3/17/2011

Parker Blue


YA Urban Fantasy Author Parker Blue writes the Demon Underground Series, brought to you by Bell Bridge Books. The first book in the series, BITE ME was a #1 Bestseller in Young Adult in Fictionwise.com and on Amazon! Then of course, there's TRY ME and out just this month ... FANG ME!

Please welcome the award-winning, prolific and extraordinary....Parker Blue!


Excerpt:

Weird. Definitely weird. I stood outside the wrought-iron gates of the Alamo Heights mansion at a quarter to midnight and gawked. Sure, the dark spooky brick mansion housed the biggest vein of vampires in San Antonio--I knew that. But the fact that said creepy mansion was lit up by cheery red and green Christmas lights? Too surreal.

Okay, it was the season with Thanksgiving over and done with a week ago, but after all the mayhem and violence that had happened here, it seemed totally bizarre.

Fang snorted. YOU WERE PART OF MOST OF THAT MAYHEM AND VIOLENCE, he said on a private channel in my mind. Here I am Val Shapiro, the mighty Slayer, feared by vampires, demons and humans . . .yet somehow totally disrespected by my own dog.

SOMEONE HAS TO KEEP YOU FROM GETTING A FAT HEAD, Fang retorted. AND WHO BETTER THAN YOUR BEST FRIEND?

It was my turn to snort. Fat head, me? Fat chance.

Shade bumped my shoulder with his. "You okay?"

Ah, Shade, my new boyfriend. How did I get so lucky? The shadow demon and I tried to date like a normal couple, but our relationship wasn't exactly ordinary. I kept the shadow demon within Shade grounded in this reality so he didn't let the big bad demons through into our world, and he fed the lust demon within me.

Not like that. I was still untouched, cherry, a total "V". I'd just found out recently that giving that up would be a way bigger choice than I'd ever dreamed. Lose my virginity, lose my powers. Yep, those very things that made me the Slayer--enhanced senses, fast reflexes, and rapid healing--would be forever lost to me if I ever did the deed. So, I remained a frustrated slayer.

As Fang put it, sucks to be me.


Readers, don't know about you, but I couldn't but the book down at this point. Without further ado, let's learn about Parker as she answers the GLIAS crew's Get to Know You questions.


DONNELL: Hi, Parker. Thanks for joining us here today. Which of your characters would you most want to invite to dinner and why?


PARKER: Oh, definitely my part-hellhound, part terrier mix Fang. He's telepathic, snarktastic, and uber interesting. Plus, he satisfied with pizza or burgers. My kind of friend.


DONNELL: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?


PARKER: Yes, I read them. Sometimes I even pay attention to them, if the reviewer made sense. Or if there's a trend. But it's just one person's opinion, positive or negative, so...not so much.


DONNELL: Have you ever written a character who wasn't meant to be a hero but he wouldn't go away?


PARKER: Oh, yeah--Shade, Val's latest squeeze. He was just supposed to be a walk-on but he was so fascinating, he wouldn't go away and is becoming a hero. When no one's touching him, all you can see are these whirling swirls of interdimensional energy occupying the outline of his body. But ground him by touching another living being, and you can see a total hottie. Val touches him a lot. Go figure.


DONNELL: What's in your refrigerator right now?


PARKER: Mostly healthy stuff Fang wouldn't like. And lots of Diet Coke.


DONNELL: What color would you make the sky if it weren't going to be blue anymore?


PARKER: Peach. It's a really flattering color for me. It would look great against the green trees, too.


DONNELL: What do you do to unwind and relax?


PARKER: Read, bead and take bubble baths. I only do the first and third at the same time.


DONNELL: (Good to know ;) What dreams have you realized as a result of your writing?


PARKER: Uh...getting published.


DONNELL: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?


PARKER: They tell me it's my voice. Plus, I'm not sure this is interesting exactly, but I have to write out the idea in longhand the night before. Then I write the first draft on the computer the next morning. I write until I finish the scene. Sometimes it's an hour or two...sometimes it takes all day. I can do revisions at any time of the day.


DONNELL: Dog or cat person?


PARKER: Dog, obviously. Have you met Fang?


DONNELL: (I've met his alter ego ) What would you do if you had a time machine?


PARKER: What a fantastic opportunity to do some real historical research!


DONNELL: What question are you never asked in interviews, but wish you were?


PARKER: Would you like to accept this six-figure contract?


DONNELL: (LOL). If you couldn't be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?


PARKER: A world famous-jewelry artist.


DONNELL: What's the first thing you do when you finish a book?


PARKER: Celebrate! And sleep in.


DONNELL: If you could interview one person (and it doesn't have to be a writer) who would it be?


PARKER: Nathan Fillion! Can you arrange it?


DONNELL: Er...no.


Well, there you have it, Readers. And now Parker Blue has a question for you...


PARKER BLUE: Are you tired of reading about vampires and demons yet?


Parker, thanks for joining us here today. I wish you the ultimate success with FANG ME, and your wonderful relationship with BELL BRIDGE BOOKS, http://bellbridgebooks.com/. GLIAS Blog Readers, leave a question or comment for Parker with your e-mail address, and you'll be registered in a drawing to win BITE ME, the book that started it all.

Readers, to learn more about Parker Blue, check out her web page at http://parkerblue.net/

Tune in tomorrow when GLIAS crew member Jillian Stone hosts Author Jill Sorenson.

24 comments:

  1. Welcome to GLIAS Parker. Love the names of your books, and the hellhound sounds delightful. Kind of wondering where that part terrior came from --LOL. I don't think the world will ever grow weary of vampires and demons. And if you do get to interview Nathan...can I hold your pen & paper?

