K. C. Blake knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of twelve, and she’s been working hard to fulfill that dream ever since. A former writer for Harlequin, she now publishes YA books with a paranormal slant. Her books include Vampires Rule, Werewolves Rule, and Crushed (the first of the Witch-Game books). Witch Hunt (the second in the series) will be released April 15, 2012. Each witch book has a different set of characters and a new game to enjoy, so you don’t have to read them in order.
Witch Hunt
A magical game of Hide N Seek begins.
Find the missing player and win.
The game resets, everyone forgets, and they start to play it again.
No one can hide a secret from teen reporter Starr Hughes, not for long. She will go to any lengths to uncover a good story. Hiding under the headmaster’s desk, planting listening devices, and breaking into a person’s locker are just a few of the ways she gathers information. Nothing drives her crazier than an unsolved mystery. That’s why it bothers her so much that Jade Wilcox killed herself without leaving a suicide note. Why would a popular sixteen-year-old do that?
Jade’s sudden death isn’t the only mystery in the small New England town. There are a group of kids at school—the It-Squad—and they are about to play a secretive game at school. Starr is determined to uncover everything about them. She has to. The boy she loves is one of them and if he’s up to something wicked, she wants to know. In the end Starr will get her story, even if she winds up like Jade.
Interview
1.Let's begin with your new book, can you tell me a few things about Witch Hunt?
Witch Hunt is the name of a game a few of the students at Baycott Academy play. They use their magical powers to begin. One person (the Fox) loses his powers and hides from the others. The tricky part is that he doesn’t remember he’s hiding from them. He wakes up to a new life (Dylan goes from member of the infamous It Squad to being a photographer on the school paper). The other players have to find him. What they don’t know is that the game is about to reset and they’re going to forget they were playing.
Starr Hughes is on to them and their little game. As an aspiring reporter she can’t keep her nose out of anything. She especially wants to stop the game from hurting anyone else because she has a major crush on Dylan. When she starts looking into it, she has no idea that someone is using the game to steal powers, and he’s willing to kill to keep that a secret.
2.What triggered the idea of it, where did it all begin?
It started with my agent three years ago. I had written a book called Vampires Rule. It was bad timing on my part. Because of the explosion of vampires thanks to Twilight, publishers didn’t want to take it on. My agent suggested I come up with something unique. We talked about doing witches. I asked myself what I would do if I was a teen girl with powers. Answer: I would play games with my witch friends. Then the idea came up that the games should be dangerous, so the girls are finding love and trouble at the same time.
3.How did you create your main characters, are they based on anyone?
I was thinking of Alicia Silverstone from the Aerosmith video Cryin when I wrote the part of Starr. Ryder and Bex just came to me. They aren’t based on anyone. For Dylan I was picturing Jack from the Four Brothers movie. I don’t actually know how I create my characters. They just pop into my head as I’m plotting my books. I add more and more depth to them until they are done. That’s all.
4.Where do you usually draw inspiration from?
I read a lot and watch shows like Supernatural. They always get my creative juices going.
5.What do you think is the best and what's the worst thing about being a writer?
The best thing is creating your own world. When I finish a book, it is kind of sad. I feel like I’ve lost a close friend.
The worst thing is waiting on agents and publishers. It can take years for them to publish your book after accepting it. Now that I’m doing it myself, the worst thing is the marketing. I feel like I need to go up to everyone in America one person at a time, tap them on the shoulder, and ask if they want to read my book.
6.How was your trip through writing and publishing so far?
Long and tedious and filled with obstacles. As I mentioned above, the waiting will drive you insane. I think everyone will agree that some great books are left unpublished while some terrible books are on the shelves. No one can explain why or how this happens. It’s a tough business. One agent said you have a better chance of throwing a three-hundred page manuscript across a flowing stream and having every page safely reach the other side than you do of getting published if you are a newbie. Reassuring, huh?
7.Do you have any tips or suggestions for new writers?
Other people will tell you to write what you know. I say write what you love. If it’s not something you know, that’s what research is for. Also, don’t give up. Getting published is a long and bumpy road.
8.What should we expect from you in the future? Do you have any new projects under construction?
Tons. After Witch Hunt is released, I will be working on Dragon’s Breath. It is finished, but it needs serious rewriting. Then I need to finish the Rule books with Shifters Rule (also written but needs help). I am also writing the first of my hunter series, Bait. This one is only on chapter two, so it won’t be available for a long time.
Where can you find her books? Here are the links to the ebooks. They can also be found at Amazon in print.
Here is the link to Witch Hunt on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JCNEYQ
They can also be found at Smashwords and B&N.
