Glory Blog Tour: Author Interview

Hey! Welcome to the second stop on the Glory Blog Tour. Glory is an awesome YA urban fantasy novel from author Devin O'Branagan! Check out my interview with the author below and don't forget to check out all the other posts on the tour! Check out the tour page here!

Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you got into writing?

I write in a variety of literary genres, including urban fantasy, paranormal, and humor. My first published novel was a horror novel released by Simon & Schuster in 1988. My novels have been published internationally in a variety of languages and many of my books, including GLORY, have been bestsellers. I began to write when I was five. My first story was a ghost story; I’ve always been fascinated by the paranormal. Personally, I’m very involved in animal rescue and many of my writing projects support that cause.

Can you tell us a little about GLORY?

GLORY is an urban fantasy about a seventeen-year-old girl named Glory whose blood contains the only known cure for a deadly pandemic-plague that is killing millions of people. After Glory’s father dies and her mother is kidnapped, the mysterious “Caretakers of the planet” assign three supernatural beings to be her bodyguards: a witch, an angel, and a vampire. This heroic band of young rebels must survive natural and supernatural forces of evil in their quest to save humanity. It is a thrilling tale full of adventure, forbidden love, and a search for courage.

GLORY was nominated for the 2011 Best Popular Paperback for Young Adults List, sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association.

Where did you get the idea for GLORY?

My literary agent dared me to come up with a unique twist on the popular vampire-themed novels. At the same time, the H1N1 Swine Flu had just appeared on the scene and predictions were made about a world-wide pandemic of horrific proportions. I put two-and-two together and created GLORY. Also, I was working on another novel at the time, a comic chick-lit novel about conspiracy theories titled RED HOT LIBERTY. One of my characters in that novel was an uber-patriotic character named Liberty True. Thus, you will note, GLORY contains some excellent conspiracy theories and patriotic character names such as Glory and Hallelujah. I just couldn’t help myself...

You have loads of Supernaturals in GLORY including witches, angels, vampires, and demons. What is your favourite Supernatural and why?

Oh, the witches. Many of my novels in a variety of genres include witches. Some of my best friends are witches. :-)

What genre would you classify GLORY as?

YA Urban Fantasy, although adults seem to love it as much, if not more, than my teenage fans.

Describe your main protagonist, Glory, in one sentence.

An ordinary young woman who is called upon to be extraordinary.

GLORY is the first in a series. When will the sequel be released and can you give us a tiny preview?

PRETTY SACRIFICES is scheduled to be released before summer 2012, but I am not yet certain of an exact date. Readers may sign up for my monthly eNewsletter to be notified when it is released: NEWSLETTER.

Here is an excerpt from PRETTY SACRIFICES:

Now that the nightmare was past, survivors began to pick up the pieces of a shattered world.

Very few people knew that my blood had contained the cure for the pan-plague, or of the crucial role I had played in stopping the horror. Few knew that the Caretakers of the planet had assigned a witch, a vampire, and an angel to be my bodyguards, or about the evil forces we had to face down in order to accomplish our mission. Actually, the only ones who knew were those who had been directly involved in my quest, and in my immediate circle that only included my mother, the local Catholic priest Father Michael, and my intrepid demon-fighting Australian Shepherd, Hallelujah. I wanted to share what had happened with my two best friends Jesse and Carmela, but it was so surreal that I was sure they wouldn’t believe me anyway. And, thus, I kept my secrets.

Later, it was a decision I regretted more than any other in my life.

My name is Glory Templeton.

Why should we read GLORY?

Because it is great entertainment with a powerful message.

Glory is available in both print and as an eBook, links to purchase it may be found at: www.GloryLegend.com

Stalk Devin:

http://twitter.com/devinwrites

https://www.facebook.com/devin.obranagan

Don't forget to come back on the 26th Febuary for my review of Glory.