Welcome Back Anna Kashina

Kara, an elite warrior from the Majat Guild, has escaped execution and achieved something that no Majat has ever managed – freedom from the Guild!

But the Black Diamond assassin Mai has been called back to face his punishment for sparing her life. Determined to join his fight or share his punishment, Kara finds herself falling for Mai.

Is their relationship – and the force that makes their union all-powerful – a tool to defeat the overpowering forces of the Kaddim armies, or a ploy sure to cause the downfall of the Majat?

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Anna Kashina
grew up in Russia and moved to the United States in 1994 after receiving her Ph.D. in cell biology from the Russian Academy of Sciences. She works as a biomedical researcher and combines career in science with her passion for writing. Anna's interests in ballroom dancing, world mythologies and folklore feed her high-level interest in martial arts of the Majat warriors. She is a recent medalist in the ForeWord Book of the Year and Independent Publishers Book Award contests.

CLOVER: Welcome back to GLIAS, Anna. So glad to have you back. So tell us, how often to you get lost in a story?

ANNA: It's great to be back. Thank you. I get lost in a story every time I read. In fact, I read--and write--exactly for this purpose. Losing myself in imaginary worlds is my favorite pass time. Which is, perhaps, why I tend to strongly prefer fantasy books set in fully created worlds.

CLOVER: Be honest, when reading...do you put yourself in the heroine’s role?

ANNA: Yes, definitely. And occasionally in the hero’s role too. When I am reading I tend to put myself at mercy of the author, and when the author is good, any point of view character invites a reader into his/her role. It is a great feeling to encounter an author I can trust to do that well, so I can --well, lose myself in the story :-)

CLOVER: What do you do to unwind and relax?

ANNA: Read. When I am so tired I cannot read anymore I watch movies, ultimately for the same purpose.

CLOVER: Speaking of movies, what’s your favorite movie of all time?

ANNA: Oh. Probably “Sense and Sensibility”. I am aware I should probably be naming something more serious here, but I think this movie is extremely well done and despite knowing it by heart I am still absorbed in it fully, every time I watch.

CLOVER: What are the next five books on your ‘to be read’ pile?

ANNA: Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians” series (well, that’s three already, right there), N. K. Jemisin’s “The Killing Moon”, and “The Wizard’s Promise” by Cassandra Rose Clarke. I am also waiting for the next book by Amy Raby, which, as I heard, may be released this summer. And, I have so many on my wish list that this interview probably won’t be long enough for all of them. Hail to my brand-new Kindle Paperwhite!

CLOVER: I hear you. Can never have too many books to look forward to.

CLOVERS GOTTA ASK:  Describe an absolutely perfect day.

ANNA’S GOTTA ANSWER:  I get up after my husband has already taken the children to day care, and spend the rest of the day writing. Seriously. I don’t get nearly as much writing time as I would like to, and I tend to treat this time as indulgence.

You can find Anna at her  Website    Facebook      Twitter      Goodreads 

What do you have coming next for us?

My next release, I hope, will be book 3 in the series. None of the details have been set yet, so I

cannot really tell anything here.

If it counts, I want to advertise the prequel to “The Guild of Assassins”, “Blades of the Old Empire”, which came out earlier this year. I also have a short story in the series “The Majat Testing”, which is available for free at all major retailers.

Before “The Majat Code” series, I published “Mistress of the Solstice”, a dark romantic fantasy based on Russian Myth. It was published last year and, incidentally, is a silver medalist in the fantasy category at the Independent Publishers Book Award (affectionately known as IPPY).

Anna will be giving away a print copy of each of her books, Blades of the Old Empire and The Guild of Assassins to one lucky commenter.  The winner can choose print books in the US and UK, or for e-books worldwide.

Note: Please leave an email address for notification. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

For those who already read at least some books of the Majat Code series:

Which character do you want to see more in the later books in the series?