Truthsight by Miriam Greystone Excerpt & Interview

About the Book:

Title: Truthsight
Author: Miriam Greystone
Publisher: City Owl Press
Pages: 286
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Doctor Amy spends her nights running a secret clinic for supernatural creatures. When she is forced to use her magic to save the lives of a centaur infant and its mother, she vows never to regret her decision, no matter the consequences. Not even when the Mages capture her, beat her, and condemn her to die.

Before the sentence can be carried out, Amy is abducted by a mysterious being named Rowan, who demands she use her healing abilities to save his father. But when Amy fails to save the ailing man, her actions unintentionally force Rowan into an exile that will soon turn into a death sentence.

Now Rowan and Amy must join forces with the creatures who were once her patients and fight to uncover the one secret that may be powerful enough to save them all.

For More Information

• Purchase information can be found at City Owl Press.

Book Excerpt:

The pixie was very close to shooting me. 

I took a deep breath and tried to sound calm.

“If he moves while I'm working, the damage could get much worse.” I explained. “It can be you, or it can be Jason. But we need to do this fast, and someone is going to have to hold the boy down.”

 Not much taller than the length of my hand, Grenalda crouched on the exam table in front of her son's crumpled body. Her chest heaved from the effort it had taken to carry him here in her arms.  Blood smeared the colorful bits of woven bird feathers she wore as clothing and her eyes were wide and panic stricken. She kept her right hand up, poised over her shoulder, stretching her fingers towards the dart-blower strapped across her back. We were humans, and though she might have no choice but to come to us for help, she made it perfectly clear that she didn't fully trust us.

“Why can't you just bandage him up?”

“His head wound is simple—we'll wrap it and it will heal just fine. But his leg is broken. If we don't fix it correctly, the bone will heal crooked. He'll limp for the rest of his life.” 

My chest burned and I still wore my scrubs from my shift in the ER.  I hadn't eaten since breakfast, which I vaguely remembered choking down while driving to work at around 5:00am. Now dark had nearly fallen, and the chill early evening air streamed in through the thrown open doors of the converted barn that sat on the edge of my property. Usually, I had a break between a shift in the county ER and the arrival of the first patient to my night clinic. But Grenalda's boy couldn't wait for treatment. I blinked and tried to focus on the small creature glaring up at me.

About the Author

Debut author Miriam Greystone writes urban fantasy stories filled with magic, romance and the occasional centaur. She fuels her creativity with an insatiable appetite for reading and frequent episodes of Doctor Who. She lives just outside of Washington DC with her husband and children, and when she isn’t hunched over her laptop, she can often be found baking or going on long hikes with her family.
Her latest book is the urban fantasy, Truthsight.

For More Information

• Visit Miriam Greystone’s website.
• Connect with Miriam on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Miriam at Goodreads.

Interview:

Where are you from?

I grew up in South Dakota, where much of my book, TRUTHSIGHT, takes place. Now I live just outside of Washington DC with my family.

Tell us your latest news?
My latest news is the release of my debut novel! TRUTHSIGHT is an urban fantasy with lots of action and romance. It tells the story of Doctor Amy, a woman who works in the ER during the day and runs a secret clinic for supernatural creatures at night.

When and why did you begin writing?

I began writing seriously about seven years ago. The manuscript for Truthsight is a project that I started working on about two years ago. As far as why I write, I write because I think in stories, and writing is the most powerful way I know to try to understand the world around me and the people in it. I am inspired to write often with life is difficult, and I really need to work hard to come to terms with it. Writing allows me to get inside the heads and hearts of people who I might otherwise struggle to empathize with, or to explore what would happen as a consequence of certain choices. It is a safe place to explore both what is best and brightest about the world, and also to bravely peer into life’s darkest corners.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I believe firmly that anyone who writes creatively is a writer. That being said, I am looking forward to being a published author, as well as a writer!

What inspired you to write your first book?
The first book I wrote was a YA fantasy, which was based on an imaginary friend that I had as a girl. I simply took that imaginary friend and imagined a scenario in which he was real, magical, and on a dangerous mission that could only succeed with the help of young girl in desperate need of a friend. The story grew from there. Ultimately, that book was more of an opportunity for me to learn about writing than it was a work destined for publication.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I have big ideas, I write without thinking things through too much, and then I tear things up and put them back together over and over again until I more or less like what I’ve got.

How did you come up with the title?
Truthsight is an element of the world building in the book. A Mage can use their Truthsight to access their magical abilities. It is another dimension of reality, where you both see only the truth, and are able to take what is real and change it. It is a major part of the book, and made sense as a title.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I don’t really want readers to grasp a message – I want them to get swept up in the story. Are there messages that a person can take away from what I’ve written? I certainly hope so. But, I think that every person will take something different, and that is just fine with me.

How much of the book is realistic?
As an urban fantasy novel, I know that many people would expect me to answer, “not much!” However, I feel like fantasy novels often get us closer to the truth than more realistic fiction. I see fantasy as an amazing foray into incredibly powerful metaphors. Ultimately, I believe everything in my book is real – it is just a different way or presenting reality.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Almost everything I experience is likely to end up in my writing sooner or later. Also everything I read, watch, or hear about.

What books have most influenced your life most?

If I limit this to books of fiction (and if I talk about non-fiction books, this answer will be way too long and complicated!) I guess I would have to say that the Narnia books were a huge part of my childhood and really spurred my imagination. Also Anne Mcaffrey, and her Dragonsong books.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I think the best way to answer this is to say that it is my dream for my books to play the role in someone elses life that Patricia Briggs books have played for me. Briggs’ Mercy Thompson books have been friends to me in dark times, they are the ones I pull off the shelf to read over and over again, and they are the model that I aspire to in my own writing.

What book are you reading now?

I am reading a collection of Neil Giaman short storied, titled TRIGGER WARNING.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

My book is being published by City Owl, and I’ve been really happy to start to get to know and read the work of other City Owl authors. They’re a really talented bunch, and I feel pretty lucky to be in their company!  I loved DIVIDED by Sharon M Johnston, and I’m looking forward to the sequel, SHATTERED, coming out soon. I also loved BLACKBIRD summer by Em Shotwell, FROSTBITE by Joshua Bader, MUD by Emily Wenstrom, and PURGATORY’S ANGEL by Bobbi Hughes-Milman.

What are your current projects?

I have two projects underway right now. I am writing the sequel to Truthsight, and that book will (hopefully) be coming out from City Owl press before too long!! In addition to that, I am doing final revisions on another novel of mine. This novel, Echoes, is a re-imagining of the Siren myth in modern day Washington DC. I am excited that those revisions are almost done!

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members?

I have an amazing critique group. There are just three of us, and we are an amazing, supportive team.

What would you like my readers to know?

I hope you check out TRUTHSIGHT and enjoy it! I’d also love to hear from you, to know what you thought of it and to keep in touch! Please be in touch over Facebook or twitter – I can’t wait to meet you!