Blog Tour, Contest & Interview With Kelly Gay

The Darkest Edge of Dawn
Charlie Madigan, #2
Author: Kelly Gay
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Pocket
Available on Amazon

Summary: For Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner Hank, tracking deadly predators is all in a day’s work . . . but this case will test the limits of their strength and friendship as it draws them into a deadly world of power plays, ancient myths, explosive secrets, and a race against time that risks all that Charlie holds dear.


I asked to participate in the blog tour for The Darkest Edge of Dawn because the author, Kelly Gay, was the first author I had interviewed on Wayfaring Writer. I was reviewing and interviewing her about her first book, The Better Part of Darkness, and we were both nervous and excited. I've followed her blog since then, and I am so pleased to help promote her second book.

I'm writing this review minutes after finishing The Darkest Edge of Dawn. Kelly made me cry. I hate when that happens. However, when an author can make you cheer, laugh, hold your breath AND cry during the reading of their book, it's a sign of talent. Kelly has it in spades. Her main character, Charlie Madigan, kicks ass in this second book of the series. One of the things I love about Charlie is that beneath the toughness she is just like other moms. There are some things that most of us share-- mom guilt, mom worry and mom control issues. I admit it, and I know most moms would agree with me. Letting our children take those first steps towards independence sucks. Our instinct is to protect at all costs. Kelly doesn't ignore this side of Charlie, she incorporates it into the story. It's brilliant.

The Darkest Edge of Dawn is a fast paced, complex story with intrigue, mystery, suspense, action and emotion. There is also some very cool sexual tension that developed some interesting possibilities for Charlie. Without giving spoilers, I can't say much about the plot, except to say the twists and turns continue to dismay Charlie and bring on kick ass confrontations.

Kelly Gay takes the stuff our normal reality is made of and plays with it much like Play-Doh, rolling it, forming some creepy shapes, but also taking pieces and sculpting them into interesting and beautiful things. Then she grabs a hunk of Play-Doh and makes something that just blows the readers mind.

If you haven't read the first book, The Better Part of Darkness, go out and buy it. Read it, and then run out and buy The Darkest Edge of Dawn. After you read that, then turn around and read them both again. You will enjoy the details so much more the second time because you won't be holding your breath while you try to read faster to get to the end.

Readers new to Kelly Gay will love her books if you enjoy Vicki Pettersson, Lori Handeland, Dakota Banks or Jennifer Estep.

TEASER WORDS
Licking Hellhounds
Druid King
Jinn
falling fast
Bath House
toe

KELLY LETS ME PICK HER BRAIN

Kelly graciously allowed me to interview her on her new release, life in general and fangirl moments. I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did!

Charlie’s seriously kicks ass in The Darkest Edge of Dawn. Did you feel more comfortable with her as a character in the second book? I hate to say it, but you really put her through the ringer. I won't say how since I don't want to give spoilers:)

I did put her through a lot, didn’t I? Oddly enough, it felt very natural. So maybe I’m just an evil, evil playmaker. LOL. Seriously, though, writing this second book was tough. This was my first foray into continuing a series and, in the beginning I fought a lot with Charlie. Neither one of us knew what to do or how to proceed! It was a struggle to find the right path, but once I finished the book, and went through this process, I feel very comfortable with Charlie and who she is and where she’s headed:)

I don't want to jinx anything or make you tell us insider stuff, but will you know soon if there will be more Charlie books? I know you have been contracted for two YA books, which I can't wait to read.

Thanks! I’m super excited about the YA books. And I do have info on the future of Charlie, but I can’t share it yet until I get the green light – but it should be very, very soon.

How has the last year changed for you since your first book did so well? Did you feel more confident in your writing, or did it make you a little nervous writing the second book, since people loved the first one so much? ( I never had any doubts, by the way.)

((hugs)) Thanks for believing in me! Being my own worst critic, it’s hard sometimes to believe I can do it. But, I do feel more confident in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to understanding the business, settling into my relationship with my editor and agent, and having a good support system – those things give me confidence. I did get very nervous writing the second book. I’d read all the reviews on the first one, and took the critical ones to heart. I wanted to please everyone. I learned a lot from this book. The biggest, that I can’t please everyone. I just have to write what makes me happy, what inspires me, or gets me going. That’s how I wrote the first book, and that’s how I ended up writing the second book. I had to put all the outside stuff out of my mind and write the kind of story I wanted to tell, the kind of story I would like to read. And that story ended up being The Darkest Edge of Dawn.

You just attended the RWA National Convention in Florida, and I loved reading your blog with all the details of who you met, what you did, and how you felt. (Read about it here.) Was there an author at the convention that turned you into a total fangirl when you met them?

Sherrilyn Kenyon. Every time I saw her, I had a little internal EEP! I didn’t get a chance to talk to her this time, but at past conventions I’d go to her panels and signings and get my fangirl fix. The first time I met her was the 2004 RWA conference. My friends will tell you that I stalked her – but that’s TOTALLY untrue.

Last question, I know you have a daughter about the same age as mine, so I have to ask, what is the oddest thing you've done with your daughter that gave you that "Man, I can't believe I just did that." moment? We all know kids make us do some pretty silly things:)

Oh, we have a lot of those moments. Like the time she dared me to go to the mall in my pajamas and slippers. Of course I had to! But then, so did she, LOL. We have a great time together. She’s a great kid, so open and funny. I tend to be quiet and introverted, so she kind of balances me out. We make a good team.

CONTEST TIME!
The publisher is allowing me to give away one copy of The Darkest Edge of Dawn. To enter the contest please leave a comment on something you found funny or fascinating in the review or interview. I will pick the winner with the handy random number generator on September 19th, 2010. The contest is open to US mailing addresses.

~Brenda