Eight With Amy: Sabrina Garie

Sabrina Garie’s new book, Fires of Justice, was released on October 17, and she’s here to tell us a little about it and herself. She’s also offering a giveaway—a $5.00 gift card at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Before we begin the interview, I’ll let her tell us a little about her book.

Fires Of Justice

Always read the fine print when swearing an eternal oath to gods and guardians…

Beholden by the sacred vows of her coven, fire witch Calista Reid agrees to temporarily mate with shifter Cullen McMahan to fulfill a mission assigned by the guardians. When tall, dark and damaged arrives on her doorstep, generating enough heat to scorch a fire witch, Calista finds herself drawn to his battle-hardened body and broken soul. His pain speaks to her own deep-rooted isolation and the intensity of his hunger slakes her passion like no other.

Cullen, scarred by a past that left him an indentured soldier to the guardians, resents yet another hump-on-command assignment…until he encounters the compassionate, fearless, incendiary redhead who detonates his body and reawakens the emotions sacrifice and loss had suppressed. But Cullen harbors a terrible secret—one that reaches back into Calista’s troubled childhood and threatens the foundation of their growing bond.

For an excerpt, click here. 

Welcome, Sabrina. Thank you for being here.

Thanks for hosting me today Amy. I’m excited to be here and share my eight with Amy.

The title of your book is Fires of Justice. How did you come up with it?

The book is a paranormal story in which the hero, who is a shifter, and the heroine, a witch, are fire elementals. Fire is the foundation of their powers and a universal symbol of renewal and rebirth. They find themselves temporarily bound together by the guardian of balance, justice and unity. Through their evolving relationship, they find a personal, karmic justice for the past wrongs done to them, hence the title.

How do you develop your characters?

Characters often first pop into my head to fix a story, movie or TV show that I had liked or could have liked but for a bad ending, a character I hated, or a drive to enhance part of the story to fulfill my own needs. I create a character and use him or her to rewrite the storyline. Argenta, the guardian of balance, justice, and unity in this story initially emerged to fix a TV movie whose ending made me gag. The story and other characters grew from her.

Which character did you most enjoy writing?

As hot and damaged as Cullen is, and as strong and independent as Calista is (both my favorite types) I had the most fun with Argenta because she is a total hoot. Creating a god-like figure with no limits gives a writer so much creative freedom. Trying to figure out what she looked like, how she’d talk and dress was like a being a kid in a candy shop with a wallet full of cash and no parents around. I savored every moment.

I agree—those are the best characters to write. Are you like any of your characters? How so?

I try and put one piece of myself in all the female characters I write. Not only is it cathartic, it allows me to reach deep into my own psyche when trying to convey emotions. Calista and I share a lonely childhood and a deep-rooted longing to belong and to be noticed for yourself.

Do you have a routine for writing? Do you work better at night, in the afternoon, or in the morning?
I have a pretty strict routine. Between full-time job, full-time parenting responsibilities, and social obligations, I have to be very disciplined or I just couldn’t write. The alarm rings at 5:00, and I write every morning Mon-Fri before my regular life begins. On weekends, I still write in the morning, but I don’t set the alarm.

To me, that’s just crazy, but if it works for you…
I love quotes. What’s one of your favorites?

This is the one quote I’ve carried through all different phases of life. It never ceases to inspire me:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
--Marianne Williamson 
 
That's very inspirational. Sabrina, you live in Washington, DC. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

By the water—ocean, river, lake—doesn’t matter. I want to see it from most of the windows in my home. It brings me peace and balance and a sense of belonging to the universe.

I’m totally with you there. There’s just something about water. If you could take a trip anywhere in the world, where would you go? (Don’t worry about the money. Your publisher is paying.)

A World cruise—to soak myself in cultures, foods, smells, scents and sights.
So what about you all, where’s your ideal place to live? I’d love to hear from you. I’m giving away a $5.00 gift card from Amazon or Barnes and Noble (your choice) to one commenter. Winners will be chosen using random.org. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you, Sabrina, for letting us get to know you. Now come on, people! Comment below for a chance to win that gift card.

About Sabrina:

Sabrina Garie is on a journey to create the most kick-ass heroine romance fiction has ever known and the hero who can take her. A believer that big, audacious goals spice up life, she relies on coffee, red wine and laughter to make those goals (and her characters) come alive. When not at the computer, she wrangles vegetables and extra helpings of homework into her star-spangled, fashion-loving progeny, kowtows to a fat cat and reads, a lot. Since it is more fun to travel in packs, come along for the ride. I’d love to chat.
 
Find Sabrina:
Website 
Blog
Facebook page 
Twitter
Publisher: Elloras’ Cave
Amazon
Barnes and Noble