Today I am thrilled to welcome author Nancy Northcott of The Protectors series. I have had the pleasure of reading the entire series, including the latest, "Guardian." The series is complicated, imaginative, with plenty of action and drama. Please join me in welcoming Nancy Northcott!
Thank you for having me today, Sunny!
How did you get
into this world of humans, mages, demons, and ghouls?
I’ve always loved stories of magic, adventure,
and romance. At age seven, I discovered
super-heroes. They hooked me
immediately, and I’m still a fan.
Mages are a lot like super-heroes, and this
world merges the kinds of stories I enjoy.
The ghouls and demons were a deliberate choice to play off the idea of
things that go bump in the night. They’re
magically gifted but can’t survive without using mages and humans, so they
seemed like ideal adversaries for my mages and their nature-based powers.
What is your
inspiration for the story?
For Guardian, the story worked backward from
what I’d established about Stefan Harper in the first book, Renegade. As you know, he’s a mage and a doctor. He also loves music, so it made sense that he
might’ve fallen in love with a woman who also did.
Since the course of true love cannot run
smoothly in a romance novel, however, he and his heroine, FBI Special Agent Camellia
“Mel” Wray, needed some sources of conflict.
I figured the worst kind of woman for a mage to love was one who didn’t
believe in magic, so Mel doesn’t. And
for good measure, they have a painful past.
I really appreciate
your female characters. They are strong, smart and true partners to their male
counterparts. Who were your influences for these female "leads"?
Thanks, Sunny!
I’m glad you like them. They were
inspired by the superheroines I grew up reading, Wonder Woman, Batgirl,
Supergirl, Elasti-Girl (a character from a comparatively obscure series who was
more independent and self-reliant than most heroines of her era), and other
super-powered women. Nancy Drew was also
a strong influence.
Which of the
characters is most like you?
That’s hard to say. Each of them incorporates something of me,
either as I am or as I wish I could be, starting with the magical powers I
think would be so cool to have.
Griffin Dare and Valeria Banning, in Renegade,
are determined to bring a traitor to justice despite overwhelming odds. I’m not sure I’d be as resolute as they are.
Stefan has boundless wells of compassion, and he and Mel share musical talent I
envy.
In Protector, the novella, Josh Campbell flies
helicopters although I’m not sure I’d actually ride in one, and Edie Lang wants
to be a smokejumper and parachute out of airplanes to fight wildfires. They
have physical courage I wish I did.
If you could cast
your Protectors series, who you want to fill the major roles?
Stefan is almost the twin of Lucas Bryant of Haven ( http://www.imdb.com/media/rm792625920/nm1674903
), except that Stefan’s hair is darker and a bit longer and his eyes are brown,
not blue like Bryant’s. The resemblance is really uncanny.
The dh and I were watching Haven, and I grabbed
his arm. “Stefan! That’s Stefan!” I announced.
He tried to make appropriate noises but didn’t really get why I was so
ramped up about it.
I know that you are a history graduate, as am I. Two of the reason I
love history is 1) sometimes fiction cannot compete with the reality of some of
events in history 2) history is about the human nature and the choices that
people make and that what makes it accessible. What do you love about history
and how do you incorporate it in your writing?
I think you said it well with “human nature and
its choices.” As a college history
major, I studied mostly political history.
Only as a senior did I discover social history, the chronicle of how
people lived, what they wore, slept on or ate, how they earned their livings,
and how they thought about themselves and each other. I find those aspects intriguing
I’ve incorporated both sorts of history in my
writing by creating a backstory for the mages and their struggle against ghouls
and demons. There’s a snippet of that
revealed in Renegade. Guardian focuses
more on the present day, but we’ll see more of that history in the third novel.
What is next for the fans of the Protector
series?
I’m working now on the third novel, Will’s
story, with the working title Warrior.
There will be a pivotal archaeological discovery, and we’ll find out
what kind of woman it takes to pierce the shell of his breezy charm and touch
his heart.
There may be a novella first. I’m not sure at this point.
How many books do you plan for this series?
There are a total of seven novels, five more
after Guardian. There may be novellas
sprinkled in between some of them.
That’s still up in the air.
Thank you, Nancy for give us the opportunity to learn more about you and your work.
Thanks so much for having me as a guest,
Sunny! I’ve enjoyed it.
Nancy
Northcott’s childhood ambition was to grow up and become Wonder Woman. Around fourth grade, she realized it was too
late to acquire Amazon genes, but she still loved comic books, science fiction,
fantasy and YA romance. A sucker for
fast action and wrenching emotion, Nancy combines the romance and high stakes
she loves in The Protectors, her new contemporary mage series from Grand
Central Forever Yours.
Her
debut novel, Renegade, received a
starred review from Library Journal. The
reviewer called it “genre writing at its best.”
Nancy is a three-time RWA Golden Heart finalist and has won the Maggie,
the Molly, the Emerald City Opener, and Put Your Heart in a Book.
Married
since 1987, Nancy and her husband have one son, a bossy dog, and a house full
of books.
GUARDIAN
TORN APART BY MAGIC
Sworn
to protect the mage world, Stefan Harper was forced to hide his powerful magic
from the beautiful Mundane woman he loved as a student. Backed into a
corner one painful night long ago, he let Mel believe he’d been unfaithful
rather than put her at risk by revealing who—and what—he was. Now she’s
back, and the attraction burns hotter than ever.
REUNITED BY MURDER
FBI
agent Camellia “Mel” Wray has vowed to avenge an old friend’s brutal murder.
When the investigation requires forensic consultation by the only man she ever
loved—and lost—one look at the gorgeous doctor makes Mel realize he’s still
impossible to resist—and still harboring a secret.
A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE
Caught
in a deadly ghoul trap, Stefan has one chance to save the woman he loves.
He must take the risk he once avoided and reveal the full extent of his powers.
Can Mel accept the unbelievable and trust him? Or will love cost them
everything?
The Protectors Series
Renegade: Amazon │ B&N │Goodreads
Protector: Amazon │ B&N │Goodreads
