genie – Selina J. Eckert

This Cursed Flame Character Interview: Janan

Today we get to talk directly to one of the main characters: our genie, Janan!

Today is day two of This Cursed Flame’s blog tour! So far we had a lovely book spotlight by H. L. Burke and a first look at the opening chapter. Today I want to dive in a little deeper and talk with one of our main characters, Janan. But don’t forget to head back to the masterpost to keep following all the posts as they come out each day. There’s plenty of material to keep you all content in this final week before release!

Now, without any more delay, here’s Janan!

Hello, Janan. Welcome to the blog tour! Why don’t we start by telling our readers just a little bit about you?

Thanks for having me! I don’t normally do these things, but Laurelin insisted it would be fun. Oh, she’s my new human friend. I’m a genie and have been for several years now. What that means is that I used to be human, but a djinn gave me magic and changed me into something kind of between djinn and human. But before that, I grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and lived with my family on their farm. One day I’d love to really be able to stay with them again, to be part of the family again. But I’ve met plenty of people who have kind of become my found family, and it helps.

Sounds like it’s been a rough road! Can you tell us a little bit about your found family?

Sure! I lived in the djinn Realm with two very kind djinn, Irina and Mahtab. They’ve kind of been like surrogate parents and have made sure I was safe and continued my education. I was only eleven when I was changed, so I had plenty of school left to finish. Another djinn, Ghadir, kind of came to my rescue when Ahriman changed me, and she placed me with Irina and Mahtab. And then there’s Safiyya, a ghul type of djinn who is stuck in the form of an ocelot (ghul are shapeshifters). She’s been my best friend in the Realm, and I really feel like of all of them, she understands me and my situation best.

That’s so great! Speaking of your family, they tell my you have a rather unique collection in your Fuego home. Care to tell us about it?

I guess I can. I collect all different kinds of bottles. Glass, crystal, metal. Anything. When I was human, I used to watch I Dream of Jeannie with my father. It became sort of a running joke, a way I could make light of everything that happened to me. Instead of being controlled by a bottle, like in the show or a lot of human mythology, I collect them.

How interesting! It seems like you were able to find some way to cope with everything you went through. I’m sure it really affected you.

Yes. I was young, and I had been kidnapped. Ahriman is a horrible djinn and person. I’ve had panic attacks and such ever since I was changed. I’m still working on it, with plenty of help. Those kinds of things are long journeys.

Definitely! Is there anything else you can share with the readers about your story?

Well, besides the whole kidnapping, becoming a genie thing, I did get to meet Laurelin. It’s so good to talk to other people and see how similar we really are, despite appearances (or magic). If you read the story, you’ll definitely get to see plenty of the djinn Realm and magic. There may even be a few secrets Laurelin discovers along the way!

Exciting! Thank you for sharing your time with us today, and good luck in facing Ahriman!

Um, what?

That’s all the time we have, but make sure you check out your favorite retailers for the pre-order link, and come back every day this week for a new post about This Cursed Flame!

This Cursed Flame is available on Amazon and any other major retailer! Also, if you prefer a paperback, those will be available through Amazon. And be sure to head over to Facebook on Saturday for the Launch Party! (and your chance to win your own hand-painted genie bottle, just like in Janan’s collection!)

Blog Tour: This Cursed Flame!

One week to go! Here’s a list of the celebrations! 😀

Today is a very special day (also, happy Easter for those of you celebrating, and happy 1 year anniversary to my other half)!

My debut is less than a week away, and now we get to celebrate its release! Today marks the kickoff of the blog tour for This Cursed Flame. Some very kind bloggers/authors have agreed to help me celebrate with a number of posts that I hope you will all find interesting.

Here’s the schedule:

april 24

Michaela Bush – Book Spotlight

april 25

Kelly Jane – Character Interview (Safiyya)

april 26

Meg Dendler – Book Spotlight

april 27 (release day!!!)

Savannah Jezowski – Author Interview
Kandi Wyatt – Character Interview (Laurelin)
S. J. Eckert – Happy Book Birthday!
Facebook Launch party!

Be sure to tune in for all the festivities across the interwebs, and then head over to Facebook on April 27th for the launch party! We’ll have plenty of extras, behind-the-scenes, and giveaways for everyone (including hand-painted genie bottles, made by the author herself!).

