Interview: Suzanne Johnson, Author of River Road (Blog Tour & Giveaway)

Today we have Suzanne Johnson, author of River Road, book #2 of the urban fantasy series Sentinels of New Orleans. She has provided us with an amazing interview as well as a tour wide giveaway. So after you get your dose of Suzanne, make sure to check out the ridiculously generous giveaway below.

Jennifer: What were the best and most challenging parts of writing River Road?

Suzanne: Both the best and most challenging were expanding the series world to include water species like Merpeople and Nymphs, and creating histories and traits and personalities for those species. I wanted to make sure my water species went beyond traditional mythology and really meshed with the culture of South Louisiana. So my Merpeople are Cajun aquatic shapeshifters, for example, who have “mainstreamed” in the fishing industry…which is kind of cannibalistic if you think about it too hard!

Jennifer: How did you come up with the world in your Sentinels of New Orleans series?

Suzanne: I’m a longtime New Orleans resident and love the city, so I have a lot of material to work with. The first book of the series, Royal Street, was built around the “what-if” questions: What if Hurricane Katrina not only tore down the physical levees surrounding the city but also the metaphysical levees—the barrier between our world and the world Beyond? What might happen? I used a lot of my own Katrina experiences in that book, but I wanted magic to be at heart of the post-Katrina world I was building, as well as the history and culture and music and architecture of New Orleans and the chaos of the post-hurricane environment as I lived it. In River Road, we’ve moved past the Katrina crisis and the characters really get to loosen up. I’m gradually expanding the world as the series unfolds—not always with happy results for the characters.

Jennifer: If you were going to come up with a theme song for your book what song would it be?

Suzanne: Yikes. I have pretty extensive playlists for all the books in the series so far (we’re wrapping up revisions on book three). If I have to pick one song, I think it would be Zachary Richard’s “The Levee Broke,” with “Zydeco Gris-Gris” by BeauSoleil running a close second. If I could combine the heartbreak of Zachary’s song with the manic energy of the BeauSoleil, I’d have the perfect theme song!

Jennifer: What sets your book apart from the urban fantasy genre?

Suzanne: I think it’s different in a few ways. First is the way it makes use of its setting. You know you’re in Louisiana and New Orleans when you read it. These books couldn’t be set anywhere else on earth, from their use of wetlands to the presence of the Historical Undead—famous New Orleanians kept alive by the magic of human memory (most notably the undead pirate Jean Lafitte). DJ Jaco is also a bit unusual as an urban fantasy heroine because she’s really not kickass—most of the time, she’s just trying to survive. Her heart is in the right place even if it does turn her into something of a chaos magnet.

Jennifer: Can you tell us three surprising facts about yourself?

Suzanne: Well…let’s see. I’m kinda claustrophobic. I’m allergic to cats (and still am not sure how DJ ended up having a cat instead of a dog). I’m a fifth-generation Alabama resident, even though I now consider New Orleans my hometown.

Jennifer: If you could be any kind of supernatural being, what would you like to be and why?

Suzanne: I’d be a wizard just so I could teleport. No more airports, baggage check, crowded planes. That would be awesome. And maybe I could zap people who annoyed me. In a nice way, of course.

Jennifer: What are some of your favorite books and authors?

Suzanne: I grew up reading Stephen King, and I still count many of his books among my favorites. My favorite urban fantasy series are Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files and Kim Harrison’s Hollows. And I’m a sucker for JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Hot, tortured guys—yes!

Jennifer: Who or what has influenced you the most in writing this book?

Suzanne: My experiences during Hurricane Katrina were what propelled me to start the series in the first place, but River Road is dedicated to the people of Plaquemines Parish. A portion of author proceeds from the book will go to the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s oil spill relief fund. Plaquemines was hit hard by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 as well as Katrina before that and, more recently, Hurricane Isaac. So the people of New Orleans and Louisiana are my greatest inspiration and influence.

Jennifer: I can't thank you enough for taking time out to answer a few of my questions. I hope you had as much fun as I did. Is there anything else you would like to mention to my readers before we part ways?

Suzanne: It was great, Jennifer—thanks for having me here…I hope people enjoy River Road! (And if people haven’t read Royal Street, I think River Road stands alone pretty well.) I love to hear from readers and can be reached at author.suzanne.johnson@gmail.com.

Links

Website: www.suzanne-johnson.com

Blog: http://suzanne-johnson.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Suzanne_Johnson

FB: http://www.facebook.com/Suzanne.Johnson.author

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5046525.Suzanne_Johnson

Publisher Page: http://us.macmillan.com/author/suzannejohnson

River Road
Sentinels of New Orleans, Book 2
Suzanne Johnson

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 336
Cover Artist: Cliff Nielsen

Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository

Summary
Hurricane Katrina is long gone, but the preternatural storm rages on in New Orleans. New species from the Beyond moved into Louisiana after the hurricane destroyed the borders between worlds, and it falls to wizard sentinel Drusilla Jaco and her partner, Alex Warin, to keep the preternaturals peaceful and the humans unaware. But a war is brewing between two clans of Cajun merpeople in Plaquemines Parish, and down in the swamp, DJ learns, there’s more stirring than angry mermen and the threat of a were-gator.

Wizards are dying, and something—or someone—from the Beyond is poisoning the waters of the mighty Mississippi, threatening the humans who live and work along the river. DJ and Alex must figure out what unearthly source is contaminating the water and who—or what—is killing the wizards. Is it a malcontented merman, the naughty nymph, or some other critter altogether? After all, DJ’s undead suitor, the pirate Jean Lafitte, knows his way around a body or two.

It’s anything but smooth sailing on the bayou as the Sentinels of New Orleans series continues.

 

Tour Wide GIveaway

 1--Choice of Kindle Paperwhite or Nook Simple Touch (or $100 gift card for Amazon, B&N, or Book Depository)

5--$10 gift cards for Amazon, B&N or Book Depository

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio

Suzanne Johnson writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance from Auburn, Alabama, after a career in educational publishing that has spanned five states and six universities.  She grew up halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis' birthplace and lived in New Orleans for fifteen years, so she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football and fried gator on a stick.