Q & A With Adrian Phoenix and Review of Black Dust Mambo!!!
Author: Adrian Phoenix
Publisher: Pocket
5 stars
Description:
FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!“There will be times, girl, when all your magic ain’t going to be enough, times when it will seem to dry up like mud under the noonday sun, or even make matters worse. . . .”
Kallie Rivière, a fiery Cajun hoodoo apprentice with a talent for trouble, finds herself smack-dab in the middle of one of those times her mentor warned her about when she visits New Orleans to attend the Hecatean Alliance’s annual carnival: her hard-bodied conjurer hookup ends up dead in her blood-drenched bed. And he was killed by something that Kallie would never dream of touching—the darkest of dark juju, soul-eating juju—a black dust hex that may have been meant to kill her.
Now Kallie has to use every bit of hoodoo knowledge and bayou-bred mojo she possesses to clear her own name and find the killer—even as that dark sorcerer hunts Kallie and her friends. But Kallie’s search for the truth soon leads her in a direction she never anticipated—back home to Bayou Cyprés Noir, and to Gabrielle LaRue, Kallie’s aunt, protector, and hoodoo mentor . . . who is looking more and more like she just might be the one who wants Kallie dead.
Q & A: Thank you soooo much Adrian for taking the time to answer some questions for us!!!
You are the best!
You are the best!
PF: Could you please tell us a little about BLACK DUST MAMBO in your own words?
AP: Hi Courtney! Thanks so much for inviting me to hang with y’all!
BLACK DUST MAMBO is the story of Kallie Rivière and her friends, who get caught up in darkest murder, mystery, and chilling revenge while attending the annual May Madness Carnival for magic-users in New Orleans. While struggling to keep herself and those closest to her alive as she races to figure out who is behind the murder and why, Kallie also finds herself tossing buckets of water on hunky conjurers in their boxers and facing-off with a good-looking nomad who is determined to keep her alive.
PF: Who was your favorite character to write?
AP: They were all a blast! I think Kallie and Layne would be tied for first, but Belladonna was constantly cracking me up. (As was Lord Augustine.) I enjoyed Dallas, Felicity, and McKenna too.
PF: What is one of your favorite quotes from the book?
AP: Let’s see . . . McKenna’s oft-repeated proclamation of, “Man-stupid.”
And this little bit between Kallie and Lord Augustine:
“Nothing, Basil. I’ll see you in a few,”
“Fine, and it’s Lord Basil.”
“Even in the bedroom?”
“Especially in the bedroom.”
Plus this exchange that Layne recalled between himself and Gage, a quiet conversation between friends over beer, as he prepares his clan brother’s body for burial.
Gage: “When my time comes, I wanna be cremated. Spread my ashes on the dawn, bro.”
Layne: “Poetic. But you’re talking like I’m gonna outlive you, man. Hello, Vessel here.”
Gage: : “Good point, bro. So how do you wanna be sent off?”
Layne: “Hmmm. How about firing me into the night sky from a catapult?”
Gage: “You wanna be wearing anything during that catapult flight?”
Layne: “Buck naked. Fireworks up my ass.”
Gage: “You got it, bro. I wanna be wearing my TOLDJA T-shirt and my greasiest jeans. Should make me burn like a fucking torch.”
Layne: “You got it, man. Wanna another beer?”
PF: I loved those!!! Especially Lord Augustine's quote... made me lough out loud!!!
~So...When are we going to get to learn more about Kallie?
AP: You’ll learn more about Kallie in the next book, BLACK HEART LOA, and the books that follow.
PF: Could you tell us a little about what you are working on now?
AP: Right now, I’m wrapping up Book 4 of The Maker’s Song, ETCHED IN BONE, then it’s onto Book 2 of the Hoodoo series, BLACK HEART LOA, which picks up right where BLACK DUST MAMBO leaves off.
Here’s a little teaser for ETCHED IN BONE:
I. Ain't. Running. And I sure as hell ain't hiding.
But that vow brings consequences that Dante Baptiste--True Blood vampire, Fallen Maker, rock musician--never imagined even as it brings him face to face with those hunting him and his lover, former FBI agent, Heather Wallace; the covert Shadow Branch, the vampire Cercle de Druide, and rogue assassins. And now that the Fallen have finally discovered their long-awaited Maker, they have no intention of letting him walk away.
