About Invisible Magic: Hidden from a world unaware of magic, a recently and only partially trained group of operatives know as the Invisible recruits are the only ones willing to stand between mankind and those powerful preternatural factions seeking to change the balalnce of power and gain world domination.
Alex Noziak, part witch, part shaman, anticipate facing dangerous preternaturals out for blood . . . not fashion week. But when the rookie agent is sent undercover to find out who, or what, is behind a series of world-wide thefts of top-secret intelligence, Alex tangles with the Seekers.
Seekers hunt gifted human individuals like Alex and her squad whose rare powers can keep the balance between human and nonhuman squarely on the side of the humans. Her simple assignment turns into a battle of survival for everyone involved when she crosses, Bran, a mysterious warlock, who might be her only ally or worst enemy.
To save the innocent, Alex must call upon her untested abilities, but at what cost?
~~~
And now, let's get to know Mary Buckham:
DONNELL: Hi,
Mary: Welcome! Now I’m not up on preternaturals, so please
explain to me what a part witch and a part Shaman is, explain Alex’s extraordinary powers, and then let’s get to
what readers really care about. Do you have
any invisible powers?
MARY: My kids think I
have invisible powers. One tweak of an eyebrow and they know to jump! As for
Alex being a witch, especially a Celtic witch, she is born to magic as opposed
to a Wiccan who can learn magic. However in Alex’s situation she might have
been witch-born but because of her family dynamics (her witch mother abandoned
her family when Alex was young) Alex didn’t have a lot of training regarding
her magic. So she’s an untrained witch with shamanistic abilities, which means
she can cross from the physical world into the spirit realm, which sometimes
can help her but sometimes adds more challenges to her already complicated
life. She’s wary of her witch abilities
even as she’s thrown into situation where she’s forced to use magic to save
lives around her, including her own.
DONNELL: Your blurb has
conflict written all over it. Now, I
know you, and you don’t strike me as a woman who likes conflict in her personal
life. So tell me, how being the nice person that you are, do you
manage conflict in your stories?
MARY: LOL! Conflict
drives the drama of a story and raises story questions. Readers of commercial
fiction read to have questions raised and answered, so the more conflict in a
story the faster a story can be paced. Many readers have told me I write
paranormal thrillers because of the pacing and the fact they can’t put the book
down while they’re reading.
DONNELL: Your
schedule once upon a time was intense—maybe as intense as Invisible Power. So here’s two-part question. When do you find time to write? And where
will we find you when you do it? (E.G.
your favorite spot to write).
MARY: No writer is given extra time so to find the time to
write one must be willing to give up time for other things. My house is not
pristine, I kill plants regularly because I forget to water them, and once I
taught my hubby how to cook I bagged that function. J I have taught myself to write
anywhere I have a few minutes—as a passenger in the car, on ferries, on planes.
When I’m at home I write in my bedroom as when I started writing I had five
children under the age of eight and the only place I found any private time was
the bedroom or the bathroom. For some reason writing in the bathroom never took
so it’s been the bedroom for years.
DONNELL: Does one of
your invisible powers prevent Writer’s Block?
Just askin’. Do you get it? How do you handle it?
MARY: I get physically exhausted which forces me to slow
down or stop but I don’t get writer’s block. I don’t have time to get blocked.
<G> I focus on what is working in a story, or give myself permission to start
a new story, play with different stories, or just have fun with the process. If
I’m stymied for a bit I also know it’s simply a speed bump and not a block.
DONNELL: All people
with unseen powers need sustenance. So,
what’s in your refrigerator right now?
MARY: I think it’s in
that room called a kitchen but I’m in that room so rarely I don’t know for sure
J. Basic requirements
though are chocolate, coffee and red wine. Not necessarily in that order.
DONNELL: You teach both nonfiction classes and write fiction. So let's put you truly on the spot. You have to give up one (kind of like your logline (If she wins he'll lose his freedom. If he wins she'll watch her brother die.) [insert scary music here.] Which do you give up? Nonfiction or fiction?
MARY: Nonfiction. I’m actually pulling way way back on my
teaching schedule (part of that question about how do you find the time). I
have enjoyed immensely my years of teaching; the people I’ve met; the travel;
the chance to talk story with so many writers at different levels of their
writing game, but within six months I won’t be teaching online any more and
within a year I won’t be teaching at full day conferences or events. That will
allow me time to write more.
DONNELL: When you’re
not teaching or writing, what do you do for fun?
MARY: I collect textiles, ethnographic materials, and folk
art, as well as travel, read and, because I live in a stunningly beautiful part
of the country I take lots of beach walks along the ocean or mountain hikes.
DONNELL: What’s the
most unusual thing you have in your closet?
MARY: A collection of Ethiopian headrests, mud cloth from
Mali, Japanese kimonos from the 20s and 30s and a suitcase that’s always packed
so I can travel on a moment’s notice.
DONNELL: Last
Question. If you could meet anyone, past
or present, who would it be?
MARY: I have an ancestor who was accused of witchcraft twice
in the early days of Massachusetts. She
was one of the wealthiest women in the Colonies but still found herself
imprisoned. I’d love to talk with her, see what gave her strength and how such
charges changed her life.
MARY’S QUESTION FOR READERS.
What was a favorite book you read as a child?
Book Giveaway: I’d be delighted to give away 2 books – either digital
(worldwide) or paperback (if in the US or Canada) of INVISIBLE MAGIC Book 1 in
the Invisible Recruit Series.
Mary's Links and contact information.
Fiction:
INVISIBLE MAGIC: Book 1 Alex Noziak (available now)
INVISIBLE PRISON: Alex Noziak novella (available now e-format
only)
INVISIBLE DUTY: Alex Noziak novella (Coming May 2013
e-format only)
INVISIBLE POWER: Book 2 Alex
Noziak (coming June 2013)
Non-fiction books:
WRITING ACTIVE SETTING: Book 1
WRITING ACTIVE SETTING: Book 2
(both available now in Kindle format)
Thanks Donnell for hosting me!!
My pleasure, Mary!
Note:
COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize
notification process. 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.
