Casual
Curses and Meticulous Magic
The
Gramarye Series
Book
I
Lee
Roland
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Romance
Publisher: Highland Press
Date of Publication: September 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9916439-2-9
ASIN: B00NOZCUB0.
Number of pages: 292
Word Count: 92,000
Cover Artist: Iris Hunter
Book Description:
What happens when a dysfunctional
witch and a tough PI work together to save an aging apartment house filled with
ghosts, dragons and one oversexed house plant?
Spirits, spells and mayhem…Magic
rises in the Gramarye
Melian Devlin is a witch who
often resorts to exotic and slightly illegal methods of acquiring money to
maintain the 300-year-old Gramarye, the stone apartment house that’s her heart
and home. Her life is a series of skirmishes that occasionally end with her
behind bars.
Titus Moran is a no-nonsense PI
who makes big bucks busting insurance fraud schemes. So how did he wind up in a tortuous battle to
keep Melian out of jail? Did the
delightful young witch with her gray eyes and magic at her fingertips enchant
him—or does the Gramarye hold greater mysteries.
Titus will enter a new exciting
world when he joins Melian in her quest to save the Gramarye. Melian will fumble along in her usual
impulsive way, leaving a trail of disasters behind her. If they’re lucky, they might survive.
Available at Amazon BN Smashwords Books
A Million
About
the Author:
Lee Roland is a full time writer
who lives in North Central Florida. She loves the peaceful rural area where she
shares a home with three small dogs who think they are pit bulls and an evil
cat with sharp claws.
Lee writes stories of urban
fantasy and paranormal romance where strong men and women battle the wickedness
hiding under the surface of the modern world.
Her characters are passionate in life and love and are formidable
enemies to the malevolent criminals in their worlds.
Her first series, the Earth
Witches, was published beginning in 2011 by NAL. Her website, www.leeroland.com offers samples
of the Earth Witches books and information on their world. There are short
stories and news of any upcoming books and events.
Interview
I’m from the South.
Born in Tennessee of Appalachian Mountain parents, raised in North
Carolina and Florida. I’ve never lived anywhere else. My travels over the years have left me with
an enduring fondness for the desert mountains of the southwest, but my home
remains in rural North Florida.
Tell
us your latest news?
Latest news is the publication in September of the first
novel in the Gramarye Series—Casual Curses and Meticulous Magic. Gramarye is a version of the word Grimoire, an ancient
textbook of magic. Published by
Highland Press, it’s an urban fantasy with a good romance threaded between the
magical happenings. Casual Curses is a much lighter read than my darker and
more edgy Earth Witches series published by NAL (2011-2013). It has some
unusual characters and I hope it is as much fun to read as it was to
write.
When
and why did you begin writing?
I started writing when I was in the sixth
grade. An assignment for a short story
by a substitute teacher who wanted to keep us busy and quiet led to praise and
encouragement to continue.
When
did you first consider yourself a writer?
I stopped writing while raising a family, but began
again in 1999. I entered a manuscript in
a fiction writer’s contest and scored 99 points, one point below the number
required to be a finalist. That’s when I realized I could actually write. Of course, I needed years of hard work, hard
lessons, multiple submissions and an agent to get published
What
inspired you to write your first book?
I always enjoyed a specific type of book, urban
fantasy, written from a strong female point of view. The inspiration for my
first book came from the desire to create my own heroine and build my own
fictional worlds.
Do
you have a specific writing style?
I’ve been told that I have a “strong” voice. Perhaps that’s because I prefer to write and
read hard edgy stories.
How
did you come up with the title?
Titles usually appear as I write the story. Casual
Curses and Meticulous Magic refers to the main character, who is a bit of a
klutz. She’s too casual and far less meticulous
than she should be, given the gravity of her position in life.
Is
there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
No message, just entertainment. I simply want readers to relax and enjoy the
story.
How
much of the book is realistic?
Very little.
Are
experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
My life has been good, but a little dull. I’m an ordinary storyteller, not a
professional or adventurer. I make
things up. It’s more fun.
What
books have most influenced your life most?
I can’t say there were specific books, only that I
could walk to the library and nothing was off limits. I read fiction, non-fiction,
magazines—absolute heaven.
My love of fantasy and magic, however, came from the
books of C.L. Moore. Written in the 1930’s,
her stories of Jirel of Joiry, the warrior maid, and the spaceman Northwest
Smith are still on my bookshelf.
If
you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
The list is too long to pick just one.
What
book are you reading now?
Illona Andrew’s Burn for Me
Are
there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Chloe Neill, Illona Andrews, Deborah Coates are a
few I’ve read over the past few years. Rob
Thurman is of special interest, especially her Trickster books. Lots of good books out there. No time to read them all and still write.
What
are your current projects?
I’m working on the second book in the Gramarye
Series, Mystical Marvels and Elemental Spells, and then it’s on to the third
book. I’m also looking forward to attending
the Coastal Magic Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance Conference in February of
2015. It’s in Daytona Beach, FL, which should
be great that time of year.
What
would you like my readers to know?
I would like them to know how grateful I am for
their comments, reviews and suggestions on my magical worlds and the characters
who live there.
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