While my guest today, Alexia Reed, resides in Ontario, she likes to say that she lives in her own little world. A lover of all things scientific and the paranormal, Alexia uses her books as a way to straddle the realms of fact and fiction—and always with a healthy dose of romance thrown in. When not writing and reading, Alexia paints, and is the caretaker to two neurotic cats.
Alexia writes dark dark paranormal romantic suspense and her new release, HUNTING THE SHADOWS, published with Carina Press, is the first in her Shadow Ops series. Of course I do love my dark romantic suspense, and all the better with a little paranormal tossed around! Really looking forward to this series!
Alexia talks about SETTING THE STAGE today and also gives away an Ecopy of HUNTING THE SHADOWS! Many ways to enter! Good Luck!
HUNTING THE SHADOWS
Amy has spent her life in isolation. Locked away in the Centre, a secret government facility where children with extraordinary abilities are raised as highly skilled fighters, she longs for a normal life. A life where being around people doesn’t overload her sensitive telepathic mind. A life where she can’t see through the eyes of a murderer as he hunts down his next victim…
J.C. Nikolaiev was a top researcher, but when his conscience got the better of him, he tried to destroy his work and free his subjects—and was imprisoned as a traitor. To save himself and prevent more people from dying, J.C. must catch the serial killer stalking the halls of the facility. But his only leads come from a woman whose thoughts have invaded his mind…
Finally out of the psych ward, Amy joins forces with J.C. to find the killer before he closes in on them. Can their growing attraction withstand the truths they uncover?
You can purchase Hunting the Shadows through the Carina Press website, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.
Here’s Alexia…
The stories I’ve loved the most are those where the setting can be anywhere or are isolated. Actually, I love isolation stories. Maybe it’s because I grew up on the outskirts of two towns, trapped in the middle of nowhere, but I love country settings where you have fields and acres upon acres of trees between you and your nearest neighbour. It also raises the stakes a bit more, knowing the characters don’t have easy access to escape.
I set the Centre in the middle of nowhere for some of these reasons. I took it a bit literal and dropped the compound deep in the mountains. My main reason is because they are a governmental secret. The world isn’t supposed to know the agents or program even exists. They are the weapons trained to fight in preparation for the approach of a world war. That means they need secrecy and room to train, not only their psychic abilities but also physically.
It’s hard for me to say much about the inspiration for the Centre itself. It’s a complex building with upper (dorm rooms, Medical, training rooms, class rooms, cafeteria, etc) and lower levels that extend underground in what’s called the Crypt. The Crypt is where prisoners are kept and punished by the Enforcers (psychics in charge of keeping the agents in line). It’s not exactly somewhere you want to be. In fact, if you’re sent down there, most likely, your chances of coming out are slim. It’s not a place you want to find yourself.
I knew when I started writing the book that because it is planned to be a series, I wanted book 1 to focus on the Centre and life there. In the later books, it won’t just be at the Centre so I wanted to keep it central for the first few before expanding outward.
That said, setting is tricky. You have to know how much detail to add and where. Too much can be overwhelming and not enough leaves your readers filling in the gaps themselves. It’s a balancing act and can be subjective from person to person depending on their preferences.
You can find Alexia on her website, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook.
Alexia is giving away one ecopy of HUNTING THE SHADOWS!
Comment on this question to enter!
Does setting matter to you when you read a book?
If so, what kind of places do you prefer?
12 Responses to