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Kira Brady Guest Post & Giveaway: Supernatural Seattle

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Hearts of Darkness by Kira BradySupernatural Seattle was made famous by our sparkly neighbors in Forks, but we had a rich mythic tradition long before vampires showed up in our woods. The Pacific Northwest Native Americans tell tales about the Giant Animal People who lived before humans came to these shores. The animal people are shape shifters: they can turn between animal and human form by pulling back their beaks like a mask and shrugging off their wings like a blanket.

Tales of the trickster and chief Raven are the most abundant, but my favorites have always been Thunderbirds, the only mythic creatures not based on a real animal. Thunderbirds are giant birds that command lightning with their wings and feast on whales. They live on top of Mount Rainier. In some tales, they fight deep water spirits. In others, they slay dangerous reptilian monsters or giant horned serpents called the Unktehila.

Into the primordial world of the giant animal people came the god of Change, Kivati. Kivati and his assistants transformed the land to make it habitable and created the first humans. The giant animal people fought him in these plans, because they didn’t want to cede land or power to the humans. In the Deadglass world, I combined Kivati and the giant animal people to form the race of shape shifters called the Kivati. Like the god for whom they’re named, they are sworn to protect humans and guard the Gate between the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead. Like the myth of the animal people, my Kivati resist change–they try to preserve their Golden Age before their great enemies, the Unktehila, returned to the Pacific Northwest and started a century of war. Their clothing, architecture, and sensibilities are reminiscent of the Victorian era, and they use steam powered technology.

Immigrants to Seattle brought the legends of their home countries with them. Scandinavians were one of the largest immigrant groups, and they were powerbrokers in the early city. (Anyone shopped at Nordstrom lately?) Dragons are a major fixture of Norse mythology. These flying, fire breathing monsters are a good match for the local Thunderbirds, and their description sounds remarkably like the Unktehila. So into the mix of the Deadglass world, I brought dragons. They’re called Unktehila in the Kivati tongue and Drekar in old Norse, but they’re still giant, fire lizards, and they’re determined to win control of the Gate to the Land of the Dead.

Between animal shifters who wield thunderbolts and dragon shifters who breathe fire, the Seattle of the Deadglass is crumbling beneath a supernatural war. Like Twilight, humans are unaware of the danger they’re in. But the stakes are much higher than the soul of one human teenager. It’s going to take more than sparkles to save the fate of this world.

What are your favorite mythical creatures? Which two would you match in an apocalyptic death match?

You can read more about Hearts of Darkness and the Deadglass world at KiraBrady.com.

GIVEAWAY: HEARTS OF DARKNESS

Kira’s book Hearts of Darkness comes out on August 7, but here’s your chance to win it now. We have one copy for a VBC reader. Contest is open to U.S. and Canadian addresses only and you must enter using the Rafflecopter form below on or before July 30.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

28 Responses to “Kira Brady Guest Post & Giveaway: Supernatural Seattle”

  1. Annika says:

    Hi Kira! I live in Sweden so I can’t enter this contest but this sounds like a book I would love so it goes straight on to my Amazon wish list instead 🙂
    I love Valkyries and in my opinion we don’t see enough of them in UF and PNR! I’m also a big fan of werewolves so I’d prefer if Valkyries and weres were on the same side..soo..how about about an apocalyptic death match with Valkyries/Werewolves vs. Vampires? I love vamps too but they do make awesome bad guys 🙂

  2. Rebe says:

    This is a tough one! I’d kinda love to see a unicorn get its butt kicked, just because I’m feeling really cranky this morning, lol! Seriously, I think I’d like to see a gargoyle versus a thunderbird.

  3. Jillian B says:

    You made me chuckle. I like your writing style! Will read your book.

  4. Daphne says:

    oooo fight fight fight Minotaur VS Banshee

  5. JenM says:

    I love dragons and hellhounds. I don’t know about a match between them though. I think I would want them both to win.

  6. Tough questions! Favorite mythical creature is hands down a mermaid. Not sexy or paranormally at all, I know, but they’ve been my favorite since I was a child and I LOOOVE them. For an end of the world death match, I would pit a balrog against a dragon.

