Welcome to my stop on the Mageri Series Book Tour! Today I have the pleasure of chatting with author Dannika Dark who’s here to talk about her new urban fantasy series. Feel free to show Dannika some love and enter the giveaway š
RTD: Welcome to Romancing the Darkside Dannika! Iām really excited to have you here today and canāt wait to talk to you about your book Sterling and the Mageri Series so letās get right to itā¦
DD: Thanks so much for having me. Itās great to be here!
DD: Thatās an interesting question. Iām always open on my blog or Facebook page, so Iām going to think about the readers who donāt know me. 1.) I spend 8-9 hours a day working in a cubicle for a large company. However, part of my job includes writing training documentation. Iām always finding a way to write. 2.) Iāve never submitted a novel to a publisher or agent. I did early on with poetry, but I made the decision with my novels that I wanted to be an Indie. Iām an independent girl, and this was an exciting place to be. 3.) I can change the spark plugs and oil in my own car. āŗ
DD: The inspiration came from a Vampire novel I wrote and trashed. I loved some key elements, but the story was awful. Vampire novels are great, but I really wanted to do something fresh. A specific character needled his way into my head from that series and I decided to start over with Sterling. I think when I got halfway through I knew this was going to be a completed novel. It wasnāt until I reached the end and there was more that needed to be told that I knew it was going to be a series. I donāt arc my series, but I do have a small road map in my head of the particular book Iām writing. I donāt know where the road may lead, but part of the journey is discovering the characters and what story they want to share. Usually when Iām Ā¾ of the way in, I know if itās going to be a series.
DD: Favorite scene to write in the series ā good question! Iām a huge fan of first meetings ā when two character are introduced for the first time. Thereās an electrical charge in the air of uncertainty. Iām going to say my favorite scene to write was in Twist, when Logan (our kidnapper) pulls the car over and pins Silver (ZoĆ«) to a tree. We know very little about this man except that heās dangerous. I have that scene so visualized in my head. The smell of the mossy earth, the damp air chilled against Silverās skin, the fear of what this manās intentions are, and the intensity of his personality. Her heart is racing, afraid of what could happen to her if she doesnāt escape the situation. There were so many layers of emotions going on through that scene that I really enjoyed writing it–and think back to it above all other scenes.
DD: Zoƫ is a survivor, struggling to accept her new identity and find her place in the world.
DD: Justus is a very complicated man who doesnāt show all his cards, so he was probably the most challenging. I think Simon was effortless to write. Itās like that man just leapt onto the page and completely took over the wheel. Thereās more to each of the characters than what we initially see; thatās what makes writing them so interesting. They are constantly evolving and unraveling themselves to the reader, and when you reach a point in the later books where you learn more about a character and have that āah-haā moment, thatās really great.
DD: It was pretty easy with the personality of the protagonist. Real life has balance, and we often find ourselves laughing in very difficult situations. I think you need those breaks, and it helps keep the overall tone from becoming too serious or dark that the reader feels that they took a beating by the time theyāre done reading. The interesting part about this is, I had a lot of remarks about how funny the book was. I never wrote with that intention, but I think that itās refreshing when we have those laugh-out-loud moments while reading a series. Thatās when I know that Iām really connecting with a character or scene.
DD: Iām uncertain if this question is literal. I think my comfort zone is in Urban Fantasy Romance, but Iāve also written Paranormal Romance, with a twist. (of course!). I also feel the most comfortable writing on my sofa. āŗ
DD: I love Urban Fantasy, but the interesting part about this isāIāve never read a series revolving around a Mage. Usually when Iām in the bookstore, the books about Mages have the long robes, magical sticks, and are geared more towards male readers. Itās not to say there arenāt some out thereāI just havenāt read them and may not be aware of them all. I did start one of Anne Riceās witch series many years ago, but aside from that, I donāt have any series in my book collection with either character. Maybe thatās why it made it so much fun to write. A Mage felt like a stereotyped character and I wanted to do a different spin on what a Mage was, and interpret them as very sexy. Not in the physical sense (although we do have some lookers!)ābut the idea of what they can do, and how they remain hidden in our world. A few readers mentioned it was a refreshing break from reading so many Vampire novels, and thereās no āsorceryā involved that reads like so many other books out there surrounding this character type. My goal was to make a Mage so damn interesting, that Iād rather bump into one on the street than a Vampire.
DD: Iām currently finishing out a Midnight Breed novella, āA Taste of Midnightā. Usually I can read a novella in a couple of hours, but Iāve been sidetracked this week with a book cover release for Impulse. My latest purchase was āImmortal Coilā by an indie author. Writing takes up so much time that itās difficult to fit in an entire series into my schedule, except during my breaks, which usually come right after a book release.
