CTR: Please give us a short blurb on your book and where we can get a copy! Please include genre and overall rating, considering explicit content, realistic language, violence etc.

MM: In Peacebreakers, an ancient blood feud between humans and mutants picks up momentum with the resurrection of a vengeful revolutionary leader bent on paying back humanity for the destruction of her innocence and its macabre crimes against her race. Caught in the middle of the brewing war is self-exiled werewolf Kiera Graves, who is willing to go to any lengths to see superhumans enjoy the basic rights of which humans have been depriving them for decades. But while she may be able to improve the world for her people, self-improvement is turning out to be much harder””struggling with disillusionment and addictions, Kiera is secretly at the end of her rope. Enter tortured revolutionary Jackson Solomon, who seems like the only one who can save Kiera from herself. His love is her cure, but hers might kill him, according to a local prophetess. But prophecies are only speculations, right? It’s not like her presence in his life can actually, literally kill him”¦right?

Enter the undead horde she’s just accidentally unleashed”¦

Genre: Scifi/horror. Romantic heat level: sweet. Warnings: mild language, moderate violence.
Print or electronic copies can be purchased at the Rogue Phoenix Press website: www.roguephoenixpress.com Also available for Amazon Kindle.

CTR: What inspired you to write this particular story? If this is your first book share why you chose this genre or setting and if it’s just your first in this style/genre what made you choose this as a new direction?

MM: I’m a counterculture sort of person. At the time when I started writing the story, fiction had taken a very mellow turn””it was hard for me to find the sort of action-packed, intense book I was looking for. I started the book with nothing but a little spare time, but finished it to balance out the trends. That’s not to say I wouldn’t have written a horror sci-fi if action was the norm””rebellion for rebellion’s sake can hardly be called true rebellion””but the desire to see darker plots on the shelves was definitely one of my key motivators.

1. CTR: What do you think is the major appeal of the spooky, macabre and bizarre aspects of the paranormal? Do you think elements of horror can successfully blend with romance and form an appealing novel? Do you think fear and danger can be an aphrodisiac?

MM: Freaky fiction is another form of escapism. People want to be thrown for a curve-ball. The rush of glycogen dumped into your bloodstream by your liver after a rush of adrenaline triggers the organ is one of the most elusive highs, and it’s much cheaper than a roller-coaster ride. I definitely think danger is one of the strongest aphrodisiacs””ever heard the phrase “chicks dig scars?” You can sarcastically remark all you want, “Oh, yeah, because I’m totally attracted to half-dead idiots,” but it’s true, there’s a certain appeal to thrills and those who live to chase them. At the end of the day, we all love our half-dead idiots.

2. CTR: What is your favorite paranormal theme or creature and why?

MM: I’m pretty partial to werewolves. I like the idea of having awesome amounts of power but not being able to control it, unconsciously tearing into somebody’s side with razor-sharp teeth and waking up with no memory of the incident”¦perhaps because it’s such a step outside who I am in real life. I eat ribs with a knife and fork, for Pete’s sake! I’m one of the most nonviolent people I know, but fiction is all about escapism, right?

3. CTR: Do you have a funny or hair-raising tale to share about ghost stories at sleepovers when you were a kid, scaring the new kid at camp etc? Were you usually the scarer or the scare-ee?

MM: Believe it or not, I didn’t always have such a strong constitution when it came to frights. I’ll never forget Halloween when I was seven years old, I was trick-or-treating with my friends and we came across a house with a guy dressed up as an ominous, bloody-faced, black-robed demon of the Inferno standing out front. This guy literally looked like he wanted to eat me. None of my friends were brave enough to go near the house, but despite being a 2nd-grade fraidy cat, I was still a rebel with something to prove, so I stepped right up.

So here I am, in a floor-length princess gown, face-to-face with the scariest thing I’ve seen since that 1999 flick The Haunting. This guy, he doesn’t talk to me, doesn’t smile or anything, just looks me straight in the eye, as intensely as he can, and hands me a Jolly Rancher between two menacingly long fingernails. I seriously thought I was going to faint, but somehow I still remembered to ask for a few extra candies for my friends. I think there was something wrong with that guy, but looking back, it was a fun experience.

4. CTR: Is Halloween one of your favorite holidays? If so what do you like best about it? Do you usually dress up for work or to hand out treats or host a party? What’s your costume this year?

MM: Halloween is my favorite holiday, hands down! As a writer, I love being able to get in character. It’s also such a wild joyride running around the neighborhood in a silly outfit, shoving down obscene amounts of candy and waking up sick the next morning from the sugar overload. It’s like a kid’s version of every adult vice.

5. CTR: What else would you like to tell perspective readers about this book or others you have available?

MM: I’d just like to say, I hope my fiction helps bring out the fearlessness in older YA readers that we lost sometime after we outgrew middle-grade. Remember the chilling dystopia, oppressive authority, and cannibalistic horror in The Guardians of Ga’Hoole? It’s this kind of intensity I’d like to reintroduce to young readers as they get ready to join the adult world. And if that doesn’t mean much to you, all I can say is, I hope you read my books anyway and enjoy the ride!

CTR: Where can we find more about you and your books?

MM: You can find info about me and my books at my official website, www.mindymackay.com. I also have a fanpage on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Mindy-MacKay/127228420656362) and a page on Twitter (www.twitter.com/mindymackay).

Thanks Mindy for sharing with us today!