As Dante Fights to claim his life as his own, while dealing with the awakened and shattered memories of his brutal past, an unexpected enemy arises from within Heather's family; an enemy who nearly destroys Dante by stealing the one person who keeps him balanced--Heather.
All worlds--mortal, nightkind, and Fallen--hang in the balance as Dante searches for Heather. And his success or failure will determine whether he becomes the Never-Ending Road or the Great Destroyer.
PF: You are such a tease!!! I can't wait!
~Who is an author that has inspired you?
AP: Stephen King and S.E. Hinton have both inspired me.
PF: Are there any new authors that have caught your attention?
AP: D.B. Reynolds is great. I love her Vampires in America series, and she has more great reads (and series!) coming out. Kelly Gay is another new author really worth checking out – she also has a YA set in a dystopian New Orleans that’ll be coming out soon. Her other books are adult UF.
These authors aren’t so new, but I love their work: Jeri Smith-Ready, Devon Monk, Jeaniene Frost, Jennifer Estep, and Jenna Black.
PF: What is one of your favorite books?
AP: One of my fav books is THE ALIENIST by Caleb Carr. It’s a murder mystery set in New York in the early 1900s, featuring a proto-serial killer and proto-profiler with intriguing and heartbreaking and very real characters. Loved it.
PF: What upcoming new release are you most looking forward to?
AP: It just came out! SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready, the first in her new YA paranormal series. Get it. Read it. Trust me, you’ll love it.
PF: Do you have anything specific that you would like to say to your current and future readers?
AP: Thank you! Without all of you, where would I be? (I mean, aside from writing stories in a damp basement room, fighting with mice over cracker crumbs. LOL.) Thank you all from the bottom of my heart! And keep reading! More cool stories and fascinating characters await – especially your favs.
Thanks for having me, Courtney!
You are welcome anytime Adrian! Thank you so much for coming by!!!
Review: Hoodoo Magic and Sexy Nomads...
So totally excited to have been given the opportunity to review BLACK DUST MAMBO, the first in Adrian Phoenix’s new Hoodoo series! I have been hooked on Adrian ’s work since the moment I picked up A RUSH OF WINGS, the first book in her Maker’s Song series, and have been waiting patiently… well maybe not patiently… but waiting all the same to be able to get my hands on this book.
Kallie Revere has a past that haunts her. After almost dying and losing both of her parents she is sent to live with her aunt, Gabrielle LaRue. Gabrielle is also Kallie’s Ti-tante, training her and her cousin, Jackson, in the art of Hoodoo as a root-worker and healer. Now Kallie and her friend Belladonna are off to attend the May Madness Carnival in New Orleans . This is a time for those who practice in Hoodoo and Voodoo to come together to learn, share and have a good time. The last thing Kallie expects it to find the sexy nomad, Gage, dead in her bed when she wakes up on the bathroom floor with a killer hangover.
Layne Valin is out for revenge due to the death of his clan brother Gage. Sticking close to Kallie as they search for the one responsible they make their way through a maze of obstacles. This becomes difficult with the presence of Lord Basil Augustine since he’s decided that he wants to use Layne’s body as a way to keep from crossing over. With both of them hellbent on finding the person responsible for death during the carnival it becomes an interesting dance that they share and one that was very interesting to see played out.
I have to say that I loved how different each character was and how much they stood out on their own yet worked together so well. I really found McKenna’s character, a member of the nomad clan, to be one of my favorites and I can’t wait to find out if we will be seeing more of Ms. Felicity Fields, Lord Augustine’s assistant. The writing is so rich and the detail is amazing without dragging on. Adrian has a way of hooking you on page one and never letting up. The plot was filled with twists and turns that kept the pages turning until the wee hours of the night. The moment the book came to an end I wanted to start reading it again and have gone back and reread several parts. Adrian ’s writing has such a depth that it’s like walking into the world that she has created and I didn’t want to leave. I am so ready to find out what happens next that I can’t imagine how I’m going to wait till next year… The only saving grace is that ETCHED IN BLOOD, the 4th in the Maker’s Song series, will be out in December!
~ Courtney ~
~ Courtney ~
Where to find Adrian:
And don't forget to check out her other series... a personal fav of mine...
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