New Release and Author Spotlight - A.M. Manay

If you don't already know, I am a huge fan of author A.M. Manay and her November Snow series.  Although I have spotlighted her before, I am honored to be sharing her with you again today because her new novel, She Marches Through Fire, is finally available! :-)

The November Snow series follows November Snow, a girl who has visions of the future who gets mixed up with vampires and werewolves and faeries. I have read the entire series and LOVE it!  In the author's words, here is a little glimpse into two of the characters that you learn to love (and/or hate) from the series.

"Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places"

by A.M. Manay

I've been thinking a lot about the relationship between November and Luka as I wind up my November Snow Series with its final installment, SheMarches Through Fire.  Why is November drawn to Luka despite hating everything he has done or has tried to do?  Why can't she simply reject him altogether?

November and Luka have a complicated dynamic.  Her inability to disengage from him doesn’t arise only because power is seductive, though it is.  It's not solely due to vampire blood magic.  It's not just "Stockholm Syndrome.”  It's not simply an impulse toward self-destructive behavior, though that does play into things.  It’s also not just due to the fact that she has a savior complex, though she does certainly have a deep need to save people.

I think that the final factor that might not be immediately apparent to the casual reader is that November sees something familiar in Luka, as he does in her.  When it comes down to it, Luka may be the character who best understands November and her emotional motivations.  November and Luka are two sides of the same coin.  Both survived devastating and abusive childhoods.  November lost her father at a young age.  Her neglectful and abusive mother struggled unsuccessfully with addiction and was terrified of November's gift.  Luka's parents rejected him and left him for dead because he was born with a physical disability, and his surrogate vampire family enslaved and exploited him for years before giving him eternal life.  They both experienced significant trauma, but they reacted to that experience differently.

While November chooses to turn to the good while dealing with her pain, Luka chooses a more evil road in response to his own.  November's reaction is to seek safety and affection wherever she can find it.  She, both consciously and unconsciously, tries to get everyone she meets to love her and protect her the way her parents did not.  She, essentially, goes looking for love in all the wrong places.  Luka's response to similar trauma is to seek to control the world and everyone in it, especially those who mean anything to him.  His greed and his ruthlessness spring from the desperate emotional need to rule his universe and to prevent another abandonment.  Consequently, any event causing helplessness or loss affects him profoundly, as it does November.

My creation of November's connection to Luka, especially as it develops in SheMarches Through Fire, isn't meant to express approval of his crimes or of his abusive behavior, nor is it intended to be leading to a romance with some kind of "happily ever after."  Her actions with respect to Luka aren’t meant to be seen as particularly wise.  You’ll have to decide for yourself how you judge them both.

These two antagonists have a great deal more in common than I realized when I first began to write the series.  Isn't it funny how our characters somehow take on lives of their own?  What complexities do you see in November’s relationships with the other characters?

If you want to see how November and Luka’s dangerous dance comes to a close, order SheMarches Through Fire, available today at all major ebook retailers.

Title: She Marches Through Fire (November Snow Book 3)

Series: November Snow

Author: A.M. Manay

Cover design: A.M. Manay

Release Date: March 28, 2017

Genre: Supernatural fantasy

Psychic vampire November Snow must battle grief, injury, and her own family as she fights evil on all sides. She seeks a cure for the poison sapping her strength and a fairy weapon as powerful as it is dangerous to wield. When it is time to save the innocent and gain justice for her maker, will she find the strength to march through the fire?

If you want a little bit more information, watch this book trailer: https://youtu.be/m9gxWk0Q1m8