I have been a huge fangirl for Heather Demetrios since I read Something Real {Patrick is mine}, so when I saw the blog tour for Blood Passage, I couldn’t sign up fast enough.
Before we get to Heather’s interview, let’s check out the book!
A jinni who’s lost everything.
A master with nothing to lose.
A revolutionary with everything to gain.
When Nalia arrives in Morocco to fulfil Malek’s third and final wish she’s not expecting it to be easy. Though Nalia is free from the shackles that once bound her to Malek as his slave, she’s in more danger than ever before.
Meanwhile, Malek’s past returns with a vengeance as he confronts the darkness within himself, and Raif must decide what’s more important: his love for Nalia, or his devotion to the cause of Arjinnan freedom.
Set upon by powerful forces that threaten to break her, Nalia encounters unexpected allies and discovers that her survival depends on the very things she thought made her weak. From the souks of Marrakech to the dunes of the Sahara, The Arabian Nights come to life in this dazzling second installment of the Dark Passage Cycle.
Sounds good, right?
1. Please give the elevator pitch for Blood Passage.
Nalia must grant her master’s third wish and keep control of the jinn out of his hands, fighting new, unexpected battles and meeting new allies along the way.
2. Why do you love Nalia and why should we root for her?
I love Nalia because she’s a fighter. No matter what happens, she never throws in the towel. I love that her first instinct is to protect the people she loves and that she has no desire to use her power to hurt or control others. I think this is why the reader will root for her, too.
3. What makes a good villain and how did you incorporate that into Blood Passage?
I have two major villains in Blood Passage. One, of course, is Nalia’s master, Malek. But the second one readers will be meeting for the first time, so I don’t want to spoil that. Just know that she is one bad bitch. I think what makes a villain good is the humanity that is left in them. No one is all bad and bad people are often so because of life circumstances that made the darkness appealing. I’ve written a good villain if you can find a way to care about them at some point in the series.
Villains in the series challenge Nalia to move toward her destiny whether she likes it or not. She is the last surviving member of her race and the heir to the throne in her homeland. She wants desperately to reject the power her powers give her, but the villains in her life force her to take on more responsibility for her land and its people. The villains make her even better. But the story of the villains is also really important to me. Malek is a POV character in this book and the other villain features hugely in Book Three.
4. What was the weirdest thing you googled while doing research?
The weirdest is probably the call to prayer in Islam. There is one scene in the book that, for some reason, I absolutely had to write to the call, so I put it on repeat when I found a good one on YouTube. I love the call to prayer. I’ve travelled to several places where that is just part of the culture and it always sends a thrill through me. It’s beautiful, haunting, and sacred.
5. Without spoilers, what was your favorite scene to write?
There is a sex scene that is like FINALLY.
6. Who is your favorite book boyfriend and book BFF?
Favorite book boyfriend is honestly whatever boy is in whatever book I’m currently reading. But I do especially like Jace from The Mortal Instruments and Joe from The Sky Is Everywhere.
Book BFF would be Jo from Little Women. We’d talk writing and books.
7. What book do you wish you could read again for the first time?
Twilight. No lie.
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When she’s not traipsing around the world or spending time in imaginary places, Heather Demetrios lives with her husband in New York City. Originally from Los Angeles, she now calls the East Coast home. Heather has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a recipient of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for her debut novel, Something Real.
She is the founder of Live Your What, an organization dedicated to fostering passion in people of all ages and creating writing opportunities for underserved youth
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Huge thanks to MMSAI Tours for the invite and to Heather for taking the time. Make sure you’re checking out her website, following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, and adding all of her books to your Goodreads TBR list.
Definitely check out the rest of the tour stops for other awesomeness. And keep scrolling for a giveaway! {US Only}
Blood Passage releases 3/1/16. Pre-order it at HarperCollins | Indie Bound | B&N | Amazon
Awesome tour post Stacee :D Your interview is amazing. <3 Thank you so much for sharing. I have heard so many good things about these books. Hmm. I might have to read them one day :)