Something Wicked Returns: Interview with Karen Kincy and Giveaway of Shadows of Asphodel

I'm so very excited to welcome Karen Kincy to the blog today for Something Wicked Returns.
Before we get started I want to remind you to check out the other stops for Something Wicked Returns at
Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings: Stacey Kennedy: The Cat's Meow
Ginny@Gin's Book Notes: Christie Rich
and
Oct. 20th:

Ali@My Guilty Obsession:Something Wicked Returns Challenge

Beris@ Fantasy is More Fun: Marie Hall: Crimson Night

Ginny@Gin's Book Notes:Sharon Kay: Wicked Wind

Karen Kincy is the author of the Others series published by Flux and more recently she's self published a New Adult dieselpunk called Shadows of Asphodel.  This was one I anticipated all year and when I finally got my hands on it I squeed in excitement and commenced to devour immediately.  It ended up being one of my most favorite reads of the year and I honestly cannot recommend this book any more highly.  I already reviewed this book here (hint: pure LOVE).  Let's welcome Karen Kincy to the blog!


Thanks so much for being on today Karen! As you already know from earlier discussions, and my

rave review, I absolutely fell in love with Shadows of Asphodel. Wendel is one of the best male characters I've read about and I'm sure you'll have plenty of swooning fans pining after him. You create characters that are morally complex (your words from our previous discussion). Which is my favorite kind of character. What is the trick to creating such fabulous characters that are so multifaceted?


Good characters have to be like good friends. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, bad enemies who give you a secret vindictive pleasure every time they fail. Or, if we’re talking about romance, they have to someone you could fall in love with. Flaws and all. Actually, I think defining a character by their flaws is an excellent way to figure out who they are. And I find characters who are vulnerable badasses to be the most fascinating.

Your book is 'dieselpunk' which is like steampunk but runs on diesel instead of steam. What made you decide to do this, and has it been confusing for readers?

I was obsessed with the glamour and innovation of the Belle Epoque, and all the empires that came crashing down by the end of World War I. That era seemed too modern for steampunk, though I wondered if it was modern enough for dieselpunk. I did some research on the inventor of the diesel engine, Rudolf Diesel, and found out that he died under mysterious circumstances in late 1913. So of course I had to include him as a character in the book. Who better than to star in a dieselpunk? If anybody has been confused by the genre, they haven’t admitted it yet. And I hope it spurs on some readers to do a little research into the true stories that inspired mine.

This is your first book with some major steam (of your published titles anyway ;), was this hard for you to write? I know I blush the whole time I'm reading it, are you blushing while writing it? And did you let your family read it? My family would never know if I published a book that steamy, I would never be able to let my mom read something I wrote with sex in it, no way!

My mom has read Shadows of Asphodel. (gasp) The sex scenes were some of the hardest ones to write in the whole book. Each of them actually advances the plot and further elaborates on Ardis and Wendel’s relationship. And there’s the description, which has to be steamy. And the dialogue, which takes the banter and turns it up to eleven. And then there are those moments of emotional vulnerability. But I loved writing the steamy scenes, so I won’t stop now.

There are some fabulous characters in the book that aren't main characters but have big 'presence'. Have you considered maybe writing a spin off series with any of them? In particular a certain character name Konstantin?

Konstantin definitely has unfinished business! (Hint: automatons. And a kiss.) Anything more would be spoilery.

Original Cover, new one is at bottom of post

Wendel is a necromancer, can you talk about some of the other sorts of paranormal elements your books have (or will have if it hasn't made an appearance just yet)? There's magic, but is there more to it all?

I intentionally wanted to keep paranormal elements rare in this world. Wendel’s necromancy is natural magic, meaning an inherited talent, and so he can raise the dead with a touch. There’s also technomancy, which is the science of magic and emulates different kinds of natural magic. Sort of how like early scientists studied lightning when experimenting with electricity. Wendel is a bit disdainful of technomancy, since he sees his talent as the real deal. Oh, and I plan on introducing more paranormal elements in bits and pieces as the series continues.

