Huge welcome to Melissa Sercia this week. She’s the author of Blood and Magic, the first book in the Blood and Darkness series. Thank you for joining, us, Melissa!

Author Name: Melissa Sercia

Book Title: Blood and Magic (Blood and Darkness, Book 1)

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

Release Date: September 18, 2018

Publisher: City Owl Press

How would you describe this book?

A fast paced thrill ride blending Gothic settings, dark magic, and fierce female characters. If you like deep rooted mythology, Witches, and a fresh take on Urban Fantasy, then this is the book for you.

What sparked the idea for Blood and Magic?

One night I was enjoying a glass of wine outside on my porch, pondering life’s mysteries when I started to wonder, what if the supernatural world was real? What if there was this veil up and we just couldn’t see it? That question led to several hundred other questions and sparked the idea of this character, Gray, who was on this journey of revenge and redemption. Gray came to me like a dream. I knew her and what she wanted almost instantly. After that, the other characters came together beautifully. The story unfolded naturally from there.

How long did it take for you to write this first book? Did you do have to do any research?

I first conceptualized Blood and Magic about five years ago. I spent two years plotting, planning, researching, and building character sheets. I really wanted to have the world and back stories fully fleshed out before I started writing it. I researched everything from witchcraft, Greek mythology, vampirism, werewolves, and secret societies. After I had everything in place, I wrote the first draft in two months. Then it took about another two years or so to edit and revise.

What are some of the biggest influences on your writing?

My writing influences have always come from my favorite Urban Fantasy authors and films. Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles was a huge inspiration for me wanting to be an author. I read Interview With a Vampire when I was sixteen and fell instantly in love with the whole Gothic genre of New Orleans, vampires, and witches. I’ve also been a huge fan of the Underworld movie franchise, and The Vampire Diaries TV show, which definitely influenced some of the humor I’ve tried to sprinkle through my books as well.

If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Blood and Magic?

Blood and Magic is very dark, very adult, and very fast paced. I wrote it in first person from the perspective of Gray, a four hundred year old Dhampir who is hell bent on revenge as she struggles with her own humanity. What makes Blood and Magic unique is powerful female characters, an origin story of their species that has its roots in Greek mythology, and a fresh take on supernatural creatures.

What’s next? Are you involved in/writing any new projects?

I have books 2, Flesh and Bone, and 3, Gods and Demons, coming out shortly. I am also working on a spinoff series that takes place after the events of book 3. It will be set in the same world, but with new leading characters. And of course, the main character will be female.

What’s one piece of advice you would offer your younger writer self?

If I could give advice to my teenage self, it would be this: Don’t give up. Write constantly. Read constantly. Believe in yourself.

Where can readers find you (website, blog, social media, etc.)?

I have a website and profiles on most social media platforms. Links listed below.

https://www.melissasercia.com

https://www.instagram/melissaserciawrites

https://facebook.com/melissasercia11/

https://twitter.com/fluidghost/

Thank you, Melissa! Blood and Magic is out now.

Blood and Magic

When Gray awakens from a three-year spell induced coma, she not only discovers her lover as the one responsible, but that he has joined with a dangerous organization known as the Consilium to help them create a new breed of hybrid demons. Humans and Witches are being taken against their will, and fear is growing throughout the covens.

Gray never had a choice. She was forced to become a monster, a Dhampir. Yet after four hundred years, she still yearns for her humanity, like a long-lost echo from another life. She cannot allow the Consilium to do this to anyone else. With a renewed lust for vengeance and a target on her back, Gray must use the one thing she swore she’d never use to stop them—blood magic.

Armed with a magical pirate ship, an immortal monk, and a flower plucked from the Underworld, Gray will stop at nothing to start a war. Yet in her quest to track down her enemies, Gray uncovers a dark family secret that threatens to destroy the last shred of humanity she has left.

Author bio:

Melissa Sercia writes all things Fantasy and Science Fiction. She is the author of Blood and Magic, book 1 in the Blood and Darkness series. Melissa lives in California with her man and her cat. When she’s not building whimsical fantasy worlds and slaying demons, you can find her in the kitchen cooking with a glass of wine in her hand.