Q & A with Alexandrea Weis

Blackwell 
Magnus Blackwell #1

by Alexandrea Weis, Lucas Astor

Hell has a new master. 

In the late 1800s, handsome, wealthy New Englander, Magnus Blackwell, is the envy of all.

When Magnus meets Jacob O’Conner—a Harvard student from the working class—an unlikely friendship is forged. But their close bond is soon challenged by a captivating woman; a woman Magnus wants, but Jacob gets.

Devastated, Magnus seeks solace in a trip to New Orleans. After a chance meeting with Oscar Wilde, he becomes immersed in a world of depravity and brutality, inevitably becoming the inspiration for Dorian Gray. Armed with the forbidden magic of voodoo, he sets his sights on winning back the woman Jacob stole from him.

Amid the trappings of Victorian society, two men, bent on revenge, will lay the foundation for a curse that will forever alter their destinies. 

Hardcover, 295 pages

Published January 17th 2017 by Vesuvian Books

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Read It & Reap:  October 12, 2017

Alexandrea Weis is an advanced practice registered nurse who was born and raised in New Orleans. Having been brought up in the motion picture industry, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective and began writing at the age of eight. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her award-winning novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable. A permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans. 

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Q & A with Alexandrea Weis

Tell us a little bit about your main characters.

The main characters in Damned are Lexi Arden and Magnus Blackwell. Damned is the journey of a ghost and his road to redemption after living a less than honorable life. Magnus Blackwell haunts his abandoned mansion, Altmover Manor. One day the house is bought by an architect and his fiancé, Lexie Arden. A woman with an ability to see the dead, she and Magnus begin a strange relationship that takes them across the country from Maine to New Orleans. They unravel secrets, and become part of the voodoo culture in New Orleans, ultimately uncovering a new destiny for both of them.

In your opinion, what makes a good, strong lead character?

Believability. If a reader can relate to the character, if they feel like a person they would see on the street, meet at a party, someone who shares common flaws with everyone else, they can accept them.

 What or who do you see as influences on your writing style?

I think every person I have known and book I have read influences your style. And the inner voice. The running dialogue in your head sets up how your words transcribe onto the page. 

 Do you ever research real events, legends, or myths to get ideas?

All the time. The best stories hide in the past. I have a few books written about characters from history, legends, or myth.

 What is the best writing advice you have been given?

Keep writing. Every writer will tell you this, and it’s true. You have to keep writing to get better and to find your voice. It takes time.

 If you could have any superpower, what would you choose and why? 

The power to heal. I’m a nurse and have witnessed so much pain and suffering. That would be the best power to have.

 What do you do to unwind and relax?

I am a permitted wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, so when I am not writing I care for orphaned and injured animals. I love animals, and anything I do with them helps me to relax. 

 What book are you reading now?

I’m not reading now, but writing. I’m finishing up the next book in the Magnus Blackwell Series, Bound. It will be out in fall 2018.