Karen Chance Author Interview ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Content from Karen Chance

Karen Chance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cassie Palmer series and the Midnight’s Daughter series. She has lived in France, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong, but always comes back to America. She currently lives in Central Florida, the home of make-believe, which may explain a lot.

What was your favorite book as a child and why?
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine l’Engle. I guess I always liked the concept of time travel, which features heavily in my other series (Cassie Palmer). By the way, don’t let the recent movie fool you—the book is considerably better.

Has reading a book ever changed your life?
Not a book, no. But books in general, I think, are life changing. They let us see beyond our little corner of the world, meet types of people we might never meet otherwise, maybe even change or broaden our minds on some subjects. I firmly believe that readers are some of the most thoughtful people around, especially eclectic readers, because they’re constantly being exposed to new ideas.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to have a life in writing?
Don’t like money, lol! But seriously, most writing jobs are actually paid pretty badly, and you have to know that going in. On the other hand, you do get to do what you enjoy for a living, and that is important, too. Just understand that, if you’re the kind of person who can’t live without Louis Vuitton bags, maybe the writing profession isn’t the best choice for you.

Your newest book is SHADOW'S BANE (Dorina Basarab #4). Can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about the novel?
It features my dhampir character, Dory Basarab, who is facing a dilemma. Dhampirs in my universe have a sort of split personality between their vampire and human natures. That was reinforced in her case by her father, a powerful master vampire who didn’t want her to go insane and get killed the way most dhampirs do. He therefore used his mental abilities to literally split her mind, walling off the vampire bit from the human, and leaving Dory to grow up never knowing her other half.

That has led to a problem since the wall he put in her mind is now crumbling, allowing the two halves of her nature to come back into contact for the first time in centuries. Dory, the human side of this strange hybrid, is now encountering Dorina, her vampire alter ego, and it’s causing some serious tension in her personal life. How is her lover going to react to Dorina? How about her friends? How is Dorina going to react to being “out” for the first time in years, and able to have her own life, instead of being walled up in Dory’s mind all the time? Is she going to be willing to share their body, or is she going to want it all to herself, and try to push Dory onto the sidelines, as she once was?

All this is also causing havoc in an investigation Dory is trying to do for a friend, whose nephew failed to arrive from Faerie. It seemed a simple enough case at first, as refugees from the constant war in Faerie are commonplace in Dorina’s world, and are often taken advantage of by the smugglers bringing them in. But this one turns out to be about far more than a missing boy, and Dory lands in the middle of dangerous fey machinations at the same time that she’s trying to deal with her personal issues.

What was your inspiration for the series?
I kept reading dhampir novels that were all about dhampirs who had all the power of a vampire, but none of the restrictions. They seemed boring to me, the perfect predators without the downside that power has in the real world. I wanted to read about a dhampir who had to struggle with the issues I felt a vampire-human hybrid would actually have, which would make her abilities far more believable to me. So I wrote one.

Aside from Dory, which of your characters do you feel has grown the most since book one and in what way have they changed?
Probably a tie between Mircea, Dory’s father, who is learning to appreciate both his daughters—the human and the vampire—and Louis-Cesare, Dory’s love interest, who . . . well, let’s just say that it takes a vampire dueling master to manage to trials of dating a dhampir!

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
The next Cassie Palmer novel (my other series, set in the same universe as the Dory books) will be called Brave the Tempest, and should be out next year. More close in, I have two novellas, “Dragon’s Claw” featuring Dory and “Siren’s Song” featuring John Pritkin, a character from the Cassie books, coming out this summer. And, of course, another Dory book is also in the works!

What do you feel is the most significant change since book one?
Dory is learning, slowly, to open up more to people. Living life for hundreds of years as an outcast on the fringes of society instills some pretty significant personality quirks, and while some (paranoia) have helped to keep her alive, they aren’t exactly healthy. But her lover and her improving relationship with her father and his family are starting to heal some old wounds.

What’s your favorite movie to watch over and over again?
Lol! I like action movies, so my current faves would probably be Fury Road (seriously, an amazing film) and-don’t laugh—Pacific Rim. I thought the first Pacific Rim movie was really great and highly imaginative. I didn’t think anybody could make me love what was basically a revamped Godzilla flick, but boy, was I wrong.

What's the worst summer job you've ever had?
My first job ever was doing the salad bar at a local restaurant. I was a naïve teen who wanted to make a good impression and let them run me ragged. Not a fun summer!

If you had to go back in time and change one thing, if you HAD to, even if you had “no regrets” what would it be?
Lol! I have plenty of regrets (don’t we all?) Probably, though, if I had to pick just one, I wouldn’t have gotten a Ph.D.

What is one unique thing you are afraid of?
I don’t think it’s at all unique, but I’m terribly claustrophobic. I’ve always wanted to learn to scuba dive, for instance, but can’t stand the mask right there in front of my face. It’s a shame, as I love the water and think scuba would be awesome, but it’s not gonna happen.

What is your favorite holiday and why?
I write vampire books, so Halloween, of course!

Where can readers find you?
KarenChance.com. On the News page, I also have links to my Twitter and FB. I’m not terribly active on social media, but it’s a good way to get advance notice of books and other stories.

Half-human, half-vampire Dorina Basarab is back--and facing her biggest challenge yet in the next urban fantasy in the New York Times bestselling series.

Dorina Basarab is a dhampir--half-human, half-vampire. As one of the Vampire Senate's newest members, Dory already has a lot on her plate. But then a relative of one of Dory's fey friends goes missing. They fear he's been sold to a slaver who arranges fights--sometimes to the death--between different types of fey.

As Dory investigates, she and her friends learn the slavers are into something much bigger than a fight club. With the Vampire Senate gearing up for war with Faerie, it'll take everything she has to defeat the slavers--and deal with the entirely too attractive master vampire Louis-Cesare....

Praise for Karen Chance and her novels:KAREN CHANCE AND HER NOVELS

"Karen Chance is a terrific writer who handles multiple plot twists with ease." —Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series

“A grab-you-by-the-throat-and-suck-you-in sort of book.” —Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series

"Karen Chance doesn't disappoint. Once again we have an action-packed adventure with a strong female character that, while tough as nails and a dhampir, is also very human." —SFRevu

"In dhampir Dorina Basarab, Chance has created a sassy, tough heroine who never says die. Following these first-person adventures is going to be an adrenaline high." —RT Book Reviews

"A roller-coaster ride of a novel. . . . for those who love stories like the Mercy Thompson or Kate Daniels series." —Booklist

“Intensely hilarious dialogue, intriguing and endearing characters, and pulse-pounding action!” —Fresh Fiction

You can purchase Shadow's Bane (Dorina Basarab #4) at the following Retailers: