Fairies in My Fireplace
Monster Haven Book Three
Monster Haven Book Three
By R.L. Naquin
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Carina Press
Date of Publication: Sept. 3, 2013
ISBN: 9781426896279
ASIN: B00CV30XCE
Number of pages: 226
Word Count: 86,000
Cover Artist: Kix by Design
Available Here:
Amazon | BN | Carina Press
Blurb:
Sometimes it’s the monsters who need to be saved…
A migration of mythical creatures has begun, and more and more of them are landing on Zoey Donovan's doorstep. As the only Aegis left in the country, it falls to her to protect the Hidden and keep them safe—and her house has become a sanctuary for water sprites, goblins, harpies, djinn and more.
Keeping track of her boarders is a full-time job, and Zoey's already got her hands full trying to run her wedding planning business. Good thing she has a resident closet monster to keep her organized, and a hot Reaper boyfriend to help her relax every once in a while.
But she can't keep up monster-triage indefinitely, and as more Hidden arrive, it becomes clear that someone—or something—is hunting them. In the midst of planning an event for a notoriously difficult client, Zoey's got to figure out who's behind the hunt…and she's got to stop them before there are no Hidden left.
Can you please share with us a little about yourself?
First of all, you can all call my Rachel. That’s what the “R” stands for. I’m kind of boring. I sit around in my pajamas all day making stuff up. I love Disney, LEGO, monsters, and road trips. My husband is as weird as I am and often my two grown kids have to be the voice of reason, mostly because the cats can’t be trusted to keep us out of trouble.
Have you always wanted to be an author?
Yes. Always. But I knew the odds and the money were bad, so I tried to be other things first. None of them stuck. I don’t think I’m very good at anything else.
Can you share with us your typical writing day. Is there anything you have to have while writing?
No day is typical. I might spend the whole day sitting on the couch writing. Or I might be at the kitchen table. Or maybe I’ll go upstairs and actually work in my office. Sometimes I even get dressed and go to a coffee shop to work. On days when I’m thinking through a plot, I might go to the zoo or drive around for a few hours or sit in a park watching skateboarders fall down and scrape themselves up. Inspiration is everywhere. All I need is my laptop, but I do love scribbling all over my whiteboards and index cards.
What would you say is the most challenging or rewarding part of writing?
The most challenging is keeping up the pace. I’m handing over two books a year to my publisher, and I’m trying to write another series of books in between. The most rewarding is when readers contact me to tell me how much they loved my books. That makes it all well worth the effort.
Can you please tell us about your latest book?
Fairies in My Fireplace is book three in the Monster Haven series from Carina Press.
In this one, monsters, mythological creatures, and urban legends are being kidnapped all over the country, and the survivors have been piling up in Zoey’s house, looking for her help. All the other Aegises (monster helpers) in the country are already missing, so Zoey’s the only one they can turn to. She has to figure out who the kidnapper is and try to rescue everyone before all the monsters are gone.
How did you come up with the idea for this story?
Now that Zoey knows she’s an Aegis to the supernatural community, she needed to really dig into the roll. So, I dropped a whole bunch of monsters on her to deal with. Since this is number three in a six-book series, I had to amp up the tension, the danger, the stakes, and the emotions. Plus, I needed to get rid of her blue VW Bug, because everybody in urban fantasy drives a Bug. Dropping a tranquilized thunderbird on it seemed like a fun idea.
Can you share with us your current work in progress?
Currently, I’m working on a new series while I wait for edits on book four, Golem in My Glovebox. I don’t want to say too much about the new series, but I will say there’s a talking plant name Phyllis, a gorgon receptionist, and a main character who is far more like me than Zoey is.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Here are a handful in no particular order: Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Ray Bradbury, Ridley Pearson, Gregory Maguire, C.S. Lewis, Piers Anthony, Neil Gaiman, Madeleine L’Engle. As far as genre goes, I’m all over the place.
Do you feel that any of your favorite authors have inspired your writing style?
A lot of authors have inspired me, but I don’t think they’ve inspired my actual style. People I know – some who haven’t seen me in years – read my books and tell me it’s like standing next to me and listening to me talk. The books are written in my voice. My friends say it’s like being in on a huge inside joke.
Open your book to a random page and please reads us a few lines.
Lulu danced around the yard, barking and howling like a puppy. The enormous hellhound saw the sponge bounce off of me and dashed after it. She picked it up in her teeth and shook it like it was a dead rat, then decided shaking, in general, was a great idea.
When a wet hellhound shakes, everybody gets wet.
What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?
My TBR pile is huge, just like yours probably is. I recently finished Celebromancy by Michael R. Underwood. Loved it. (Read Geekomancy first, though.) Toward the top of the list of what I’ll read next are The Chosen series by Denise Grover Swank, Drynn, by Steve Vera, and Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton. I’m looking forward to a lot of new books coming out soon, among them, Realm Walker by Kathleen Collins and Undead Chaos by Joshua Roots. Honestly, my Unread folder in my Kindle has twenty-seven books in it waiting in line, and I’ve got a pile of paperbacks waiting, too. I need to buy more hours.
Have you ever used anyone from your real life encounters in any of your books?
There’s a little bit of everyone I meet in my characters, but only one character who was patterned after somebody in particular. It was…cathartic.
What was the most surprising thing you learned about yourself while you were writing?
I can finish what I start. And then, I can do it again. This, to me, is a full-on miracle. I had no idea.
Bridgette, thanks so much for having me on your blog today!
Rachel’s head is packed with an outrageous amount of useless Disney trivia. She is terrified of thunder, but not of lightning, and tends to recite the Disneyland dedication speech during storms to keep herself calm. She finds it appalling that nobody from Disney has called yet with her castle move-in date.
Originally from Northern California, she has a tendency to move every few years, resulting in a total of seven different states and a six-year stint in England. Currently, she’s planning her next grand adventure. Rachel has one heroic husband, two genius kids, a crazy-cat-lady starter kit, and an imaginary dog named Waffles.
She doesn’t have time for a real dog.
Connect with R.L. Naquinn Here:
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