New Release: Wraith by Julia Banks

Today, I have Julia Banks joining me to talk about her new release Wraith. I originally met Julia when she asked me to beta read Wraith for her and this was a very long time ago. I'm so excited to finally see it  in print. Of course, I haven't read the final version although I do have a copy of it, but when beta reading Wraith, I thought was a very promising story, so I'm thrilled to have Julia join me here to promote her new release.

Let me introduce you to Wraith and Julia ...

Wraith
Shadow World Novella
Julia Banks

Genre: Paranormal Romance/New Adult

Publisher: Liddell Press

Date of Publication: February 3, 2015

ASIN: B00T5KAAYW

Number of pages: 135


Book Description:

Sixteen years ago Kira Chiklak’s mother promised her a miracle on Christmas morning. Instead she woke to the news that her brother was dead. The 19-year-old Alaskan pilot’s dreams have always told her the future but have never revealed the secrets of her past.

Now Kira’s dreams are warning her another child in Amarok is in danger of meeting the same fate her brother did. As Kira races to save Annie Michaels’ life she comes to believe her past and Annie’s future are inextricably linked.

The last thing Hunter Jackson expects to do during Spring Break is unravel a mystery. When Kira asks for his assistance he can’t refuse her request. But can he help her protect Annie when his own heart is at risk?

Available at   Amazon 

A little more about Wraith and Julia ...

How did you come up with the idea of this story?
Wraith is part of the shadow world series, which actually began with the fourth book. A couple of years ago I wrote a shifter novella, Rite, which is about a teen-age mother and is set in Maine. I sent it out to a few publishers but had a hard time placing it because of its length. One of the editors who read Rite said the publishing company’s readers really liked the novella and encouraged me to keep going with it. When I began mapping out the series I realized I needed to go back to the beginning of the story, which takes place in Alaska.

Shift, the second book in the series, focuses on Cody, a man who was kidnapped as a child and subjected to years of testing at a research facility inside the Arctic circle—with some unusual results. As I was writing that story I started thinking about the effect that disappearance would have had on his family, especially on his sister. Kira grew out of that line of thought and at one point her voice became so strong I set aside Shift and wrote Wraith.

As a birthday present, a boyfriend once bought me a flight lesson. It was an amazing experience and I’ve never forgotten it (though I’m too wary of planes to actually learn to fly). When I started writing Kira’s story, I knew she had to be a pilot. She has an adventurous soul but she’s also drawn to the escape the sky offers her. There has been so much pain for her over the years—because of her family, her gift—that she’s pulled away from life to protect herself. Wraith is the beginning of her journey back.
   
What did you enjoy most about writing this story?
I’ve always loved stories about psychics and ghostly visions, especially the kind with an element of mystery related to something in the past. A couple of years ago I wrote Vertigo, a romantic suspense novel (as Gwenan Haines) about a woman who sees a ghost and connects it with a murder. That got me hooked on the idea of weaving the past with the present by using supernatural means.  

I also thoroughly enjoyed the developing relationship between Kira and Hunter, who is the son of Amarok’s police chief. They’ve known each other since they were kids but Kira has always held him at a distance. It was fun to see her finally let down her guard with him. This was a story that almost wrote itself—it came to me very quickly and the characters almost “took over” in the final chapters, with me scrambling to keep up.

What's next from here? Anything else in the works to be published?
I recently completed Shift, the second book in the series, and am working on Lycan, which wraps up the Alaska segment of the story. Shift is a full-length novel and is now available for pre-order. I also wrote a new romantic suspense novel set in Washington, D.C. that will be out at some point, though I’m not sure exactly when. I’m also not sure I’ve finished telling Kira and Hunter’s story yet. There may well be more to come for them.


About the Author:

Julia Banks writes paranormal fiction, urban fantasy and romantic suspense. She lives in New England with her daughter and a red Siberian husky born on Halloween.  When she’s not working on her latest novel, she teaches community college, drives her daughter to dance class, and writes poetry. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julia-Banks/1540778756175097

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5861415.Julia_Banks

Email: juliabanksauthor@gmail.com


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