Thursday, April 8, 2010

Guest Author -- Jessica Andersen

Jessica Andersen is the bestselling RITA and RT nominated author of more than twenty Harlequin Intrigues and the Nightkeeper Novels, a hot paranormal series that sexes up the 2012 doomsday. A native New Englander, she got a PhD in genetics and passed the Patent Bar exam before taking a left-hand turn into life as a romance writer. Please welcome Jessica to The Romance Dish as she dishes about....

Sexing up the 2012 doomsday!

Hey! Author Jessica Andersen here, thanking the Romance Dish for having me on today, and thanking you for joining me to dish about Demonkeepers! All comments will be entered to win a signed copy of the book!

First, a little bit about the Nightkeeper novels and Demonkeepers:

In the last few years before the 2012 doomsday, the magic-wielding Nightkeepers must find and win their destined mates in order to protect the barrier that forms humanity’s last line of defense against ancient Mayan demons.

Demonkeepers is the story of Lucius, an Indiana Jones wannabe who never quite measures up, until a twist of magic brings him powers beyond belief … and reunites him with Jade, the one-night stand he never forgot. As the two race to rescue the sun god himself from the underworld, they learn that kicking ass isn’t enough. They’ll need all their brains and skill—and the long-denied love that burns between them—to foil the dark lords’ plot.

***

I love these books—I write the stories I love to read—big and fat, with lots of action and romance. But I’m often asked: Who is the easiest character for you to write?

I guess that although that can differ from book to book, I would have to say that the two voices that have always come the most naturally to me are been Lucius and Rabbit.

Rabbit is a favorite of mine because he’s a walking example of Murphy’s law. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong if Rabbit is involved. Since that’s my M.O. most days, he’s got a special place in my heart. I also love that he’s got the guts to say things that I would think, but not say. He’s got a temper, a mouth, and a girlfriend I’m not sure I trust yet. And I can’t wait to see what he does next!

In contrast, Lucius doesn’t have much of a temper or a particularly foul mouth … but I relate to him because he never really fit in, and although he has mostly outgrown tripping over his own too-big feet, he always falls back on his inner geek when threatened.

Or at least he used to. In Demonkeepers, an ancient spell helps him become the warrior he’s always wanted to be … but that comes at a price that threatens not only Lucius and the woman he comes to love, but the ecological fabric of the earth itself.

Since I’m a foot-tripping-over geek myself, Lucius’s voice has always come naturally to me, making it particularly fun (and, depending on where I was in the book, heartbreaking, terrifying, and uplifting) to write this book.

So, to celebrate the release of Demonkeepers, I’m asking you to tell me who your favorite character is from the Nightkeepers’ series, ask me a question, or just say “Hey!” All comments are entered to win an autographed copy of Demonkeepers, which hit stores yesterday!

For more information on the Nightkeeper novels, along with excerpts, extras, and other fun stuff, please check out http://www.jessicaandersen.com/.

36 comments:

  1. I have NIGHT KEEPERS and SKY KEEPERS on my shelf. I wait until I have all the books before I read a series like this. It is easier to keep the characters and plot line fresh. The first excerpt I read from one of these books hooked me on the series.
    I have read a couple of your Intrigues and enjoyed them.
    How many more books are left in this series? The books mention 12 warriors, does that mean 12 warriors and their mates or 6 couples?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey ! ^_^v

    I haven't read any of your books yet. And i'm so curious about the series, since i had read so many great reviews and awesome excerpts about them :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats on the new release, Jessica. I'm looking forward to reading your Nightkeepers' series.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Jessica!
    I have already read Demonkeepers and loved it! Lucius was an amazing character and I loved how he really came into his own in this one. I was sad about how his relationship with his mentor Anna is going and I'm dying to know how she fits into the whole scheme of saving the world. I'm also extremely curious about Patience and Brandt and can't wait to read their story next. But I have to say I'm with you - Rabbit is my favorite character and I fear for him regarding his relationship with Myrinne - she's a bit dubious and I'm not sure I trust her at all!

    Ok, - one of my favorite parts of the book (SPOILER) was the basketball game - where the heck did you come up with that one?? It was truly an amazingly genius way to fight it out! Loved it.