Now I could talk about Wendel and Konstantin all day. And Ardis, duh, can't forget her! But I want to talk about your publishing journey just a little. You are traditionally published with Flux for one series and then you decided to self publish this series. Can you tell us a bit about that? Why did you decide to self publish? Did it turn out better or worse than you thought? Do you plan to self publish more titles?

I realized that I could finish Shadows, see if any publishers wanted to buy it, and then wait about two years between the hypothetical sale and the bookshelf. Or I could write Shadows and self-publish it as soon as I was done. Since the book is set in 1913, I really wanted to release it in 2013. I did meet that deadline of awesome! I’m still learning the ropes of self-publishing, but I’m hoping to self-publish a sequel, Storms of Lazarus, in 2014.

Something Wicked is all about the scary, creepy and wicked- who is the most wicked character in your books? (And yes, that can mean all kinds of different things. ;) Wickedly gorgeous, wickedly stunning, wickedly evil, wickedly genius. Oh yes, wicked fits about anything, it just makes it so much better!

Wendel, of course! He’s wickedly gorgeous, wickedly stunning, and has his wickedly evil moments. I’m not sure about wickedly genius. That might be taking it too far. ;)

If you wanted to scare yourself, where would you go, or what would you do? What scares Karen Kincy?

I went to the catacombs under Paris and scared myself pretty good. Which is, of course, why my characters visit some catacombs in Shadows of Asphodel. Even if you aren’t claustrophobic, the idea of navigating a maze of old bones is enough to creep anybody out.

One of my favorite things is getting people's real life ghost stories, I personally have many. Do you have any real ghost stories to share with us? Any experiences?

The old library in my hometown was haunted! It used to be a Victorian house. On the top floor, among the narrow stacks, they said a woman in white drifted between the books at night. I never glimpsed the ghost lady, though I did get goosebumps as a kid.

Okay, so I'm really DYING to read Storms of Lazarus, so I'm going to let you get back to it, because the sooner that book is in my hands, the happier I shall be. But before we go can you tease us just a little teeny tiny bit about what we might see in the next book?

I could tease you mercilessly, but I will be a kind and generous author and give you the beginning of the first page of the first draft for Storms of Lazarus. Spoilers!

In the dead of night, Ardis heard the necromancer singing. She braced herself at the edge of the ridge, kicking her boots deeper into the snow, and glanced backward. Wendel wasn’t more than a few paces behind her. He trudged with his head bowed, his ragged black hair shadowing his face, his breath milky in the moonlight.

“Stille Nacht,” Wendel sang, “heilige Nacht, alles schläft; einsam wacht.”

His honey-gravel voice lent itself well to the melody, even if he wasn’t entirely on key.

“Silent Night?” Ardis said, also in German. “Really?”

Wendel raised his head, his eyes glittering with amusement.

“Of course,” he said. “It’s Christmas Eve.”

Be sure to send Wendel and Ardis my love! I shall miss them until next time!
Thanks so much for having me, Candace, and I will try to write faster! ;)

When Ardis discovers a man bleeding to death on the battlefield, she knows she has to walk away.

1913. In her work as a mercenary for Austria-Hungary, Ardis has killed many men without hesitation. One more man shouldn’t matter, even if he manages to be a charming bastard while he stands dying in the snow.

But when he raises the dead to fight for him, she realizes she must save his life.

If a necromancer like Wendel dies, he will return as a monster—or so the rumors say. Ardis decides to play it safe and rescues him. What she doesn’t expect is Wendel falling to one knee and swearing fealty. Ardis never asked for the undying loyalty of a necromancer, but it’s too late now.

Ardis and Wendel forge an uneasy alliance underscored with sexual tension. Together, they confront rebels, assassins, and a conspiracy involving a military secret: robotically-enhanced soldiers for a world on the brink of war. But as Ardis starts to fall for Wendel, she realizes the scars from his past run more deeply than she ever imagined. Can Ardis stop Wendel before his thirst for revenge destroys him and everyone else around him?

(Dieselpunk romance. Recommended for ages 17 & up.)

Karen is generously giving away one signed copy of Shadows of Asphodel.

US only.

Must be 17 or older to enter

Ends October 31st, 2013

Fill out the rafflecopter to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm organizing a tour for this book in December as well!  There are a few slots left, if you are interested go HERE to fill out the form!