We have J. K. Coi, a contest AND en exclusive excerpt!

We have a special guest today. J. K. Coi has agreed to an interview--and she's giving us an EXCLUSIVE excerpt as well. Cool, huh?!

Hi J. K.! Welcome to Three Wicked Writers!



TWW: First l’d like to say that I just read the excerpt for your newest release, Forever Immortal, and wow! I loved it! You can really pull in a reader. There was some serious sexual tension between Gideon and Lyssa and I loved every minute of it. Can you tell our readers more about this book?




JK: Thanks very much for having me Anne, Kelley, and Regina. I’m very excited to be here!

Forever Immortal is the 4th book in my Immortals series, and definitely my favourite to date. We meet Gideon in the first book, and he’s very content with his life. He’s doing exactly what he wants to do and he’s completely in control—at least until he’s forced to become an Immortal. Since then, nothing seems to be in his control, and he’s lived with the consequences of that for the last eight years.




Lyssa was a normal gal who just wanted a night on the town—maybe a chance to meet a guy, someone who wasn’t going to cheat on her and take advantage of her... Obviously, that was too much to ask.




Gideon and Lyssa apart are strong characters. But Gideon and Lyssa together are a fire that rages out of control. They create such sparks with their back and forth—mostly because their bond becomes so strong so fast, and they are both trying so hard to deny it.




Being the fourth book, I wanted this one to be deeper, stronger, more conflicted and more explosive. Luckily, these two characters wouldn’t have had it any other way. But also besides telling the story of Gideon and Lyssa, this book’s job was to take the war between the Immortals and the demons to a new level in preparation for the next phase of the series.




TWW: Do you have plans for more Immortals series books (please say yes, lol!)?




JK: As I mentioned before, Forever Immortal acts as a kind of turning point in this series, and to really finish telling the story, right now I have plans for two more books. I say “right now” because let’s face it, I’m mostly a pantser and while I’ve got a very loose idea of where this battle between warrior and demon is going, I can’t say for sure it will ultimately work out the way I invision it. I pretty much go with the flow, and sometimes the flow says that things are going to change. However, while there are probably going to be only two more Immortal books, I am starting a new series based on a vampire character that was introduced in these books.




TWW: You have two completely different series going at the same time. An urban fantasy called The Destiny Series. The First book, The Trouble With Destiny is already available for purchase. How many books are you planning to write in this series? Also, do you find it difficult to keep all these books and characters straight?




JK: Hah! In my head, I’ve already got a lot more than two series going :) But it isn’t as difficult as you might think to keep things straight. When I’m working on a particular book, I become immersed in that world and the creatures that inhabit it. One of the tricks to keeping it all in order is the style in which the books are written. The Immortal books are darker, and are told in third person—often from the point of view of the heroes. While Trouble With Destiny (which is due for re-release by Samhain Publishing in the near future) is written completely in the heroine’s first person point of view (a refreshing change when I sit down to write!)




TWW: There are a lot of paranormal authors out there, but from the excerpts I read, I can easily say you have a distinctive voice. Nevertheless, if you were forced to describe your own writing in one sentence what would you say?




JK: I pack a roller-coaster ride of emotional intensity into all of my characters, because I know that when I think about the books that that stick with me even after I’ve put them away on the shelf—it’s the ones that have had the most emotional punch that I really remember. The setting, the plot, the action and adventure are all good, but it’s the characters that make a truly memorable story, and I want to write characters that will suffer just as deeply as they will love, so that they live on in my readers’ memories even when the pages have stopped turning. (Whoa. Way more than one sentence. I hope I’m not getting penalized for that :))




TWW: I’m primarily a contemporary author myself so I’m always fascinated by paranormal authors. What’s your favorite part of writing this mega popular genre?




JK: I love being able to make my own rules. When I’m researching for my world, I do a lot of reading about demonology and ancient theology. And then when it comes time to write, I can take everything that I’ve read and mush it all together to come up with what I want. Because my world is my own, I can twist history and reality to suit me and that’s the best thing.




TWW: Can you tell us where readers can find you and your books? (Website, newsletter, myspace, facebook, etc.)




JK: Oh yes! Don’t forget, Forever Immortal is available now from Linden Bay Romance.




And these are some of the places you can find me online:
Website: http://www.jkcoi.com/



Blog: http://www.jkcoiblogspot.com/



Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jkcoi



Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jkcoi





TWW: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us, J. K.?




JK: Well, I’d like to say thanks again for letting me visit today, and I’d love to share an excerpt!





Exclusive excerpt from Forever Immortal:







“What’s with the big house and all the antiques? I guess you’ve been lucky playing the stock market?”

Gideon laughed. He would have been suspicious of all the questions, but she seemed genuinely curious. He had to remember that where she’d been, the accommodations were likely to have been less than luxurious.

He decided to indulge her. Nothing he told her could be used against the Immortals in any case. “It’s not luck, just a combination of enough time and opportunity. There are Immortals who play the stock market, and some who hold down legitimate day jobs. Others have just been very wise investing the wealth they acquired while they were still human.”

Lyssa simply nodded, as if this was the conclusion she’d already come to on her own. “So, how do you contribute exactly? Wait, let me guess, you’re the muscle of the operation?”

Gideon snorted, but didn’t answer. She would have no way of knowing that he had a Masters degree from Cal Tech in biochemical engineering, or that at one time he had been fast on his way to becoming one of the foremost research scientists in the country.

But that was the past.

So in point of fact, Lyssa was right, as pathetic a soldier as he had turned out to be, Gideon was still just that. Muscle. A sword arm encased in black leather. Nothing more, nothing less. “Why don’t I show you to a room and somewhere where you can wash up?”

Lyssa regarded him with hooded eyes that said she was still suspicious, but finally nodded. “Fine. Lead the way.” Her voice, all raspy and hoarse, plucked at his insides, a spell cast to enthrall him, though she couldn’t know it. Gideon’s cock surged to attention. Eight years ago, her voice had been like smooth silk gliding over his senses, wrapping all around him and sliding right into him. It was different now, but just as sexy, affecting him just the same.

Gideon found himself straining toward her, wanting her to speak again. He cleared his throat and started for the stairs. “Come with me then, Lyssa.”

“No.” She stopped him. He closed his eyes against the power of her voice in that single word.

Turning back to her, he lifted a brow in inquiry. “What, now?”

“I don’t answer to that name. That girl doesn’t exist anymore. She died a long time ago.” Her expression was rigid and detached as if she spoke of a stranger. “I’m all that’s left.”

Nyx.


TWW: And now for a contest! For a chance to win a download of one of J. K. Coi's current releases (winner's choice) answer this question: Do you prefer Series or Standalone?

We'll announce the winner tomorrow right here at Three Wicked Writers.
Thanks for hanging out with us today, J. K.!