Meet the #Author Monday - Sonya Clark

Tell us about Witchlight:

Witchlight is the second book in the Magic Born trilogy, which is a sort of magic-meets-cyberpunk, dystopian, romance mish-mash of genres. In this book, the stakes are raised considerably in this world as conditions worsen for the oppressed Magic Born. Along with that, I explored the life of a secondary character from the first book, Trancehack - Vadim Bazarov. Vadim is a nightclub owner, leader in the witch underground, and all-around shady guy. He needs access to information and materials that will help the underground, and to get it he finds someone in a powerful position in Normal society who is secretly a witch - city councilwoman Lizzie Marsden. Blackmail has always worked for Vadim in the past, but this time he gets more than he bargained for.

What inspired you to write this particular story?:

I gave Trancehack an ending that would allow it to be a standalone in case there was no interest in taking the series further, but my editor Jeff Seymour and Carina Press wanted more. That gave me the chance to write a trilogy and take this world where I wanted it to go.

Probably the other biggest inspiration for Witchlight was Vadim. With each new scene of his in the first book, I wanted the chance to make him the hero of his own story. Though he’d no doubt prefer the term anti-hero.

Please share a favourite snippet from your book:

This short excerpt features Vadim trancehacking, a kind of magic that allows a witch to use astral projection to enter cyberspace.

Trancehacking while high on nightshade always turned the internet into a Kandinsky abstract. The blue-and-white lines of cyberspace widened and stretched like rubber bands, bubbles of random color popping up all over. His consciousness sank deep into trance and even deeper into the greens and purples of the drug, wisps of it wrapping around his perception like fog on a rainy night. Realspace crackled at the edge of his vision as he lifted his glass, draining the drink in one swallow. He blinked away reality and dove fully into cyberspace, hopscotching through hidden links to reach the darknet. Wide lanes of glossy black opened up. Muddy swatches of red haze marked various sites, most of which he ignored out of habit, since he liked his porn live and in person. Password-protected chat rooms glowed in muted shades of blue. He searched for one with ribbons of yellow, red and green woven into the code, so faint the colors were easily missed. There. It pulsed with magic. Vadim opened it with a spell and entered to find he was once again late for the meeting.

Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?:

The very first thing that comes to me is a character’s goal - what do they want, and why do they want it? Next comes personality, because the character’s personality will largely determine how they go about reaching their goal. What they’re willing to do, what their limits are, that kind of thing. Then I start trying to form an image of them. Names are hard, and with the help of “find and replace” are frequently changed before I finally settle on something.

Any tips for aspiring authors?:

Before you can think about anything else, finish a book. It doesn’t have to be good. It can go in a drawer or a dark corner of your hard drive, never to be read by the public. First novels usually suck, and that’s fine. But you have to know you can finish what you start. Then you can work on the finer points of craft, and learning about publishing.

Questions for fun:

If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change?

I would prevent the cancellation of Firefly.

Sorry to give what might seem to be a flippant answer, but time travel is a trope that doesn’t work for me. But I do totally think Firefly was worth saving. J

What super-power would you choose?:

Would the power of never needing to sleep be considered a super-power? It should be, and that’s what I’d choose. Oh, I'd totally bid for that one too. >.<

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?:

To write the tenth season of Supernatural, because DemonDean! Beyond that, I have no idea.

Coffee, tea or wine?:

Coffee.

What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!):

Death Is A Lonely Business by Ray Bradbury. It’s a valentine to noir, and to Bradbury’s early days as a writer, trying to get by selling a few stories here and there to pulp magazines. I read it for the first time when I was thirteen years old. I’d already been writing and telling stories, was a voracious reader. But reading this book for the first time was the moment I recognized - this is what I am. I’m a writer.

Favourite genre and why?:

Paranormal, because you can do just about anything with it. Make it funny, make it serious, make it a romance, make it a road trip. There’s an endless amount of lore and mythology to explore. Every aspect of life can be explored through paranormal metaphors. The only limits to how creative a writer can be is their imagination.

Favourite colour?:

Blue.

Upcoming news and plans for the future?:

Firewall, the last book in the Magic Born trilogy, will be released in December. I’ve got a short story in an upcoming anthology called Guns and Romances. For fun I have my free online paranormal serial The Bradbury Institute. And right now I’m in the very early stages of planning my next book.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

Thank you for inviting me, Pippa!

Blurb:

Councilwoman Elizabeth Marsden is a powerful player in New Corinth politics, but a closely guarded secret could destroy her life—she’s a hidden Magic Born. Her family has gone to great lengths to erase all her magic-related records, until a trancehacking outlaw discovers the last remaining one…

Vadim Bazarov smuggles Magic Borns through the underground railroad and threatens to reveal Elizabeth’s secret unless she helps him access blank ID cards. Elizabeth wants to hate him for having a stranglehold on her life, but can’t help being attracted to someone so sure of who and what he is.

Vadim initially sees her as a political ice queen, but is intrigued by her suppressed magical abilities. He trains Elizabeth to use her magic, and before long finds himself falling for her. But their newfound love may be shortlived; an anti-magic ordinance forces one of them to make a choice that will change both their lives for good.

Title: Witchlight

Series: Magic Born book 2

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date: June 30, 2014

Word Count: 86,000

Genre: Futuristic Paranormal Romance

Available in digital formats from Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online book retailers.

About the author:

Sonya Clark grew up a military brat and now lives in Tennessee with her husband and daughter. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance with a heavy helping of magic and lot of music for inspiration. Learn more at http://www.sonyaclark.net and sign up for her new releases announcement list at http://eepurl.com/bT3NL.

It’s 2065. Those born with magic abilities live in government-run zones, without rights or freedoms. Fear of magic created this segregated world and fear keeps it intact.

A high-profile murder brings Detective Nathan Perez to Magic Born Zone 13. He’s had little experience with the Magic Born and isn’t sure what to expect during his first encounter with a witch, but he never thought he’d be so drawn to her.

Trancehacker Calla Vesper uses magic to break into computers and aid the Magic Born underground. She has no interest in helping a cop, even if he is smoking-hot, but money’s tight and Nate offers a tidy amount for help navigating the Zone. Calla’s determined to keep it all business, but sparks start flying before the investigation even gets started.

When Calla’s trancehacking and Nathan’s investigation uncover a conspiracy, Calla becomes a target. Nate can protect her by keeping her role a secret—but then who will protect Nate?

Title: TRANCEHACK

Author: Sonya Clark

Series: Magic Born, Book 1

Publisher: Carina Press

Publication date: October 28, 2013

Genre: Futuristic Paranormal Romance

Available in digital format from Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online book retailers.