First Happy Release Day to Rhys Ford.  Black Dog Blues was released today by DSP Publications.

I’ve long been a fan of Rhys’s work since I read Sinner’s Gin, (she signed a copy for me at GRL this year) but this is the first time I’ve gotten a chance to interview her.  After she entertains you with her answers, make sure you enter the giveaway.  And next week, I’ll be answering the same questions for her on her blog, so check there next week.

 

An Interview with Rhys Ford:

Welcome Rhys. I can’t believe I’ve never had the chance to interview you. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Thank you for having me! I can’t wait to return the favour!

First, let’s get the fun stuff out of the way…

A Rhys Ford Giveaway!

Comment below and enter to win a prize package of an eCopy of my backlist, and an audio book code and a $10.00 gift card from an eTailer on your choice. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

On to the questions.

How long have you been writing? Why types of books? 

How long? Can’t even answer that. I’ve been lying…er storytelling…yeah… to other people for decades! I actually wrote my first book when I was twelve. I have no memory of what it was about but I recall the typewriter I wrote it on.

Oh yes, a manual Royal typewriter. I was so retro. So old school. It was my “art”. *grins*

I don’t actually keep to a genre although I do love killing people. I love writing mysteries but I also love a good AU urban fantasy or paranormal.

Your latest book is Black Dog Blues from DSP Publications.This is the start of a new series, isn’t it? Tell us a bit about the book and the series.

Really excited about DSP Publications extending an offer for Black Dog Blues. It’s definitely a straight up urban fantasy with a bit of a twist of a main character, not much romance and definitely laid down in a UF rattle-and-drum writing style.

The main character is an elfin named Kai Gracen who was raised by a mercenary human named Dempsey. Brought up to hunt the creatures roaming about following the Merging of Earth and Underhill, Kai’s asked… or rather ordered… to assist a Sidhe Lord named Ryder in transporting a human woman from up north to San Diego.

Problem is, Kai hates elfin nearly as much as the human who raised him does… but for good reason.

A lot of your work is contemporary MM Romance, is the the start of a new genre for you?

I really only have one contemporary romance, Down and Dirty, which just dropped in January and is a part of the Cole McGinnis series.. The rest of my books are mysteries, suspense thrillers and paranormal romance hybrids. And that’s in no way a detraction from contemporary romance because I’ve discovered that “pure contemporary romance” is a bitch and a half to write. Hats off to those who pull it off successfully each and every time. I’ve discovered I need the blood, guts and gore.

Black Dog Blues is kind of a precursor to my mysteries and really one of my loves. I wanted a gritty, dirty screwed up kind of character in a gritty, dirty, screwed up kind of world. I feel more comfortable with the monsters so I’d say Black Dog Blues isn’t that far off from what wanders through my mind right now.

Tell us something interesting that is not in the blurb?

The best part about this book was I got to really play with the landscape and the creatures in it. The “Merge” was a disasterous event where planes shifted, smashing our world into the Underhill and vice versa. Chunks of the Underhill shoved its way into ours and parts of Earth disappeared into the breach. With that, brought elfin, monsters and a whole new playing field to mess with.

What book do you wish you could have written?

Courtship Rite by Donald Kingsbury. I will forever hold that book up as the pinnacle of writing for me. Simply amazed at the use of language, world-building and a simple twist that changes everything I read before.

If you could cast your characters in the Hollywood adaption of one of your books, which book and who would play your characters?

Hell, that’s a hard one. I have no idea. I can tell you I’d love to have the Cole McGinnis series as a television show. Probably on cable. *grins*

Now for some random questions:

 

First/Current/Biggest celebrity crush?

Oh so many to choose from. Currently? Probably Chris Hemsworth and Dave Navarro. Benedict Cumberbatch is always nice as is Tom Hiddleston.

A genie gives you one wish, what do you want?

For people to get along and accept one another’s differences without hurting each other.

You travel back in time to give advice to your younger self, what age do you go and what do you tell yourself?

Hell, any age and this would work. Breathe. You’re not broken. Things are just shitty and sometimes, it’s going to be hard but breathe.

The world is going to end but scientist have discovered a means to to send people back in time to live out their lives, what time period do you pick?

Are you kidding? Dinosaurs. *grins* Lack of territorial competition but really shitty food sources. The social and economic environments rather preclude anything I’d want but really dinosaurs.

You’re shopping and a total hot guy wants your advice on underwear. He offers to model the different styles for you. Which one do you ask him to try on first?

A strait jacket because I’d wonder what hospital he’d escaped from. *grins* I’m pretty much a traditionalist. I like boxers or boxer briefs. Thong things look so uncomfortable. French style boy shorts are nice.

You can select one super hero to be, who do you pick and why?

Tony Stark. Dude…. All the money, a cool flying suit and well, Thor. *grins*

Top or Bottom? (interpret it as you like.)

 

Top. I like eating the toppings off of a pizza then eat the crust. Top always goes first.

 

Last question is all yours – feel free to talk about anything you want your readers to know about you, your book, anything at all.

Read. Explore. Have fun. Really. It’s less about my writing but more about the worlds we can all explore. I’m probably more of a reader than I am a writer because I love to get in there and discover new books and new authors as well as keep up with the ones I already hoard.

 

Thank you so much for letting me have some space here! And can’t wait to see what you bring to the table on the 10th!

 

Black Dog Blues

Blurb: 

Ever since being part of the pot in a high-stakes poker game, elfin outcast Kai Gracen figures he used up his good karma when Dempsey, a human Stalker, won the hand and took him in. Following the violent merge of Earth and Underhill, the human and elfin races are left with a messy, monster-ridden world, and Stalkers are the only cavalry willing to ride to someone’s rescue when something shadowy appears.
It’s a hard life but one Kai likes—filled with bounty, a few friends, and most importantly, no other elfin around to remind him of his past. And killing monsters is easy. Especially since he’s one himself.

But when a sidhe lord named Ryder arrives in San Diego, Kai is conscripted to do a job for Ryder’s fledgling Dawn Court. It’s supposed to be a simple run up the coast during dragon-mating season to retrieve a pregnant human woman seeking sanctuary. Easy, quick, and best of all, profitable. But Kai ends up in the middle of a deadly bloodline feud he has no hope of escaping.

No one ever got rich being a Stalker. But then few of them got old either and it doesn’t look like Kai will be the exception.

Buy Links:

 

Purchase Black Dog Blues at DSP Publications

Black Dog Blues is also available on Amazon and other fine eTailers.

 

About Rhys Ford:

Rhys Ford was born and raised in Hawai’i then wandered off to see the world. After chewing through a pile of books, a lot of odd food, and a stray boyfriend or two, Rhys eventually landed in San Diego, which is a very nice place but seriously needs more rain.

 

Rhys admits to sharing the house with three cats of varying degrees of black fur and a ginger cairn terrorist. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, a Toshiba laptop, and an overworked red coffee maker.

Social Media Links:

 

My Blog: www.rhysford.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhys.ford.author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rhys_Ford

 

And at the Starbucks down the street. No really, they’re 24/7. And a drive-thru. It’s like heaven.

 

My books can be purchased, folded and first chapters read at Dreamspinner Press. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com