during her tour for Darwin's Children.
Natasha will be giving away an e-copy of Darwin's children
today to one person that leaves a comment and email address.
Thanks for being here today, Natasha.
1. Who is Natasha Larry? Natasha Larry is a mother, comic book fanatic and general geek of all trades. =)
2. I understand Darwin’s Children is your first novel-length release, how are you feeling now that it’s finally through the editing/publishing process and available to everyone? I feel a lot of things now that my baby is out there. Surprised that its being, for the most part, very well received… and nervous about the sequel coming out. However, overall I feel very blessed. I’ve met some amazing people-readers and writers alike-that inspire me on a daily basis.
3. Did your characters give you any problems while you were writing? No, the characters pretty much wrote themselves. It was a pretty cool experience. Funny enough, I had a much harder time with the minor characters, even Haylee’s father… who doesn’t even have a name in the novel.
4. While working on a story, do you type directly onto the computer or are there notebooks and plot ideas jotted down in various places? For some reason I can’t write while looking at a computer screen. I write the entire novel out in a notebook and then type it up. It gets pretty frustrating. =) I also write the first draft in Sharpie markers… no idea why.
5. Where did your inspiration for Darwin’s Children come from? I’ve always wanted to tackle this subject because I am a huge fan of comic books. I started writing the first novel in this series after I had a daydream that later became the prologue.
6. Do you have any other releases coming out soon? Works in Progress? Yes, the second title in the Darwin’s Children series, Unnatural Law is currently in the editing state, and is set to be released sometime in September.
7. What do you do when you’re not writing/editing or thinking about writing/editing? I spend most of my time being a mother. I also do a little teaching, freelance writing, and of course- reading.
8. I read in your bio that you’re an Urban Fantasy junkie — do you have any favourite authors in that genre? Laurell K. Hamilton. My fiancé also recently turned me onto L.A. Banks.
I loved the blurb for Darwin’s Children (my daughter has added it to her TBR pile), tell us about your favourite scene in the book.
=) Well, I’m glad to hear that. I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you that there are references to abuse and sexual situation in this book. While it isn’t at all graphic, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under the age of fourteen. Having said that, one of my favourite scenes is the first training session featuring Jaycie Lerner and her mother figure, Allison Young. Here is a little excerpt:
Jaycie floated very still and stopped trying. She let her mind reach out for Allison’s brain waves on its own. Fifteen feet away from you, on the left, in twenty-three seconds, her mind whispered. At that exact moment, a psychic bolt of energy shot out from her fingertips, knocking Allison off her feet with a thunderous slam.
With her eyes still closed, Jaycie smiled. This was the first time she’d been able to stop Allison like this, and a surge of adrenaline rushed through her. She slowly opened her eyes to see Allison still lying on the floor with her blond hair fanned out around her, looking more like an angel than an ultimate doomsday weapon.
Allison smiled with satisfaction, giving Jaycie a look full of pride. “That’s my girl,” she said in a tone like liquid sunshine. Jaycie grinned as she lifted Allison lightly to her feet with another mental command.
“Okay kiddo, let’s go outside. One more exercise, and then we can head home.”
Jaycie breathed a sigh of relief and headed to the door, ahead of Allison. She was only dimly aware that Allison was digging around inside one of her bags. Jaycie was halfway to the door when a low click stopped her in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder at Allison, who was down on one knee, lacing up her shoes. Jaycie shook her head and started heading toward the door again.
She heard another low-volume click from behind her and immediately stopped in the large doorway. Inhaling a deep breath, she felt her entire body tense, and a familiar fire danced all over her skin. She blinked twice. Something is wrong. Jaycie blinked three more times, trying to get the warm tingling out of her eyes. She could almost feel them turn from midnight black to blistering gold just as she heard a low pop.
Without thinking, Jaycie spun around, and a psychic defense shield shot out instinctively from her body. The telekinetic wall shot up as fast as Allison could run. Jaycie breathed with panicked speed, once she realized what had just happened. Her eyes crossed in an attempt to focus on the tiny object that hung in the air, only inches away from the tip of her nose.
It was a .44 magnum bullet. She had stopped it right before it would have hit her between her eyes. She gasped for air and struggled to inflate her lungs with oxygen, sinking to her knees just as the bullet from Allison’s Desert Eagle Mark VII clinked to the floor.
Darwin's Children
(Book 1 in Series)
(Book 1 in Series)
by Natasha Larry
Fantasy / Young-Adult
Fantasy / Young-Adult
A black teen in a small Tennessee town finds more than the usual challenges growing up as she tries to master her telekinesis and help a kindred spirit.
Book Blurb:
Life can get pretty complicated for any seventeen-year-old girl, but for a home-schooled telepathic black girl trying to survive in a prestigious private school in small-town Jonesborough, Tennessee, it can be maddening – especially when her telepathic father keeps eavesdropping on her thoughts!
Jaycie Lerner’s family isn’t the usual mom-dad-kid setup. Jaycie’s mom’s MIA, but Allison, her personal live-in ‘trainer,’ is more than a mom, with her own special abilities, like being able to lift cars and run incredibly fast. And Jaycie’s godfather John is more than persuasive – he can literally convince anyone to do anything.
As far as the rest of the world’s concerned, Jaycie’s on the outside looking in. The townsfolk love Jaycie’s pediatrician father, but she doesn’t fit in with ‘normal’ kids, and she doesn’t really want to. Most of her free time is spent training to keep her telekinetic and telepathic powers under control. But there’s one thing she can’t control – and that’s her feelings, especially when her best friend Matt is nearby. If only he knew what she was truly capable of...
Everything seems to be status quo for Jaycie until she receives a cryptic message from a stranger and meets a very unusual girl new to Jonesborough. Then all hell breaks loose!
Author Bio:
Natasha Larry resides in Huntsville, Alabama, with her daughter and fiancé. She graduated from Tusculum College with a B.A. in History and is currently working on getting her certificate in education. She is a self-proclaimed comic-book nerd and urban-fantasy junkie. Her poetry and short fiction has appeared in publications such as Writing Edge magazine and Escaping Elsewhere.
Darwin’s Children is her first work of novel-length fiction.
To find out more about Natasha Larry and her books, please visit...
Twitter: @natashalarry
the cover is beautiful and the book sounds wonderful. i can't wait to get started on it.
ReplyDeletetrvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
Thank you so much for having me! I listened to you interview and loved it. And thank you Tammy for entering!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Natasha. Desmond did all the work for the interview, I just talked. lol
ReplyDeleteWe had over 80 people stop in and check out your interview - guess they were too shy to comment.
Good luck with everything!