    So congratulations on the 4th book - this series has me on the edge of my seat.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Jessica! Welcome to The Romance Dish! I haven't started your Nightkeeper series yet but I have the books and I'm looking forward to reading them. Marisa has been singing their praises loud and long since the publication of the first book in the series.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have recently ordered Nightkeepers from Amazon so it is on my TBR list. I love the Mayan theme of your books.
    Love & Hugs,
    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello and welcome to The Romance Dish, Jessica! Congratulations on the huge success of your Nightkeeper novels! It seems like only yesterday that you were telling us about the start of the series at Romance Novel TV. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. *waving* Hey, Marisa! I had a feeling we'd see your smiling face here today!

    ReplyDelete
  9. librarypat said: I wait until I have all the books before I read a series like this. It is easier to keep the characters and plot line fresh.

    You know, I have several online friends who do the exact same thing, librarypat. You all must have some strong will power because I couldn't do it! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey Jessica - I LOVE your series. I hate to be one of those readers who says, "They're all my favorite characters," but it's the truth. Each book has me more hooked, and I'm dying to find out on how the 2012 scenario ends.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi, Jessica~

    I LOVE this series!

    I don't know that I could choose one favorite character. Even characters I don't think I'll like have something that makes me want to keep believing in them.

    Di

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Mariska! Thanks for stopping by. Like you, I've read many terrific reviews and comments about these books across the internet.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for popping in today, Jane!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi, Marisa! I knew we'd be seeing you here today! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Pam, like you, I find the Mayan theme of these books very intriguing. I'm fascinated by their culture.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Maria is in the house! (waving)

    I've been trying to wait until all the books are out so I can read them all at once. Frankly, I'm amazed that I've been able to wait this long.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Di, you're testing my will power even more with comments like that. I just may have to break down and start reading. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi all, and thanks for joining me here on Romance Dish!

    @ librarypat-- Thanks for picking up the books, and you're going to have a fun time (I hope) reading the whole series at once!

    They can absolutely be read alone-- the reviews on Demonkeepers suggest that this one, in particular, works very nicely as a stand-alone, which was something I really worked at. However, you'll defintely get more out of the overall story arc if you read them in order :)

    I'm planning 9 books and at least one novella, with the whole series finished in the second half of 2012 (for obvious reasons!). Some of the warriors pair up together, while others take mates from the outside.

    @ Mariska-- Hey back!! I'm glad the buzz has you intrigued, and hope you'll pick up Demonkeepers (or win it here today!)

    @ Jane-- Thanks for the post, and good luck in the drawing!

    @ Marisa-- Hey (waves furiously). Ah, yes ... Rabbit and Myrinne ... their deal is still coming clear, even to me (i.e. the person supposedly steering this thing). Dubious is a very good word for her.

    Re: the ballgame, that's the real thing, baby! Ballgames using rubber balls originated in early Mesoamerica-- they thought rubber was possessed because of the way it could bounce and change direction. The game in Demonkeepers was practiced throughout the Mayan empire (and other related cultures), and is still played today.

    Here are a couple of youtube links for clips of the game being played:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF7_vPWuNqk&feature=related

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkPDD24PiIk&feature=related

    word ver: canto

    I think I learned about them in a class I took on Bach. Notsure. It was a fine arts requirement .

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh, PJ~ I don't know how you've held off this long. These really are fabulous books. Each book is full of fully developed characters who continue to grow and change. One of my favorites things about them is that they all question what it is that's happening and if they really want to be involved. Everyone has given up something, but in the end get so much more than they had in the begining.

    Ok, I'm done.
    Di

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hey PJ - I know you're a series gal like me, and this one is not to be missed. Grab yourself a copy of Nightkeepers... you won't look back

    ReplyDelete
  21. @ PJ-- Thanks so much for picking them up! I hope you love them when they filter to the top of the TBR pile. (And Marisa, your check is in the mail- lOl.)

    @ Pam-- Yay! I hope you love Strike's book. It's different than the PNR usual, but if you like doing a little thinking while you read, it might be your kind of story (in my opinion, your mileage may vary!).

    @ Andrea-- Hi! (waves) Thanks for the shout out and the congrats :) I'm grateful that the stories have found an audience, and hope they'll continue to gain momentum as we go.

    I'm doing a Nightkeeper novella next February in an antho with Gena Showalter, Shannon Butcher and Deidre Knight, which should help spread the word.

    That project was especially interesting for me because the hero is a winikin (a member of the Nightkeepers' servant class) who escaped from their milieu, and now must return to help fight the war. It was *very* interesting to write from the perspective of someone who doesn't necessarily see the Nightkeepers as the 'good guys'.

    @ Maria-- Hey (waves!). I'm so happy to see you guys here :) Thanks for being on board for the series, and for helping generate buzz. I really appreciate it ... and I'm with you. I love each of them, albeit for different reasons.

