Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to my stop in the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm.

I am giving away a copy of Dead on the Delta, SIGNED by author Stacey Jay! 

This was one of my favorite reads of this past year! It's a dark urban fantasy with a great mystery plot. And the main character is all kinds of screwed up, which you know I love. Stacey graciously offered to do an interview as well, so read on and then enter to win!

Once upon a time, fairies were the stuff of bedtime stories and sweet dreams. Then came the mutations, and the dreams became nightmares. Mosquito-size fairies now indulge their taste for human blood—and for most humans, a fairy bite means insanity or death. Luckily, Annabelle Lee isn’t most humans. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicycle-riding redhead is immune to fairy venom, and able to do the dirty work most humans can’t. Including helping law enforcement— and Cane Cooper, the bayou’s sexiest detective—collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town.

But Annabelle isn’t equipped to deal with the murder of a six year- old girl or a former lover-turned-FBI snob taking an interest in the case. Suddenly her already bumpy relationship with Cane turns even rockier, and even the most trust-worthy friends become suspects. Annabelle’s life is imploding: between relationship drama, a heartbreaking murder investigation, Breeze-crazed drug runners, and a few too many rum and Cokes, Annabelle is a woman on the run—from her past, toward her future, and into the arms of a darkness waiting just for her. . . .

Welcome author Stacey Jay to the 'pack'!

(Giveaway and Linky at the bottom)

*Goldilox: In Dead on the Delta, Annabelle has some issues with alcohol and pills. What inspired you to create a protagonist with a substance addiction? And how challenging is it to make such a flawed character still likable for the readers? 

*Stacey: When I first decided to write a mystery series, I read a lot of old school mysteries, written mostly by men with male protagonists. These hard boiled detectives were usually troubled, and at least seventy-five percent had an intimate relationship with the bottle. This made me think…

What would it be like to write a woman struggling with similar problems? An alienated, borderline alcoholic with intimacy issues? Would readers be as accepting of that in a woman as they are in a man? Turns out the answer is “no.” But I expected that. I’m a feminist, but I’m also a realist.  :)

But honestly, the majority of reader feedback has been positive. Most readers can see that Annabelle’s got a good heart, and that covers an abundance of sins in fiction (as it does in life).

There’s also a personal angle here for me. It’s no secret to those who read my blog that I’ve struggled with insomnia for about eight years, and had a nasty time getting off prescription sleeping pills that my doctor swore were “non addictive.” That wasn’t the case for me. The fight to “get clean” while still getting enough sleep to be productive at work, and at home with my children, was brutal. (Sleep is necessary to life. It’s not something you can just go without.)

The experience made me think about addiction in a way I hadn’t before. It enhanced my empathy, which I believe is a good thing. Empathy makes for a kinder world.

*Goldilox: Can you share if Tucker plays a larger role in the next book? 

*Stacey: Oh yes, I can… And oh yes, he does. That is all I can share at the moment.  :)

*Goldilox: Where did you come up with the idea for the mutated fairies? It’s such a unique concept in a genre inundated with vampires, shifters, zombies, the fae, etc.

*Stacey: I lived in the south (or deep south) for most of my life, and dealt with the accompanying mosquitoes every time I stepped outside. It really wasn’t that big a stretch to go from the West Nile Virus scare to something even scarier. I chose the Fae as my winged menaces because the folk tales about fairies have always fascinated me.

*Goldilox: Will there be more Annabelle Lee books after Blood on the Bayou?


*Stacey: I certainly hope so. I’m very attached to these characters. They are dear friends, and I want to see what happens next for all of them! As for now, however, I’m not sure. Sales of the first two books will be a strong determining factor for my publisher.

*Goldilox: In the acknowledgements of Dead on the Delta it says thank you to Stacia Kane, who is another of my favorite authors. Chess from Kane’s Downside Ghosts series and Annabelle have a lot in common. What would you think about a possible friendship between these two?

*Stacey: This is a funny question to me, as I don’t personally think Chess and Annabelle have that much in common aside from drug/alcohol abuse. I think Annabelle is a lighter character in many ways, and she’ s certainly not as successful or badass as Chess (who is a kick butt witch with great control over her power).

But yes, I think that Annabelle and Chess could be friends. They’re both fairly easy going at their cores. They would likely be pleasant acquaintances, however, not dear friends the way Stacia and I are (we were baby writers together long before either of us were published). I think you have to be willing to be vulnerable in order to have a close friendship, or relationship of any kind.

*Goldilox: You dedicated the book to your father that passed away ten years ago while he was writing Dead On The Delta. Is this the direction he was planning to take the book in ten years ago?

*Stacey: Not at all. My dad’s book was an old school mystery written in third person from three points of view. At first I tried to edit the ten chapters he finished and then move on from there, but I couldn’t. He was a sixty-five year old man raised in the Depression, I was a twenty-eight year old woman who was a teen during the grunge movement. Our voices weren’t compatible. But the heart of the story is similar—a jaded person finding healing by helping solve the murder of a little girl.

*Goldilox: I just finished reading Juliet Immortal, your newest YA book. I was wondering what inspired you to do such a unique retelling of Romeo and Juliet?

*Stacey: It came to me in one of those “bursts of mental lightening” moments. “What if Juliet didn’t die? What if she and Romeo lived on to become immortal enemies?” I dropped what I was doing and wrote an outline right away. (I’d like my brain to give me another one of those bursts. Now would be nice. I have a partial due in a month.)

*Goldilox: I know that you are currently working on the sequel to Juliet Immortal. Can you tell us a little bit about it and if there will be more books in this series?

*Stacey: The sequel, ROMEO REDEEMED, will release in Fall 2012. It’s primarily Romeo’s story, though Juliet does make an appearance. It’s also a love story, one I’m very proud of. I can’t say more than that, but I can answer the last question: No. There will not be more books. These two stories were designed to be companion books from the beginning. After that, I’m exploring new ideas.

*Goldilox: When you’re not writing, what else are you doing? What are some TV shows you are engrossed in, movies you’ve loved lately, hobbies you indulge, etc.?

*Stacey: I have two small children so I’m often at the playground, driving to cub scout meetings, helping with homework, trying to potty train (which I am ready to be DONE with, I tell you!), giving baths, etc, etc. I also have an amazing husband. I’d say he’s my hobby. Spending time with him—date nights when we can get them, hikes with the kids, watching Parks and Recreation on the couch—is my favorite thing to do. (Though I also enjoy cooking and do so almost every night. Life is too short not to eat good, homemade food. Preferably with cheese on it.)

Here are some of Stacey's books, both adult and YA, if you are interested (and you should be!):
     

Giveaway:

And now, time to try and win a little goodie!!! Enter below on the Rafflecoptor form to win a signed copy of Dead on the Delta. Stacey Jay will be signing and shipping the book to the winner.  :) 

You must live in the US and be 13 or older to enter. Best of luck my little weres!
After you enter, check out the linky with the GAZILLION other blogs participating and offering awesome giveaways!!!

Check out all the other blogs and their giveaways! Happy Halloween!