Sheep Interview: Nancy Holzner + give away

Star Wars-Imperial March

Play Nancy's theme music while you read

It is a great day for the flock. We have yet another of my favorite urban fantasy authors here today! Nancy Holzner writes the Deadtown series and the fourth book Darklands just released. Everything you love about urban fantasy can be found in this series, especially unique world building.

Sharon: Hello Nancy! We finally got you here…and we just want you to know, no matter what you have heard about our interviewing tactics we were never convicted *kicks duct tape under couch*
Katie: *nervous laugh*
Nancy: I'm glad to learn the truth. *stealthily slips dagger back into sheath*
Sharon: *note to self…install metal detector at the door*

Sharon: For those who don’t know about your urban fantasy series Deadtown, can you tell us a little about it?
Nancy: My Deadtown series follows the adventures of Victory Vaughn, a shapeshifter who kills other people's personal demons for a living. Vicky lives in Deadtown, Boston's paranormal-only district that was formed after a mysterious plague swept through the downtown and transformed two thousand Bostonians into zombies. The series looks at tensions between the human and paranormal populations, in the context of a crazy demi-demon whose ambition is to lead the legions of Hell beyond its boundaries to rule the other realms. In the middle of all that, Vicky is dealing with her werewolf lawyer boyfriend, a teenage zombie apprentice, a sister who wishes for nothing more than a normal suburban life, and a 300-year-old aunt who can kick any demon's butt.
Sharon: Don’t forget Vicki also has a snarky sense of humor and a vampire roommate that quotes Shakespeare…

Sharon: The 4th book in your Deadtown series, Darklands, just came out a few days ago. Did you send Vicki to hell?
Nancy: I try to send her through hell in every book. <G> In Darklands, Vicky travels to my version of Annwn, the Welsh realm of the dead. In my world, the Darklands are separate from hell (or Uffern), which is where the demons hang out.

Sharon: Why the use of Welsh legends and myths for your series?

Nancy: I love the stories. When I was developing characters for the first book, I wanted my protagonist to be a different kind of shapeshifter, one who wasn't restricted to a specific animal. I remembered the story of Ceridwen and Gwion Bach from The Mabinogi, a medieval collection of Welsh myths and legends. (It's kind of like the shapeshifting battle between Merlin and Madam Mim in the old Disney film The Sword in the Stone, if anyone remembers that.) The mythology provided very rich background material for an urban fantasy, and I moved forward from there.

Plus I used to teach a course in Arthurian legend, which is rooted in Welsh mythology, and I just love that stuff!

Katie: Do you watch any zombie shows like The Walking Dead?
Nancy: I don't actually watch TV. It's one of the ways I steal time to write. But if I did, I'd absolutely watch that show.
Katie: Don't watch TV? *passes out*
Sharon: Don’t worry Nancy, she does this all the time *waves scent’o mandcandy under Katie’s nose*

Sharon: There have been a lot of Superhero movies out lately. Who do you think has the coolest costume?
Katie: *cough* Wolverine *cough*
Nancy: Just off the top of my head, without any undue influence or anything, I'd say Wolverine. Of course, Iron Man's costume is amazingly cool, too. It flies and shoots rays and is amazingly strong—and he made it himself.
Sharon: Hey! No fair subliminally suggesting *cough* Thor *cough* to our guest!
Katie: I had something in my throat! *cough* Wolverine kicks Thor's butt *cough* It's allergy season mmkay?
Nancy: I think I'll go with Iron Man, after all.

Sharon: Will we ever know what caused the plague that zombiefied Boston? Sounds like a great opportunity to write a short story or novella…just saying…
Nancy: I'm hoping to write a prequel about Boston's zombie plague in the next few months. If I do I'll publish it independently, along with some short stories set in Deadtown's world. The book will be called Tales from Deadtown, I've started a Kickstarter project to raise funding for it.

Sharon: Your bio says you were a medievalist…WTH is that?
Nancy: Somebody who gets paid to read really, really old books. <G> I used to have a card that let me into the manuscript room at the British Library—I could request a 600- or 700-year-old manuscript and a librarian would bring it to me to play with. *sigh* Happy days.

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2009/06/08/smell-of-books-sprays-are-just-the-thing-for-those-sterile-ebooks/

Sharon: Oh…I was thinking they played with all those torture devices like racks, thumb screws and maidens…ever spill ice cream on one of the old books like Vicki does in Darkland?
Nancy: If I had, that's when the librarians would get out the racks and thumb screws...

Katie: And as someone who is into medieval times how many hot highlander men do you know? And are any of them single?
Nancy: I don't know any personally, but I've been saving up to open a Men in Kilts window-washing franchise.

