Interview & Tour wide giveaway with Madhuri Blaylock

By Kelly on March 7, 2014 in Blog Tour, Book Blitz, Enchantress of Books Blog Tour, Spotlight Feature

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome first time guess Madhuri Blaylock to the blog today.

Madhuri, can you please share with us a little about yourself: My parents are from south India, I was born in Vancouver, Canada, lived in Seattle, Washington until I was five and then moved to a small town called Snellville, Georgia, where I lived until I left for New York City to attend Barnard College. I have a younger brother and sister, a sister-in-law and a brother-in-law.
I’ve been married for fifteen years, have a son and a step daughter. These three are my crew and I love them fiercly. We have loads of fun together, laugh constantly, bicker a bit, and Wii bowl like it’s no one’s business. Holla.Some randoms about me: As much as I love Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X, 2fth Hour might be my favorite Spike Lee joint, I used to have a nose ring, during law school my hair was dyed platinum blonde, Nightmare on Elm Street gave me nightmares for months on end, I’m a stubborn taurus, I have six tattoos with two more in the works, I drive a convertible Mini, I had guinea pigs named Fran and Fred, I love Coach and Tami, Thelma and Louise is one of my top five favorite films, New Orleans is my favorite US city, I’m totally superstitious, Glenlivet is my poison after 5pm, my dad pierced my ears and my girl crushes are Beatrix Kiddo, Zoe Saldana and Rashida Jones.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Nope. When I was little, after devouring Gerald Durrell’s books, I wanted to be a zoologist, then this dream morphed into being a veterinarian for large farm animals. Later, I wanted to be a lounge singer in some dimly lit bar in Manhattan and next, I wanted to be an Oscar-winning actress (in fact, my entrance essay on my NYU college application is my Best Actress Oscar winning speech); after that I wanted to own a magazine, which led to writing for a magazine and finally culminized in simply wanting to write.
What is your most interesting writing quirk?

Probably my incessant need to perfectly edit my work. I think I get this quirk from my dad and it is intense – I will pour over my drafts, again and again, trying to find each and every spelling and grammatical error. Hearing that I’ve missed something drives me bananas. Hearing that my book is well-edited, which quite a few readers have noted, makes my heart happy.
Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

Sure thing. My current book is THE GIRL, which is the first book in the trilogy I am developing called The Sanctum. I think the best way to sum up THE GIRL is as follows:

The Sanctum, an all-powerful governing body founded by ten families, entrusted to maintain the peace amongst Magicals and ensure the ignorance of humans, has been corrupted by greed and savagery for generations, but is all Wyatt Clayworth has ever known.
Dev, the hybrid demon prophesied to bring an end to The Sanctum and destroy the world for Magicals and humans alike, is not what Wyatt expected to find when sent out on his latest mission. Believed to be hunting a killing machine, Wyatt finds little more than a broken girl with haunted eyes and a bit of a death wish. Drawn to one another for reasons they cannot begin to explain to themselves, much less anyone else, Wyatt is determined to protect Dev and help her realize her mission to avenge the deaths of her family at the hands of The Sanctum.Set against the backdrop of New York City, THE GIRL is described as “outstanding, original, complex, deep and intoxicating”, a “well written, unique…fast-paced read” that begins as one girl’s simple quest for revenge and evolves into a complicated tale of trust, friendship, honor and love.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I had been reading a lot of paranormal fiction and feeling rather unsatisfied with the lead female characters in many of the stories, so decided to create my own, badass, take-no-prisoners type of girl. I started taking notes on this girl, her personality and her backstory and before I knew it, Dev was born. From there, came the rest of the characters and the general idea for The Sanctum trilogy and the more detailed story of THE GIRL.
Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

Right now I’m finishing up book two in The Sanctum trilogy, called THE BOY. It picks up right where THE GIRL left off but is difficult to discuss without giving away some key points of the story line. I can tell readers that you’ll meet Ryker’s parents, learn more about Qi and his sect of Magicals called the Ramyan and meet my shape-shifter, Jedda.
Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?

Living author, I would love to meet JK Rowling simply because I can only assume the brains behind Harry Potter must be fabulous fun. She’d probably be loads of laughs, have great stories to tell and invaluable advice to share. Dead, hand’s down, my choice is Zora Neale Hurston. She was my introduction to women writers of color and has always held a special place in my heart. Plus, she’s the first Black woman to attend my alma mater, proving she is strong, determined and brilliant. An evening with her would be simply divine.
What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – write, write and write some more. Then get a little sleep, wake up and keep on writing.
Can you share with us something off your bucket list.

