Title: Before Vengeance
Author: Louise Lo
Series: Cosmic Balance #.5
Genre: New Adult, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: August 10, 2015
What if everything you’ve ever known, down to what you are, was a lie?
Growing up in the enchanted kingdom of Dualsing, seventeen-year-old Lady Serafina has always known she’s different. Her fae power never manifested itself during puberty, and her parents treated her like a tolerated houseguest rather than family. Even her childhood sweetheart, Crown Prince Eldon, distanced himself the moment he was old enough to know the secret about Serafina that everyone in their world seems to know—except her.
Now her upcoming birthday is being treated as a national holiday by the very people who’d neglected her, Eldon is in for a political battle of his life that she’s somehow being dragged into, and Serafina is developing abilities that feel terrifyingly right, but aren’t fae power at all.
As she starts to investigate her origin, Serafina has no idea she would be setting in motion events that would have far-reaching consequences not just for herself, but for all the planes.
***Note: BEFORE VENGEANCE is a prequel of VENGEANCE BE MINE.***
I’ve always loved documentaries, and fairy tales were a great part of my childhood. Writing fantasy just seemed like such a natural next step. I get to do cool worldbuilding using the knowledge I’ve gained and add in fantastical creatures from the old stories that I love. For example, I watched a nature show about eagles that would drag mountain goats off the mountain and to their deaths. Before I knew it, I was writing a supernatural fight scene based on that, except the mountain is now a skyscraper and the victim in question is a demon-in-training.
2. When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process(outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I have to say I enjoy the worldbuilding part the most, so I really have to watch myself not to overdo it—lol. For every new book, I keep a spreadsheet with a million tabs, eighty percent of which will change during the course of the actual writing process. That’s a good thing because what looks really cool on excel could suck in a story, yet sometimes my subconscious mind plots three steps ahead of me and I end up with some wonderful twist I didn’t even see coming. It’s moments like that I really live for!
3. When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
I read across a wide range of genres, both fiction and non-fiction. One day I might be reading a hard sci-fi, the next a zombie thriller, the day after that, a deck-building manual. The weird thing is, the deck manual might just end up being the most beneficial for my writing because the decking technique could somehow find its way into a scene without me making any effort to put it in there. So no reading time is wasted reading time. When I was younger, I had a list of books I thought I “oughta” enjoy, and I tried to force myself to read them. They are mostly books that are considered “classics” and “respectable”. Not that I don’t enjoy the classics every now and then, but even the best of them couldn’t possibly be loved by everyone. Not every book is right for you. Nowadays I’ve learned to trust my instincts and respect my own preferences. If I find myself not going back to a book after putting it down, then I don’t go back to it. End of story.
4. If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
I’m not sure I’m the co-authoring type of author. While I try to network with other authors as often as time allows, I’m a bit of a lone wolf in the creative process. Success or failure, I want to own it a hundred percent. Instead of answering this question, I’m providing a list of authors I would like to do other stuff with:
To have tea with: Agatha Christie, except I would have to make sure she doesn’t put any poison in my tea. I have no intention of being the star in a murder mystery.
To tap dance on the roof of a TARDIS with: Neil Gaiman, except my husband would want to come along and dancing is not his strong suit...
To knit with: Nora Roberts, so that I can grill her on the secret of being so prolific.
5. Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
I’ve known since I was six years old that I wanted to be a writer, yet I stopped writing for a long time after adolescence. For me, the struggle has never been figuring out what I want in life, but to have the courage to embrace it. It’s far too easy to get comfortable and forget your dreams. But in the end, all the trappings of a good life are just that–trappings. I tried it. It didn’t work. It didn’t make me happy. I spent three times the time and effort finding substitutes to fill the void of not having writing in my life until I decided I might as well get off my butt and do it. So I did, and I haven’t stopped since.
“Louisa Lo has an exciting new voice to bring to urban fantasy and a fun and breezy writing style that kept the pages quickly turning well into the night! I need more!” –Michelle Rowen, National Bestselling Author
Louisa Lo lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband, an aristocratic cat, and more cardboard boxes than she cares to unpack. She decided to write about vigilantes, because it seems like a better life choice than trying to become one and landing herself in jail. She just has that kind of luck.
Please visit www.louisalo.com to learn more about Louisa and her books.
Thanks for hosting today, Heather! :)
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