Jillian Chantal

EDITED TO ADD:  Lynn Rush is the winner of the mask- congrats, Lynn!!

JILLIAN: Today, I have another Siren author as a special guest.  Danica Avet just had her first book released. It’s the first in a series of three and so it’s a wonderful beginning for her. Mais, I see great things in her future-She so funny, she’s a couillon and she gives me frissons she’s such a witty woman. She’s also giving Cajun lessons on her blog-  mais, can you tell I’ve been studying? Anyway, Welcome to my blog, cher.

DANICA: Thanks for having me here.

JILLIAN: This is your first release. Tell us about the day you got the email offering to publish Ruby’s story.  What did you do first? Who did you call first?

DANICA: The funny thing about “the call” (or e-mail) is that Ruby wasn’t the first book I submitted to Siren. The 2^nd book in the series, Succubus-in-Waiting was accepted first and I later submitted Ruby as well. When I read the e-mail from the acquisitions editor saying they wanted to publish Succubus (and later Ruby), I almost cried my fool eyes out.

I was at work at the time, so it wasn’t something I could start shouting about. Instead, I grabbed my cell phone, ran to the bathroom and called my mom. Much to my dismay, I called the wrong person the first time, but finally got in touch with her. I was in the bathroom at work, jumping up and down, squeeing quietly, and about to cry. It was quite sad, but she understood. I think I grinned like an idiot the rest of the day and sometimes when I think about it, I still do, lol

JILLIAN: You have a pierced tongue. What made you decide to take that step?

DANICA: Wow, no one’s ever asked me that, lol. I don’t know what really possessed me. I always liked the way they looked and thought “why not?” So on Memorial Day weekend after college, I had it done. It’s been over 10 years now and I seriously forget it’s there until someone asks about it.

JILLIAN: Ruby has tattoos on her face. Do you have a tattoo to go with that tongue stud?

DANICA: LOL yes. I have three tattoos. My first one I got in my 3^rd year of college, the second one I got at the same time as my tongue piercing, and the third was a few years ago. I’m waiting for the perfect moment to get my next one. I like to keep these kinds of things for pivotal moments in my life.

JILLIAN: You tweet about your animals a lot. Tell us about your fur face friends.

DANICA: I have a 13-year-old cat named Ty (or the Devil). She has disciplined the children in my family for the last twelve years. Not many people can touch her and she likes it that way. I like to think she’s the stripper out of the menagerie. You know, “You can look at this magnificence, but you can’t touch.”

Mia is my 9-year-old Miniature Schnauzer. She believes my lap was created for her use alone. If I’m sitting down, she’s trying to sit on me. If she can’t sit on me, she has to sit near me. She has more sleeping quirks than some humans do. Before she can sleep she has to yawn (loudly), throw herself down and kick out her hind leg (usually kicking me in the butt), then she has to smack her lips three times, and groan until she falls asleep. Yeah, it’s a production.

Then there’s Cookie. She’s about 20 months old. She’s a cat we rescued and never left. She’s the funniest cat I’ve ever had. She actually comes when you call to her, demands to have attention from us including the dog, she won’t let anyone have a moment of privacy in the bathroom because she has discovered that once you’re in there, she has your undivided attention. She’s also my box model. As in, if there’s a box in the house, she’s in it, lounging like some Playboy Bunny. If the box is sealed, she’s on top of it in the same position. She just loves her boxes.

JILLIAN: All of us that are writers have what I call cover angst. Tell us about yours and if you were happy, thrilled, or just all right with your cover.

DANICA: Actually, I was extremely pleased with my cover. The model wasn’t quite what I suggested, but she turned out better than my suggestion. The artist got the tattoos and fingerless gloves and hello! She got Ruby’s attitude as well. The hero…well, all the women in my family tell me they don’t care that he doesn’t have long hair like Lucian does in the book. Someone even asked me “He has hair?” So I guess that’s a good thing, right? Because he is very hot, lol

JILLIAN: Share 5 characteristics of Ruby.

Ruby is independent because she’s had to be.

She’s also a loner because of something that happened when she was much younger (there’s another explanation, but I’m not giving anything away!).

Ruby is stubborn as all Hell too, although she will compromise when she needs to.

She’s loyal to the people who come into her life because of the powers she’s inherited.

Oh, and of course, she’s funny. Or at least I think she is, lol

JILLIAN: How did you choose the title of this book? It’s an intriguing one.

DANICA: I think I was trying to make a play on Ruby’s name but everything else I came up with just didn’t work. I thought up Ruby: Uncut and on the Loose because she’s like a diamond (or ruby) in the rough. She’s unfinished when the book starts, but through her trials and tribulations, she becomes the woman she was always meant to be. Wow, that sounds deep, huh? I’m psychoanalyzing myself!

JILLIAN: Since you met me at National RWA conference in Orlando and know some of my weirdness, tell me if I would like to have coffee with Ruby or not and the reasons.

DANICA: Hm, possibly. Ruby in some ways is a lot like me. She has my weird sense of humor and sometimes inappropriate language (Okay, so my language is almost always inappropriate!). I know I’d love to be friends with Ruby if given half the chance. Although I’d be quite unhappy to be seen next to such a tall woman. I have height…envy.

JILLIAN: This book is your first release and this is a series. Give us a little info on the next two books- are they closely related? Just a teaser to whet our appetites.

DANICA: All three books are stand-alones, but to really understand the Veil better, I would recommend reading them in order. 

Book 2 is called Succubus-in-Waiting. It should be out in April at the latest and it’s about a virgin succubus-weretiger Halfling who doesn’t want anything to do with either parts of her heritage. Her mother, a succubus, is determined to get her girl fired off and…manipulates things so she meets up with a cranky, Alpha werewolf who hates succubae.

 Book 3 is called Lifestyles of the Fey and Dangerous. It should be out by May if not earlier. It’s about a shadow fairy assassin who has one last assignment to complete before she’s pressed into service of the Eturian (bad guys) Overlord. Her target is none other than a former Eturian general who has decided to turn over a new leaf and choose to work with the Veilerians against the Eturians. And he’s a hot vampire-demon Halfling and the fairy doesn’t stand a chance 😉

TO ORDER: http://www.sirenpublishing.com/danicaavet/

Danica’s Blog: http://danicaavet.wordpress.com/

Danica is giving away a Mardi Gras mask to one lucky commenter- they are gorgeous and hand painted so leave a comment, people!