Topic: What inspires you to write paranormal and fantastical stories? 

There’s something thrilling about a bone-chilling or heart-stopping paranormal story. From Stephen King to the television series, Supernatural, I can’t get enough. Really, anything that has a lot or a little fantasy in it fascinates me. 

I blame my obsession with the supernatural, and specifically possession, on several things in my life. The first rests firmly on my brother’s shoulders. He loved scaring my sister, our friends, and me when we were younger. Be it by playing scary pranks on us or holding seance's in our shed, it gave him great pleasure to terrify us. 

Then there are the many books I’ve read that despite how creeped out I get, I can’t seem to put them down. I blame Stephen King for this addiction. From Carrie to It to Pet Cemetery, I’m surprised my heart still works after all the heart-stopping pages in them. Books that transport me to fantasy worlds captivate me like, The Hobbit, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and later in life, the Harry Potter series. 

I’ve always been firmly set in creating fantasy stories and only recently got into writing paranormal. It started with the series, Supernatural. And despite what my friends might say, it’s not because of my love for Dean Winchester. Who could blame me on that though? He’s funny and hot! But I digress. Supernatural has several episodes dealing with demonic possession and the paranormal, each is beyond scary. They give me chills, and I crave it. Why I love Supernatural is not only because of the deliciously creepy stories but also because of the tight bond between the brothers. Dean and Sam go through some crazy out-of-this-world stuff, but they always have each other’s backs. Their bond is close, and they would fight to the death for the other. It’s because of this relationship, and the fantastic scripts, that this show is such a success. And it made me want to have a close sisterly bond in my series, The Fated series. 

In The Fated series, the Layne sisters deal with the supernatural through tarot cards. In the first book, Touching Fate, Aster discovers that she can change anyone’s fate with the simple touch of a tarot card, except the boy’s she loves. The second book in the series, Cursing Fate, follows the point of view of Aster’s sister, Iris, and her once best friend, Wade. When Iris touches Aster’s cursed tarot cards, she unleashes an evil curse intent on playing a deadly game, and no one is safe, especially Wade. The final book that just released, Seeking Fate, follows the youngest sister, Daisy, and her online friend Andrei as they travel Europe seeking the last Van Buren heir fated to die on his eighteenth birthday. I had a fun time writing this series. It explores the supernatural, allowing me to draw from my obsessions and past experiences. 

Question: What sinfully supernatural obsessions do you have and does it prevent you from sleeping at night? 

Thank you for having me on the blog! If you haven’t watched the Supernatural series, you should totally go binge it now.

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother's animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. With kids of all ages populating Brenda's world, it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical for both younger readers and the young at heart. And because she married her prince charming, there's always a romance warming the pages. Her favorite books are The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Kings Row by Henry Bellamann, and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. When she's not writing, she hosts workshops and contests for writers such as Pitch Wars and Pitch Madness on her blog, and holds Twitter pitch parties on the hashtag, #PitMad. In her free time, Brenda enjoys hanging out with her family, haunting libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or just reading someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

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Thanks to Entangled Teen Crave and Brenda Drake for the new book and giveaway!