Jean Murray brings a vibrant and creative energy through her writing. Thanks for joining us to tell us about your new book, and thanks for the cool giveaway of the Egyptian charm!
Where did the inspiration for your book come from?
What
is a one-line synopsis for your book?
Boy,
you just had to make this hard, didn’t you? J I’ll have to go with my tagline. Only the strongest love and unlock the souls
of the Underworld.
Is
this a stand-alone or part of a series?
Each
book can stand alone, but the reader will get so much more out of the books if
they read the series in order. All the
books are linked by a common plot thread and build off of each other. The characters grow and mature as the series
goes along.
Soul
Reborn – Soul Awakened – Soul Unbound – Soul Unleashed
Once
the series is complete, I have a prequel planned that will finally tell the
story of Jonathan Carrigan (the father) and the Mother Goddess—how it all
began.
Which
character other than your MC is one of your favorites to write and why?
My
most recent favorite is Sin from Soul Awakened.
He is a fledgling warrior. Bakari finds himself “downgraded” so to
speak. A god among warriors sent to the warrior camp to find his honor. Sin is Bakari’s bunkmate. He has one of those chatty
personalities. If he’s not cracking
jokes, seducing women, or complaining, he’s guarding Bakari’s back. For as much as he annoys Bakari they are
brothers, each willing to die for the other.
Readers will get to see him again in later books.
If
you had to pick a color to describe your MC what would that be and why?
Kendra,
my heroine, would be turquoise (greenish-blue).
It is the color Ancient Egyptians used for healing and protection from
evil spirits. Kendra is Bakari’s road to
salvation.
For
my hero, Bakari, I’m going to have to say a smoky black. Not a pure black or a gray, but something in
between. Bakari hasn’t quite figured out
who he is and what he will become. He
has a second chance to choose his path, that’s if he doesn’t mess it up.
Who
are your favorite authors to read?
I’m
a Black Dagger Brotherhood and Midnight Breed series junkie. Actually, I love any series that has strong
loyal bonds among its members/characters. Some other authors I enjoy are
Kresley Cole, Larissa Ione. I have so
many more authors on my TBR, but need to find the time to read among the chaos J
Can
you share a bit about your current project?
I’m
working on the third book in the series, Soul Unbound. This is Bomani’s story. He ends up in a really dark place at the end
of Soul Awakened and escapes to the human realm from the Underworld. He has lost his faith in honor and more
importantly, love. He needs to be redeemed and I have the perfect match, the
Goddess of War. Siya has been exiled to
the human realm with a stay of execution hanging over her head. Making up for the sins of her past, she takes
in orphaned gods and trains them to fight.
She knows war is coming. The dark warrior lurking in the shadows can
only spell trouble. I’m really excited
about this book because it brings back an evil antagonist from Soul Reborn. It promises to be exciting.
What
do you do when you’re not writing?
I
work full time, which takes up most of my day.
So when I get home I spend my time with my family. I have three young boys, so it keeps me busy.
What
influenced you to write in your genre? Do you write in others?
I
love things beyond the normal, so naturally I gravitated to paranormal. Dreams of having powers and immortality are
just too irresistible. It fulfills my own fantasies. Not to mention add romance on top of that,
I’m in heaven. Jacquelyn Frank’s Nightwalker series was my first introduction
to paranormal romance. I’ve loved the
genre ever since.
So
far, I write paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but I have a space romance
in the works. In the end, it will
probably have paranormal elements mixed into the story.
What
music, if any, do you like to listen to while writing?
Okay,
you might find this a bit of a contradiction for a paranormal writer, but for
the Key to the Cursed series I’ve been listening to Contemporary Christian
rock. The series touches upon the darker sides of the soul. I’ve found that groups like Skillet and Red
have the hard edge I’m looking for, but also speak to the struggles my
characters share. I also listen to Evanescence,
Breaking Benjamin, Paramore, Riot. Right
now, my all-time favorite Pandora station is Plumb (love her songs). I can
write for hours with that station playing in the background.
Do
you have anything you’d like to add?
Soul
Awakened was such an emotional book for me to write. It touches upon some very dark emotions,
especially for Bakari. He must find his focal point (hope) and hold onto it. Not unlike real life.
I
want to thank Louisa for having me over today and the readers that have followed
me along this journey.
Giveaway: Egyptian charm to one lucky commenter, plus
5-Signed cover flats (U.S.). Plus, don’t
forget to join the book tour giveaway, Kindle Fire HD plus e-copies of Soul
Reborn and Soul Awakened.
The Author:
Author Jean Murray brings a wonderful new spin to the paranormal world
with her Egyptian Underworld gods. She
broke ground in the paranormal romance genre with Soul Reborn (ARe Best
Seller/NOR Reviewer’s Top Pick) and now continues the Key to the Cursed journey
with Soul Awakened (NOR Reviewer’s Top Pick).
See what readers and reviewers are saying about her new book ~ http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16484518-soul-awakened?auto_login_attempted=true
BOOK I: Soul Reborn
THE HUMAN REALM, HIS BATTLEFIELD.
Asar, the Egyptian God of the Underworld, has been tortured
and left soulless by a malevolent goddess, relegating him to consume the very
thing he was commissioned to protect. Human souls. Now an empty shell of
hatred, Asar vows to kill the goddess and anyone involved in her release, but
fate crosses his path with a beautiful blonde huntress who has a soul too sweet
to ignore.
DEADLY SECRETS BETTER LEFT UNEARTHED.
Lilly, fearless commander of the Nehebkau huntresses, is
the only thing standing in the way of the goddess' undead army unleashing hell
on earth. But Lilly has a secret—one she
is willing to sell her soul to keep. If the Underworld god discovers her role
in the dig that released the goddess, she will lose everything, including his
heart.
Amazon Purchase Links:
Barnes & Noble Purchase
Links:
Purchase Print&Nook:
Reviews:
Romantic Times (RT)
Book Reviews (Sept2011) - 4/4.5
stars/Scorcher, http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/soul-reborn
Bitten by Paranormal
Romance – 5/5 Alpha Howls, Hot http://www.bittenbyparanormalromance.com/2011/07/review-of-soul-reborn-key-to-cursed.html
Night Owl Reviews: Reviewer’s Top PICK/ 5 Stars (Abigail,
Feb2013) “The
first book in the “Key to the Cursed” series was absolutely phenomenal.
Anything that deals with old world deities and is written well always hooks me
from the get go. This was definitely an excellent book to begin a new series.” http://paranormal.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Reviews/Angibabi4-reviews-Soul-Reborn-by-Jean-Murray
BOOK II: Soul
Awakened
Book Blurb:
LOVE FOR BLOOD OR HONOR
Kendra, an Egyptologist
and demi-god in waiting, is the key to unlocking Bakari, the Egyptian God of
Death, from his cursed slumber. Desperate to free him, she inadvertently binds
herself to the god with a spell that only death will undo. To save Bakari from
himself, she may have to sacrifice her innocence, and possibly her soul, before
he becomes his family’s worst enemy.
HAUNTED BY SINS OF THE
PAST
Bakari awakens to a world at war and a beautiful woman who
has tethered his soul to hers. In the wake of his self-destruction Kendra is
his only hope of salvation, but another has vowed to keep Bakari from the one
thing he craves most-- his Parvana. His butterfly.
Purchase Links:
Books –A – Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Soul-Awakened/Jean-Murray/9781937254971?id=5602792319200
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soul-awakened-jean-murray/1114128757?ean=9781937254971
