5 Questions with J.C. McKenzie
I have loved every one of J.C. McKenzie’s books that I have read. I tried out Cormorant Run from NetGalley and was delighted. I then quickly dove into her Raven Crawford series, and it was right up my alley, everything I love in a paranormal romance series. She graciously agreed to do a Q&A with me while I fangirled out.
1. Congratulations on your two releases last year! Queen of Corvids last March and Cormorant Run in November (which we loved!). How have your writing/book promotion habits had to change with the pandemic?
Thank you very much. I loved writing these books and am thrilled to have them in the hands of readers. My writing and book promotion habits have definitely changed. I guess the best word for it is "regressed." I don't write as much, I don't promote as much, and I find I'm just exhausted. I'm an over-thinker kind of thinker, so all the what-ifs make my mind spiral. I also work during the day as a secondary teacher, so all the extra precautions and stress are pretty draining.
2. My best friend is really into birding, so I loved the avian population in the Eyrie. What made you pick the human/bird hybrids for Cormorant Run?
I got the idea of cormorant humans while daydreaming on vacation. We were driving from Niagra Falls in Ontario to visit one of my friends in Rochester. Don't worry, I wasn't driving. And while I was staring out the window at the majestic falls, the idea kind of smacked me in the face and I let my imagination run with it. I knew I didn't want Cora to be an angel, so I started thinking of possible explanations. I was tempted at first to leave Cormorant Run as straight fantasy--no need for scientific explanations there--but decided to weave in a little smidge of genetic splicing and nuclear radiation (hopefully just enough to appease my fellow science geeks, but not too much to annoy the hardcore fantasy readers).
3. We saw on your website that you are working on a Cormorant Run sequel (squeal)! Any teasers you can share on what’s next for Cora and Ronin?
The sequel will actually feature Ronin and Cora's daughter as the main character. But don't worry! You'll get some glimpse of the original pair and their love for each other and their daughter. This book will explore what happened after the alliance between the sapavians and humans was formed. My favourites, Phil and Karla, will also make appearances :-)
4. I always tend to ask this question, but here I go anyway, is there a character that you’ve written that you most identify with? Why?
This is a tricky one. I'm not a government assassin, private detective, bodyguard, apocalypse survivor or a royal messenger. All my main characters possess some attributes I wish I had, and other attributes I wish I didn't have. They all have a little piece of me, but they're not really like me at all. I identify with Andrea's need to find her place in the world (Carus series); with Taya's love for martial Arts (The Night House); with Cora's sensitivity and anger (Cormorant Run); with Raven's pet peeves from working in the service industry too long (Crawford Investigations Series).
5. What story can we expect next?!
I'm currently working on editing the 7th book in the Crawford Investigations Series (Raven's 4th book). It's due out in July. After that, it will be The Heir of the Eyrie, the sequel to the Cormorant Run. I've already plotted the book out, so now it's just getting the story out into words.
J. C. McKenzie is a book loving, gumboot-wearing, unapologetic science geek. She predominantly writes urban fantasy and post-apocalyptic dystopian fantasy with strong romantic elements. When she’s not spinning tales, she’s in the classroom sharing her passion for science and mathematics while secretly warping the young impressionable minds of our future to carry out her evil plans for world domination. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and a feisty dog named Angus who believes rules were made to be broken.
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