Sassy Book Lovers: **INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY** A Fistful of Evil by Rebecca Chastain

Monday, June 1, 2015

INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY A Fistful of Evil by Rebecca Chastain

A Fistful of Evil

(Madison Fox, Illuminant Inforcer, #1)

By Rebecca Chastain

Release date - August, 2014

Published by - Mind Your Muse Books

Madison Fox just learned that her ability to see souls is more than a sight: It’s a weapon for fighting evil. The only problem is she doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing.

On the positive side, her money problems are over, she’s possibly discovered her purpose in life, and her coworker is smoking hot. On the negative side, evil creatures now actively hunt her, and deadly experiences are becoming the norm.

When she thinks it couldn’t get worse, a powerful evil sets up shop at a local hotel’s video game convention, and it’s got its eye on more than the gaming geeks: it is hungry for Madison’s soul. Madison needs to become an expert illuminant enforcer overnight to save her job, her region . . . and her life.

If Stephanie Plum fought evil with magic, it’d look a lot like this.

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Author Bio

Rebecca Chastain is the author of MAGIC OF THE GARGOYLES, a fantasy novella, and A FISTFUL OF
EVIL, an Amazon Top 100 Fantasy Bestseller in the United States, Australia, and Canada. She has found

seven four-leaf clovers to date, won a purebred Arabian horse in a drawing, and once tamed a blackbird for a day. Dreaming up the absurd and writing stories designed to amuse and entertain has been her passion since she was eleven years old. She lives in northern California with her wonderful husband and two bossy cats.

You can stalk Rebecca in these places...

Website

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My Interview with Author Rebecca Chastain

What or who inspired you to become a writer?

I was a voracious reader as a child, and when I realized I could step to the other side of stories
and write my own, it was a lightbulb moment for me. I was eleven at the time, and don’t think any one person or event inspired me so much as a yearning to read stories I wasn’t finding on the bookshelves. It’s what drives me still: I get an idea for a character or a scene, and then I HAVE to see what happens.

Who is your favourite Author & what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I have a dozen favorite authors in as many genres/subgenres, but to pick a few . . . I adore Robert Jordan for his awe-inspiring world-building prowess, plus his varied and interesting characters. I wish I wrote Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series; her prose is lyrical, her characters amazingly vivid, and the love epic. Kim Harrison and Ilona Andrews are must-reads for their exciting, fast-paced worlds that contain a breathtaking amount of plot propelling the characters (or characters propelling the plot) through their series.

What was the hardest part about writing your book?

The third act. The first time I wrote A Fistful of Evil, it didn’t have a third act! When a fellow writer pointed it out, I had to do some extensive rewrites, but I love the book so much more for it.

What was your favourite chapter to write and why?

Aside from the new ending, which I’m very proud of, I think my favorite scene is Madison and Niko cleaning up the bar together (which was added to support the new third act). Anytime Madison and Niko are on page together, I’m happy.

What was the most surprising things you’ve learned in writing your book?

I’m a plotter, so I create an extensive outline before I start writing. I w
as shocked when I got to the end of the first draft to realize there were major flaws and plot holes. After all my planning, I thought I’d have light edits. Nope! I now put my outlines through extensive checks before I start writing to help save myself a lot of time in edits.

Do you ever experience writer’s block?

I’m not sure I believe in writer’s block. For me, if I can’t get a scene to work, it’s usually because I’m trying to force a scene/dialog/character growth that’s not natural to the story. Once I step back and check in with my characters and their motivations and weaknesses, the problems sort themselves out. This can be annoying, because sometimes it means extensive rewrites (and re-outlining), but anything that makes the story more entertaining and believable is worth the effort.

What is the last book you read?

I’ve been on a Wheel of Time binge. I started reading the series back in the early ’90s when it first released, then it fell by the wayside for years. Now, I’ve been barreling through the novels. I’m on the last one in the series, A Memory of Light (Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson), and am trying to prepare myself for a massive series hangover.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?

If it could be any point in time, I’d love to trade places with my mom for a week of her childhood. I’d love the chance to see the world through her eyes and to see my grandparents young.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Read, garden, hike, play with my cats, and play video games, all preferably in the company of my husband.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

So much of A Fistful of Evil is taken right from my life! The location of Illumination Studios is the office I worked in at the time I wrote the first draft, Madison’s apartment was my apartment, Mr. Bond is a direct literary translation of my cat, and the whole world is set up in the town I live in. The people are all fictional, though (sadly, even Niko).

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A jockey, until I hit a growth spurt in seventh grade. A horse or dolphin companion also held appeal, but by the time I was eleven, I knew I wanted to be an author.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Jessica Chastain. We’ve already got the same last name and similar body types and coloring. If I was lucky, people would mistake us for sisters.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Write what fascinates you. It’s the only thing that will sustain you through the process.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

You truly don’t know how grateful authors are to hear kind words from you. Even if they’ve received 100 other positive reviews, it will make their day to hear from you, too. I’ve been known to glow all day after receiving a two-sentence email from a fan telling me they loved A Fistful of Evil.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

Creative, hopeful, dedicated

What’s one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?

I don’t like coffee, pies, or watermelon.

What Scares you the most and why?

Blind faith: people do the most terrifying things under that banner.

When was the last time you cried over a book?

One book ago. Animals should never die in books.

Some quick questions..

Light or Dark chocolate?

Dark

Sunrise or Sunset?