Sharon: O_O that business actually exists…Katie is going to freak!
Katie: Oh. My. God. *passes out again*
Sharon: You are a self-confessed Opera nerd…what is it that draws you to Opera? And do you ever sing opera in your shower? Don’t worry the Flock doesn’t judge…much…
Nancy: Opera is all about emotion—passion, anger, doubt, joy, love, grief. I listen because it moves me. I can't listen to the final duet in Rigoletto, for example, without weeping like a teenager whose prom date stood her up. (And that's despite (a) Rigoletto's silly plot and (b) the fact that I've heard it approximately a zillion and three times.) The way a singer's voice can soar out over the orchestra and be heard four stories up in the nosebleed seats astonishes me, as do the expression and musicality that goes into their singing.
Do I sing along? Only when I'm driving. Alone. With the windows rolled up. And then I tend to sing with the baritones. (You wouldn't want to hear me go for a high C.)
Sharon: Since you have written about a small zombie apocalypse you’ve probably already thought about this, but which fictional character would you like to have your back if a big apocalypse happened?

Nancy: Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim. He really knows how to kick undead ass. Living ass, too, come to think of it.

Sharon: If every time you entered a room a theme song/music played, what would yours be?
Nancy: It's totally inappropriate, but as soon as you asked the question Darth Vader's theme, the Imperial March by John Williams, started playing in my head. I like to think I'm more of a love theme from Tosca kind of girl. Sharon: hmmm…which will I use for you? Opera love song or bad ass Vader song…hmmm


Katie: If you could meet anyone from past or present, fictional or otherwise, who would it be and why?

Sharon: Nancy, you didn't answer Katie’s question here.
Katie: Maybe she didn't want to! Gawd so mean Sharon! *throws shoe at Sharon*
Nancy: Oops, sorry—just overlooked it. It's a good question, Katie. And I'm glad you dodged the shoe, Sharon. So anyway, let's see... I spent some time considering both literary and historical figures, but I decided to go with a personal one. My paternal grandmother: Doris Sugden Brown. She died before I was born, and she's the only one of my grandparents I didn't know. I'd like to have a conversation with her.

Sharon: What can readers look forward to from you in the near future?
Nancy: Right now, I'm writing Deadtown 5 (working title Hellhound), and that will be out next year. And I'm hoping to write the prequel and stories for Tales from Deadtown by the end of this year.
Sharon: Hellhound, that wouldn’t have anything to do with how Darkland ends and Vicki’s love life would it <G>?
Nancy: Maaaaaaaybe...


Time for our Rapid Fire round! Grab onto your flaming sword and get ready to slay some questions!

Sharon: chalk board or white board?
Nancy: I'm old school—chalk board. (I somehow think I look less silly with a dusting of chalk than a smear of bright blue ink on my chin.)Katie: Lucky Charms or Fruity Pebbles?
Nancy: Lucky Charms, and then only the marshmallows. It's what I grew up on.
Sharon: *grabs box of Lucky Charms and hands to Nancy*

Sharon: glasses or spectacles?
Nancy: I actually say, "Glasses," but I rather like the sound of "spectacles." It's that old-school thing again.

Sharon: dog hair or fur balls?
Nancy: I miss my last dog, a border collie, excessively shedding hair and all.

Katie: Gold or Silver?
Nancy: Gold.

Sharon: Pacific or Atlantic?
Nancy: Atlantic. I'm a total New Englander.
Sharon: Woot! East Coast baby!

Katie: Coke or Pepsi?
Nancy: Diet Coke. But my husband prefers Diet Pepsi, so together we keep the universe in balance. Sharon: *sigh* guess we interviewed the wrong Holzner…
Katie: HA! HA! Don't hate! Coke wins yet again!

you didn't really think I would post male strippers?!

Katie: Male Strippers or …wait there is no other choice here. hahaha. My bad.
Nancy: Well, then I'll have to go with male strippers. Maybe they can be wearing kilts when they come onstage...
Katie: *Passes out yet again*
*Sharon steps over Katie while pulling out a wad of $10 bills*

Sharon: shoot to kill or shoot to wound
Nancy: Despite the amount of action in my books, I prefer peaceful negotiation and consensus to violent conflict. Honest. (At least, that's what I tell my mother-in-law, who's a Quaker.)
Sharon: smart move...I'm not a Quaker, but I do like oatmeal...

*Katie peacefully negotiates a pillow at Sharon for being a dork*

Katie: Fried or Baked?
Nancy: Fried. Yum.

Sharon: in the woods or in the house?
Nancy: It's too hot outside. I'll stay in the house.

Katie: "I ain't got time to bleed" or "I'm your Huckleberry"?
Nancy: I loved Val Kilmer in Tombstone, but "I ain't got time to bleed" is one of the best lines ever.

Sharon: tape or staples?
Nancy: Tape. Specifically duct tape. I found this roll under the couch, by the way.
Sharon: *takes duct tape* hahaha..ha..ha…
Katie: *Passes out one last time for the heck of it*


We would like to thank Nancy for stopping by! Now you can check out the give away while I take Katie to the ER to check for a concussion...

Make sure you check out my 5 Sheep review of Darkland!

