed beneath his skin at his annoyance for being disturbed. The beast roamed close to the surface even in his human form.

“No, sir. The lady here claimed me, and Miss Jackie objected.”

“A challenge?” The tiger’s eyes sharpened in the muted light, his attention never leaving her face. He brushed against her shields, then shoved against them as if surprised to find resistance. The intensity increased, seeking a weakness. Her eyes narrowed. Usually only vampires or very powerful alphas had such strong mental ability.

Protocol dictated certain rules, and he broke them by probing her without permission. They both knew it if his sudden, impudent smile was anything to go by. If he pushed harder, she’d retaliate. She refused to let him enter her mind, refused to let him harvest all her secrets. It was too dangerous for either of them.

When he persisted, she twisted a strand of energy around his shields, using tremendous control to surround him instead of breaking through. Then she slowly tightened her hold. She let it rest there, let him feel her perusal, the threat. Her fingers trembled. Her stomach flopped like a fish out of water. It took everything she had to hold back more power and ignore the dangerous lure to crush the threat.

Then his aura fluctuated, rubbed against her own shield in a way that sent a shiver down her spine in a very pleasant way. Her blood heated, and she could almost swear she felt a purr from her core. From the startled look and the aroused flush to his face, the reaction wasn’t something he’d anticipated either.

Then he relented and retreated, bowing slightly in deference. “Please forgive my rudeness. I’m Jeffrey Durant, manager of Talon’s.”

She reeled in the string of energy, suppressing the unholy need to curse. A formal greeting. Rules of the pack dictated she reply in kind, supply her name at the very least, and the bastard knew it. She had to work with shifters. She couldn’t piss in the pond just because she didn’t want to do something.

Stacey Brutger

www.StaceyBrutger.com

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/7sktck6

B&N:  http://tinyurl.com/cb8tee2

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5808420.Stacey_Brutger

Thank you again, Stacey!  And visitors, don’t forget to comment for a chance to win the Amazon gift card!