[Author Inteview] Megan Powell

Title: No Peace for the Damned
Author: Megan Powell

Release Date: July 10, 2012

Goodreads

Magnolia Kelch is no stranger to pain. Beautiful and powerful, she's spent her entire life at the mercy of her sadistic father and the rest of the Kelch clan, who have tortured her and tested the limits of her powers. After one particularly heinous night that leaves Magnolia nearly dead, she finally sees her chance for escape? But this first taste of freedom is short-lived when she collides with Thirteen, head of the Network ? a secret organization dedicated to fighting supernatural criminals ? who recruits her into the group. Even as she's coming to grips with this new life and the horrific memories that still haunt her, she's conflicted by her growing attraction to fellow team member Theo and the emergence of new, untested abilities. After months of grueling training, her loyalty to the team is tested when she learns her target is the Network's most wanted: the Kelch family. Revenge may course through her veins, but so does the blood of the Kelches. And opposing her family may cost her the thing she treasures most. After all, Magnolia is still a Kelch. And the Kelches are damned.

INTERVIEW WITH MEGAN POWELL:

Is this book part of a series?

Yes. NO PEACE FOR THE DAMNED is the first in the Magnolia Kelch series.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

Chapter 29 was definitely my favorite chapter to write. It was also the very first chapter I wrote. I had that scene with Magnolia and Theo on the couch long before I knew anything else about the characters or the story around them. All I knew was that this incredibly sexy young woman, who felt separate from everyone around her, suddenly felt a genuine, normal connection to someone else. The excitement of that moment overshadowed any other insecurities so that when she revealed her tattoo without thought of the consequences, she revealed an innocence that would otherwise be out of character. That moment shows that more than anything, all she really wanted was to have something – anything – in common with someone else.

Who’s your favorite character to write and why?

Definitely Magnolia. The book is told from her point of view so I really get to slip into her mind while I write. I love that she is strong and powerful, terrified and angry, whip-smart and completely naïve all at the same time. I remember very clearly being twenty-two and thinking I was the toughest person in the world with all these life experiences while at the same time feeling more vulnerable and uncertain than ever. It is a wonderful experience to be able to relive those feelings through a character with such unlimited potential.

Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is special?

Magnolia Kelch is a surprisingly well-adjusted young woman considering she spent the first twenty-two years of life in the torturous captivity of her father and uncle. That’s not to say that she isn’t incredibly suspicious of everyone and everything, likely to shoot first and ask questions never. She is the most powerful supernatural person in her extremely powerful family, but has been victimized her entire life leaving her unsure of what she can really do. More than anything, Magnolia is eager to finally experience a level of independence previously denied her – including feeling all of the emotions that only a truly free person can feel.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

The setting is definitely reflective of my life as Hoosier. And as my father so aptly pointed out, every member of my immediate family has a first name that begins with the letter “M”… although that is where the similarities end between my real family and the Kelches.

Leave us with a teaser/quote from your book?

“In that last moment of consciousness I had to chastise myself. I was not supposed to live in this world without violence and pain. And I was an idiot to have ever let myself think otherwise.”