Laura DeLuca
Tell us a little about yourself.
In addition to being a
young adult author, I am also a mom to four great kids, own a restaurant, and
run a product review blog called New Age Mama. I live at the Jersey Shore and I
love spending the summer on the beach. It’s the best place to write.
Did you always want to be an author?
I knew I was a writer
for as long as I can remember. When I was in kindergarten, I wrote a book about
bunnies getting married. When I was thirteen, I completed my first novel. I
think writing is definitely in my blood, and I’ll probably die with a pen in my
hand.
What is your favorite part of being a writer/author?
I love
the fact that I’m never bored. No matter what is happening around me, there is
always an interesting story going on in my head.
Tell us a little about your book.
Destiny is the story of
witchcraft which is something that is very close to my heart. While most of the
events in the book are exaggerated for entertainment, there is a basis in real
pagan beliefs in many of the scenes.
Gabriella is a witch. The problem is, she doesn't remember.
She repressed the memories of her powers years ago when her mother was
murdered. Now, the warlock who was responsible for her mother's death has set
his sights on Gabriella. He is determined to use her fear to turn her to the
dark side of magick…even if it kills her. Her mother's spirit is reaching out
to warn her, but even that she pushes away. Desperate to save her daughter, the
spirit finds a male witch–one that just happens to be in love with Gabriella.
Darron is more than willing to help but the two young witches will have way
more to battle than just an evil warlock. There are overbearing jocks and petty
rich girls who get tempers flaring and often set Gabriella and Darron at odds.
There is more to the story than Gabriella and Darron could
even imagine. There are terrible secrets to be revealed, battles to be waged,
and lives will be lost. Only after Gabriella and Darron both come to terms with
who they really are, and open themselves up to the true meaning of magick, can
they have any hope of fulfilling their destiny.
Gabriella and Darron thought their magickal battle was over
when they defeated the evil warlock, Richard. When her Aunt Donna seeks
Gabriella's help in rescuing her catatonic daughter from the Dark Coven,
Gabriella discovers that her cousin holds a power within her that would be
catastrophic in the hands of the evil witches. Gabriella's coven sets out on a
journey that may be their last. Along the way, they meet new allies, face
devastating treachery, and battle not only the Dark Coven, but the darkness
within themselves. When Gabriella finally comes face to face with the cousin
she never knew existed, her true destiny is unveiled, and the fate of the
mortal world is in her hands.
Destiny Excerpt:
Her eyes scanned the room, from the pale blue sofa to the
bloody dent in the wall. But she didn’t need her eyes to know Darron was there.
Her heart sensed his presence before her eyes saw him lying in a heap on the
ground. His body shuddered with occasional spasms, and even though he wasn’t
fully conscious, his lips were twisted in a grimace of
pain.
Uttering a gasp of surprise, Gabriella flew to his side. She
knelt beside him, and choked back a sob as she took his hand in her own. She
saw his chest rise and fall and was glad to know was alive, but she felt
helpless as she watched his face contort in pain. She noticed something wet and
sticky on her fingertips. She gently titled his head and saw a large gash that
looked like it needed medical attention.
The skin around the gash was so deeply bruised it looked almost black.
“Darron, what
happened to you?”
He didn’t move or reply. Gabriella moved her hand from the
cut on his forehead, and her fingers dripped with blood. She bit her lower lip
with fear. She knew enough about head injuries to know that the wound could be
serious. She grabbed a few tissues from a box on the coffee table, and tried to
apply pressure to the wound, but it was useless. The tissues were soaked
through in seconds.
“Darron?” She
squeezed his hand, and fought back tears of fear and frustration. “Darron, please open your eyes. Please
be all right!”
He squirmed and groaned a little in response. Looking at his
contorted features, Gabriella felt incompetent and useless. She didn’t know what
to do to help him. The cut must need stitches. The blood was gushing through
her fingertips, and she was sure his life was slipping away just as quickly.
More than anything, Gabriella wanted to help Darron, to end
his suffering. Her thoughts, her desperation, caused something deep inside of
her to stir. Something that had long been napping was awoken. The power she had
fought so hard to deny was forcing its way to the surface. This time she didn’t
struggle against that power. Her instinct to hide from it was finally overcome
by the thought of losing someone else she cared about.