I want to walk the Great Wall of China, I want to go to Sao Paolo, Brazil and see if I can feel some of the magic Jorge Amado conjures in his work, I want to yell across the Grand Canyon and I want to get drunk with George Clooney
What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

Veronica Roth’s Allegiant, Hugh Howey’s Wool and Kayti Nika Raet’s Harm. I’m also dying to get my hands on George RR Martin’s, Laini Taylor’s and Cassandra Clare’s upcoming releases, but who isn’t?!!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I’d like to say thank you so, so much for letting me stop by and talk about THE GIRL. Folks have either emailed me or messaged me or written a review on Amazon or Goodreads that is so full of excitement and enthusiasm for the trilogy and Book One that I’m rather speechless. It’s been quite a ride. Of course, there will always be those who don’t like something I’ve done or don’t like the story or my writing, but for the most part, the feedback has been incredibly positive and encouraging and for that I am so thankful. It makes me excited to keep working at this and I look forward to meeting more of you as this journey continues.
Please feel free to reach out to me about The Sanctum trilogy or writing or our shared love of all things tequila or lyric suggestions for me to use on a blog post or your favorite four inch heels or how hot Coach is (if you have to ask “who is Coach?”, I am so sad for you). Seriously, hit me up; I’m always down for a good chat.You can find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thesanctumtrilogy or on Twitter at @madhuriblaylock or my blog at http://madhuriblaylock.wordpress.com.

Rock on.

*****

Book One: The Girl

(The Sanctum)

Dev, the hybrid demon prophesied to bring an end to The Sanctum and destroy the world for Magicals and humans alike, is not what Wyatt expected to find when sent out on his latest mission. Believed to be hunting a killing machine, Wyatt finds little more than a broken girl with haunted eyes and a bit of a death wish. Drawn to one another for reasons they cannot begin to explain to themselves, much less anyone else, Wyatt is determined to protect Dev and help her realize her mission to avenge the deaths of her family at the hands of The Sanctum.

Set against the backdrop of New York City, THE GIRL is described as “outstanding, original, complex, deep and intoxicating”, a “well written, unique…fast-paced read” that begins as one girl’s simple quest for revenge and evolves into a complicated tale of trust, friendship, honor and love.

Available for purchase at

Excerpt

Without making a sound, Wyatt quickly found the exact place he was seeking. Ducking under some low-hanging tree branches, he ventured into the dark, partially-hidden lair only to be met with a less-than-welcoming blade at his throat. Dev had moved slightly from the hiding place Wyatt left her and although the lower half of her body remained immobile, her arms were functioning just fine, as evidenced by the blade drawing a thin trickle of blood from Wyatt’s neck. One wrong move and she would certainly kill him.

Wyatt slowly brought his hands up to Dev’s, wrapped his fingers around hers and painstakingly maneuvered the blade away from his neck. Only then did he dare make eye contact with her.

“You didn’t really think I was just going to leave you here, did you?” Wyatt asked as he moved to retrieve his blade from Dev.

She wasn’t quite ready to give it up and slashed at Wyatt’s outstretched hand, managing to nick his wrist.

“Crap!” Wyatt sat back on his heels, holding his wrist, and laughed, “fair enough. I deserved that. I should have told you I was coming back, but I couldn’t risk Ryker overhearing or suspecting anything. Trust me, if he thought I was coming back for you he would have spent all night watching me like a hawk. So I left you and walked away and it worked. Now get over it and give me back my blade.”

Despite the laughter in his voice, Wyatt wasn’t playing. He wanted his blade. Her name was Odara and she had been handed down the Clayworth line since the witnessing of The Code of Ten. She was sharper than any Raven blade and fit his hand like a glove. Many had fought and died at his hand thanks to Odara. She was his protector and he wanted her back where she belonged, safely strapped to his hip.

“Kill me,” Dev offered the blade at a price.

Wyatt stood up tall and glared down at Dev, clenching his jaw in irritation.

“Kill me,” Dev challenged him again, taunting him with her smug stare and grim request.

With blinding speed, Wyatt landed on Dev, knocking her to the ground. Before she even realized what was happening, he locked down her arms and liberated his blade from her grasp. Wyatt hovered above Dev, inches from her face, momentarily tempted to slice her throat and end all of this drama. She couldn’t move a muscle.

