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Author Interview: Rachel Graves

What is something you’ve lied about?

I plotted my Dragons of New York book in my head for at least a year, and going through scenes became a habit that comforted me when I got bored. Some of those scenes left a smile on my face that was too big for people to ignore. I remember being called out in a meeting at my day job and specifically asked why I was grinning. Since there was no good way to explain that I’d finally figured out when the dragon and the sorcerer would give in to each other, I lied and said something about work. If my boss is reading this, sorry, but the characters talking in my head were way more fun than your slides.

Who is the last person you hugged?

A random stranger in a small store downtown. I have a great t-shirt that offers “Free Auntie Hugs” with the word Auntie spelled out in the striped colors of the Pride flag, Bisexual Pride flag, Transgender Pride flag, Pansexual Pride flag, Asexual Flag, and the Lesbian Pride flag. Growing up in Key West, being part of a gender diverse community was a huge influence on me. I want to be as supportive and welcoming as I can be. As a bonus when I wear my shirt, I sometimes get to hug people and offer them an encouraging word.

What are you reading now?

I’m re-reading the Ellie Jordan Ghost Trapper series by JL Bryan. I love ghost stories, and fall is the perfect time for them. Next up on my TBR pile is a re-read of the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. The last book, Soul Taken, was so good I’ve got to read them all back-to-back again. After that I promised myself I’d finally finish True Dead, the second to last in the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. I’ve been dragging my feet on that one because I’m not ready for the series to end.

How do you come up with the titles to your books?

Titles are the worst! They’re the last thing I do for a book, and it’s always a struggle. In the past I’ve picked words like Dead or Blood to have in each title. That seems simple enough, until you get to the fourth or fifth book. For this series, I decided on single word action verbs. Verbs pop up everywhere, and I’m lucky that I can think about what the characters are doing in the book. In this first book Ravenna is looking for a way to cure her best friend’s mom and Ian is hoping to track down a killer. Searching seemed like the perfect fit.

Share your dream cast for your book.

Ian Chen was originally based on the ice skater Nathan Chen, but while ice skating is still a big part of Ian’s childhood, his looks evolved. In my head he’s closer to Henry Golding, the actor from Crazy Rich Asians. Henry is half-British, like Ian, but he’s a bit younger than Ian’s mid-forties. For Ravenna, I’d want to say the cover model I used for the book, Angelina Cavanaugh, but since she only models, I’d go with Drew Barrymore. Drew is the right age and only needs darker hair to fit the look. In the next book, Ravenna shares that her measurements are 30-40-30, which isn’t easy to find in Hollywood!

Searching (Dragons of New York, Book 1)

by Rachel Graves

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GENRE: Urban Fantasy

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BLURB:

A dragon terrified of being discovered by the government, Ravenna Drake is constantly on the move. When the woman who raised her gets cancer, Ravenna trades her nomadic work restoring black market magical goods for a steady job. But her cautious life ends after her name is found at the scene of a werewolf murder.

Dr. Ian Chen, a sorcerer bonded to a powerful relic, works for the government treating supernatural citizens. He insists on investigating when his patient’s body is discovered completely drained of blood. His search leads him to the beautiful but frustrating Ravenna Drake, who refuses to stay away from the case or follow his instructions.

As more bloodless bodies surface, threats from secret societies and corrupt politicians force the dragon and the sorcerer to work together. If Ravenna and Ian can’t catch the killer, the people they love the most may be the next to die.

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Excerpt:

His foot reached out to blur the circle and the ghost changed. Agony forced every other emotion aside. He couldn’t breathe, a heavy weight settled on his chest. Panic set in as he wheezed, his heart racing the way hers had raced. Was he experiencing her last minutes or just panicking at the emotions? Could he trust himself? Darkness started to crowd the edges of his vision. Not enough air. Sweat broke out along his back. Somewhere, Cloak was saying something, but he couldn’t hear it over the pounding of blood in his ears. He was going to die here. The blackness got closer.

“No.” The flood of emotions stopped immediately, as Drake stepped in front of him. “That’s not how this works. You don’t get to scream at him.”

His head throbbed, stinging like acid dripping down his face, but he could breathe again. The darkness receded. The first thing he saw was Drake moving into the center of the stain, acting as if the blood wasn’t there.

“I’ll give you enough energy to manifest, but start screaming again and I will end you, even if we haven’t heard a damn thing you’ve got to say. Understand?” She paused, then reached her hand out. A shaft of sunlight came in through the window and her hand seemed to glow. Then the end of it disappeared, replaced with a chest. The shape grew outward, a filmy light turning into a woman. The process took less than a minute, and he heard the sheriff whisper to God.

“Dr. Chen, she can talk to you now.” Drake said it with a very deliberate emphasis on the word talk. Whatever the ghost intended, it wasn’t going to stand up to her. A deep surge of gratitude coursed through him.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Rachel Graves writes mysteries that blend the supernatural with steamy, sexy scenes. Her work explores the many shades of gray found between the lines of right and wrong. Rachel’s books focus on strong heroines who take charge of their own fate, their friends, and their families. Rachel is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and uses research skills honed getting a graduate degree in psychology to seek out rare folklore and magical creatures. Her writing incorporates popular monsters like vampires and werewolves as well as diverse creatures like selkies and yuki onna. Rachel has lived in a cursed town, taken far too many ghost tours, and counts down to every Halloween starting in November. You can read short stories and learn more about her on her website: http://www.rachelgraves.com/.

Amazon.com author page is: https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Graves/e/B011H977D0

Good reads: https://www.goodreads.com/RachelGraves

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AuthorRachelGraves/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.graves.370

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_rachel_graves/

Personal Blog: http://rachelgraves.com/

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Dragons-New-York-Book-ebook/dp/B0BGFGNF7V/ref=sr_1_1

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