The Demon Kiss Blog Tour: Interview w/Author Lacey Weatherford

Today we have the lovely Lacey Weatherford back for her second novel in the Of Witches and Warlocks series, The Demon Kiss.

Hi Lacey, welcome back! For those who aren’t familiar with your series, Of Witches and Warlocks, could you please describe it to them?
Thanks so much for having me back!

Of Witches and Warlocks is a young adult paranormal romance that is centered around a sixteen year old witch, Portia, and her hunky eighteen year old warlock boyfriend, Vance Mangum. The coven they both belong to has been trying to protect Vance from his father who’s been hunting him. The main thread through the books is the two kids trying to find a way to stay together while being thrust into this magical world that is constantly upsetting their plans. The underlying theme is a story of unconditional live and sticking with someone when things are at their worst.

The first novel, The Trouble With Spells, left a pretty good cliffhanger where the young witch, Portia, is about to embark on an adventure to find her warlock boyfriend, Vance. Can you tell us a little bit about what we can expect in the next novel, The Demon Kiss?

Vance and Portia are actually reunited very quickly. I’m not a big fan of long drawn out separations in stories. This tale will bring the couple in contact with Damien, Vance’s father, as they travel over international borders to search him out. Vance is determined to confront his dad and have things over and done with so he can move on with his life. Unfortunately they discover that things are worse than they thought and they might not be as prepared for meeting him as they should have been.

Why are Vance and Portia perfect for each other? What do you think readers will love best about their relationship?

Vance and Portia have their ups and downs like any other couple’s relationship, but they’re both determined to make it no matter what. I think what works so well in their relationship is that they’re truly selfless about the needs of the other person, always wanting what they feel is best for the other. Though they might not always agree on what the best is, I think readers will enjoy the chemistry between the two. While there is a massive physical pull between the two of them, there is something both mentally and spiritually that bonds them as well. They just work well off of one another, balancing that give and take in the relationship between them.

In once sentence, how would you describe Vance?

Vance is a gorgeous, emotionally sensitive, powerful warlock, who borders on the right side of danger.

What are three of Portia’s best qualities?

Portia has a big heart and is very loving of those close to her. She is also very loyal to those people and trusting of them too.

How will Portia and Vance’s relationship be taken to the next level in The Demon Kiss?

Vance is actually quite desperate to claim Portia as his own in some permanent fashion. He’s been without real family for so long and Portia has filled that void for him in such a way that he clings to her, almost with a sense of desperation. He fears losing her like he has everyone else he’s loved. Because of this, he looks for a way to make their bond even more permanent by approaching the subject of marriage with both her and her parents. Portia is a little shocked by this, but at the same time understands where he is coming from. Vance is almost nineteen and he’s in a different mindset than she is, so she tries to judge things from his perspective. Her parents aren’t thrilled about it, of course, but they also realize that the two are bonded magically, not to mention the connection they had prior to the bonding. Her parents understand that because of those connections the two would never be able to be married to other people. So they eventually consent to let them be engaged, hoping, I think, that it will appease the kids and slow things down. Of course, even though the two of them were already thinking of the future of their relationship, this development allows it to feel a little more realistic between them, pulling them even closer together.

In Of Witches and Warlocks you’ve created a unique world of demons, witches and warlocks, what inspired it?

LOL! Would it be weird if I said I didn’t know? The witches and warlocks were the easy thing, but I wanted them to have some sort of antagonist to work against. What would make a witch evil? What would be the divisions between those classes? I initially just started writing down a plan of what I wanted. It needed to be something so evil it bordered on being demonic, but could be enticing and perhaps even sexy kind of like a vampire. I didn’t want it to be a demon from hell though, and vampires, while I love them, were way overdone. I finally settled on an action of a blood exchange that would create a mutated version of a witch, a being that could be more powerful as well as crazy and/or cunning depending on the reaction to bloodlust. It really was just a matter of writing things out and letting it begin to evolve into its own shape

What part of the writing process do you love and which do you not?