Can’t wait to see you there!

~~~

Are you excited? I’m so excited! Let me know what you’re most excited about in the comments below!!! Then, head on over to the first stop on the tour!

My Favorite Fantasy Creatures

Okay, so I know I posted already this week (yay, cover reveal!), but I don’t want to skip Friday’s post! So in the spirit of Fantasy Month, I decided I would discuss some of my favorite fantasy creatures and maybe find out some of yours!

Werewolves

Yes. Werewolves. And all other types of were-creatures. I know they’re one of the cliche fantasy creatures, but they fascinate me, the way there’s the instinct of a beast at war with the logic of a human. And then the mythology that authors build into those worlds is awesome!

Shapeshifters

Kind of like werewolves, but what I like about shifters is that they’re a little less common… and they can have all kinds of origins. Like Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson, who is a coyote shifter based on her heritage. And then there are all kinds of fae who can change shape. And these kinds of shapeshifters, unlike were-creatures, don’t show up in much fiction.

Mermaids

A few years ago, I would never have said anything special about mermaids. But for some reason, they have attracted me greatly in the past few years. I’ve read several books and series, and I just love the idea of creatures who live in the ocean, who can blend in with humans (in some cases), and the unique trials that accompany many of the mythologies. Perhaps I have the TV show H2O to blame, because that was my first foray into mermaid fiction… and I still re-watch it regularly. In fact, it may be about time for another round…

Genies and Djinn

Okay, did you really expect me not to have this on the list? I mean, I am releasing a book all about genies and djinn in April…

I love the mythology about djinn and genies, and after the research I had done for the book, I learned so much about how it influenced mythology of creatures like ghouls (ghul) and how it has changed over time and place. The elemental aspect to different kinds of djinn is fascinating to me as well (I probably have Avatar: The Last Airbender to thank for that).

And then there’s the fact that there really aren’t that many djinn/genie books out there. To me, it still feels refreshing and new, something not overdone.

Concluding Thoughts

I want to mention that while I love most kinds of fantasy creatures, there are also those I don’t like… particularly vampires. There’s just something about them I can’t stand. And while I personally believe in angels and demons, I do not appreciate them in fiction and would rather not read about them. So I suppose those are my two fantasy creature dealbreakers.

But I’m curious what other creatures I may not have thought about. I have considered zombies, unicorns, kelpies, and other types of fae, but I know there are way more things out there.

So what are your favorite fantasy creatures? What creatures are your fiction dealbreakers? Tell me below, I want to hear about all the creatures!

Why I Decided to Publish on Wattpad

This Cursed Flame began with a love of sitcoms, specifically that old classic I Dream of Jeannie. I loved that show growing up, loved that there was an astronaut and a genie and the silly antics and the unique feel of the show. And I still love it, though as an adult I can certainly see how the times influenced the portrayal of Jeannie and her role (but that’s a discussion for another day). Regardless, my feelings toward the show were always fond, and it was even a comfort to me in hard times (I watch classic sitcoms when I’m upset or have a bad day, they cheer me up).

And then one day in college I had an idea. What if I wrote my own story with a genie as the main character? I stewed and simmered the idea for a while, fleshing out the character, her world, and, eventually, her story.

This Cursed Flame was born.

Originally, I called it Elemental, but as much as I loved that name, it wasn’t unique and it certainly didn’t convey what I wanted it to. No, eventually I shifted this focus. Because the elemental magic in the story isn’t simply magic, and it certainly isn’t loved by Janan.

You see, Janan, the genie protagonist in the story, never wanted to be a genie. She never wanted to have magic. She just wanted to live her life. And now that her life was stolen from her, she wants to pretend she can get her old life, and her humanity, back.

But sometimes you can’t go back. Sometimes you have to take what life gives you and work with it to move forward. Her magic is a curse, but it’s one she has to learn to use. If she can’t, the world will pay for it. If you read the story, you’ll understand why.

But enough of that. Why am I moving this story to Wattpad? I’ve been working on it since 2011, it’s gone through countless drafts and rewrites (the most recent being this summer), and I’ve even queried the story.

The truth is that this story doesn’t seem to be a good fit for the publishing world at the moment. And if you’ve ever tried to publish, you know how true those words can be. It hurts when you’re told your writing is good but it’s not right for the agent or publisher right now. But that’s part of writing. Even if you love something you wrote, it doesn’t mean others will think it’s marketable, and really that’s what it comes down to.

But I didn’t want my story to die or to sit unread on a shelf indefinitely, though I was tempted to do just that. I’m in love with this world and my characters, and I wanted it to do what I’ve always wanted it to do: speak to people. Tell them they’re not alone in their experiences. Encourage and empower people to face their demons and live their lives.

I’d been hearing about Wattpad for years, and eventually I decided this was the way to go, at least for the time being. I want my story in the world; it’s already spent six years kept to myself and only a few other people. This seems like exactly what I want for this story at this time. And who knows, I may come back to publishing this in the future. But until then, I’m not going to hide my work.

If you’re interested, you can read This Cursed Flame on Wattpad for free here. I will be publishing one or two chapters every Friday until the entire story is uploaded. I hope you’ll take the journey with me.

❤ Selina