Please welcome today's guest author Sierra Dean! Sierra is the author of Something Secret This Way Comes.
EJ: When did you begin writing?
Sierra: I started writing when I was about 10 and took my first stab at writing a "book" when I was 12. Since then I've been constantly writing and probably have a hundred unfinished books laying around waiting for me to come back and resurrect those ideas and characters.
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
Sierra: My first paranormal read was Laurell K. Hamilton's Obsidian Butterfly. I didn't even know I was starting in the middle of a series, but I immediately devoured the other books. I was in high school at the time, so the naughty factor definitely appealed to me. At 16, reading something that was basically Buffy with an R rating was the greatest thing to happen to my life.
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
Sierra: What I've discovered from writing urban fantasy is that as cool as it would be to have some of the paranormal afflictions, they all come at a cost. Werewolves lose control of their humanity; vampires lose their connection with the daylight world... it's all tough. I'm working on a story idea with a girl who is pyrokinetic, and it seems like a nifty little skill to have. Something like that, where you can manipulate matter without it manipulating you, that would be pretty epic.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
Sierra: Anyone who appreciates a book with a kick-ass heroine who is also realistically portrayed and behaves like a real person, will like this series. Secret may not be human, but she is definitely the kind of heroine readers will be able to relate to. She's smart and sassy, but she's also vulnerable and sometimes very lost, and I like that about her. The story itself is fast paced with a lot of plot twists to keep things interesting. For readers who are burnt out a paranormals with more sex than story, this is a good option. The romance and heat are there, but it's much more about the mystery and the story than it is anything else.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
Sierra: This is one of those questions where the answer is constantly changing. I'm always making a mental cast list for my book, I've even gone so far as to Photoshop character flash cards together. I usually have a tie for most of my characters when it comes to actors I like.
Secret - I like Yvonne Strahovski from Chuck, because she can be tough but also tender, and she's beautiful but not in a too-perfect way. She's my #1 for Secret. I also love Dianna Agron from Glee, and think she'd bring out the softer sides of Secret really well.
Desmond - my choices for this change more often than any other role, because I see traits in actors that I think would suit Desmond wonderfully. But right now my choice pick is Darren Criss, also from Glee. When I see pictures of the actor in real life, when he's more casual, there's something about his mussed hair and those imploring, soulful eyes that screams Desmond to me.
Lucas - it's a tie between Kellan Lutz and Joel McHale (from NBC's Community). Kellan is in the right age bracket for Lucas and has his features, but Joel has a cheeky charm to him and a likability I think Lucas exudes. His character on Community also wears a lot of what I call "billionaire casual" and it helps me picture him as Lucas.
Holden - Matthew Bomer. No question. The brooding eyes, the longish hair, the cheekbones, mouth, you name it. Bomer is my one and only Holden.
Something Wicked This Way Comes (Secret McQueen, #1) by Sierra Dean.
Some secrets are dangerous. This Secret is deadly.
For Secret McQueen, her life feels like the punch line for a terrible joke. Abandoned at birth by her werewolf mother, hired as a teen by the vampire council of New York City to kill rogues, Secret is a part of both worlds, but belongs to neither. At twenty-two, she has carved out as close to a normal life as a bounty hunter can. When an enemy from her past returns with her death on his mind, she is forced to call on every ounce of her mixed heritage to save herself-and everyone else in the city she calls home. As if the fate of the world wasn't enough to deal with, there's Lucas Rain, King of the East Coast werewolves, who seems to believe he and Secret are fated to be together. Too bad Secret also feels a connection with Desmond, Lucas's second-in-command...
Warning: This book contains a sarcastic, kick-ass bounty hunter; a metaphysical love triangle with two sexy werewolves; a demanding vampire council; and a spicy seasoning of sex and violence.
Thank you Sierra for joining us here today at From the Shadows!
To learn more about Sierra Dean and her books, please visit her website.