I love seeing the story coming together, or having moments where something just feels so right that it gives me goose bumps. That is such a surreal feeling; especially when I pass it off to a beta reader and they have the same giddy moments right a long with me. I pretty much love all aspects of writing, but I wish that editing wasn’t quite so time consuming sometimes. It takes me away from other writing projects I would love to be working on. I also wish I could write faster sometimes and get the story down quicker. I’m not very patient that way.

Which novel was more difficult to write, The Trouble With Spells or The Demon Kiss? And why?

The Trouble with Spells took longer just because it was my first time to really sit down and tackle a book all at once. I’d written one previously over the span of fourteen years, but this was a more concentrated effort. My husband sent me to a hotel for a week so I could have peace and quiet to get things started. I wrote the first fifty pages there and finished the rest of the book over the next five weeks. I wrote The Demon Kiss in seven days during a major slam fest my muse had going on in my head. The hardest thing about writing it was keeping up with what was being fed into my brain. I pulled twenty-hour days with that one.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Well, lately it’s rare for me to not be writing something. I’m either working on editing, writing, blogging, interviews, guest posts, or working on author support stuff for the new publishing company I’m part of. So unless I stop for a relaxing soak in the tub or to read a bit, sometimes doing those at the same time, I really haven’t had much of a chance to do other stuff. On average I’ve been pulling fifteen to nineteen hour days. But if it’s football season you will find me dropping everything to go watch my son play. That’s a number one priority for me! If I have time for a little television I usually only watch two shows a week, The Vampire Diaries and 90210. There you have it…my life in a nutshell! LOL

Are there any other genres or authors that are ‘must reads’ for you?

I’ve never really been one to search out specific authors. I tend to pick my reads more from whether or not a story sounds good to me. Even if I love something an author wrote previously if the next book doesn’t sound like my cup of tea I probably won’t be reading it. I have always been a big fan of historical romances, and I think probably ninety-five percent of the books I’ve read in that category I really liked. I also enjoy paranormal, obviously, and every now and again I like to read a good biography of people who interest me. I also love both young adult and adult genres and even some children /middle grade stuff too. If it’s a good story…it’s a good story, in my opinion. It doesn’t matter what genre it’s in.

What’s next for Portia and Vance?

Vance and Portia will continue to progress into a more involved relationship. While that is both thrilling and enjoyable for them, they will face some pretty big hurdles together which will threaten whether or not the relationship will be able to continue standing in its current condition. Their true test of their love and of their lives is still to come!

Thank you so much for joining us today and good luck with the rest of the tour!
Next stop on the tour: Romancing The Darkside

The Demon Kiss                                               Can someone else's past come back to bite you? After being drained of nearly all the blood in her body, novice witch, Portia Mullins, wakes up to find that her warlock boyfriend, Vance Mangum, has fled in search of his demon father. Determined to keep him from facing the evil alone Portia follows after him, unknowingly setting herself on the path of a new adventure that will take her, Vance, and their coven over international borders, into a foreign place where they will discover that the black magic which awaits them is far worse than they ever imagined. Portia finds herself tangled up in a web of lies and deceit in another's quest for demonic power in the excitingly romantic second paranormal novel in the Of Witches and Warlocks Series, The Demon Kiss.                                                            Purchase: The Of Witches and Warlocks series can be ordered in ebook or paperback anywhere books are sold, including Amazon and Smashwords

The Demon Kiss Tour Grand Prize:

The Grand Prize winner will receive swag, signed copies of books 1, 2, 3, & 4, AND will be written into an interactive scene with VANCE in book four too!

Want extra entries? You can get 1 more entry for every time you comment on the tour, and 5 more entries for every time you send a Tweet or Facebook the link to that day’s blog post. Make sure you keep track of those, as you will be asked to submit verification links when you enter the giveaway.

Good Luck! May the “Vance” be with YOU!

Lacey Weatherford has always had a love of books. She wanted to become a writer after reading her first Nancy Drew novel at the age of eight.

When she is not reading, writing, blogging, or doing book tours for her current series, she can often be found out at sporting/musical events that her kids are in or texting like crazy with her best friend.

Lacey resides in the White Mountains of Arizona, where she lives with her husband, six children, one son-in-law, and the family dog Sophie.