Friday, September 23, 2011

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Katie Salidas

UFI welcomes Katie Salidas Author of the Immortalis Series. Thanks for Joining us!!

What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?

You wouldn’t guess it from talking with me online, or seeing me on Facebook or Twitter, but I am an extremely shy person. It’s really easy to seem outgoing online, but the reality of it is, I am very awkward in social situations. I never know what to say and often end up being a wallflower. On the plus side, it makes me a very good people watcher and that turns into a good character artist. I take what I see, when I’m blending in with the scenery, and use that to help me in creating my characters.

What do you enjoy doing on your down time?

Down time for me is a foreign concept. Between family and writing, I don’t have much time for myself. I do love a good soak in the tub though, with a steamy novel to read. I admit that is one of my guilty pleasures.

What is your Favorite part of writing?


Writing is freedom. I can shape a scene in any way I want and that is fun. When you write a story, you are 100% in charge. You can kill off a character, make the hero fall in love, be as evil or as good as you would like. In a way it’s therapeutic. You can work out aggressions by writing a very detailed fight scene. And when it is all said and done, you have a product that others will be able to enjoy.

Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?

I must have silence! Not total silence though. I tend to have a bit of ADD and when there are distractions around such as, hubby watching an interesting show on TV or my daughter asking 100 questions a minute, I can’t concentrate. I tend to do most of my writing when I’m alone. That often equates to long hours at night when the hubby and munchkin are sleeping.

What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Genres?

I’m a Patricia Briggs, Sherrlyn Kenyon, Anne Rice, Laura K. Hamilton, (the list could go on and on) fan. Basically, if there is a vampire, werewolf, or fae creature in your work, I want to read it. I’m addicted to anything paranormal, with only one exception… Zombies. I just can’t do zombies. They scare the crap out of me. LoL.

How would you pitch the Immortalis series to someone who has not heard of your books before?

My favorite line is actually the tag line to my first book. “Becoming a vampire is easy. Living with the condition, that’s the hard part.”

You might have read books about vampires, but how many of them took you step by step through the emotional turmoil of what that change actually entails? In Immortalis you’ll see a normal, everyday girl lose everything as she becomes a creature of the night. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Sure, there’s a learning curve there, but if she can overcome it, both she and you, the reader, will find that it can be pretty sweet!

Can you tell us a little bit about the world that the Immortalis series is set in?

The Immortalis series is set in modern times. Books one and two are set in Las Vegas Nevada, which, by the way, is the best city out there for creatures of the night. Book three, Pandora’s box takes you to Boston. There you will learn even more about the world of unnatural creatures and some of their origins in Ancient Greek Mythology. What I wanted, was to show you how easy it would be for these creatures of the night to actually exist and oftentimes co-exist within normal society.

Do you have a favorite scene in Pandora‘s Box?

Without giving too much away, I love it when Nicholas taunts the head of the Olde Town wolf pack, Connor, into a fight. Nicholas is one of my favorite characters and his attitude makes him so much fun to write.

Which character was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?

Nicholas is my favorite to write about. He’s annoyingly antagonistic, but he’s always right and always on the side of good. He’s the guy you love to hate. Oddly enough, Alyssa, the main character, is very hard to write. Through the series she has a lot of growing up to do both in the vampire and human world. Sometimes I really have to play with her immaturity and even I get annoyed with her. But, feeling that deeply about  character (sometimes you just want to smack some sense into her) means I’m striking the
right chord. She’s real because of that flaw and as she grows up through the books, you’ll be able to see that and really connect with her.

What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?

Book 4 is in the works right now and I hope to have it out by spring 2012. I can’t give too much away, but suffice to say the cliffhanger of book three will be resolved.

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Katie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, She still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write.

And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…

Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.
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Find Katie and her books
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*Provided by Katie*


32 comments:

  1. I was just looking at Pandora's Box on Amazon yesterday and thinking "what a great cover!" Thank you for this giveaway!

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  2. I love Sherrilyn Kenyon as well.
    "It’s really easy to seem outgoing online, but the reality of it is, I am very awkward in social situations. I never know what to say and often end up being a wallflower" I can very much relate to this!
    Thanks for the chance to win and making it international!

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  3. I'm gonna take you at your word. Tub and steamy novel sounds fantastic :-)
    Love the covers! I'm a sucker for covers...Do you have a favorite?
    Sasse (_yay_)

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  4. Great post love those authors too Sherrilyn Kenyon is great! Thank you so much for the great giveaway!
    tishajean@ charter.net

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  5. I'm into almost anything paranormal too. I don't get the Anne Rice thing though. I've never been able to get beyond page 10.

    I'd recommend My Life as a White Trash Zombie. It's not scary at all and reads more like a mystery.

