Spotlight & $50 GC Giveaway: Searching: Dragons of New York by Rachel Graves

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

 

Description of Searching: Dragons of New York

 

A dragon terrified of being discovered by the government, Ravenna Drake is constantly on the move. When the woman who raised her gets cancer, Ravenna trades her nomadic work restoring black market magical goods for a steady job. But her cautious life ends after her name is found at the scene of a werewolf murder.

 

Dr. Ian Chen, a sorcerer bonded to a powerful relic, works for the government treating supernatural citizens. He insists on investigating when his patient’s body is discovered completely drained of blood. His search leads him to the beautiful but frustrating Ravenna Drake, who refuses to stay away from the case or follow his instructions.

 

As more bloodless bodies surface, threats from secret societies and corrupt politicians force the dragon and the sorcerer to work together. If Ravenna and Ian can’t catch the killer, the people they love the most may be the next to die.

 

Read an Excerpt of Searching: Dragons of New York

 

He wanted to pry more of the story out of her but decided against it. As she followed him down the block, they blended into the small crowd on the street. Ian watched the people around them for a second. Normal people, with no idea my world even exists.

 

She broke the silence, “You know this neighborhood?”

 

“There was a gang that recruited a witch. He wasn’t that powerful but he knew how to use sacrifices to call a demon. It took me a while to figure it out.” Ian shivered with the memory of living fire, a monster in the shape of flame. He could work with dead bodies but remembering the smell of burned corpses would always be a problem.

 

“I thought you didn’t like the word witch.”

 

He glanced at her expression of wide-eyed innocence. It had to be fake. “This guy, he wasn’t doing much. Calling him a sorcerer would be a bit of an insult to the real ones.”

 

“Not that you know any real ones.” She smiled up at him. Why were they playing this game? She probably wasn’t the murderer, if she was, she knew what he was. Why not just come clean?

 

Cloak answered the question as if he’d been asked, “Then tell her about the BPA.”

 

“Right, that was why.” Because once she knew who she was helping, she’d probably stop. The BPA wasn’t popular with all the people they protected, and even the non-paranormal citizens seemed to think his agency was either evil or a scam. He’d say enough to get her help, but leave things vague enough to keep her, and the investigation, safe.

 

Interview with Author Rachel Graves

 

What would we find under your bed?

Clothes I don’t wear but I can’t bear to part with. I’m sentimental about clothes, because I know I can never go back to being the person I was when I wore them. I’ll never be the girl who wore the party dress out drinking without a second thought or the one in the blue chambray button-down who jumped on a rollercoaster with her dad again. My dad passed away and my health doesn’t let me have alcohol now. Still, those clothes will always have a special place in my heart, even if they live under the bed.

 

What was the scariest moment of your life?

I had a brain hemorrhage when I was twenty-nine. I came home from work, feeling fine, and got ready to go for a seven-mile run (mid-week, mid-distance), only to suddenly lose vision on my left side and develop terrible head pain. Before the ambulance arrived, I’d become paralyzed on my left-hand side. It turns out I have a genetic condition that makes the veins in my brain be shaped like raspberries instead of the smooth tubes most people get. Getting back to ‘normal’ was a tough process, but I was lucky and I worked hard. While it was very scary, (0 out of 10, do *not* recommend) my time in ICU is what spurred me on to actually finish my first novel. It made me realize writing wasn’t something I could get to ‘someday’. So while I still complain about not being able to drink alcohol, have caffeine, or go diving any more, the scariest moment in my life wasn’t the worst moment.

 

If you could apologize to someone in your past, who would it be?

My mother-in-law. I definitely didn’t appreciate her enough. I should have told her how special she was more often. She fought breast cancer for over two-decades, a battle that went on for so long everyone treated it as part of regular life. Now that I have some distance, I can see how hard that must have been. I wish I could go back in time and take care of her, the way she took care of everyone around her.

 

What is something you’d like to accomplish in your writing career next year?

I recently got the rights back to the first three books I published. They were written in 2006 and came out in 2015. Since then, I’ve learned a lot, and I’m excited to improve them. I’m hoping to have all three books revised and republished in the next couple of years. A fourth story in the series is in work now, and there’s a chance I might write a prequel. I’d love to be able to make those first books better and get the best story possible out to my readers.

 

How long did it take you to write this book?

The first words were put into the first file on January 4, 2018. I’d been working on the story in my head for a couple of years at that point. It wasn’t until later that month – January 28 – that I challenged myself to write every day for 100 days straight. I ended up writing every day until May 16, 2018 when the first draft was done. From then, it was all about revisions. It wasn’t until early 2021, when I decided to split the 190,000 words manuscript into two books, that I really got the story right. So how long? Somewhere between four and six years. Hopefully, it was worth it!

 

About Author Rachel Graves

 

Rachel Graves writes mysteries that blend the supernatural with steamy, sexy scenes. Her work explores the many shades of gray found between the lines of right and wrong. Rachel’s books focus on strong heroines who take charge of their own fate, their friends, and their families. Rachel is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and uses research skills honed getting a graduate degree in psychology to seek out rare folklore and magical creatures.

 

Her writing incorporates popular monsters like vampires and werewolves as well as diverse creatures like selkies and yuki onna. Rachel has lived in a cursed town, taken far too many ghost tours, and counts down to every Halloween starting in November. You can read short stories and learn more about her on her website: http://www.rachelgraves.com/.

 

Amazon.com author page is: https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Graves/e/B011H977D0 

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Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Dragons-New-York-Book-ebook/dp/B0BGFGNF7V/ref=sr_1_1

 

One randomly chosen winner will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. 

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