BLOG TOUR: Blaze Ignites Scourge Survivor Series: Book 1 By JL Madore INTERVIEW

Blaze Ignites
Scourge Survivor Series: Book 1

By JL Madore

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance

ISBN: 978-0-9916763-1-6

Number of pages: pdf- 276, epub- 172

Word Count: 107,000

Cover Artist: David Wysotski

Available Here:

Amazon    Kobo   Barnes and Noble   iBookstore   Lulu

Blurb:

Blaze Ignites blends strong, clever women and tough, sexy men in a fast paced, volatile cocktail of action, seduction and wicked humour.

"Destiny my ass." Jade Glaster refuses to believe the Fates rule her life. Orphaned after an attack by Scourge soldiers, a young Jade vows never to be powerless again. Once grown and strong, wielding the affinities of fire and healing, Jade protects innocents as an enforcer for her world's elite policing agency—The Talon.

When an emissary mission to reinstate a race of exiled Elves brings Galan into her life, Jade finds herself overwhelmed by new passions, some welcome, some not. Although Galan's antiquated views on women offend her to her heated core, when the Scourge attack his family, she helps him navigate the outside worlds he knows nothing about—the magical Realm of the Fair and, stranger still . . . the modern streets of Toronto.

Through their sensually charged pursuit of justice, Jade discovers that when dealing with the Fates—destiny is never random.

~ Chapter 1 ~

Gun versus wand.

Lexi and I saw the standoff escalating beyond the crush of half-naked, leather-clad bodies on the dance floor. The patrons of the tavern, human and not, ceased shimmying to the techno-rock of the house band and drew wands and daggers in every direction.

"Let us through people." Raising my palms I called my powers. "Castian, come to me." A surge of arcane energy lifted my hair as my affinity awoke. "Down!" I shielded Lexi and avoided the white-gold energy bolt zinging past our heads. It hit the mirrored wall over the bar, bursting into a shower of sparks and jagged shards.

A shot rang out. Shit.

Magic buzzed and crackled in the air like a bug-light in August. I threw out some heat to part the remaining sea of bodies. Ignoring the sneers of rubberneckers, we pushed through and my sister and I joined the altercation.

A scruffy, brute of a man sporting a bandana stood, gun poised, staring straight into the wand-tip of one of the Academy of Affinities' fifth-year wizardry students.

"Problem, gentlemen?" I asked, easing into their circle.

With shoulders rigid and wand steady, the student, Nash Blackpaw, focused straight ahead. "Jade, this asshole thinks he's dragging my friend back to the Modern Realm."

I assessed the native girl shielded behind his back. She looked shaken but unharmed.

"I don't think," the brute hissed. "This is a family matter. Jade is it?"

Pushing down the urge to wipe the amused sneer off the bastard's face I tried to remain professional. "Jade is what friends and students call me. You can call me Blaze. That is my official nom de guerre."

I held up my wrist and revealed my Talon brand. Cold, sharp eyes narrowed on my copper skin as the trademark golden hawk of a Talon enforcer appeared. "Sir, you are armed with intent to do harm on Haven grounds. This entire mountain is a sanctuary. According to Fae law, the girl is welcome to claim refuge here."

"Screw the laws," he spat, shifting the business end of the gun toward me. "Fae laws force our race to live in the Modern Realm—force us to hide who we are as if we're worth less than those fucking humans. The gods won't care about one worthless runaway. Tell your boy here to lower his wand and we're gone."

Catching Lexi's eye, I glanced toward the girl and my sister dissolved into the crowd.

"Again, that would be no." The muzzle of the gun pointed at my chest at an almost point blank range. My skin tingled warm. I pushed back my temper. "I know how you must feel—"

"You know nothing," he snapped, spittle flying. "You are human."

With his full attention on me, I wove more persuasion into my words. "As a Talon enforcer, I ensure the laws of both realms are upheld. You smuggled a gun from the Modern Realm onto sanctuary grounds. There's no chance you're leaving with the girl. The Portal Gates are sealed for summer solstice and you have things to answer for. Your only option here is to lower your weapon."

My suggestion had the barrel wavering. He clutched the grip with both hands and stabilized it. His jaw clenched as his index finger tightened on the trigger. I gave another push of energy and when I thought I was at my limit, I pushed further. Perspiration beaded across his furrowed brow. I held on. Needles of pain ran through my jaw as I clenched my teeth. After another minute, the Glock clattered to the tavern floor.

