Today I am so pleased to welcome Katey Hawthorne to Joyfully Jay. Katey has come to talk to us about her latest release, Witchy Boys: Sexy Stories for Dark Nights (which I reviewed here). She has also brought along a great tour wide giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Art and Character Inspiration
Happy Halloween Month, everyone, and thanks so much for having me back, Jay! I’m stopping in to talk about my latest, a Halloween themed collection of two stories called WITCHY BOYS: SEXY STORIES FOR DARK NIGHTS. Which pretty much says it all.
Okay, not all. These two stories contain characters I’ve been carrying around with me, waiting for the right story, for a long time. One is Thackeray, the demon hunter. A few years ago, I wrote in one of my notebooks:
THACKERAY: When I was three years old, my mother tried to kill me.
And I knew it was a demon-hunter origin story. Then one day, when I’d almost forgotten this seed of an idea, I saw a picture of Anthony Ruffin Jr, and I thought, “Slap on a tattoo and a long black coat and… that looks like Thackeray.” It was time to start thinking about a Halloween, story, and bam. I knew his time had come.
This is why I occasionally go back and look at my notebooks and files with story ideas in them. Stuff that’s been languishing forever will crash into another inspiration, and the character jumps to the forefront of my mind, so to speak. (Note: I do realize I am in complete control of my characters. I talk like that as a kind of descriptive shorthand, not because I like to really blame them for these things. Even though sometimes it feels like I should.)
Where do you find your inspirations–either for your characters or for the ones you read about? Have you ever “fancast” a book you love? Let me know in the comments and enter the giveaway!
Both Thackeray and his witch-friend, Matt, stuck in my mind so vividly… well, I had to get some art done, and I’m sharing it here for the first time. Here they are, by the wonderful Panda Cappuccino.
Blurb
Just in time for Halloween! Two novelettes about men with magic—and the occasional demon.
Blood Magic and the Mini Zombie Apocalypse
Griff has a bad habit of getting talked into black magic he shouldn’t be using—but this time it’s even worse. His ex is bent on revenge in the form of a mini zombie apocalypse, and the only person who can help Griff is a hottie white magic practitioner named Blythe. The catch: one of Griff’s spells gone wrong left Blythe with a haunted apartment a year ago, and Blythe isn’t over it.
Still, Blythe agrees to work with Griff. As they unravel the ugly blood, sex, and death magic, they also discover surprising things about each other. Hopefully, it’s enough for the ultimate trust they’ll need to defeat a lot of zombies and a crazed witch, or their town will end up covered in corpses.
Præsidium
Six years ago, Thackeray agreed to let a demon haunt him in exchange for help hunting other demons. It’s a lonely life, but worth it to be the best demon hunter possible — to save families from the kind of evil that ruined his own childhood.
This Hallowe’en, Thackeray’s dealing with an upstart coven. A powerful, pretty witch named Matt defects to help Thackeray stop their scheme to invite god-knows-what from the other side.
Demons are much easier to fight than the urges Matt’s flirting inspires. But Thackeray can’t hook up with a demon watching over his shoulder… can he?
Bio
Katey Hawthorne is an avid reader and writer of superpowered and paranormal romance, even though the only degree she holds is in the history of art. (Or, possibly, because the only degree she holds is in the history of art.) Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Columbus, Ohio with her family, two cats, and one very large puppy. In her spare time she enjoys travel, comic books, B-movies, loud music, video games, Epiphones, and Bushmills. Her favorite causes include animal rescue and bisexual representation in media. She is an unashamed fangirl and collects nerdy tattoos like she’s trying to prove it.
Giveaway
Katey has brought $20 Amazon gift card to give away to one lucky reader on her tour. Just follow the Rafflecopter below to enter.
Rafflecopter giveaway
- By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- By entering you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions set out by Rafflecopter for entries.
- Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
- Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Void where prohibited by law.
Congratulations on the release of Witchy Boys, Ms. Hawthorne! I can’t say that I’ve ever ‘fancast’ a story; however, I’ve read some stories that I’d love to see on stage or the big screen.
Congratulations on the release, Katey. I love a good Halloween story. I do not write nor fancast stories…. I create my own ideas of the characters in my head, but they do not need to resemble anyone I know. I’m not much of a tv watcher, so I do not have all those many references to relate to!
Really enjoy inspiration posts like this one, especially the artwork! I’ve never fancasted the stories I read. Usually I get pictures in my head based on descriptions in the book and then build the characters in my mind. It’s a little harder if an author leaves some things to interpretation, but that can be pretty fun too. Thanks for the post and chance!