“You are in no position to bargain with me,” Wyatt angrily whispered, never taking his eyes off of hers. “I am faster and stronger than you. So don’t even think about toying with me like that again.”

Wyatt pushed himself off of her, replaced Odara at his hip and grinned mischievously. “For the record, my blade isn’t worth your life. I just want it back. And I asked nicely the first time.”

Dev remained in her prone position, staring up at Wyatt, uncertain of her next move. She didn’t have the strength necessary to pull herself into a seated position and she definitely was not going to ask for help.

“What?” Wyatt stared down at Dev, knowing she needed help to get up but determined to make her ask for it.

Even in the darkness, Dev could see Wyatt’s eyes sparkling with amusement. He was thoroughly enjoying this little moment between the two of them. His pleasure made her wish she had slit his throat when she had the chance. Rather than requesting his assistance, Dev focused every ounce of her energy on rolling over onto her stomach. If she could do that, she could easily pull herself into a sitting position, Wyatt be damned. She closed her eyes and focused every fiber of her being on the task at hand but nothing happened. Her body failed to react. It didn’t even twitch. The body that had so beautifully saved her from certain death at the hands of those Sanctum fools just hours earlier now couldn’t even roll over. She shook with frustration, wanting to scream to the heavens in rage, knowing such action was futile and beneath her. So she took a calming breath, opened her eyes and glared at Wyatt.

“Ahhhh, you’re back. I was starting to miss your charming scowl,” Wyatt bent low and absentmindedly pushed some of Dev’s hair out of her eyes, “was getting worried there for a second.”

Dev grabbed his hand in her vice-like grip. She hated him and his snarky comments.

“I realize you don’t like me,” Wyatt pulled his hand out of her grasp and gently placed his arms around Dev, helping her to sit, unable to look at her lying helplessly on the ground for another second, “but I’m all you’ve got so by all means, continue simmering in your hatred for me but do so with the understanding that I’m on your side.

“All this stabbing and cutting nonsense has got to end. If you want to hurt me, just imagine it, okay? Pretend. Don’t actually do it. I heal quickly but it still hurts like hell.”

“Now we’ve got to get out of here fast,” Wyatt checked his watch, alarmed at how much time had passed since he jumped out of his window, “and you still can’t walk, which means I’m going to have to pick you up again. Whether you’re okay with it or not.”

He leaned back on his heels and waited, for some reason hoping Dev would respond, all the while knowing she would not. Dev listened with keen interest to every word coming out of Wyatt’s mouth. She most certainly didn’t like him, but she had to respect his determination. He fully intended to get her out of this park and to somewhere safe and against her better judgment, a tiny part of her was relieved. It was the same, small part of her that was fiercely drawn to him, like a sickness almost. And it was the part of her she most wanted to destroy.

Dev hardened her resolve, focused on her intense hatred for all things Sanctum and shut down.

For an instant, Wyatt thought he saw a spark in Dev’s eyes and just as quickly, it was gone. At that moment, for reasons unknown to himself, Wyatt resigned himself to a one-sided relationship with her, one completely based upon his will to help her. He stood up and reached for her, praying she didn’t have a blade hidden somewhere, knowing that if she did, this time she would definitely kill him. To his surprise, Dev wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed Wyatt to scoop her up and into his arms, but he thought nothing more of it, knowing full well she was merely using him to further her agenda.

And that was all right.

About the Author

Madhuri Blaylock is a lawyer by day, writer and avid shoe and dress buyer at all other times. She lives in Jersey City, but her heart remains firmly planted in Brooklyn via Snellville, Georgia. Her husband, Henry, is also a lawyer, and only a lawyer because he actually likes being a lawyer (go figure), probably always wanted to be a lawyer and is really, really good at all things lawyerly. He’s also pretty hot.

She’s got a big kid, Miss Sydney, and a little kid, the one and only Dash. They’re awesome and fierce and supremely cool and able to make her laugh at the strangest things. She would love to add a dog, some chickens, a goat and a burro to this crew. Everyone needs a burro.

Some of her favorites, in no particular order: ice cream, Kill Bill, four-inch heels, Matt Damon, tattoos, Laini Taylor, scotch on the rocks, The Sanctum trilogy, Martha’s Vineyard, “The Girl” aka her Mini, Rihanna, Doc Martens, tulips, Coach and Tami, photo booths and dancing like a fool.

One day she plans to grow up. Right now, she’s enjoying the adventure.