DD: Impulse is the continuing story of Silver, a former human who was made into a Mage. Weāll find out some revealing information about some of the characters, and thereās a new bad guy lurking around. I love for my readers to be completely surprised, so until the book is published, I usually give away nothing. š Teasers are great, but Iām a fan of a total surprise.
Just for fun:
Favorite movie/TV witch/wizard? Ulrich from āDragonslayerā (1981??) Very much the clichĆ© image of a Mage/sorcerer as I mentioned before, but I loved that movie when I was a kid
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only pick one person, who would you want for company? Iād love to pick a few celebrities, but most of them are marriedā¦lol Perhaps Simon Hunt, character from The Mageri Series. He would make the time go by easily, and might strategize a way off of the island. Iām not a nature girl. Put me on that island with a Greek God and Iāll still want off so I can enjoy air-conditioning and ice cream.
Whatās your current guilty pleasure? Chef Ramseyās TV shows.
Morning person or night owl? Shall I put on my ears and hoot for you? š
Summer or Winter? Winter, definitely winter! I live in one of the hottest states and I relish the days when the ground is covered with ice and the air is biting cold.
DD: Thanks again for having me here; I had a lot of fun!
By Dannika DarkĀ
ZoĆ« Merrick leads a less than ordinary life. Late one evening, she crosses paths with a man who brutally attacks her. In one shattering instant–a stranger with a knife alters the course of her future.
Unconscious and covered in blood, Zoƫ is found by a man named Adam. She undergoes a physical transformation, and strange new abilities begin to surface. Without hesitation, he takes her under his wing and an unexpected friendship forms between the two. Unable to return to her former life, Zoƫ feels lost.
Serendipity leads her to Justus. He is handsome, arrogant, and not entirely human. Justus gives her the truth she has longed to hear–that she is a Mage. He offers her answers and protection, as a young Mage cannot survive on their own. Forced to trust him, she must come to terms with accepting her new life and identity.
When her immortal freedom is threatened by the one man who has a right to claim her, ZoĆ« learns the price of freedom…and the value of loyalty.
Months after moving to the mysterious city of Cognito, Silver is developing her gifts as a Mage, and learning how to live under new laws. Forced to give up her old life, she must now live in secret among the humans. She finally has hope of leading an ordinary life . . . until Logan Cross walks into it.
Their chance meeting leads her close to discovering the identity of the nameless Mage who once stole her light and discovered the unique power she possesses. That knowledge poses an unimaginable threat to Silver, fueling her search to find out who he is, before he finds her first.
Lives are at stake. Truths are revealed. And an unexpected passion ignites.
Down in Texas, there’s a woman who drinks copious amounts of vitamin water placed precariously closed to her laptop. Yeah, I know. I’ve got a drinking problem. Hi, I’m Danni.
When I’m not writing (which is all the time), I’m listening to obscure music, watching movies, reading, discovering new ways to humiliate myself bowling, and burning up my laptop battery on the internet. I live with a cat who thinks she is a dog, or a goat (she eats plastic, so I’m not sure which).
Some people count sheep when they have insomnia. My entire life, since I was little, I made up stories in my head. If could bore myself to sleep, then mission accomplished. The problem is, I’d get so wrapped up in my ‘head stories’ that I didn’t fall asleep. Then the next night I would start over and change it up a little to make it more exciting. It never dawned on me until much later that maybe I should pen those down. So I created short stories, and then went on to writing poetry.
Lots and lots of poetry. It’s almost embarrassing that I have an entire box loaded with spiral notebooks filled with furious, heartfelt, and blushing words. Apparently, I had a lot to say.
Another one of my hobbies is digital art. I designed all my book covers.
I am finally doing what I have always wanted to: giving my characters a pulse through publishing. I write adult urban fantasy romance, but I don’t like labels. I let the story tell itself, and color outside the lines. I am not a YA author, but I think its pretty great that there are so many books available to teens in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal. These are the future readers!
I adore Dannika Dark, Her work is so captivating.. when I read her novels I’m completely immersed in the story even in a way that I get irritated if I’m interrupted. I tweet about her books because I feel like we should support Indies writers and spread the word of their work when they are this good. It keeps them motivated to write more and gift the world with their tallent.
Thank you for the interview and for allowing us readers to know more about this great author.
Sterling instantly became on of my favorite urban fantasies. I don’t think it could have done that as a vampire novel.