    ~~Angi

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  2. LOL, Good morning Angi, Parker LOVES Nathan Fillion. Don't know that she'd share. And I loved her answer about the six-figure contract. She practices The Secret, and don't be surprised if it happens. Besides her writing is darn good!

    As for vampires and demons, I was a huge Buffy fan, and I have to confess I didn't think anyone could pull off a series that would hold me spellbound, but Parker does.

    Parker, thanks for being with us today!

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  3. Hi Parker! Welcome to GLIAS :) Great interview!

    I, too, have to write out my scene idea in longhand before I write. However, I'm not always disciplined to get up and write the whole scene. (bad Heather)

    As for your question, I really don't tire of reading anything as long as the characters are interesting and the story well told. I will certainly check out your series. Sounds fantastic!

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  4. Hi Parker, my daughter is a huge fan. I've been writing YA for about six months and trying to get that whole teenage mindset down. There's something so freeing and angsty about the age.

    Lovely interview Donnell.

    Love that she follows the Secret. So do I (I thought) maybe I need to go back and listen to that all over again!

    Dale

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  5. I've read Bite Me and loved it. I'll be sure to read the rest of the series.

    Fang was delightful, I'd love a dog like that!

    Yes, your voice if fantastic..

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  6. Hi Parker, what a fun interview! I never grow tired of good books no matter the genre. A good story is a good story! I think there's a lot of life left in vampires and demons yet. There are still plenty of fans out there. You have a wonderful voice, both in your writing and in the interview. This sounds like a great series!

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  7. Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!

    But Nathan is MINE, all mine.

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  8. I enjoyed reading your interview, Parker. Very cool stuff, and your voice comes through in the questions and answers as well as the excerpt. That's the sign of a strong writer. If I were a palm reader I'd predict a long writing career.

    Wishing you the best of luck with your sales!

    Maggie Toussaint
    mystery and romance author
    www.maggietoussaint.com

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  9. Hi Parker. What a great interview! Although I admit that I am jealous that you get to sleep in after finishing a book. The toddler in my house won't allow that.

    Congrats on your series and give Fang a hug for me!

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  10. Fun interview, Donnell and Parker. I'm looking forward to reading your books, Parker. I already have Bite Me on my Kindle.

    Oh, and will you all throw things at me if I mention that I briefly met and had my picture taken with Nathan a couple of years ago? :)

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  11. Joelle, Parker doesn't get much sleep either, but maybe she'll tell you why; this is her blog :)

    And Trish, oh gosh! Parker's Val Shapiro is a slayer! Why, oh, why would you tell her you had your picture taken with Nathan? Thanks for stopping by.

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  12. I don't know what's more fun about this blog, the excerpt or the Nathan Fillion love : )
    Thanks to GLIAS for bringing Parker's work to my attention. Parker, your books are definitely going on my "buy" list!!

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  13. Glad to hear vamps and demons aren't dead yet. And thanks for all the kudos, everyone. You are all goddesses...except maybe for Trish. I am so jealous!

    As for sleeping in, I try, but I inherited my mom's cat who wakes me early every morning insisting he wants his Fancy Feast RIGHT MEOW!

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  14. Hi Parker! Your interview was so spunky and snarktastic, perfect for a YA author. I can totally relate to the Nathan Fillion thing. He's so hot! Your books sound fun and fresh. They're definitely going on my shopping list. So, one thing I've always wanted to know from a YA author is - how do you research for a YA? How do you know what kinds of dialogue works for today's youth, what kinds of things they will like? Seems like their likes/dislikes change frequently, so how do you keep up with the latest trends among our youth so you can relate to your readers?

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  15. Lena, rather than try for specific slang (which can go out of fashion very fast), I go for the tone instead. Every once in awhile I look for a specific type of word and check out http://www.urbandictionary.com/ to get the word I'm looking for. Plus I read YA and watch YA on television.

    And I guess I'm a kid at heart.

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  16. Sorry for being so late. Has been a strange day!

    Cute excerpt! I remember how excited Deb Dixon was when she bought Bite Me and brought it out.

    Congrats on your success

    and good luck getting the 6 figure contract :)

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  17. Hi again,

    That's an interesting topic. As a mother of teens, I do find it difficult sometimes to keep up with their ever changing expressions, but it's because of this that I finding writing YA so much fun. I always want movies with my daughter. It gives great insight into the world of teens.

    Dale

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  18. Cyndi--Deb is the one who took my paranormal romance and said "Why don't you turn it into a YA urban fantasy?" She was soooo right. Brilliant, too.

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  19. I'm also late, but just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading the interview. Your covers are wonderful, Parker, and I love the idea of Fang! I'll definitely be checking your series out.

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  20. I love books with kick-butt, snarky heroines, and your slayer fits the bill. Speaking of slayers, wasn't Nathan Fillion on the Buffy tv show? Yep, I just flipped over to IMDB and saw a photo of him with Spike (James Marsters) I"ll give you Nathan if I can have James. Deal?

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  21. Thanks, Michelle!

    Christine, yep, Nathan was on Buffy. I'm big fan of Spike, too. But...okay. Deal. :-)

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  22. Okay, I wrote everyone's name on a piece of paper and dropped them in front of my do Mo (the inspiration for Fang) and told her to pick a winner. She put her paw on Maggie's name, who gave me an uber cool comment, too.

    Maggie, email me at parker@parkerblue.net with your snail mail address and I'll send you a signed copy of BITE ME.

    Thanks to everyone for a fun day!

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  23. Sorry I'm late to the party, Parker, but I'm glad I stopped by and read the excerpt and your interview. Fabulous story! I love YA and now have yours on my Kindle. Thanks for sharing this with us!

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  24. Thanks, Misty! Hope you enjoy it!

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