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  6. I love anything paranormal. I would love to read your book. It sounds very good. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

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  7. thanks for the inteview and the giveaway, I didn't know these books, but it sounds really interesting.

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  8. It's so awesome to see such a turnout for this giveaway! Thank you all for taking an interest in these books. Good luck to everyone participating!

    @_yay_ My personal favorite cover is the Pandora's Box cover. Second to that is the original Immortalis cover.

    @acm05 Anne Rice was actually one of the first authors I read. I still love her books. But I do agree, she's not for everyone.

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  9. Awesome interview, Katie! So excited for book 4!!!

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  10. Thanks for the interview and giveaway! I just download book 1, Immortalis, for my Kindle and I can't wait for tomorrow and I'm off work and can start reading it :)

    Thanks again!

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  11. I would love to win and talk about it on my blog! Leave reviews everywhere!
    touch-of-grace@hotmil.com

    http://amiblackwelder.blogspot.com
    Shifter Evolutions author

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  12. I am so looking forward to checking out your work:) thank you for the chance to win!
    elliott2668(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  13. I can relate to the zombie exclusion. Sometimes I don't mind a book about zombie hunters but I just don't like zombies as the protagonist in a book.
    a dot charol at yahoo dot ca

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  14. the series sounds interesting. i would love to read it.
    i can totally relate to you - i am absolutely socially inept in real life ^^ it's fascinating, that i can leave that behind in the net and be myself.

    witchvela at web.de

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  15. I think the Immortalis series sounds fantastic and I'm looking forward to reading all three books. I think Las Vegas sounds like a perfect city for vampires, and I'm interested to see how you did with Boston as a setting in the third book.

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  16. I have to agree i'm not a huge zombie fan either they just don't appeal to me.

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  17. I haven't gotten a chance to read your books ! Would love to read them now ! Thanks for this awesome give-away !

    starlight023(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  18. @Yto Glad to see I'm not alone in being socially inept in public. At least I have the internet though. LoL.

    @erin Thanks for checking out book 1 via your kindle! Great time to catch it while amazon has it on sale. I do hope you enjoy it. Please, let me know what you think when you are done.

    @Teperance (and anyone else who might want a sneak peek at the Immortalis series.) While you wait for the results of the contest, stop by http://www.risingsignbooks.net/p/books.html you can read excerpts of the books there.

    @Carol & @Book Flame I can't even read books about killing zombies. Lets face it. If the zombie apocalypse happens, I'm the first to die.

    @Barbara I think you'll like the way the city is part of the stories. Boston is a favorite place of mine to visit.

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  19. The Immortalis Series looks amazing. I am looking forward to reading these.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  20. I so agree with the need for a Complete Lack of Distractions when I'm trying to write. Not silence, though. I'm happy with background music and anyway, in the season we have the continuous trade winds in the trees, so we're never silent.

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  21. thank you for such an amazing giveaway, i loved your guest post, cannot wait to read pandora's box.
    danielsangel101@yahoo.co.uk

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  22. When it comes to work, I also need silence but the kind of silence with small sounds if that makes sense. I don't mind music on low or the hum of the house. Total silence and it's eerie for me.

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  23. Thanks for this giveaway and for making it international!

    Great guest post!

    love this: Writing is freedom. You are so right!

    my mail: mina_ktupquera [at]hotmail[dot]com

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  24. I love your book covers they are gorgeous. Thanks for the interview and giveaway.

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  25. Great interview! I have to have complete silence when I write, too.

    loucks(dot)lindsey(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  26. I see I'm not alone in the need for some silence when working. Not complete silence mind you, music is ok, but nothing distracting.

    I really must say I am truly humbled by the support I've seen on this site! I'm glad to have a chance to connect with new readers. So I want to say a huge THANK YOU to you, the readers as well as Urban Fantasy Investigations for allowing me to be here and talk about my books.

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  27. It would be really hard for me to concentrate on reading if I had music on. Sometimes my children watching tv to loudly distracts me when Im trying to stay in a book. lol.

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  28. I havent started these wonderful books yet but I agree with the others, the covers are amazing and a big thank you to Debbie Abold for pointing me in your direction! I cant wait to get started reading!

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  29. Awesome Interview and giveaway - thanking you for making it international

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  30. Zombies. That's it.I hate zombies because they are disgusting.Its like you guys get a hard on when a zombie is eating a brain.

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  31. Hi Katie
    I also like paranormal reads, specially vamps.
    If the giveaway is international, please enter me in it.

    Daniela
    dany7578 at hotmail dot com

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  32. Paranormal reads are my favorites -- Zombies I can live without- please enter me into your contest
    audie@wickerness.com

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Thanks for stopping by =)