Melinda Vanlone is Guest posting for me today! Thank you! :-)
People often ask me where the idea for Stronger Than Magic came from. The short answer is I don't know. The real spark for the story is lost in a whirl of time, space, memory, and an old notebook.
One day I was cleaning out a drawer and happened on a spiral notebook full of scribbles. In the middle of the notebook I found two pages that contained a snippet of a story. Just a scene; a hint of two main characters and a setting. The girl was sitting at a sidewalk cafe and watching a man across the street, and she was full of herself. Confident, cocky, and slightly arrogant. She was about to catch the guy and knew he'd be an easy mark.
The guy, on the other hand, had noticed her watching and was thinking to himself: "she has no idea who she's dealing with." Funny enough, the girl was thinking the exact same thing. They were two very strong personalities on the verge of clashing, with a hint of magic in the air. I leaned forward in my seat to see what happened when she attempted to arrest him.
And the story ended. That's all I wrote. I was unbelievably frustrated, and felt compelled to finish what I'd started so long ago.
That little snippet of a scene never actually made it into the final Stronger Than Magic story, strangely enough. But the feeling of it did, and the idea of a very strong female protagonist who has enough magic power to take on just about anything is the foundation of the story. The guy? He's there too, although as it turns out he's not the one she's arresting. She catches him in an entirely different, and steamy, way. After all, an initial clash like that can only be one thing...foreplay.
A few other things inspired parts of the story. The House of Xannon, Tarian's home, is located on an island near Honolulu and is very similar to one that actually exists. Tarian has a love for Philly cheesesteaks and a certain coffee shop in Center City which does exist, although it's not called what I called it in the book. The neighborhood where she is attacked by the demon is eerily similar to the one I lived in.
The answer to where the inspiration comes from is simple: it comes from everything I see and hear every day. Of course it gets twisted and turned on its head in the story, but that's why it's called fiction.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Date Published: 12/20/12
Add it to your Goodreads shelf
Purchase it from: Amazon
Being attacked by a demon in Philadelphia shouldn’t have been a big deal. Tarian Xannon is, after all, heir to the Dolphin Throne and the strongest magical talent in generations.
Never mind that demons aren’t even supposed to exist. Never mind that the demon managed to swipe some of her blood. She’s never met her match before and she’s confident she can handle the situation.
She creates a plan to find the demon, and kill him, before he destroys her, or worse, steals her power and the Dolphin Throne.
Of course, she hadn't counted on the throne insisting that now would be a great time for her to provide the next heir. She’s a modern woman with a demon to kill, and a baby to produce. What could possibly go wrong?
Melinda VanLone writes fantasy and science fiction, freelances as a graphic designer, and dabbles in photography. She currently lives in Rockville, Maryland, with her husband and furbabies. When she's not playing with her imaginary friends you can find her playing World of Warcraft, wandering aimlessly through the streets taking photos, or hovered over coffee in Starbucks.
Website / Facebook / Twitter
Okay, so I apologize to Melinda Vanlone and RABT book tours. I was originally suppossed to review this book and do an interview. I had this scheduled for the wrong date! I thought I had it scheduled for Valentines Day.
I have every intention of reviewing the book but I haven't done it yet because of my confusing the dates. usually I get a reminder from the Book Tours a day or so ahead of time. This is one time I really wish I would have.
Again I am so sorry that I was confused.
Question: Do you believe in magic?
Thank you for commenting! Don't forget to enter the Comment Incentive Giveaway. The link can be found at the top of the page!
this seems to be an interesting book, i will wait until we get your review later^^ ( don't worry!)
ReplyDeletei think there is magic all around us not necessarily in the form we expect but always they are strange things, strange feelings that can't be explained and for me that's part of teh magic
Believe me I'll be reading it ASAP. I don't like to let people down.
DeleteThis week has been so strange. First the Rafflecopter and now I miss-scheduled something. I just hope and pray that it doesn't get worse.
I believe that things can be magical in a sense. But I put my Faith in God not magic.
I LOVE to read about magic though!
but could not be the magic a God's creation?
DeleteTouche
DeleteLOL Miki! Exactly the type of response I have always given to my "very" religious cousin when we would have philosophical discussions.
DeleteNo worries! I'm honored to have you read it, whenever you get to it. Life happens! And yes, I definitely believe in magic. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for understanding. I feel so bad. I am usually not so flaky.
DeleteI do believe there is magic in this world but most of it remains unseen to us. Also, there's magic in some unusual ways. For example, the human body. If you truly study it, it's amazing how complicated and unique it is and to think that we start out as a single cell and become full grown...that's a type of magic all in itself.
ReplyDeleteWow! I can tell you really put some thought into it. :-)
DeleteHave a magical Day Emily!
Do I believe in magic? There are so many ways to answer a question like that. The safe, skeptic way - No. The Dreamer way - yes, I'm a witch. And, my way - yes, but in my own way. Every cell in the universe is filled with the magic of potential. The potential to grow into something amazing. I am amazed by the transformative power of a baby's laugh, the smile of your significant other for no other reason than for being you, the amazing feats beyond human endurance that happen at the most necessary of times. Not to mention the power of music, theater, a piece of art, or a good book to transport you to anywhere you or the creator of the piece can take you. Yes magic is in binding threads that connects us to all things and provides us with that which we need most: love, family, and friends. I am blessed to have a life full of magic.
ReplyDeleteVery eloquently put! There is a lot of food for thought in your comment.
Delete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. The realist in me doesn't want to believe in magic, but I've had experiences that felt magical, in the sense that the stars lined up just for those moments. Is this is a power that we can harness, or simply a force that we can be in harmony with? I don't know! But I like it when things work out in ways that seem they got a special nudge from someone with good intentions. =)
(I've just realised that the above paragraph is all about "white magic." I'm sure that if you asked us about "black magic," Brenda, we'd all answer differently. LOL!)
True! I am sure that our responses would be very different.
DeleteI think I would have to agree with Enbrethiliel... I think some things are magical but not sure if I believe in outright magic itself. That's actually a tough question.
ReplyDelete