Gabriella was pulling strength and warmth from the earth, as
though her legs were tree roots taking nourishment from the element. A tingling
sensation began in the tips of her toes and spread slowly though her body as
she breathed in the essence of the element of air. Her blood flowed and grew warm, the element of water,
bringing the power to the surface. She was overcome by a vigorous strength as
she envisioned her spirit encircled by the element of fire. She felt so
powerful that she thought she could stop the world from churning if that was
what she wished. Gabriella focused the power, remembering for a moment her
mother’s lessons. She looked down at her battered friend. She willed him to
open his eyes and look at her. She demanded it of him.
Gabriella would have thought it was impossible, but she felt
herself grow warmer. Her face dripped with perspiration. The power within her
reached a climax. Then finally, when she thought she might burst, she felt the
energy release. It seeped through her fingers, and shined with an illumination
that only she could see. She heard herself chanting unfamiliar words, and
scarcely recognized her own voice.
“By the power of earth, water, fire and air,
Heal this man who’s in my care.
Goddess, hear your daughter’s plea.
As I will it, so mote it be!”
Gabriella repeated the words three times. Three was the
number of power. Then she watched as the wound on Darron’s forehead healed
before her eyes, becoming smaller and smaller, until finally it was gone. The
blood was still warm and sticky, but beneath the blood, the skin was smooth and
unmarred. Even the horrible bruise had vanished. Gabriella stared in open
astonishment, marveling at the work she had done.
Destiny Unveiled Excerpt:
After collecting the offering from his followers, the leader
returned to the center of the circle and the waiting initiate. With one quick
motion, he sliced open his own palm. He held his hand over the cup, letting his
blood drip slowly into the chalice, until the wound miraculously healed before
Darron's startled eyes. When the chalice was full, he carried it to the eager
initiate who took the cup firmly into his hands and tilted it towards his lips.
"As this blood makes you one with our flesh, so your
soul follows to become one with the darkness," the English voice intoned.
As the initiate drained the last of the liquid in the
chalice, his hood fell away, revealing a blonde ponytail pulled back over a
pale white face, made even paler by the outline of bright red blood around his
lips. Darron watched in stunned, horrified silence as his own face turned to
meet his gaze. Eyes turned as black as coals stared back at Darron with a grim
smile of satisfaction.
"Rise Darron," the leader commanded. And as he
spoke, he lifted the hood from his head. Rise brother of the Dark Coven."
When did you start writing and when did you finish your
first book?
I started my first YA novel when I was 13 and finished it when I
was 15.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Sometimes from dreams,
sometimes from the people around me.
Do you plot and outline or do you just write? Plotter or Pantser?
I am a little of
both. I plot out the beginning and the end, but when it comes to the middle, I completely
wing it.
Can you tell us a little about the process of getting your
first book published?
It sort of happened by accident. I was reviewing a kid’s
book on my mom blog and started chatting with the publisher. She asked to read
my book and offered me a contact the next day.
What book have you most recently released?
My newest release
is a YA thriller called Player that I wrote when I was 16!
What was your favorite part of the book?
I love when
Gabriella finally embraces her magick because it’s an important lesson in
self-appetence.
Rate your story in terms steaminess?
There is a little vanilla romance, but
since this is a YA series, it doesn’t get very intense.
Do you have another book in the works?
I am currently
working on the sequel to YA thriller Phantom, inspired by Sweeney Todd. When
that one if finished, I plan to finish up the dark musicals trilogy a third
book inspired by Jekyll & Hyde.
What advice would you give new authors? What have you learned about the
business?
Learn to take criticism and use it to improve your work. This is a
harsh business at times, and I have gotten some rejections that made me want to
cry. But when I really listened to what they were saying, I could see where my
work needed improvement, and it’s made me a better writer, which has
subsequently led to me getting published.
Boxers or Briefs? Briefs
Pizza or hamburger? Pizza
Beer, Wine, or mixed drink? I don’t drink.
If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be? Would you write or read there, or do something else? Ireland! I have always dreamed of going there. I would probably spend a lot of time writing
About the Author:
Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with
her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre
because it keeps her young at heart.
In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a
popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local
pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. Visit
her on her websites at http://authorlauradeluca.blogspot.com or http://newagemama.blogspot.com .
You are very welcome!
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