L.J. Sealey
My Interview with L.J. Sealey
When you began the
Divine Hunter series, where did you find your inspiration? Even though it is a
paranormal romance series, did you bring anything from your real life into the
story?
I’ve always had this
fascination with otherworldly creatures. Since being old enough to understand
what they are, I’ve loved vampires in particular. My favourite programmes are
always supernatural based. Starting with shows like Buffy, then Supernatural
(who doesn’t love watching Same and Dean), and Vampire Diaries. I first had the
idea for Michael Warden quite a few years ago when I was actually writing
something else, but he was niggling away at me. So much so that I put my other
story aside so that I could see what he wanted. I never went back to that other
story, but I’m sure I will do eventually.
Paranormal Romance is
my favourite genre to read, so mixing the demon/angel elements with romance was
perfect for me.
For the readers who
haven’t yet read Awaken, Book #1 in the Divine Hunter Series, do you recommend
they read it first or could they dive right into Dark Deliverance Book #2?
I definitely recommend
reading Awaken first. A lot of the storyline continues on from book one, so I
really feel that you have to know what happened in Awaken to really be involved
with what the characters go through in Dark Deliverance. Also, you really need
to know what Michael and Lacy go through in terms of their relationship before
understanding things fully in book two, particularly in the first half of the
book.
Are there any sneak
peeks you can give the readers about Dark Deliverance? In particular about
Michael and Lacy’s relationship? I think we are all curious to know what
happens with the two of them.
Without giving too
much away, Michael and Lacy have to deal with a few issues in this instalment.
Something big happened at the end of Awaken (I won’t say what just in case your
readers haven’t read it yet), and even though Michael thinks that what he did
was for the best, he begins to realise that he just might have made the wrong
decision.
You will see other
characters returning in Dark Deliverance – some welcome, some not so welcome –
and you will also meet a few new ones.
If you could be any
character in the Divine Hunter series, male or female, who would you choose to
be and why?
That’s a hard one. But
I think if I’m forced to choose it would have to be Alethia. She’s a powerful
goddess who can easily protect herself. She’s pretty badass when she needs to
be, but she’s also very caring.
How long is the
Divine Hunter series going to be? Will we be seeing more of Michael and Lacy in
the future?
We’ll definitely be
seeing more of Michael and Lacy. Their journey isn’t over yet. I originally
planned for the story to take place over four books and unless anything drastic
happens that will still be the case. Michael and Lacy’s story arc will be
wrapped up in book four. I’ve even written the final scene. The next book I’m
currently working on will be a tie-in novel to the Divine Hunter series. It
will take place in the Divine Hunter world but will stray from the main story
arc. The book will be titled EV): A Divine Hunter World Novel. I’m pretty sure
I don’t have to tell you who it will be about. From the feedback I’ve had, Evo
has made an impression on the Divine Hunter series readers. He’s a cheeky,
loveable rogue. I’m really excited to write his story.
The cover for Dark
Deliverance is full is intrigue, romance and suspense. I personally love the
cover. What did you think when you first saw it?
Well, I actually
design my own covers so I have to say I LOVE them. The first design I did for
the Dark Deliverance cover was very different, but something wasn’t sitting
right with me. So I bravely scrapped the whole design and started again. I have
to say I love the model on the cover of Awaken. It took me a long time to find
him but the minute I saw him, I knew he had to be my cover model for Michael.
Which part of the
book did you write last?
With Awaken, I didn’t
write the last chapter last. By the time I was halfway through writing it I
knew exactly how it was going to end, so I wrote it earlier on. With Dark
Deliverance, I wrote the epilogue earlier on, and apart from what I already had
in my notes, I wrote the final chapter last.
You are a fairly new
published writer, with this being your second book. Is there any advice you can
give to aspiring writers?
Just go for it. If you
have a story that’s itching to leave your head, write it down. Get it out of
there whether you believe you can do it or not. When I started writing I didn’t
have a clue if I would ever release anything. I simply wrote my story because
it was in my head all of the time. I thought to myself, if I manage to do it
then maybe I’ll just let my family and friends read it. I wasn’t at all
confident to start with. But I did it, and I still have to pinch myself because
I never thought I’d ever put it out there for other people to read. It turned
out to be the best decision of my life.
What is your process
for writing a book? Do you always start at the beginning or do you jump around
to different chapters then fill in the pieces?
I start by making
notes and writing out the rough draft of the storyline. Then I dive right in,
starting at page one. I mostly write from start to finish, but if I get an idea
for something that might happen later on in the story, I work on that for a
time, then go back.
Who are some of your
favourite authors and why?
My two absolute
favourite authors are Jeaniene Frost and J.R. Ward. I can’t really decide
between the two because I like them equally, but I will lean slightly towards
Frost because her Night Huntress series novels were what got me hooked on the
paranormal romance genre.
I also love Elizabeth
Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lara Adrian…I could be here all day!
And here is an excerpt from Dark Deliverance....
Michael leaned against the wall
inside a disused building on West Clinton Street. It wasn’t long before he felt
a shift in the air and a cold breeze blew across his neck, causing him to turn
and face the gray mist that had begun to appear on the opposite side of the
building.
“I know this isn’t a social visit.
But it’s good to see you anyway.” He smiled at Alethia as she walked towards
him. She was wearing a long, navy coat and tight jeans with her deep brown hair
drawn back in a sleek ponytail which made it easy for Michael to notice the
troubled expression on her face.
She walked to him with her hands
in both pockets. “It’s good to see you too. Although, I know somebody else who
would like to see you more.”
His chest instantly tightened. He knew who she
was referring to and for the first time in days Lacy’s face flashed into his
mind. He took in a deep breath and let the air out slowly while trying
desperately to quash the emotion that those simple words had instantly stirred
up. “You know that can’t happen right now, Alethia. Not until I know she’ll be
safe.”
The deity nodded her understanding
and laid her hand on his shoulder. “I know. It’s just hard to hear what she’s
thinking and not be able to tell her you’re safe, that’s all.”
He knew Lacy would be suffering,
but he had no choice right now. It was much safer for her to believe he’d been
taken than to know he was safe.
“Is she the reason you’re here?”
“No.”
He watched Alethia lower her gaze
and she removed her hand from him. She looked troubled. This couldn’t be good.
She huffed. “My father won’t listen to me, my
mother refuses to speak to him about helping me find where Evo is, and I can’t
reach out to anyone else, so. . . ”—she held her hand out to him—“I need you to
give me the ring back.”
“What? Alethia! You can’t be
serious. You know I—”
“Just listen to me for a second.
You have to hand me the ring,
Michael. It’s the only way you’re going to find Evo.”
