Today at Words Escape I would like to introduce you to the soon the be released A Soul To Take, and the author, Emily Taylor. I was lucky enough to score an interview with Emily, so please, sit back and enjoy! (see below for book details)
Thank you for stopping by Words
Escape Me, Emily! After reading the summary of A Soul To Take I immediately
knew I wanted to read this book. Can you tell us where you got your inspiration
to create this intriguing story with demons, government conspires, and Agent
Elixia Albelin?
Hey, and it’s my
pleasure!
It all began when my friend
introduced me to an anime called Black Butler when I reached highschool, and
yes, my Sebastian is a tribute for those familiar. But I also have to give
credit to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Baccano which gave me the idea of
homunculi and immortality.
These
ideas sat in the back of my head for quite a while as I was working on other
novels, so it wasn’t until late highschool that I started researching. There
was so much to learn and it was all quite interesting. For an example,
scientists at one point believed they had found the precise weight our ‘soul’.
Turned out, the results were inconclusive and sloppy—but still. As a writer, we
can ignore that bit.
After
that, I started bringing certain events together that I wanted in my novel,
including a serial killer that was based off a real French soldier back in the
1400s. Quite disturbing history there.
Then
I graduated, and I had written half the first book by then, and I was just so
excited by this demonic world I had created. I remember sitting with my friend
on her bed during schoolies (Australian Graduating Holiday Thingy), just fan
girling about the relationship between the two main characters.
I
had been wanting to create this relationship type for a while. I didn’t want
the gushy ‘love at first sight’ so many novels have now a days where the other
main love interest is ‘so perfect’. The same went for my other stories, where
the main love interests were still, well, boys or young adults.
Elixia’s “soul mate” isn’t a boy. He’s slightly
older then her, mentally wise, and therefore more mature—or at least tries to
be. He has a lot of responsibilities, and while he loves Elixia, she can’t be
his priority. I found this dynamic fascinating, and apparently other people did
too, which was awesome.
If you could have dinner with
four of your favorite fictional characters, who would be at your table?
Oh wow. First four
that come to mind: Howl, Kate Daniel, Tyrion, Will Graham, and Sabriel.
That’d make for an
interesting dinner.
If you could spend a weekend at
a writing retreat with any author, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Stephen King. I feel like
I’d learn a lot from him.
Now I assume that your
protagonist, Elixia is very skilled when it comes to slaying demons. What would
be your favorite way to ward off a demon attack?
If you don’t want to
be killed by a demon, the best way to save your skin is by not pissing them off
to begin with. If by chance you missed that step, running is always a good
option—or if you like Elixia—shooting them in the head. Good old decapitation
is good too. I like exploding personally.
To help us get to know you better
I have a few This or That’s. Here we go!
Sam Winchester or Dean
Winchester
Dean.
Ask me that when the
series first started, and I would have said Sam, but nope. Dean all the way.
Chose of weapon for impeding
zombie apocalypse, gun or machete?
Machete!!
Guns too loud and need
ammo.
Actually, does the
person, Machete, count? I wouldn’t even need a weapon then, he’ll be the
ultimate hahah.
Disneyland or The Wizarding
World of Harry Potter
Argh. Harry Potter!
Chocolate or Skittles
Chocolate, please.
Thank you Emily!
Thank you for having
me :]
 |
| I absolutely love this cover! |
ABOUT A SOUL TO TAKE
Dying is the least of Elixia’s worries.
The world has changed. Demons are no longer legend, but part
of life, integrated into our society . . . or so the Government claims. Things
are never that simple, though, and neither side favors the new union. Agent
Elixia Albelin knows the dark nature of demons firsthand, and will do
everything in her power to protect the innocent from their wrath.
But when a mission from the Agency
goes sour, Elixia finds herself in a predicament. Murdered, with her last
living family-member kidnapped, her only hope is an offer from the very thing
she despises: a demon. It’s no ordinary demon offering the contract, though,
and his motive for such a deal is unclear. But if she’s to discover the truth
and save her sister, she must commit the greatest taboo for an Agent:
Sell her soul.
Now, Marked and shackled to the terms of the contract, she
must try to uncover the mystery of her sister’s abduction before her new
“owner” comes to claim what is his. Her past may hold answers, but what happens
when her investigation finds something far more sinister? Something not even
the demons can condone?
Besides writing, Emily Taylor currently studies Music
Technology at her state’s Conservatorium and recently helped on Respect Cat
Production’s feature film, In a Corner, as a Script Advisor. After great success on InkPop and
Figment, A Soul to Take is her first formally published work. You can
see more from Emily on Facebook
and Twitter.
