Author spotlight: Tracey O’Hara

Tracey O’Hara’s debut, Night’s Cold Kiss, won the R*BY from Romance Writers of Australia in 2010, as well as the Golden Claddagh in Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal and she was nominated for the Australian Romance Readers Association’s Favourite Australian Romance Author of 2009. Her second Dark Brethren novel, also with Eos, will be released in Australia in April (January in the US). Her books are about to be translated into German. She has also published two Harlequin Spice Briefs since 2009 under the name Tracie Sommers. Tracey lives in Canberra.

And now it is Tracey’s turn under the spotlight …

What did you enjoy most about ARRC09?

Going to ARRC09 was amazing. I got to talk to people who enjoyed reading the same genre as me. At the time I had sold but hadn’t yet had a book come out. But people were so nice and welcoming and wanted to know about my books. And I got to meet the fabulous Sherrilyn Kenyon and Diana Love. That was fantastic. The other great thing was so many of my writing friends were there, which made it a great chance to catch up with everyone. One of the highlights was the Awards Dinner. It was a fun-filled night and we  had a table of old friends and new friends. It was a great way to spend the evening.

What are you most looking forward to at ARRC2011?

I am looking forward to meeting up with people I met at the first convention and meeting new people who love romance too. I also get to catch up with many of my writing friends too. Unfortunately I can only be there for the Saturday this year, which is extremely disappointing. Because if it is anything like the first one – it is going to be a ton of fun and flash by in a blink of an eye.

What do you have coming up next?

Death’s Sweet Embrace is the second Dark Brethren novel, which was released in the US 25 January but will be released in Australia on 1 April. It continues on from the first with a new protagonist — Kathryn “Kitt” Jordan, a parahuman medical examiner and a snow leopard shifter (an Animalian). She has just lost her brother, the only family she’s had in the last 20 years, to a psychopathic killer and had her world turned completely upside down.

Now a sadistic killer is murdering young Animalians but cutting out their hearts while they are alive. Kitt must join forces with a team lead by her brother’s closest friend to help solve this mystery. Problem is, her ex lover who she hasn’t seen for many years is also part of this team.

We also get to follow some of the characters from the first book, especially Oberon and Antoinette and are introduced to some new ones as well.

Which of your books (or characters) is your favourite?

That is like asking me which of my kids I like best. Actually my favourite is the one I am currently working on. I love the characters in this story. I have a broken witch and a burnt out homicide cop who have to work together to stop a serial killer from killing young witches and stealing their children right out of their wombs. My hero – the homicide cop, Lancelot McManus – is full of attitude and a few other things that I won’t go into right now. But let’s just say, he’s far from a saint.

If you haven’t tried Tracey’s books yet, here’s what to watch out for: