CS4W: Welcome, Joy! Thank you for joining us. Please tell us about your upcoming release, IMMORTALS: THE CROSSING.
Immortals: The Crossing is the sixth book in the bestselling multi-author series Immortals. It’s set in the same Immortals world as the previous books, but is a stand-alone title. In The Crossing, Celtic demigod Mannanan Mac Lir (Mac from Immortals: The Awakening), finds himself in hot pursuit of Artemis Black, a stunningly dangerous witch who is inexplicably able to intertwine life magic with death magic. Her rare talent nearly killed a faerie infant under Mac’s protection, and he vows to run her to ground. But once he does, Mac finds that Artemis is not what he expected. Artemis is both vulnerable and cunning, appealing and infuriating. It’s not often that Mac meets a female who can tug at his heartstrings and challenge his magic.
Passions run high between Artemis and Mac—and so does suspicion. What human would refuse the help of a demigod? While it’s clear to Mac that Artemis has been dealing in forbidden magic, he’s also sure she’s in grave danger. What is the dark secret she’s hiding? She doesn’t want his help, but he’s not about to let her destroy herself. He’s going to stick tight by her side until he uncovers the truth--even when she leads him straight into Hell.
CS4 W: How did you become involved in the IMMORTALS series?
Jennifer Ashley pitched the original idea for Immortals to Dorchester . Dorchester was looking for a multi-author series idea to follow their previous Crimson City and 2176 multi-author series, and decided Immortals would be perfect. Robin and I were approached by Dorchester to collaborate with Jennifer on the series.
CS4W: What was the process like in terms of working with the other authors and keeping the timelines consistent?
Writing connected books with two fantastically talented authors was a wonderful experience. I didn't know Robin or Jennifer before the project started, and I'm so glad to have them as friends now. Jennifer was a very wise group facilitator and so easy to work with, as was Robin. We started a private Yahoo loop and communicated constantly about the Immortals world, the rules of magic, our separate characters, and the common villain that appeared in the first four books—and yes, the timeline was on our minds at all times, since the events of our books were happening concurrently.
CS4W: How did it feel to make the USA Today Bestseller list? How did you celebrate?
It felt great! I’d been keyed up, since both Jenn’s and Robin’s Immortals books had made the list, and I really didn’t want to let down the team with my book. When our editor called me with the news, I was ecstatic! But I don’t remember doing anything specific to celebrate, other than calling or emailing all my family and friends. <g>
CS4W: You also write Celtic Historical Fantasy. Please tell us about your Druids of Avalon series.
The Druids of Avalon series is a historical fantasy romance series set in Britain that follows the Celtic and Roman ancestors of King Arthur. The series grew out of my first book with Dorchester , Celtic Fire (Jun 05), a paranormal tale of a Celtic Queen and a Roman army commander who is led to her northern British tribe by his dead brother’s ghost. The younger brother of Rhiannon, the heroine of Celtic Fire is Owein. Thirteen years after the events of Celtic Fire, Owein is an embittered Druid warrior living in the mountains of South Wales, when he becomes the hero of The Grail King (Aug 06), the first book in the Druids of Avalon series, and the winner of a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times, features a pre-Arthurian hunt for the Holy Grail. In the second book in the Druid series, Deep Magic (Jan 08) readers learn my version of how the legendary sword Excalibur was forged. , was out earlier this year. The series continues in 2009 with Silver Silence, a book that delves into th e legend surrounding King Arthur’s birth.
CS4W: You have a very busy writing career! How do you juggle writing between the IMMORTALS series and the Druids of Avalon series?
It’s a challenge! I prefer to focus on one book at a time. I was actually half-way through writing Silver Silence, Druids of Avalon #3, when my editor pulled me off the book to write Immortals: The Crossing and my novella for Immortals: The Reckoning (Mar 09). As a result, the release date for Silver Silence (which I’m again working on now) was delayed.
In addition to the paranormal series, I’m starting a new, lighter contemporary series under a new pen name. A Little Light Magic by Joy Rizza, a fun summer story set at the Jersey Shore , will be out in June 09.
CS4W: What was your path to publication like? Did you enter contests? Did you have an agent when you sold your first book?
I entered a ton of contests. I was the classic contest slut…um, I mean, DIVA. Yeah, that’s it. At first it was mainly to get unbiased critiques of my writing, which were usually helpful, if painful at times. With Celtic Fire, I hit a streak of contest wins/placements, including RWA’s Golden Heart contest, and was invited to submit the manuscript to several editors. I signed with an agent that same year, and I credit her with getting my manuscript on the top of many editors’ to-read-next pile. I sold the book that autumn.
CS4W: Do you have a daily writing routine? What do you do to keep your writing fresh and flowing?
On a great writing morning, after my kids get on the school bus, I make a second (or third) cup of tea and sit down at my laptop to write. If I'm smart, I don't look at email or a news website before I start to write! I write for three hours or so until my dog comes over to beg to stop. Then we go for a walk while I work out some story problems in my head. Then I come back and write all my ideas down.
If I get stuck, I often write out character interviews, asking my characters to solve the problem for me!
CS4W: IMMORTALS: THE CROSSING will be released in October of 2008. What can we expect to see on the shelves in 2009? Are you currently working on a new book?
2009 will be a very busy year for me, with three releases!
MARCH 09 - Immortals: The Reckoning Anthology, with stories from all three Immortals authors
JUNE 09 – A Little Light Magic by Joy Rizza – a new contemporary series under a new pen name, featuring fun, light magic, and romance at the Jersey Shore !
OCTOBER 09 – The Druids of Avalon return with Silver Silence by Joy Nash. Rhys pursues Breena two centuries into the future, to a Britain under attack by Saxon marauders.
CS4W: What writing advice would you like to share with our readers?
Keep writing! And always try to finish your stories. Too many writers quit when they get bogged down in the middle of a book, and toss it aside to start on a new idea. But if you don’t ever write through the sagging middle to the end, and then go back to revise, revise, revise, you won’t ever get published!
USA Today Bestselling Author Joy Nash loves to write her dreams—and sometimes, her nightmares! Both regularly appear in the novels she pens for Dorchester Publishing. Joy's historical fantasy, The Grail King, was a 2007 recipient of Romantic Times Bookreviews' Reviewers' Choice Award, and her urban fantasy adventure Immortals: The Awakening hit top levels of several national bestsellers lists. Her 2008 releases include Deep Magic (Jan), and Immortals: The Crossing (Oct). When not reading or writing, Joy's hobbies include brain-numbing movie binges, staring into space, and wishing her house was clean. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, kids, and a liver-spotted Dalmatian that she swears was a cat in a past life.
To learn more about Joy and her books, please go to: http://www.joynash.com
