I’m so excited to have Brenda Drake on our blog today! I absolutely adored her Library Jumpers trilogy, so I couldn’t wait to hear more about her newest book that releases tomorrow! Check out my interview and learn more about Analiese Rising below. Enjoy!
About Analiese Rising:
American Gods meets the Da Vinci Code in Analiese Rising (Entangled; 01/08/19), a suspense-filled novel by New York Times bestselling author Brenda Drake. This first book in a new fantasy series offers a new take on the paranormal romance genre—with a mythological spin. Gone are vampires and werewolves; in are descendants of the God of Death.
Brenda Drake is known for creating addictive, entertaining series with strong female characters (Library Jumpers and The Fated) and her fans will not be disappointed.
“A fast-paced adventure brimming with romance, mythology, and dangerous secrets. I was hooked!” –Elly Blake, New York Times and international bestselling author of the Frostblood Saga
When a stranger gives Analiese Jordan a list of names before he dies, the last thing she expects to see is her own on it. Not. Cool. Her search for answers leads to the man’s grandson, Marek, who has dangerous secrets of his own. Both are determined to unlock the mystery of the list.
But the truth is deadly. Analiese is a descendant of the God of Death, known as a Riser, with the power to raise the dead and control them. Finding out she has hidden powers? Cool. Finding out she turns corpses into killers? No, thank you.
Now the trail plants her and Marek in the middle of a war between gods who apparently want to raise an army of the Risen, and Analiese must figure out how to save the world―from herself.
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Interview:
What’s one thing you hope readers will take away from Analiese Rising?
Enjoyment. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I had great fun researching gods and goddesses from mythologies around the world and creating how they’d be in modern times without their powers.
What was your inspiration for this book?
The idea came after watching American Gods on Starz. I wanted to write a young adult book with gods and goddesses from the different mythologies around the world.
What is something that we might not know about Analiese and Marek?
Hmm … this is hard without spoiling the book. I can say that their lives have been connected longer than they know.
What was your favorite scene to write?
I’d have to pick the haunted catacomb scene. I like writing spooky scenes. I don’t get to write them often. Maybe I should write a ghost story next.
Did you know how this book was going to end when you started writing?
I dreamt about the ending before coming up with the idea of the book. I felt desperate during the dream. It was like watching a loved one be murdered in front of you and not being able to stop it.
What’s your favorite quality to write in a character? And which of your characters, from all of your books, have that quality?
Loyalty. It’s important to me for my characters to have it. When someone they love and trust does something wrong, it causes them to struggle with that loyalty. Should you believe them? Trust them? Turn them in? How can you turn in someone you love and are loyal to? Gia from my Library Jumpers series is fiercely loyal. She’d sacrifice everything for the ones she loves. When someone she trusts does something that tests her loyalty, it crushes her.
What do you do when you are not writing?
I read, hang out with friends and family, and haunt bookstores and coffee shops. When I’m not traveling, I like to go for hikes with my hubby, hunt for treasures at estate sales with my sister, or just binge watch Netflix. Nothing too exciting.
What was the last book you recommended to a friend?
The last book I recommended to a friend was STAR-CROSSED by Pintip Dunn. It’s a unique science fiction novel set on another planet from ours. Pintip is one of my favorite authors. Not only am I a friend of hers, but I’m also one of her biggest fans.
About Brenda Drake:
Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. So it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her family, she haunts libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or reads someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).
I hope you guys enjoyed today’s post! I loved hearing Brenda talk more about this book and even mention Gia from The Library Jumpers Series….I loved, loved, loved Gia! Analiese Rising is definitely on my TBR and I can’t wait to discover all that is inside the pages! ♥
Great interview, Jen! I’m yet to read her Library Jumpers series but this one sounds pretty amazing too. I’m adding it to my TBR list! 🙂
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Thank you so much! I just got this book in the mail and I’m so excited, it sounds like a ton of fun! Happy to hear you added it to your tbr. ♥