Book Tour + Interview: The Sign of the Serpent by Majanka Verstraete + Giveaway
The Sign of the Serpent
by Majanka Verstraete
(The Adventures of Marisol Holmes, #2)
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: December 4th 2018
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Synopsis
Meet Marisol Holmes: High School Student, jaguar shifter, and great granddaughter of Sherlock Holmes. She’s solved countless supernatural cases, but her next one’s the hardest yet. Why?
Marisol is about to lose her heart.
Two days ago, terrible events shattered the very foundation of the Conclave. Now, Marisol Holmes swears she’ll stop at nothing to destroy the man she once loved: her arch nemesis, Mannix.
But when a cryptic clue left by Mannix leads Marisol to a secret room that once belonged to her father, she realizes that hunting down Mannix won’t be that easy. If she wants to catch him, she’ll have to retrace the steps of her own past and discovers secrets that might have been best left buried.
When the hunt for Mannix brings Marisol to London, she teams up again with Roan and Wyatt on a quest for the truth that leads her through the dark alleys of London, to shady shifter pubs, to libraries cloaked in magic, and eventually to an abandoned castle in Scotland that once belonged to her family.
But Mannix is as sadistic as he’s smart. At every turn, Marisol and her friends face harsh truths and deadly puzzles, and risk their lives to uncover a past that should stay buried. With the stakes getting higher and Marisol’s attraction to Roan growing, can Marisol deny what she truly wants, even if it puts her new love on a collision course with her villainous ex?
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Author Interview
Yes. I think a lot of authors have influenced my writing so far. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes was one of the first authors whose work inspired me so much that I knew I wanted to become an author as well. Recently, I’ve drawn inspiration from the works of Sarah J. Maas and George R.R. Martin – although their writing styles are so different, their creativity is enormous, and that really inspires me.
2) What is your creative process when bringing your worlds & characters to life?
I don’t like outlining, even though recently I’ve grown more and more accustomed to it. It does make life faster, but I prefer to just have a spark of an idea, and then get started, and see where the story takes me.
Usually, I imagine the characters and story first, and a general overall story arch with some more detailed scenes thrown in as well that help me to get to know the characters. Then, I start writing. I don’t go back to edit unless there’s something wrong with the plot itself – I just write straight through to the end (sometimes re-reading chapters) because even if some things then still need fixing (like repetitions, character dialogue, words that could be more descriptive, etc) I can always come back and do it later, but the most important thing for me is to get the story right first.
3) What were your inspirations behind The Adventures of Marisol Holmes?
Combining Sherlock Holmes, one of my favorite literary characters of all time, with shifters. On top of that, making the Sherlock character female was a lot of fun as well. That’s how the inspiration started for this series, and then I also had a blast creating the bad guy, inspired by Sherlock Holmes’ own nemesis, Moriarty, and figuring out what his diabolical plans were and how Marisol could stop him.
4) Is there a character from your work that you feel a special connection with?
I have to say I do feel a special connection to Marisol. She’s a bit like me – nerdy, socially awkward at times, and sometimes I just feel bad for her. She gets a lot of stuff thrown her way that she somehow has to deal with and that’s not easy, certainly not for a teenager.
5) What lead you to write and later publish your first book?
My first published book, “Fractured”, is actually a longer version of a novella I wrote previously, but then decided to add some more meat to it, and make it part of a larger series of novels. I’ve always loved writing – I started writing when I was seven years old, so it’s one of my oldest and most beloved hobbies – and always dreamt of becoming a published author, so for me, it was a dream come true.
6) Is there any advice you would like to give to writers who are just starting out?
Don’t give up, no matter what. Find your own voice. Struggle through that story, get those words on paper, no matter how stupid or wrong they may sound – get your story out there. If it’s not on paper in any shape or form, then you cannot fix it, you can’t make it the best it can possibly be. If you have a story you want to tell, go and tell it, and never give up on your dream.
AUTHOR BIO
Author Majanka Verstraete has written more than twenty unique works of fiction. A native of Belgium, Majanka’s novels explore the true nature of monsters: the good, the bad, and just about every species in between. Her young adult books include the acclaimed Mirrorland (YA Dark Fantasy) and Angel of Death (YA Paranormal) series of novels.
Giveaway
Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
Alex & Ani Serpent Rose Gold Bracelet
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