Nancy Holzner

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Nancy Holzner grew up in western Massachusetts with her nose stuck in a book. This meant that she tended to walk into things, wore glasses before she was out of elementary school, and forced her parents to institute a “no reading at the dinner table” rule. It was probably inevitable that she majored in English in college and then, because there were still a lot of books she wanted to read, continued her studies long enough to earn a masters degree and a PhD.

She began her career as a medievalist, then jumped off the tenure track to try some other things. Besides teaching English and philosophy, she’s worked as a technical writer, freelance editor and instructional designer, college admissions counselor, and corporate trainer. Most of her nonfiction books are published under the name Nancy Conner.

Nancy lives in upstate New York with her husband Steve, where they both work from home without getting on each other’s nerves. She enjoys visiting local wineries and listening obsessively to opera. There are still a lot of books she wants to read.

***GIVE AWAY***

Nancy has generously offered a coffee mug featuring all 4 Deadtown covers! AND a signed copy of the winner's choice from her series. AND it is International!
AND you will get some Team Sheep Swag.

To Enter:
1.Fill out Raffle Dude
2. If you had a date with a superhero...would you want him to wear his super outfit or not? and who would it be?
*double entry for followers

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Sheep Book Review: Darklands by Nancy Holzner (ARC)

They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its border—but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…

Boston’s demons have been disappearing, and Vicky’s clients are canceling left and right. While fewer demons might seem like a good thing, Vicky suspects foul play. A missing Celtic cauldron from Harvard’s Peabody museum leads her to an unwelcome conclusion: Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and bitter enemy, is trying to regain his full powers.

But Pryce isn’t alone. He’s conjured another, darker villain from Vicky’s past. To stop them from destroying everything she loves, she’ll have to face her own worst fear—in the realm of the dead itself.

“You know how after a nice, long, restful sleep, you wake up to find things don’t seem so bad after all?
Me either.”-Vicky Vaughn

There are many reasons I read Urban Fantasy; I love kick-ass, snarky female women like Holzner’s demon-exterminating heroine Victory Vaughn. The second reason is the alpha male hotties that tend to hang around said kick-ass women <G>. And the third is kick-ass (yes, I use this adjective a lot when talking about Urban fantasy) world building.

Darklands is the fourth book in this series, but you can easily read this as a stand-alone because the first two chapters catch you up on what has happened in the previous books. Of course that means you will run into some spoilers from the previous books if you are a new reader, while longtime followers of the series might have the urge to skim, but don't because Holzner does a great job of weaving in the backstory and new material with big dose of humor. The story opens with Vicky as a speaker at Tina’s (Vicky’s teenage zombie ex-apprentice) High School for Career Night and an uninvited visual aid shows up. I did mention that Vicky’s job is a demon exterminator <G>?

Vicky’s life has been shaped by the tremendous amount of guilt she has been carrying around. Not only does Vicky feel guilty about her father’s death, but also for embracing her Cerddorion (shapeshifting) abilities and the friction that causes with her mother and sister. Then there is Kane, Vicky’s werewolf boyfriend who wants to take their relationship to the next level, which conflicts with her Cerddorion lifestyle. All this guilt sits on her gut like a giant quivering maggot…oh, wait! It really does in the form of an Eidolon demon that Vicky gives the nickname “Butterfly”. I sure hope we get to see more of “Butterfly” in future books.


I was impressed with Holzner’s world of demons and the supernatural after reading book one, Deadtown, which is based on Welsh mythology. In Darklands she created a new and fascinating place that lies between the human realm and the afterlife called the Darklands, once again twisting Welsh myths and the legends of Arthur into something original and clever. I can’t stress enough how much I admire intelligent world building and Holzner delivers with this series.

And if I want to get all smarty-pants about the book I can say the title not only refers to a physical place Vicky must venture in order to save the world, but also an emotional place where she must save herself from guilt. But, that hurts my brain too much so I will stick to thinking about that smexy werewolf (growl) Kane and where I might be able to find one…I wonder if he has a brother…

This is another home run in the Deadtown series with page turning action, humor, clever world building and a twist at the end I didn’t see coming. Love it when that happens.

5 “Creepy ass cloak wearing” Sheep

SharonS (edited by BAK)

Nancy Holzner

FB-twitter-website

Nancy Holzner grew up in western Massachusetts with her nose stuck in a book. This meant that she tended to walk into things, wore glasses before she was out of elementary school, and forced her parents to institute a “no reading at the dinner table” rule. It was probably inevitable that she majored in English in college and then, because there were still a lot of books she wanted to read, continued her studies long enough to earn a masters degree and a PhD.

She began her career as a medievalist, then jumped off the tenure track to try some other things. Besides teaching English and philosophy, she’s worked as a technical writer, freelance editor and instructional designer, college admissions counselor, and corporate trainer. Most of her nonfiction books are published under the name Nancy Conner.

Nancy lives in upstate New York with her husband Steve, where they both work from home without getting on each other’s nerves. She enjoys visiting local wineries and listening obsessively to opera. There are still a lot of books she wants to read.