Interview with Author Rachel Firasek

Today I'm interviewing Author Rachel Firasek
while on tour for her series Curse of the Phoenix.

1. Who is Rachel Firasek?

I think I’m still trying to figure this out. I’ve had to answer this question on most interviews and each time it changes. Today, I’m a referee, a chaperone and a barmaid. It’s Sunday. My daughter has a boy visiting, my son likes to wrestle with said bf, and my husband is watching football. I turned in my last project so I find myself without stress today. Lol.

                But, for a more formal bio, I’m a 30+ native Texan, scratching my place in the world on a     small spread of land. I have three kids, a wonderful husband, and a great network of friends.  Oh, and I write stories.

2. Where did you get your inspiration from for the Curse of the Phoenix series?

I play with tarot and oracle cards for inspiration. When I decided to start a new series, the first card I came to was the phoenix. Naturally, that led to research and I found Osiris. There is an amazing story behind that god in the Egytian mythology.

3. Do you ever have problems with writers block?  If so how do you get through it?

Not normally, but if I do, I try to keep writing. Even if it looks like this.

Boy meets girl, blah…blah…blah…. Girl is a witch, blah…. Blah…..

Seriously, I’ve had stories with long stretches of work like this. Usually, somewhere in one of the blahs, I’ll find a spark to go on.

4. The Last Rising is the first in the series, what’s lined up next?  When will we see it released?

The Last Awakening is next and is due out in November. It’s Ari’s and Grey’s story. I can’t wait to share it with you.

5. While working on a story, do you directly onto the computer or are there notebooks and plot ideas jotted down in various places?

Yeah, I’m so not a plotter. I will keep a scratch pad nearby. If I need to research something, I’ll jot it down and keep going. But, mostly I just have my laptop with me.

6. What do you do when you’re not writing/editing or thinking about writing/ editing?

Hmmm… I like the occasional scary movie. I’m a big horror buff---my own personal adrenaline rush. I’ll read for pleasure. I play ball with me kids and hubs. Pretty much the normal stuff.

7. If you had one piece of advice for all those writers sitting out there procrastinating about making that first submission, what would it be?

The first rejection is the hardest. Get it over with. After the first one, they get easier, so quit fretting about it and just do it. You’ll never know if you’ve written the next “great American novel” if you don’t try.

8. Please share your favourite scene with us from The Last Rising with us.

Oh, this is easy. It was actually an added scene. There’s this one really hot exchange between Ice and Turner in an icecream freezer. Hot, cold, sexy Texan, and a woman that can touch the sun. You have to read the book, to find out if they melt the ice.

Thanks so much for taking the time to be here today, Rachel!  J

Thank you for having me. It’s been so much fun answering your questions. I hope everyone has a great time and enjoys The Last Rising.

CURSE OF THE PHOENIX - Book One

Title: The Last Rising
Author: Rachel Firasek
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella
Release Date: September 2011
ePub ISBN: 978-1-937044-28-2
Mobi ISBN: 978-1-937044-29-9

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/the-last-rising/

Book Description:

After paying two millennia’s penance to Osiris, world-weary Phoenix Ice has had enough. Saving souls without any hope for her own redemption isn’t how she imagined spending eternity. Fed up, she decides her next death will be her last. But when she sacrifices her own life for a sexy Texan in a catastrophic plane crash, she has no idea the consequences will be so great…or that she’ll end up back in his life for her next assignment.

Now that Turner Alcott has survived the worst, finding a wife and mother for his son matters more than ever before. When the mysterious Ice comes into his life, Turner knows she’s the one—but love is the last thing Ice wants. If he wants to win her heart, Turner must teach Ice how to forgive herself, and prove that love is the ultimate sacrifice.

Excerpt:

“Why is it I can’t get you out of my mind? You say we haven’t met, but my dreams remember you.”

Oh yeah, he’d dreamt of a woman for months now. She resembled his dream woman in so many ways, but he’d never seen his fantasy lover’s face.

She struggled against his clutch. “Mr. Alcott, I assure you we haven’t met. And for your other question, I don’t know why, but you need to release me.”

Why did that quivering bottom lip make him suspect she was lying? Turner rested his forehead against the top of hers and sucked in her scent. “Please, tell me I’m not losing my mind. Tell me you don’t visit me every night and I’ll promise to leave you alone. I just need to know.”

He sounded like a crazy man but she had to tell him. She was the only one who could put a stop to his mind’s constant fantasizing, and this feeling of déjà vu every time he saw her.

Ice wriggled in his arms, her thighs chafing against his slacks. “Mr. Alcott, you need to let me go.” She glanced around his shoulder. “Brodie is probably staring out that glass window and I would hate for him to get the wrong impression.”

She was right. He needed to get ahold of himself, but he didn’t have the strength to walk away. His hands traveled up and over her shoulders, stalling on her neck. Brushing his thumbs against her jaw, he pressed her head back and stared into hard eyes—no emotion. Couldn’t she see the battle he fought?

He teased the corner of her mouth with his thumb and her breathy gasp pleased him. So, she wasn’t completely immune to him. He dropped his head until his mouth hovered over hers.

“Mr. Alcott—”

“Shhh. I just need a taste of the sunshine.”

CURSE OF THE PHOENIX - Book Two

Title: The Last Awakening

(Curse of the Phoenix, #2)
Author: Rachel Firasek
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella
Release Date: November 2011
ISBN: 978-1-937044-44-1
 
Book 3 coming January 2012!
 

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/the-last-awakening/

About the Author:

Rachel Firasek grew up in the south and despite the gentle pace, she harassed life at full steam. Her curiosity about mythology, human nature, and the chemical imbalance we call love led her to writing. Her stories began with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairytales, before she settled on a blending of the two.

Today you’ll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded by bleating sheep and barking dogs, with her husband and children. She entertains them all with her wacky sense of humor or animated reenactments of bad 80’s dance moves.

She’s intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this crazy thing we call life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and lights the shadows… or at www.rachelfirasek.com .