He lunged.

My feet left the ground as his shoulder caught my cheek. Something solid connected with my ribs and I hit the dance floor in an awkward half-twist. My back connected with the wood plank right before my head bounced. I was still seeing white splotches bursting in front of my eyes when the brute's staggering weight lifted and two Were-lion bouncers took control.

One snatched the weapon and shoved it into the waistband of his jeans. His litter-mate grabbed the guy's thick arms and wrenched them back until I expected to hear the snap of bone. Rumbling like a storm cloud, the pair of Weres cable-tied the guy's hands and signaled to everyone that the show was over.

"And a good night was had by all." Lexi rolled her amethyst eyes and offered me a hand up. 

Have you always wanted to be an author?

Actually, no. It never occurred to me until a writer friend of mine was reading my posts on my website before moving to Panama and she commented that I wrote well. She said I should consider writing in my spare time. I smiled and tucked that away, but never gave it much thought until over a year later when my writing muse found me in a hammock in a Panamanian rainforest.

Can you share with us your typical writing day.  Is there anything you have to have while writing?

Now that it's summer holidays it's easy. I wake up around 7:30, prop up my pillows, pull my laptop onto my lap and write until about 10 am, shower, eat some Honey Bunches of Oats, write until 1, eat, write until 4ish, stop to make supper and whirl around to make it look like I cleaned or did laundry or something other than sitting in front of my computer all day. So really… I write and eat. That's pretty much it.

Can you please tell us about your latest book?

Blaze Ignites is an adult, fast paced fantasy/romance with smart, sassy alpha females, sexy men and wicked humour. It was a lot of fun to write that series and with the fifth book on my list of things to finish, I'll be sad to say goodbye to the Scourge Survivors.

Can you share with us your current work in progress?

Currently, I'm working on a paranormal/erotic romance about demons feeding off the population of Toronto and the Otherworld policing force who fight in the city's streets keeping humans safe.

Open your book to a random page and please reads us a few lines.

Okay . . . Blaze Ignites-pg 255

Standing perpendicular to the targets, Galan brought his arms around to my front and placed his bow in my hand. "This time feel for the wind. The farther the target is from your arrow, the more its path will deviate. The instant before release, hold your breath and loose the string between the beats of your heart. Even those two tiny movements can alter your shot."

I nocked the arrow, stretched my arm until it started to quiver and let it fly. Thunk, it sunk into a bale of straw supporting one of the closer targets.

"Acceptable," Galan said. "Did you close your eyes again?" I shook my head and he chuckled at my hasty denial. "I thought as much. Would you close your eyes when you are under attack?" He kissed up the length of my neck while I pulled the next arrow from the quiver.

The touch of his lips on my skin sent me to another plane of existence. From one breath to another my body heated. His hands skimmed upwards from my hips to cup my breasts. My entire body tingled. I shook my head. "Like I can concentrate when you do that."

"Chaos and distraction are part of battle, Blossom," he whispered close to my ear. "I am simply furthering your training."

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I'm waiting for The King by JR Ward. Beside my bed I have the Fever Series by Moning

Have you ever used anyone from your real life encounters in any of your books?

Not a person, per se, but definitely a quality or quirk. Lots of my characters have one foot in my life and the other in a fantasy world. It's how you make characters come to life.

What was the most important thing in your writing life?

My writing community/critique groups are the foundation of everything I put out. I belong to the greatest writing group ever—The Writers' Community of Durham Region. At 350+ members, of new, intermediate and advanced and published writers, it's through the WCDR that I have learned everything. I attend workshops, we host writing greats for our monthly networking meeting, we have critique groups, blue-pencil sessions…the list goes on. If there's anyone out there who still thinks writing is a solitary act, you need to find a group of peers. It's essential.

September 2009 marked the beginning of my journey with writing paranormal/fantasy romance novels. After spending a year hiatus in Panama with my family, I returned to Ontario relaxed and ready to let stories flow from my mind onto the page. The only problem was—I didn’t know a thing about the craft of writing.

Almost four years later, after dozens of workshops, reading hundreds of books, joining a writing community and two critique groups, I've won two writing scholarships and believe I've got a handle on what I’m trying to say and the voice with which I want to say it.

Currently, I am working on the five book Scourge Survivor Series as well as a darker, erotic/romance paranormal series currently called Watchers of the Grey.