Illicit Magic Blog Tour & Giveaway

Thanks for joining me on my stop on the tour. I have an awesome interview with the author Camilla Chafer and a review and also a giveaway.

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Book: Illicit Magic
Author: Camilla Chafer
Published: May 11,2011
Publisher: Audacious
Format: E Book
Series: Book 1 in Stella Mayweather Series
Source: Bewitching Blog Tours
Rating: 4 Stars

About the book:

More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it's happening again.

Racing from attack by the ruthless Brotherhood in London to the powerful witch council in New York, twenty-four-year-old novice witch Stella has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.

Sent to an extraordinary safe house by the sea to learn her craft, Stella finds there is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of their safe house vanish to every day and why does Evan have the eyes of someone not quite human?

There is only one secret that someone will do anything to keep quiet, but whose secret is it and will Stella have to pay the price for silence?

Author Interview:

 I loved the character of Stella. Was she inspired by anyone?

She was inspired as an almost antithesis to the modern urban fantasy heroine. Instead of having a kickass, sword-wielding heroine who could lay out any supernatural, or the "normal" woman who needs saving by a paranormal male, I wanted to know what would happen to a woman whose powers were growing and who would have to learn to save herself. I think there's a bit of Stella in all of us - bravery, determination, loyalty, and a realization of self as the series goes on.

 
When did you know you wanted to become a writer?

Probably when I was 5 or so. I started off, in the typical way, of writing very short "books" about adventurous ponies (many of which my Grandad still has!). I always had a very strong sense that writing was what I was meant to do. I've been writing professionally for eight years through journalism and editing, as well as writing non-fiction books.

I love stories about witches and loved this book.Can you tell me what made you want to write about witches?

Thanks so much! It came down to a couple of reasons. One, that witches are very much synonymous with women and I wanted to explore the supernatural world from the point of view of a woman who becomes entrenced in it, but who wasn't a vampire. Secondly, because witchcraft has such a rich and often devestating history what with persecution and ignorance. (Something interesting I discovered in my research was that the English Pendle witchcraft trials were the forerunners for the Salem witch trials some seventy years later, something that worked well with my international setting.) I took those points and crafted a story that has women with powerful roles and how they would react and work with - or against - each other in a contemporary setting. Plus it's a ton of fun making up their powers!

What are you reading right now and your favorite genre to read? 

Right now, I've just started reading J Carson Black's Darkness on the Edge of Town (Laura Cardinal series) which is a crime mystery. I'm not sure I have a favorite genre - I like UF/PNR, magical realism, mystery, crime, thriller and some romance. I'm not keen on historical or horror, the latter because I'm a big chicken.

What can we look forward to from you next and what would you like your readers to know?

The next book I have out is Armed & Fabulous, a lighthearted mystery about an office temp who gets embroiled in a major fraud and murder when she stumbles across her boss' still warm corpse. It's the first in a trilogy and all books will be out May-July. If you're enjoying the Stella series, books 2 and 3 Unruly Magic and Devious Magic are out now, and I'm currently working on book 4, Magic Rising.

My review:Stella was just your average woman that had something that was just a little different about her. Overnight she is thrust into a world she could never have dreamed of. Stella learns that she is a witch that is being hunted. She is whisked away to safety and learns of a coven of witches called the Council who oversees and try to help other witches. Along the way we are introduced to some characters that have to be good friends for Stella in Etiole, Marc, Kitty and of course Evan. As Stella learns how to use her magic she learns there is a sinister force out to get her. I loved that the author had a nice mix of supernatural creatues with the witches, the vampire, and the daemon.  It was also nice seeing the different magical abilities the witches had. It was nice to see they weren't all the same. I loved seeing Stella grow into a powerful witch and still be her girl next door self. The budding romance that brewed between Stella and Evan was almost magical. It was like they were under a spell all their own and I loved it. I was kind of heartbroken along with Stella towards the end and have to read the rest of the books in this series. This was a great read and I highly recommend it to lovers of witch stories.

About the author:

Hi, I'm Camilla and I'm the author of the Stella Mayweather Series, an urban fantasy/mystery. The series starts with Illicit Magic and a lonely young woman, Stella, who has been caught up in a terrifying witch hunt and is whisked thousands of miles away to what she thinks is safety to learn her craft. The series is a blend of magic, mystery and romance with a splash of humour - and while the girls really do go all out to save themselves, there's always a hunky guy or two on hand to help them out. The series continues with Unruly Magic and Devious Magic, both out now.

I live in London, England, but I try to travel as often as I can – I’ve been all over the US and Europe. In my day job I'm a journalist and editor so I write for magazines, newspapers and websites throughout the world (my favourite assignment was spending a week riding rollercoasters - if you listen carefully you can probably still hear me screaming) but writing fiction has always been my first love.

Web links:

Website: http://www.camillachafer.com/

Blog: www.camillachafer.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CamillaChafer

Twitter: @camillawrites

Purchase the Books:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/mzGZrI
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/iFNS1c
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/lX5PLb
Nook: http://bit.ly/jmrAO9
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/iEShAn

Thanks to Camilla Chafer for the great interview and Bewitching Tours for this blog tour.

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