Melissa Sercia is back to chat about her first book in her second series, Smoke and Ritual. Welcome, Melissa!
Author: Melissa Sercia
Title: Smoke and Ritual (Beautiful Dark Beasts Book 1)
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: May 5th, 2020
Publisher: City Owl Press
Please tell me a bit about your latest book. Is this a new series?
Smoke and Ritual is the first book in my 2nd series, Beautiful Dark Beasts. It takes place ten years after the events of my last book, Gods and Demons (Blood and Darkness Book 3). However, you don’t need to read the Blood and Darkness series first. While Smoke and Ritual is set in the same world as my other series, it has a new female protagonist and a brand-new storyline! We start the story with Arya Frost, an Elemental witch who has been living at Sanctum, a haven for supernatural creatures. Her parents died in the Blood War and she is without a coven. Or so she thinks. When the mysterious and sexy god, Chaos shows up, she is thrust into an ancient feud between witches and is swept away on a grand adventure as she races to awaken all of her magic and claim her place as the Aether, a witch who can control all four elements. Fans of my Blood and Darkness series will be happy to know that I do have some returning characters that crossover to Smoke and Ritual.
What drew you to the idea for Smoke and Ritual and how close is the end product to that seed of an idea?
As I was writing the last chapter of Gods and Demons, in which Gray turns Sanctum into this supernatural haven, I realized that there were more stories to tell there. I love the idea that there are so many possibilities for new characters with rich histories and storylines. Arya came to me first. She begins her journey an orphan with just a couple friends, but she is very insecure and unsure of her purpose in life. She has no idea of the great destiny ahead of her. Without giving any spoilers away, by the end, we see a vastly different side to her.
When I first started plotting and outlining Smoke and Ritual, I new exactly how it would end. I tend to know the endings of all of my books before I write a single word. So, the end product is almost identical to the seed idea.
What attracts you to the urban fantasy/paranormal genre? Any favorite or influential authors?
I’ve been fascinated with this genre ever since I was a teenager. I discovered Anne Rice books and just fell in love with all of it—vampires, witches, ghosts, werewolves, etc… The way she writes is so dark and haunting, you can’t put her books down. She has been a huge inspiration for me and my writing. I also loved reading books by V.C. Andrews, Charles de Lint, and Stephen King. My current favorite fantasy authors are Grady Hendrix, Sarah J. Maas, V.E. Schwab, and Erin Morgenstern.
In what ways do you think you’ve evolved as an author since your first book came out?
Wow great question! I’m definitely a better writer just in general. I think that is true of all writers. You just get better with each book you write. I’ve learned how to express myself on the page in craftier ways. I edit as I go, which I didn’t do before. I thought that I had to wait until the end of the first draft but now I edit throughout, and it works much better for me. I’ve also learned so much about the publishing industry and that helps me to keep realistic goals.
What’s your favorite part about being an author? What do you find challenging?
My favorite part about being an author is all the wonderful authors, publishers, agents, bloggers, podcasters, and readers I’ve been able to connect with. I have forged some amazing friendships in the past three years that I will have for life. I also love being able to write for a living. Getting to share my stories with the world is an amazing feeling.
Challenges? Achieving visibility in a sea of millions of books. Authors do a lot of marketing and social media stuff themselves so finding the time to write and market my books can be challenging. But I love a good challenge and don’t shy away easily. I’m incredibly determined, ambitious, and focused on having a lifelong career as an author.
Do you consider yourself a “planner” or a “pantser?”
I’m most definitely a planner. I write detailed outlines and in-depth character sketches. I use a writing software program called Scrivener to plot and keep all my ideas organized. I’m also addicted to craft books. I’m currently reading Story Genius by Lisa Cron and it is fantastic. I highly recommend to all writers no matter what stage they are at in their writing journey.
How are you dealing with quarantine as an author right now? Have you found it easy or difficult to focus on your writing?
It’s ironic actually or even a catch-22 if you will. I used to say I never had enough time to write when I was working full time. Now that we are all sheltering in place, I have all the free time I could have dreamed of, but the weight of the situation and the anxiety makes it difficult to keep the focus at times. I’m trying to stick to a daily routine and as I’m adapting to this new normal, my creativity is slowly starting to come back. But it’s hard. I try to keep productive on some level. If the actual words aren’t flowing on a particular day, I’ll plot and outline a future project. It helps to fill the creative well and gets me writing again.
What are you working on now?
I’m almost done writing the second book in the Beautiful Dark Beasts series. It’s called Spark and Ember. Once that is complete, I will begin drafting the third and final book, Starlight and Dust. Down the road, I have plans for prequels, spinoffs, and side stories that will all take place in the same world of Blood and Darkness and Beautiful Dark Beasts.
I’ve also begun plotting a separate series that is yet to be titled. It’s a dark small-town paranormal romance with horror elements. I’m excited about all of my upcoming projects and can’t wait to share them with everyone!
And again, where can readers find you?
Thank you so much for having me on your blog today! It was so much fun!
Here is where you can find me:
https://www.facebook.com/melissasercia11/
https://www.twitter.com/fluidghost
https://www.instagram.com/melissaserciawrites
https://booksprout.co/author/3627/melissa-sercia
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/melissa-sercia
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18400782.Melissa_Sercia
Book links:
https://smarturl.it/BDBeasts1Amz
Thank you, Melissa! Smoke and Ritual is out now.
Smoke and Ritual
The voices haunt her…
Their whispers taunt her with a war she never wanted…
But Arya Frost has more to contend with than the cryptic voices disturbing her sleep.
Protected inside the haven of Sanctum after losing both her parents in the Blood War a decade ago, Arya is different from other witches. She’s the only witch without a coven.
Or so she thinks.
As her powers accelerate, so do the revelations about her true lineage.
Destined to become the Aether–a witch who can control all four elements–the Elemental covens want her magic, power she didn’t even know she had.
And when the sexy and mysterious god, Chaos shows up, Arya’s place in the world is put even more at risk.
But learning who and what she is, and how to wield her power only tips the surface of the battle raging inside her. She’ll have to find a way to awaken her magic, deal with her growing attraction to Chaos, all while being thrust into the middle of a magical feud that has been building for centuries.
The Blood War might be over, but the war between witches is just beginning.
If you like Lisa Edmonds, Michael Anderle, Hailey Edwards, and Martha Carr, you’ll love this thrilling paranormal romance!