PSC: Interview & Giveaway with Kendare Blake

Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood has gotten many great reviews on blogs that I follow, so it only made sense for me to read it and see what all the hype was about. Kendare has accepted our invitation to celebrate the release of the second book of her series, Girl of Nightmares. Ghosts make amazing scary camp stories so it’s only fitting that her book be featured during Paranormal Summer Camp!

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First off, I want to say that I absolutely adored ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD, the first book of your Anna series. I can't wait to read the sequel GIRL OF NIGHTMARES.  How many books can we expect for the series?

I'm so glad you liked it. And that you asked this question...There's been a bit of confusion as to whether ANNA is a duology or a trilogy. Actually, I wasn't sure of it myself. Sometimes I'm still not. I mean, maybe there'll be more stories to tell in the world, later on. But ANNA was sold as a duology, and GIRL OF NIGHTMARES is the end. So I hope it doesn't disappoint!!

As a Canadian, I love seeing Canadian cities mentioned in books. Why did you choose Thunder Bay, Ontario, as the setting of Anna Dressed in Blood?

Canadian readers have been incredible, and forgiving, for anything I get wrong. For instance, Cas refers to students as juniors, but I guess you don't do that. I can write it off like Cas says it because he's American, but really, I didn't know. And Canadian readers have been funny too...one appreciated that I noticed your paleness.

I chose Thunder Bay because it was close enough for me to visit for a long weekend. So I could scout the territory. It also seemed perfect from the start. So  many ghost stories, and so many cemeteries. I also just learned that it has the highest per capita murder rate in the country. Fascinating.

The imagery of Anna Dressed in Blood is so vivid. Is Anna based on a true myth/story?

I love imagery. I'm always appreciative of writers who can really make you see the gore. Entrails can be pretty, in the right hands. Not mine. Mine are still gross. But no, ANNA isn't based on truth. Lots of the other side-ghosts are, however.  My best friend studied serial killers during her Master's education. They provided lots of fodder for terrible things.

College was mentioned in the first book but Cas seemed pretty adamant about not going and sticking to killing ghosts. Will Cas ever go to college? Can you tell us what's in Cas's future?

I can't say much about Cas's future before the release of the last book. I mean, what if he dies? Just kidding. How would that work? He's the narrator. It'd have to go: I see the gun and it looks like he's gonna

And that would be it. My editor didn't go for it. Cas does go to college. No word yet if he graduates. Cas's future is, for the most part, wide open. Maybe one day he'll tell me another story.

YA books tend to have female point of views. Did you have any problems or any anxieties about writing from a male's point of view?

Nope. No problems, no anxieties. It's harder for me to write girly things, like love, and emotion. I still firmly believe in cooties. Which is tough, because there's such a love story in my next series, ANTIGODDESS.

What is your best memory of the summer breaks, as a kid?

Long days riding bikes and chasing the ice cream truck. Or did I just make that up? Huh. Seems like a good memory. I suppose I really loved hanging with my horses though. I was a horse girl.

According to you, what makes the best scary camp stories? Vampires, werewolves, ghosts or “insert monster here”?

You know, I was tempted to say ghosts, but I think for camp stories, psycho killers really work best. Guys with hook hands. Escaped mental patients. Anything that could conceivably get to you, in your cabin. Not that a werewolf camp counselor wouldn't be fun.

Thank you Kendare, for answering all my questions about this amazing series!

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More about Girl of Nightmares, which was released August 7th, 2012:

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live--not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

My review of Anna Dressed in Blood

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

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Kendare is offering one (1) copy of Girl of Nightmares to one lucky winner!

To enter the giveaway, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

Open to US only 

Ends Wednesday, August 5th, 2012
(like all of our Paranormal Summer Camp giveaways)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Kendare Blake grew up in a small town in Minnesota, so she knows about things like mosquitoes and lutefisk. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Middlesex University in London (woo! London!) and lives and writes in Lynnwood, Washington with her husband and catsons: Tybalt and Mojo Jojo.

Website | Twitter

 

 

Posted by Unknown at 06:30

 Interview, Paranormal Summer Camp  57 People left their mark