  7. Annie says:

    I liked vampires before but you know dragons are the new best thing!

  8. Fiery Na says:

    I like dragons. Demons and dragons facing off would be pretty cool!

  9. Barbara Elness says:

    My favorite mythical creatures are dragons, sea serpents and pegasus. I’d match up a dragon and a sea serpent (like the Loch Ness Monster) for a death match.

  10. erinf1 says:

    thanks for a great post and congrats on the new release!

    I’d like to see an angel vs demon match 😉

  11. Keira says:

    The fae (Tuatha De Danan) versus…Hm. Maybe a hellhound? Or some sort of badass magic-wielder? I’d love to see any fight!!

    My favorite paranormals are the fae and any type of shapeshifter!!

    Kira, your worldbuilding sounds so awesome!!! I’m very interested, and will definitely check out the series!

  12. Victoria Zumbrum says:

    I love unicorns. I think I would like to see them against a wolf.

  13. Karen P says:

    Hi – Thanks for the giveaway.
    I think I’d like a showdown between a Minotaur and a Griffin.
    I love the premise of your book! Sounds interesting.

  14. Liz Semkiu says:

    Dragon vs loch Ness monster would be cool! Thanks for the giveaway!

  15. bn100 says:

    I like dragons. Dragons v. gargoyles

  16. Megan says:

    I’d have to go with shifters vs vampires.

  17. Viki S. says:

    I’m into dragons right now. I’d pit the dragons and the Valkyries against each other. Something tells me the ladies will win ;).

  18. Alexandrea Ward says:

    I love unicorns, faeries, a few of the gods and goddesses from Olympus and dragons. Very cool!

  19. Amanda Shores says:

    Sounds like a good book. I’m into the supernatural stuff and this book sound like it would be good to add to my collection. I have a whole bookshelf full of books and other books stored in boxes. But I would love to read this book. It sounds really great.

  20. Karen Wapinski says:

    I love the Undine, there are not nearly enough of them in fiction! In a death match, Michael O’Rourke’s Undine can kick just about anythings butt. Besides them, I also love hellhounds and based on these replies I’m not alone
    Wouldn’t a hellhound shapeshifter hero be awesome?
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    • Annika says:

      Hi Karen, just wanted to say that there is a hellhound hero in Frostbound by Sharon Ashwood :)I liked it a lot! It’s part of a series but you don’t have to read the previous books if you don’t want to (in my opinion, I have only read the first book and this one so far, the rest are on my TBR list).

  21. Chelsea B. says:

    Dragons and unicorns are my favorite– it would be like light against darkness.

  22. Lisa M says:

    What are your favorite mythical creatures? werewolves and vampires ( I know not very original)

    Which two would you match in an apocalyptic death match? it’s so been there , done that but it is what it is haha

  23. Rachel at theJeepDiva says:

    My favorite has always been vampires so I will go with vampires vs demons. I’d like to see who would win that.

  24. Kira Brady says:

    Thanks for stopping by! I love mermaids and Valkyries too – Kresley Cole has some Valkyries and I really like Virginia Kantra’s Selkies (similar to mermaids, but they turn into seals). I’m not familiar with Undine, but I’ve read a lot of Hellhounds from favorite authors Meljean Brook and Ilona Andrews. Anyone read Must Love Hellhounds? Thea Harrison has Unicorns and Dragons, so she’s a win-win. Enjoy!

  25. Natalia J says:

    I like Angels and Valkyries.It would be interesting to see how they both fight for they each believe in a god. I would love to see what they would both do if they were to meet.

  26. Vanessa says:

    Hmmm. That is tough. I guess it depends on which mythos I am currently enmeshed in. I read a book a day, so it definitely varies. I love reading about “almost” humans or humans plus… magic users, shifters, vampires and the like. It makes me think about all the possibilities. As to death match… you know, I am not sure that I would match any in that way… I like reading about it when the characters actually are fleshed out so I can root for one vs another… but to actually just coldly match them… nope.
    At any rate, I just love when authors write about my stomping grounds… will have to add your book to my list… actually teehee, I just added you to my list!
    Thanks for the giveaway!

  27. Keisha Talley says:

    Vampire and Werewolf are my favorite creatures.

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