BooksChatter: ℚ♫ A Violet Fire: Vampires in Avignon [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Kelsey Quick to talk about A Violet Fire (9 December 2019, Kelsey Quick, 398 pages), a Young Adult Paranormal Romance, book one in the Vampires in Avignon series.

"A vampire tale with a heady mix of defiance and doubt, rebellion and romance." — Kirkus Reviews

"There is not a single dull moment in this book... A Violet Fire has all the ingredients to become the next Hollywood movie about vampires." — Readers' Favorite

"Quick does an excellent job of crafting character arcs, an interesting and unique setting, and a fabulous twist on vampires." - E.C. Farrell

|| Synopsis || Teaser: Excerpt || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to Kelsey Quick; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

Here at BooksChatter we love music, so Kelsey Quick has shared with us her music playlist for A Violet Fire - enjoy!

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"A lot of me is in this book, actually. Most people don’t like a self-insert, but Wavorly’s reasoning and thoughts on matters reflect how I would think and reason. She is a bit more of a hot-head and outwardly rebellious than me, but most of her struggles with friendship and problem-solving follow along my wavelength."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for A Violet Fire - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I actually have three covers! Most publishing experts would probably find that to be stupid, as continual exposure and recognition of what is being exposed is vital in piquing consumer interest. However, I self-published, and all three covers hold a special place in my heart—so I kept them.

The first cover that I started with is actually a heavily-edited photo of Felicity Jones. It’s so heavily-edited in fact, that no one has mentioned recognizing her (and that’s probably how it should stay, haha). This is the black cover with the red-hued woman staring rather violently to the right. This one is used for standard ebooks. It means a lot to me because I made it myself with my own graphic design knowledge back before I even started drafting the novel.

The second cover is the completely illustrated one for the hardcover. It depicts Wavorly holding her neck in the middle of a dark and broody castle. This one I actually had commissioned from a very talented artist that I found via DeviantArt. She did SUCH a good job that I plan to commission her for the last two books as well. Her name is Ami Wind, and you can find her beautiful art here: https://www.deviantart.com/windami

The third and final cover is one that I made within 45 minutes during a break at work. I understood that my first cover looked a bit tacky… almost like an example piece of self-published mediocrity. Many people loved it, but it just wasn’t cutting it for me in terms of professionalism. So, I took a stock image from Pexels by the wonderful black and white photographer, Alexander Krivitskiy; put some fang marks on the slender neck of the subject; and hued the entire thing a dark crimson-magenta. Then I matched the typography, spine, and back aesthetic using my own skills and my font of choice: Cinzel Decorative.

This cover is my favorite because I personally find it romantic, dark, and (because of the fang marks) mysterious enough to give the synopsis a fighting chance."


First Cover	Felicity Jones	Second Cover	Third Cover

Why should we read A Violet Fire and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"Oh goodness, you’re asking me to be narcissistic here and I HATE THAT… but really, you should read it because I feel like it puts a new spin on “insta-love” vampire romance (FYI, this book is more fantasy than paranormal romance, but it will probably appeal to you more if you find yourself drawn to PR tropes).

Insta-love is as unbelievable as it seems in most cases, but it has its place which is why I use it in this set-up for the series. I think it’s nice when a main character can recognize the lunacy of a common trope that they are a part of and ask, “Why me? Why not someone else?” and there be a legitimate answer to that, even if it’s hard to hear or believe."

Can you tell us something quirky about A Violet Fire, its story and characters?

"Wavorly was named after an alternative-punk band from the early 2000’s for no other reason except that I loved the name Wavorly and how it was spelled with an “o” rather than an “e” (Waverly).

It also stuck through all of the edits because Wavorly herself wavers with everything. It is, essentially, her token trait in the book—indecisiveness; inability to recognize what she truly wants."

Who would you recommend A Violet Fire to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I would recommend this book to anyone who has a soft spot for Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight or Bella Forrest’s A Shade of Vampire.

I’d like to think that the emotions and character development of my novel are more complex, exploring a wider range of themes and current issues (such as freedom, and how love can distort our interpretation of it), but at the end of the day this book will—for the first 75% of it—scratch that paranormal romance itch.

I would also recommend it to those who love Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games or Veronica Roth’s Divergent, as it’s a YA novel told in first-person present, and centers around a human’s desire to escape a horrific dystopia.

The only trigger warning for this book would be very mild emotional and physical abuse."

If you could / wished to turn A Violet Fire and the Vampires in Avignon series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"My number one dream is to see this series on screen! I’m not too knowledgeable with directors, but I do have a dream team for my two main characters!

Wavorly Sterling — Saoirse Ronan (Wavorly is a rare human with red hair and green eyes. She’s also rebellious and speaks her mind, which Saoirse performs on screen extremely well.)

Lord Anton Zein — Cillian Murphy (Zein is a morally ambiguous antagonist/protagonist. He’s needlessly ruthless on the battlefield, and yet strangely compassionate behind closed doors. Since he’s a vampire, a monster by nature, the illusiveness of his intentions give him a Red Eye Cillian Murphy vibe. Murphy is great in his performances as a romanticized, ominous character which would be perfect for Zein)"

What is in store next?

"Next in line is the sequel for A Violet Fire, called A Crimson Truth! In terms of hints, the reader will now be able to see the world of Cain through Zein’s eyes, as I’m planning it as a dual perspective between Zein and Wavorly—which I know everyone is excited for!"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"EEP! I have two adorable huskies named Captain and Domino! They are brother and sister, and the best companions a girl could ask for!"

Hello Captain and Domino! You are absolutely stunning; lots of head-scratches and belly-rubs to both of you from all of us at BooksChatter!

Kelsey, thank you for sharing your fur-babies with us. We hope you are having a great tour!

Enslavement is still enslavement, no matter how soft the chains...