Interview w/ JK Hogan!

Morning chickies! We've got one of my local NC authors joining us today for a chat about her paranormal series and a new release in it. I just love these covers and can't wait to give them a read. They sound pretty interesting. So, come check out our chat and help me give her a warm welcome to JK! :)   ~Anna

She who wields the mark is the barrier between man and monster. She is the daughter of gods, the mother of man, protector of all. Vigilati Usque Ad Mortem”

All Isla Macallen wanted was a simple existence on her little Scottish island, free from her mother’s insanity and the prying eyes of neighbors. What she got was embroiled in a war for the souls of mankind. A war of good versus evil, of witches versus demons, and Isla learns that she alone can end it.

Dr. Jeremiah Rousseau was a self-proclaimed nomad, traveling the world researching paranormal phenomena. He doesn’t expect his research to lead him to Scotland, and to the woman who will turn his world upside down.

Together with a facetious shapeshifting animal spirit guide, Jeremiah and Isla discover that she is part of an ancient bloodline bred to protect the gateways between the human world and the spirit world, to keep evil demons from destroying them. They must find the key to defeating Alastore, the demon king, and closing the gate before Samhain, when the veil between the worlds is lifted. As the war for their souls wages around them, Isla and Jeremiah will risk it all for love—a love neither had ever thought possible.

Book One: Amazon  B&N  Goodreads

Well good morning JK! I just pulled a batch of scones out of the oven so come on in and make yourself comfy and help yourself.

Alright, I've got some questions for ya now that we're all settled. Congrats on your new release in your Vigilati series. The covers are just lovely! Could you tell us just a little about the series?

Thank you! I’m especially proud of my covers. The artist, Roser Portella Florit, is one of the best photo manip artists I’ve ever come across.

The series as about an ancient race of witches called the Vigilati who are born to protect the barriers between the human and the spirit world, and keep the evil auchrim demons from coming through. Unfortunately there aren’t many Vigilati left and the surviving descendants have no idea of their responsibility and purpose in the coming battles. The books are about each heroine’s quest to find out where she comes from and how to defeat the demons.

Ahhh it sounds so good! And I love that Blood In the Valley is set in North Carolina since it's my current home state! I saw that you're actually a native North Carolinian. How neat! Were you able to incorporate actual bits and pieces of your area into the book or did you create a more fictionalized version of the state?

I used the town of Blowing Rock as the setting, although a lot of the places within it are fictional. There is a waterfall in the book that I based off of Hickory Nut Falls, which was used in the movie Last of the Mohicans. There is also mention of both ASU and UNCA. Last year, I was trying to figure out where to set the story while my husband and I were driving through Chimney Rock. I decided right then to bring the series back home!

Well I'm glad ya did! Love it! So, could you tell us 4 behind the scenes fun facts about the series? Think pop-up video style.

1. Fire on the Island takes place on the Isle of Arran, a tiny island in Scotland. My husband’s maternal grandparents immigrated from there and I was blessed to visit with his family a few years ago.
2. I basically came up with the whole plot to Fire on the Island in my head in one day, and told the whole thing to my hubby over sushi that night.
3. My books always feature strong heroines. I feel like those are lacking in today’s book market, especially in paranormal romance. There will be hot, sexy heroes, but the women will always be badass babes! *that totally works for me!*
4. Raven, the heroine from Blood in the Valley rides a Ducati Monster motorcycle. I’ve only ridden a motorcycle once and I was completely terrified and didn’t make it out of the parking lot. Sometimes I have to live vicariously through my characters.

LOL same here JK! I love getting to "try" new things with each of the heroes/heroines I meet. Speaking of characters, what do you think people will love most about Raven, Drew and their journey?

Both of them have childhood issues and have trouble trusting people. They come to care for each other almost accidentally, where the reader sees it coming before they do. Plus, Drew is a hot, nerdy professor type, a la Indiana Jones, and Raven is a strong, powerful chick. What’s not to love?

Indeed! They sound fab. I love that he's a bit nerdy! We're all about the kitties here but we do love pups too. I saw mention that you're involved with dog agility. How'd you get into that? What kind of pups do you have?

After we adopted our dog Harley, we noticed she loved to jump. She would use the horse jumps we had to play on. I used to be a vet tech, and one of the owners got me into agility and Harley’s been loving it ever since. Since then, we adopted Slo-Mo (Mo) who is actually quite fast. They are both rescue mutts—Harley being a boxer/GSD cross and Mo being a border collie mix. We also do have a cat, Shai, who’s been with me since before I met my husband.

Aws! Sounds like a great little herd. Okay, a couple quickies if you're up for it!

I'm completely freaked the heck out by...?

Birds. Birds totally squick me out. I used to have chickens so they’re not as bad, and I don’t mind ducks, but any other birds give me the heebiejeebies. Just all their flapping, their little beady eyes, and scaly legs. Blech. *lol JK I'm so with you. Ducks are good though. Don't know why but ducks seem safe.*

Patterned socks or plain?

Patterned. Sometimes they don’t even have to match. I’m that cool. *bwaha love that!*

Favorite candle scent?

Vanilla

Your go to dessert?

Mmm… Tiramisu. *oh yum*

Best "burning soup" moment?

There are so many, I can’t even land on one. I’m so clumsy. I explode things in the microwave, set things on fire in the toaster oven. Sometimes, I literally burn soup. But, believe it or not, I can cook when I want to.

Favorite Man Candy?

There is so much man candy out there to choose from. I’ll say, in general, The Avengers. Specifically, Robert Downey Jr. Sigh….

Three things you can touch from where you're sitting?

My two dogs and my kindle fire.

Aws. Well we'll let you get back to the pups. If they're anything like our herd they're *dying* for attention now that mama's busy. LOL Thanks for coming by JK!

J.K. Hogan has been telling stories for as long as she can remember, beginning with writing cast lists and storylines for her toys growing up. When she finally decided to put pen to paper, magic happened. She is greatly inspired by all kinds of music and often creates a “soundtrack” for her stories as she writes them.

J.K. resides in North Carolina, where she was born and raised. A true southern girl at heart, she lives on a farm with her husband and young son, a cat, and two champion agility dogs. If she isn’t on the agility field, J.K. can often be found chasing waterfalls in the mountains with her husband, or down in front at a blues concert.

In addition to writing, she enjoys training and competing in dog sports, spending time with her large southern family, camping, boating and, of course, reading!

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The daughter of a Las Vegas hustler, Raven Sabatier grew up trusting nothing and no one—she doesn’t even trust herself to stay in one place for longer than a minute. When her quest to find out the secrets of her past leads her to the mountains of North Carolina, she’s set on a collision course with the one man she thought she’d never see again.

In Appalachia consulting on an archeological dig, Anthropologist Dr. Drew Deveraux comes face to face with the indomitable beauty who broke into his apartment a year ago, tilting his carefully cultivated world on its axis.

Engaged in a fight with their demons, both imagined and real, the last thing either of them expected to find was love. Together, they must unravel the mystery of Raven’s past and her connection with an ancient race of witches, in order to save their future—and all of the souls hanging in the balance.

Book 2: Amazon B&N Goodreads