RED COYOTE PRESS, LLC specializes in publishing high-quality mysteries of all sub-genres.
We accept submissions from both new and established authors.
Query first to info@redcoyotepress.com
Located in Phoenix, Arizona, Red Coyote Press is a member of IBPA, the Independent Book Publishers Association. Distribution through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Brodart, or directly from the publisher.
TITLES AVAILABLE FROM RED COYOTE PRESS:
Mystery/Suspense Short Story Anthologies:
MEDLEY OF MURDER; MAP OF MURDER; MEDIUM OF MURDER
The Magical Mystery Series by Award-Winning Author Kris Neri:
HIGH CRIMES ON THE MAGICAL PLANE; MAGICAL ALIENATION
ANNOUNCING THE DEBUT OF MAGICAL ALIENATION IN NOV. 2011
INTERVIEW WITH KRIS NERI:
1. How is this magical mystery series different from any of the other paranormal/urban fantasy series out there?
Kris: My objection to many of the mystery-fantasy cross-genre books is that we see too many of the same mythologies, used in exactly the same way. I wanted to create entirely new beings, with powers used in new ways. To my knowledge I'm the only one writing about ancient and modern gods and goddesses and the troubles they create.
2. Why do you like writing urban fantasy?
Kris: The thing I like best about writing urban fantasy is that it's just like our world, only magical beings and paranormal circumstances exist in it. It's my hope that the reader comes away from it thinking that she could also turn a corner in her actual world and encounter the beings described in an urban fantasy novel. I think it's especially fun for the characters, too. For mortal characters like my character Samantha, there's the astounding surprise of discovering what kind of beings are hidden within the place where she's always lived. For the magical beings, our world imposes limits that must surely frustrate these creatures with great powers, which is great for advancing the story.
3. Why do you think urban fantasy is so popular today? Do you think its popularity reflects our troubled times?
Kris: Genre popularity ebbs and flows, and fantasy is currently having quite a wild ride. I suspect it makes us feel extra empowered. Maybe we also need more fun today.
4. Was there a particular reason why you decided to tackle the subjct of the rumored Roswell alien at this time?
Kris: I've always liked science fiction, and I knew at some point in this series, I'd want to include a bit of it, in addition to fantasy. While I was finishing the writing of HIGH CRIMES ON THE MAGICAL PLANE, I happened to read some newspaper piece on Roswell and the supposed-alien landing, and I just felt that little tingle that all writers get when they know some element would be perfect for their series. I brought the classic writer question to it -- What if...? What if there had been a being in that craft, what would have happened to it? And what if that being had been something entirely different from what people believed? I really had incredible fun playing with those questions. But it's really just a matter of the right reference popping up at the right time.
5. You use setting as a character in your novels. Contrast the role of Sedona in MAGICAL ALIENATION with that of LA in HIGH CRIMES ON THE MAGICAL PLANE.
Kris: Setting, to my mind, is very important in any kind of novel. Places shape characters. Some places also seem to allow behaviors that others would not. I won't say Samantha is reflective of LA, since she stands out even there, but it's a place that will permit someone as eccentric as Samantha. But I wanted things to be tougher on both Samantha and Annabelle in MAGICAL ALIENATION, so I chose to put them into Sedona, a place where neither had the skills to easily survive. I also decided to make it an atypical Sedona, during a horrific harmonic convergence that has profound physical and psychological effects on people, making it even more difficult for them to function. The setting of Sedona, in effect, becomes a foil for them.
6. Samantha has changed since her adventures in HIGH CRIMES ONTHE MAGICAL PLANE. In what major ways?
Kris: She's still a totally fun girl, but she's grown a little since HIGH CRIMES. In HIGH CRIMES, she risked her life for Annabelle, the first time she ever put anyone else first in her life, and that changes her. Now, while she's still a girl getting by on her wits and the kindness of strangers, even if she has to extract it from them, she's more generous. She's less self-involved, more aware of other people, and that has strengthened her perceptions about them. Still, she'll risk anything to get on TV -- nothing will change that.
7. If you had to describe the Samantha and Annabelle of MAGICAL ALIENATION in about 3 to 4 words, what would they be?
Kris: I've always said they were Lucy and Ethel in Fantasyland. I hope readers understand that to mean that their antics are so much fun.
8. How would you describe Samantha's relationship with Angus, her love interest? How has it changed since HIGH CRIMES ON THE MAGICAL PLANE?
Kris: For a mortal, Samantha shares the same carefree joie de vivre that the gods display, and that drew Angus to her from the start. It also helps that Samantha is a bit pudgy. I always though someone like Angus, who was immortal, would pick and choose different aspects that he liked from different mortal time. For instance, Angus is quite taken with 1960s slang, as well as the body type of Renaissance women. It didn't hurt that Samantha wore a tattered Renaissance gown when they first met. But despite being her love-slave, as a god, Angus feels entitled to step out on her, even if he can't bear to see her with another man. MAGICAL ALIENATION looks at a tough time in their relationship and asks whether the mortal girl can hang tough with her love god.
9. Why did you decide to give Fiona, Annabelle's mother, a larger role in MAGICAL ALIENATION?
Kris: We only saw Fiona in HIGH CRIMES in her maternal role. But I felt sure she was a quirky goddess, given her avocation of creating more winners in the Las Vegas casinos, but also one with unexpected depth. I also believed that, while she's clearly a devoted mother, she might share more with Samantha than she does with her own daughter. I wanted readers to have a chance to see the whole goddess.
10. What was your inspiration for the rock people?
Kris: There are belief systems that hold there's life in everything on earth, including rocks, and given how rock-centered Sedona is, I knew this book would have to explore what those beings would look like and what powers they might have. No inspiration -- I'd have to credit pure imagination for the rock people. But I did make them so believable even to me that I'm a lot more careful around rocks these days!
11. What do you see for Samantha and Annabelle in the future? LA, Sedona, where next?
Kris: I like the idea that I can take them anywhere. FBI agents, such as Annabelle, get transferred all the time. And Samantha's just a tumbleweed who's sure to follow. Their next adventure will probably take them to Flagstaff, Arizona, another favorite place of mine.
12. What message do you want the reader to take away from MAGICAL ALIENATION?
Kris: I want readers to take away that even during life's most grueling struggles, it's a wild adventure.
13. What special attractions do you think MAGICAL ALIENATION offers to the "traditional" mystery reader?
Kris: Even with their fantasy aspects, my magical mysteries are strong mysteries, with good unraveling of the crime by both a professional and amateur sleuth. Everything readers read mysteries for is there, plus a lot more.
14. If a movie were to be made of MAGICAL ALIENATION, who do you see as Samantha, Annabelle, Angus, Rand, Kenny, Kelly, etc.?
Kris: I would consider myself very fortunate if MAGICAL ALIENATION made it to either the big or small screen! It's what every author wants. Since I see them in my own mind the way I imagine them to be, I never think of them in terms of actors. It wouldmatter more to me that the actors cast in the roles grasped the inner workings of the characters, their spirits, than their actual appearances. Casting to strictly physical types sometimes creates disappointing results, which is one reason why books translated to the screen don't work.
