Hexbound Blog Tour -- Interview & Giveaway with Chloe Neill

Today we have the completely awesome Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance/Young Adult author, Chloe Neill with us. Chloe is the author of the Chicagoland Vampires Series (Urban Fantasy) and the Dark Elite Series (Young Adult) and she is here to celebrate the release of the 2nd Dark Elite book, Hexbound  - which will be released January 4th!

*FYI you can read the first Chapter of Hexbound at Chloe's Website :)

I am a huge fan of Chloe - she is easily one of my favorite writers. I love both of her series, but I have a definitely have a soft spot for her teen series.

Chloe was kind enough to do an interview and provide a swag pack for one lucky reader. You can find details about the giveaway at the end of the post!

TBG: Your Dark Elite series currently has one book out, Firespell. The second book, Hexbound is being released on January 4th. Could you tell us a little about the series?

CN: Sure! The Dark Elite series tells the story of Lily, a 16 year-old who's been sent to Chicago for boarding school. She discovers that there's an entire world of magic beneath the city.

TBG: How many books are you planning to include in the Dark Elite series?

CN: There are currently three Dark Elite books under contract.

TBG:What made you want to branch out into Young Adult, or did you always want to write Young Adult books?

CN: I thought it would be fun to consider magic from the perspective of someone at a different age. And I was very interested in the idea that magic wasn't forever, but that people with the gift might have to give it up in time.

TBG: I love all of the characters in the book, but Scout is my favorite. Who is your favorite character to write?

CN: Thanks!! Scout is definitely my favorite to write. She's got an interesting eye for fashion, she's very creative, and she's a collector of just about everything. She's always got something interesting to say. :)

TBG: What were some of your inspirations behind the character of Lily?

CN:  I'm not sure she was inspired by anything in particular. Rather, she's just her own person, molded by her own experiences, and I try to be true to that.

TBG: So far, all of your novels take place in Chicago – is there a particular reason, or do you just enjoy the setting?

CN:  I think Chicago is a great city, with interesting food, culture, politics, architecture and history. It's not hard to imagine mysterious, magical things occurring there!

TBG: I have a feature here at That Bookish Girl, called Film it Friday, where I select a dream cast for different books. If The Dark Elite Series was going to be made into a movie or a T.V. show, who would you cast? (see the "Film it Friday" Firespell edition)

CN: I really like Chris Pine as Jason, Selena Gomez as Lily, and Ramon Rodriguez as Michael Garcia. I don't yet have an idea for Scout.

TBG: Could you tell us a little bit about your writing process? Do you plan everything out or do you just sort of see where the story takes you?

CN:  Because I'm under contract, I'm required to give my editor an outline of my forthcoming book. Thus, I generally have an idea of how the next book down the road will play out.

TBG: Do you have any new projects in the works? Or are you focusing on your current series?

CN: I'm currently editing HARD BITTEN, the fourth book in my Chicagoland Vampires series, and writing DRINK DEEP, the fifth book in my Chicagoland Vampires series. So they're my current focus!

TBG: Thank you so much for stopping by and answering all of my questions. I look forward to reading Hexbound!

CN: Thanks for having me today!

Chloe was kind enough to offer up a swag pack for one lucky reader! All you have to do is fill out the FORM. The giveaway will end next Tuesday, January 4th at Midnight!

*you can get more info about Chloe Neill and her Dark Elite series at her website.

*If you would like to preorder a copy of Hexbound, you can do so at amazon, barnes and noble, Borders or anywhere else books are sold!