Hello Fellow Junkies,

'Tis the season for interviews here on the Fantasy Junkie. I have loads of favourite authors, and some have graciously answered a few questions for me, while some have kindly offered to giveaway copies of their e-books and swag. This week's author is Anna Zaires, author of the Krinar Chronicles and Twist Me. I love this woman to pieces! She's so incredibly talented. Her books have been made into audiobooks and recently Close Liaisons was translated in German. How awesome is that?

Want to see what I asked her? Of course you do! Here's my interview with the amazing Anna Zaires...

1. You've had amazing success with your Krinar Chronicles series. Were you expecting it to be as well-received as it has been?

Thank you, Lauren! I am beyond ecstatic that the books have resonated with so many readers. We honestly didn’t know what to expect when we first came out with Close Liaisons - and we certainly never thought we’d become full-time authors in less than a year. Writing a book was just something fun to do, and nobody was more shocked than me when halfway through the first draft of Close Liaisons, we realized that we might actually have a real novel on our hands.

2. What is your ritual before you begin a new book? Are you a planner or a pantser?

Lately, we’ve been planning the books way in advance. We usually go on a nice long walk and brainstorm together, then jot down the resulting big-picture plot ideas. Dima (my husband) likes detailed outlines, but I’m more of a pantser, so we compromise and meet somewhere in the middle when we write together.

3. All three of your books are now available as audiobooks. What prompted your decision to make them available in this format?

To be honest, that was entirely Dima’s idea. I didn’t know much about audiobooks before we started working with ACX. It turned out to be a good move on our part, because the audiobook market is rapidly growing, and we’ve found that many fans appreciate being able to listen to the book during their commute or while doing household chores. 

 

4.  You're currently working on something a little different - Twist Me, which is a slightly darker themed book than your previous works. Can you tell us a little about it?

Absolutely. The premise of this book is pretty disturbing, actually. A young woman is kidnapped and taken to a remote island by a beautiful, enigmatic stranger with sadistic tendencies. Their relationship is wrong and twisted on every level, and that’s what makes it so fascinating to me. Julian is very much an anti-hero – a gamma hero, if you will. I find him both compelling and frightening, and I think others will too. This is not an easy book to write, but I feel like I have to tell their story - as dark and non-traditional as it might be. 

5. Your husband, Dima Zales - an author in his own right - has collaborated with you on previous projects. Why do you think you work so well as a team?

I think we both have different strengths and weaknesses, and we happen to complement each other. Dima is excellent with big-picture ideas and has a very logical, scientific mindset that helps with plotting, while I have a certain feel for emotional interactions and character development. We also happen to be crazy about each other, so spending lots of time together is not exactly a hardship :) 

6.  In the Krinar Chronicles, there's a lot of vocabulary specific to Ks. How did you come up with it all, and how did you develop such a deeply-rooted back story/history for them?

Honestly, the world-building just happened. The Krinar are very real to me, and I wanted to make them real to the readers. It’s all about being logical and thinking about what would actually happen if we encountered a more advanced civilization. What would they be like? How would everybody react?

7. Who would your dream cast be for Mia and Korum if this series were made into a film?

Ooh, that’s a toughie. I don’t think there’s a human alive who could do Korum justice, but if I had to choose, I’d probably go with the following:

8. If you were a super hero, what would your name and super power be?

 The Readerator. My superpower is being able to read crazy fast.

9.  Who would you say inspires you?

My family. Without their love and support, none of this would’ve been possible. 

10. What's one thing you can't live without in the world and why?   

Books. Definitely books. I don’t think I have to explain that one :)

I'd like to thank Anna for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer some of my questions. If you haven't read The Krinar Chronicles I highly recommend you do. Anna is an amazing author and an absolute sweetheart of a person, too.

Anna Zaires fell in love with books at the age of five, when her grandmother taught her to read. She wrote her first story shortly thereafter. Since then, she has always lived partially in a fantasy world where the only limits were those of her imagination. Currently residing in New York City, Anna is happily married to the man of her dreams and closely collaborates with him in the writing of the Krinar Chronicles. 

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