    Michael (of Skykeepers), in particular, was a tough guy for me to get to know, but once I had really gotten down beneath his defenses, he turned out to be a very interesting, fierce and loyal man.

    Lucius is someone I've always been able to write fairly easily, as I speak geek fluently. So it was very fun to write Demonkeepers and watch him come out of his shell (and do some vicarious living through Jade while I was at it!).

    @ DiR-- Very well said! I know he's not a popular guy, but I even have a soft spot for Red-Boar. He's (He was) a miserable SOB, but when you think about what he went through as the sole survivor of a terrible battle ... It doesn't excuse his 'tude, but it does make you (or at least me) feel for the guy.

    @ PJ-- thanks for having me, and yes, it's one of my goals in life to mortally tempt those of you who are planning on waiting to read the whole series once it's complete! LOL.


    word ver: deringui

    A very small gun that shoots pasta.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Jessica Andersen said: word ver: deringui

    A very small gun that shoots pasta.


    LOL!! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Okay, Di and Maria. I think you've just about convinced me to take the leap! :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'm with you PJ, I love coming accross series that are already complete. =)

    Jessica -

    I love characters in books, but I am fickle, and fall for new characters in new books too!

    When my pile gets smaller, I may have to break down and buy your Nightkeeper novels.... I've seen reviews, and we have the same name!

    penstsil -

    a place to keep your precious pencils

    ReplyDelete
  25. @ PJ-- imagines a bunch of us standing around the edge of the Cenote Sagrada (the big ceremonial sinkhole at Chichen Itza), chanting 'jump, jump, jump, jump!' Only instead of water 200 feet down at the bottom, there's the Keepers books. The series is four books deep already ... you'll get almost half the story if you start now!

    :)

    @ Jessica--- Great name! My critique partner is another Jessica, as are a couple of other writing friends. That's how I got tagged with 'Doc Jess'. We needed a way to know which Jess we were talking about!

    word ver: metramil

    A high-fiber laxitive for use on trains.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Jessica, congrats on your latest release in this fabulous series! I love this book and am glad to know there's a lot more of it ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  27. word ver: metramil

    A high-fiber laxitive for use on trains.


    ROFL! I'm having such fun reading your veri-word definitions!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Congrats on the release!! I have the first of the series on my TBR list but havent had the chance to read it yet. Thinking I need to move that up.

    ReplyDelete
  29. @ Nancy- Hi, and thanks so much!

    @ PJ- LOL. I like these new Google word verifications bc I can read them (I'm challenged when it comes to the really funky ones) and they seem like they should make sense :)

    @ donnas-- Thanks for having the first one, and do try it out! It's a little off the beaten path, with a lot of worldbuilding (especially in the first book-- the subsequent stories are able to focus more on the hero and heroine of the given book), and characters I'd like to think we can all relate to.

    I sort of went into the series asking myself 'what would I do if I suddenly found out it was my job to save the world using these ancient rituals, and that my life was (to varying extents) being directed by a group of gods that went out of favor a long time ago?'

    It creates a neat (imho) juxtaposition of ancient ideas and modern urban fantasy.

    With running and screaming. And hot sex. And chocolate. :)

    word ver: salic

    Brand name for a new aspirin derivative.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hello Jessica!! Thanks for spending the day with us here.

    I haven't yet had the pleasure of reading your books yet, but just from the brief descriptions of Rabbit and Lucius I can totally relate to both of them. It kind of funny how an if anything can go wrong it will go wrong geek lives in most of us :-)

    Congrats on all the success!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hey, Jessica! You're a new-to-me-author. Your books sound intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Congratulations on the new release. I've read some of your Harlequins, but I haven't tried this series yet.

    ReplyDelete
  33. @ Buffie-- Thanks for the hello and the warm wishes, and YES on the inner Murphy's-Law-channeling geek living within us all!

    @ Deb-- Hey, it's nice to 'meet' you, and I hope you'll check out the series! (and/or win a copy of DemonK today to get you started!)

    @ Penfield- Thanks for being an Intrigue reader! I'm looking forward to getting back to them next year!

    To PJ and the Dish-ers, thanks so much for hanging out with me today and chatting about all things Keeper-ish!

    word ver: seismingy

    The apparatus used to measure tremors on the Richter scale.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thanks for being with us today, Jessica.

    Y'all have accomplished your mission. I will be starting the Nightkeepers very soon! *g*

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hi Jessica,

    New to your series but have been following your blog tour and have read all the positive reviews. Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  36. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete