Q+A with Serena Gilley (Licked by the Flame)

Please welcome today's guest author, Serena Gilley!  Serena is the author of the The Forbidden Realm series, including new release LICKED BY THE FLAME.

Q+A with Serena Gilley

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Serena:  I started writing as soon as I was old enough to hold a crayon. I loved books and was fascinated by the magical notion that all those confusing lines on the page could somehow tell a story. I was desperate to learn the alphabet, and made my mother spell words for me one letter at a time so I could write stories for her. I never quit making magic with words, although nowadays I use spell-check to help me out instead of my mom.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Serena:  There's just so much you can do! I love the freedom to create things that have never existed before, and I love the idea of being bound by a completely new set of rules. I've had so much fun imagining what it would be like to be a part of The Forbidden Realm, but even more fun when my magical characters have interaction with regular non-magical folks. There's a lot of freedom in writing paranormal and it really feeds my soul to play "what if?" at the keyboard.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Serena:  I have absolutely fallen in love with my dragon, Nicolai, from LICKED BY THE FLAME. I had so much fun building his world and I am looking forward to revisiting him in future books. I might even do a spin off and write a whole dragon realm series. If I could pick one of my characters to become, it would be a dragon. They are strong and powerful, plus they can fly and shapeshift and communicate telepathically. And breathe fire! Yeah, I would totally be a dragon.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Serena:  A hot, sexy dragon! He's definitely an alpha male, but he gets in touch with his softer side when he falls in love with Lianne. I hope readers love following along on their journey toward each other. There are some exciting "save-the-world" plot lines swirling around them, plus the fairies Raea and Kyne from the first two books in the series are there to lend a hand even as their romance continues to grow. A love building a complicated story with lots of twists and turns, but mostly I think my readers will love the sizzling attraction between Nic and Lianne.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Serena:  What a fun question!  Let's see--who would I cast... Nicolai is special. I'm not sure any one actor really fits my vision of him, but I'd love it if I could do a mash-up! I would probably start with someone who has smarts and a ready-for-action attitude like Daniel Craig, but he's going to look like David Gandy and have sexy tribal tattoos like Dwayne Johnson. For his spunky co-star, Lianne, I would cast Scarlett Johansson. She could give Lianne just the right combo of brains, confidence, and sex appeal, I think. And then I'd invite them all over to my house for a cook-out. Wouldn't that be a blast?

Thank you Serena for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

Licked by the Flame (The Forbidden Realm #2) by Serena Gilley.

Shape-shifting Dragon Nic Vladik has infiltrated a human technological organization to monitor their efforts on alternate fuel sources. It seems they have discovered the power being emitted from one of the Dragons' facilities. Nic must keep the humans from learning the truth about this Dragon stronghold at all costs and deter them from tapping into their heat source. That means stopping an incredibly sexy scientist from ruining his race.

Lianne McGowan is a human scientist sent to assist with the site. She believes this heat source will help save the planet and she will stop at nothing to learn more and discover the full truth about what lies beneath this mysterious mountain. But when she meets the sinfully seductive and dangerous Nic and dark forces start to work against them, she begins to realize that there is far more to the story than she ever imagined...

Release Date: July 7, 2015
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
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Have a question for Serena?

Please ask in the comment section below.  We love comments!  Learn more about Serena Gilley and her books on her website.