Interview with Kathleen Peacock, author of Hemlock

Hello awesome readers! Today I have the awesome Kathleen Peacock for a very fun interview on this blog! Kathleen Peacock is the author of one of my favorite paranormal novels, Hemlock, which is set in the town of Hemlock in a world where werewolf-ism is a disease. I honestly can't express how much I love this novel so I am linking you to my raving review.          

Kathleen spent her teen years crushing on authors and writing short stories about vampires. She put her writing dreams on hold while attending art school, but tripped over them when office life left her feeling restless.

Kathleen is Canadian and likely to perish in the first wave of the zombie apocalypse.  

Follow Kathleen on her: Website || Goodreads || Twitter

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered. Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's killer:

A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome--also known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control. Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy's boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Describe yourself in a tweet (140 characters)

A hopeless romantic and Jedi wannabe who fears the impending zombie apocalypse will prove she has absolutely no practical skills.

Describe your YA novel Hemlock in three words 

Werewolves! Kissing! Murder!

What is the one thing you always need or do when you are writing?

The right music. I have a hard time writing unless I have a song that suits whatever scene I’m working on. Once I find that song, I usually listen to it on repeat (sometimes for days) until the scene is done. Likewise, there are only a few songs I can listen to while editing. “My Skin” by Natalie Merchant is one. “Somewhere a Clock is Ticking” by Snow Patrol is another.

Which novel did you enjoy writing more, Hemlock or Thornhill? why?

Yikes! Hard question! I feel like Hemlock was the easier of the two books. There are more big action scenes in Thornhill, and I find those a bit harder to write. I also think I put more pressure on myself with Thornhill. Reviews were coming out for book one while I was writing it, and I kept thinking, “What if I let everyone down?” 

Any new characters or plots we should expect or make our selves mentally prepare for?

Definitely keep an eye out for Dex and Eve—two werewolves Mac meets in Thornhill. Here’s a small teaser of Mac’s first encounter with Dex:

He had the kind of rugged jaw you saw in shaving commercials and wide-set brown eyes that a girl could lose herself in, but his right cheek was covered in a network of intricate white scars. It looked like someone had carved symbols into his flesh with a scalpel.

“Freakish, isn’t it?”

“Umm . . .” I had seen some horrible scars before—Kyle’s back, Ben’s chest—but never anything like this. They had the pull of a car wreck on the side of the highway: I didn’t want to stare, but I couldn’t look away. “Are those . . . letters?”

What is your favorite book, show, movie, and song?

I have to pick just one? Okay, keep in mind that the answers change on an hourly basis…

Book: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Show: Doctor Who series 1-4

Movie: The Goodbye Girl (original)

Song: “A Common Disaster” by Cowboy Junkies

Where do you usually like to write or read?  (provide pictures if possible)

My desk is way too messy to take a picture of, but it’s where I do all of my writing unless I’m travelling. I read pretty much anywhere: at home, coffee shops, waiting for the bus, in line at the store. The only place I don’t like to read is in bed.

What are your favorite paranormal creatures? mine have become werewolves after reading Hemlock!

Excellent! *grin*

I was definitely team vamp as a teen—I even carried around a copy of The Anne Rice Trivia Book. I suspect my switch to team werewolf had a lot to do with the Canadian movie Ginger Snaps (though I was already a fan of other werewolf movies).

What made you decide to write a book where the paranormal creatures aren't a secret, but are known everywhere?

The idea for Hemlock came in the form of a scene with Mac, Jason, and Kyle (though the characters didn't yet have names). Jason and Kyle were fighting about the fact that Kyle was a werewolf and that Mac had gotten hurt because of it. They obviously lived in a world where the existence of werewolves was public knowledge. I worked back from that, building the world around how I thought people would react based on history (the fear and misinformation in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, the internment camps used by the US and Canada during World War II, etc).

Who is your favorite, between Kyle and Jason? don't ask me because I can't pick!

I swear, I don’t have a favorite. That being said, both my agent and editor have accused me of liking Jason better.  What can I say? I like banter. 

To end this interview, where are you in the writing process? did you start book three? are you planning on writing another series? standalone? different genre? we would love to know!

I’m currently in the middle of writing the third Hemlock book.

Honestly, I’m not sure what I’ll be working on after this. I have at least a dozen idea files that I add to at random.  At some point, I’ll have to sit down and choose one to work on.

How was that teaser? I can't wait to read Thornhill! Below is some information about the upcoming second book of Hemlock and the synopsis for it! I am so excited for a reunion of Mac, Kyle, and Jason! Be sure to mark you calendar guys! Thornhill is coming out on September 10th, 2013 from Katherine Tegen Books.

Mac can’t lose another friend. Even if he doesn’t want to be found.

The ripple effect caused by Mac’s best friend Amy’s murder has driven Mac’s new love, Kyle, to leave Hemlock and disappear from her life forever. But Mac knows that Kyle plans to enroll in a rehabilitation camp, where he can live with other werewolves. She refuses to accept his decision, especially since the camps are rumored to be tortuous. So she sets out in search of Kyle with a barely sober Jason—and Amy’s all-seeing ghost—in tow.Clues lead Mac to find Kyle in a werewolf den in Colorado—but their reunion is cut short by a Tracker raid. Now Mac and Kyle are trapped inside the electric fences of Thornhill, a camp for young werewolves. As she devises an escape plan, Mac uncovers dangerous secrets buried within the walls of Thornhill—and realizes that the risk to the people she loves is greater than ever before.

On top of this awesome interview, Kathleen Peacock was generous enough to give away three swag packs internationally! The swag pack consists of Hemlock stickers, a signed bookplate, a Thornhill trading card, and a bookmark!
a Rafflecopter giveaway