A Christmas With… Diana Pharaoh Francis

At the end of the month, Diana will be celebrating the release of Shadow City, the third book in the Horngate Witches series, and to do so she stopped on the blog for an interview! Keep on reading to discover more about other projects she’s also working on!

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1- Max has come a long way since book 1, Bitter Night, was it all planned from the very beginning?

Not really. For me, she's grown as I've written about her and learned about her.  And of course, the world has changed around her in huge ways. She's had to react to a lot of things and reevaluate who she is and who she wants to be. I'd like to say I knew where I was going when I wrote, but so many times I discover as I go. It can be nerve racking though.

2- When writing, do you write the book in order and scenes here and there and than fill it in?

Never! The very idea gives me the screaming willies. I know writers who can do this, but I have to write from the beginning forward. A lot of that has to do with discovering the story as I write. I can't write ahead because so often I don't entirely know where I"m going.

3- Is Shadow City the last book in the series? If not, how many are planned?

I'm working on the fourth right now: Blood Winter. I'd tell you more about it, but it would have to have huge spoilers from Shadow City. I want to write at least a couple more, and I'd love to write about Valery and Holt too, but a lot depends on whether my publisher is interested, which depends entirely on sales. The good news is that Max has been nominated by Romantic Times for the best urban fantasy hero, and Shadow City has been named a Romantic Times Top Pick and earned their highest review. I *can* tell you that it's huge fun and I think everyone is going to love it.

4- Do you have any other projects in the works?

I do! I've got so many ideas and so little time. One is a young adult story I'm playing with. One is a very dark epic fantasy that I can't wait to shop around. And another is a kind of noir urban fantasy that is making the rounds now. I just turned a story about a succubus for a new anthology that should be out pretty soon. I'm really excited about it.

Now onto some Xmas-y Questions:

5- What's your favorite Christmas song?

Carol of the Bells. There's something about it that just makes me happy. Joyful.

6- What is Christmas like in Shadow City?

It's eclectic. All the worlds and centuries meet in the same place at the same time and everyone celebrates uniquely. But it's less likely to be Christmas than Winter Solstice. Not a ton of Christians in Shadow Cities.

7- What could we offer Max for Christmas?

A night without fighting where everyone gathers and celebrates. She's not a gift girl, but I think that's more because she's not been ready to celebrate. But now--I think she'd love some fun tee-shirts with fun sayings. or some great music.

8- If you could wish for anything for Christmas, what would it be?

Right now--to sell my house. But other than that, to be healthy. I remember thinking I was fat and decrepit when I was younger. I would love to have my old body back. if only I knew then what I knew now, right?

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If it got you curious, here’s a bit more about Shadow City

The world is falling apart. The magical apocalypse has come. Now is the time to guard the covenstead against both raiders and refugees. But Max has been stolen by a powerful demi-god who is determined to force her to find a way to use a magical power she never knew she had—even if it kills her. Meanwhile, back in Horngate, a Fury is birthing. When the creature breaks free of the fragile bonds that enclose her, her rage will scour the covenstead from the earth.

Max finds herself in the Shadow City, a place of mysteries and magic, where she must battle for her freedom or become a slave to creatures of dreadful greed and power. Back in Horngate, Alexander must swallow his anger and pride if he hopes to defeat the Fury, a creature that no one has ever successfully fought before.

In the end, it will be courage, friendship, faith and loyalty that win the day. Or else so one will live to see tomorrow.

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Diana would like to offer a copy of Bitter Night and a cover flat of Shadow City, like it wasn’t enough, Simon & Schuster is offering 10 copies (!!) of Shadow City!

Open to US only

Giveaway Ends January 4th, 2012.

All you have to do is fill the Rafflecopter form below.

The only mandatory entry is to provide your name and email addy =)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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“I was raised on a cattle ranch in Northern California (outside a town called Lincoln which is now part of an enormous sprawl). I taught myself to ride a horse at the age of six, as no one had the time to teach me—they were all busy learning how to irrigate, how to cajole an angry bull into another field, how to pull a calf… Afraid of heights, and absolutely sure I was going to die, I managed to scramble up on the back of a very patient and lazy strawberry roan destrier, and plod off into the sunset.

Thereafter, I spent much of my early life on horseback, or so far buried into a book that the rest of the world ceased to exist (much to the annoyance of my family—it took several attempts to get my attention). We all had very specific jobs on the ranch and mine was horses and cattle—out rounding up at dawn. And since I rode bareback, my standing request was to wake me up 5 minutes before everyone else headed for the barn—time enough to dress and eat my Wheaties, and no sleep time wasted on saddling.

After high school, I attended college after college, racking up a BA and MA in creative writing and a Ph.D. in literature and theory. My very patient and supportive husband traipsed across the Midwest and back to Montana for me (though my husband insists that he’s been running and hiding and I just keep finding him), where I now teach at the University of Montana-Western. We also a son Q-ball, who in our humbly unbiased opinions, is the most wonderful son ever produced, and a daughter, Princess Caesar, who is the most wonderful daughter ever produced.

I have a fascination for the Victorians, weather, geology, horses, plants and mythology, I like spicy food, chocolate and cheesecake, and I have an odd sense of humor. (Or so I’ve been told. Often.) Incidentally, the Pharaoh is in fact my real name, and oddly enough, is of British origin.”

You can visit Diana here.

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Posted by Tynga at 06:35

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Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

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