Interview

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Perfect happiness would be getting into college, becoming a chemist, and having my boyfriend, Cody, at my side. I honestly can’t see much else in life right now, and if I don’t have those, what do I have left? Even if Cody can be a bit overbearing sometimes. I wonder if he realizes I’m missing…I wonder if he’ll ever forgive me. Or if I’ll even get the chance to apologize…

What is your current state of mind?

If my mind right now were a color, it’d be shades of black, yellow, and red. After this whole kidnapping, magic bottle business, I’m so afraid of everything around me, all these mythical creatures and a completely alien world. I’m actually so scared that it’s almost covering up all the sadness and despair I’ve been feeling about my rejection to chemistry camp over the summer. I really had my heart set on that, and now I’m questioning whether I’m really smart enough to study science at all. Not to mention I might have broken up with Cody, indirectly because of that. I love him to pieces, but the boy needs to give me space sometimes! And then there’s the anger. I mean, who puts a spell on a bottle?! I didn’t sign up for this, but now I’m stuck here, with these strangers, in a world that will probably kill me. And I’m furious.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Cody. We have been best friends for years, and honestly, he’s one of my only friends. I’m not so good in the friend-making department. But he’s always been a life saver there! I might have really messed it up, though. I hope I get the chance to tell him how sorry I am, how much I care about him…

What is your greatest fear?

That’s a little personal, there, but I just want to be successful, and I’m really afraid I’m not good enough to do what I want with my life. I want to study science, chemistry in particular. I was told I had a knack for it, but ever since that letter from the summer program, I’m not seeing it. I’m so afraid I will be a failure at life.

About the book

Sometimes we put ourselves in the bottle…

Six years ago, Janan was transformed into a genie by an evil djinn, ripping her away from her home, her life, and her humanity. She has been on the run from him ever since. Worlds away, high school honors student Laurelin just wants to get into the chemistry program of her dreams.

When Laurelin discovers a crystal bottle that sucks her into the djinn realm, the girls find themselves working together to escape Janan’s creator and get Laurelin back home. But war is brewing in the djinn realm-a rebellion led by the same evil djinn they’ve been trying to escape. And he is determined to rule both the djinn and the human realms. As his creation, Janan is the one person standing in his way.

But to stop him, Janan must learn to overcome the fears he instilled in her and embrace her own dark magic while Laurelin must accept that some things are more important than an A+. Now, they will have to trust each other, and themselves, to stop the encroaching evil. Otherwise, both the human and djinn realms will fall to the tide of death and dark magic this war will unleash.

About the Author

Selina is a biologist-by-day, writer-by-night native of Pennsylvania. She lives with her husband, dog, and two cats and spends her time writing, reading, creating art, and dreaming about fictional worlds. Besides writing and sciencing, Selina also runs an author support business, Paper Cranes, LLC, that provides editing, consulting, and mapmaking services to authors, writers, and students. She has written two fairy-tale retelling short stories that were both finalists in Rooglewood Press short story contests and an exclusive fantasy short story, “Queen of Mist and Fog,” available through her newsletter. This Cursed Flame is her first novel.

Selina can be found online on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, her blog, and through her email newsletter.

Where to find the book

Goodreads:

Amazon:

All other retailers:

Facebook Party Link (with giveaway): The party is today from 4-7 EDT

“You have terminal cancer.”

London Patterson, a seemingly healthy young woman, had her entire life ahead of her. That was until four little words brought everything to a screeching halt. As the shock and grief begin to fade, London decides to map out her last year and embark on an epic journey to complete a bucket list. She wants to do the things she’s been afraid to do in her life, step out of her self-contained box, and see the world. What she didn’t expect was for a mysterious stranger named Adam to breeze into her life like a breath of fresh air.

Adam offers to help London complete her list on one condition…that she sees it through to the end. Agreeing on those terms, the two set out on an adventure of a lifetime. But London soon realizes that Adam isn’t quite…human. Along their journey odd occurrences happen that cause London to question who or what Adam is and why he’s helping her.

Follow London as she checks off her bucket list in this inspiring new Urban Fantasy novel from Taylor Dawn.

The moment I read this blurb, I knew I wanted to read this book. When I had the chance to put my fingers on it, I was excited. It was so much fun! Wait a minute! Someone is dying and I am saying it is fun? Okay, so the way Taylor Dawn portrays London enables the story to be fun. You see there are several options when you’ve been given devastating news: curl up and ignore life, live with it, fight it, or go out living life to its fullest. London decides to go with the last option. She creates her bucket list and off she goes.

I would sum the book up in three words: Intriguing, humorous and thought-provoking. From the moment I read the back cover to the end of the book, I was intrigued. I kept coming back for more. The plot moved along nicely and was well written. The imagery was magnificent. I sat and chuckled my way through most of the book. “Waking up each morning had a new meaning now. I wasn’t sure of the exact meaning, but I knew there was one there hiding in the shadows.” This is typical of the wording, humor,and character development in the book. Taylor does an excellent job of weaving the story line and keeping you wondering about the outcome and who the characters really are. She brings in theological questions in a harmless way as London wrestles with her own mortality. The reader sympathizes with London and wants to see her accomplish her list. I will gladly reread this book and recommend it to anyone. It is well worth the read.

So, looking for a weekend read or summer reading? Why not meander over to amazon and pick up Saving London by Taylor Dawn.