Hi Kat, What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say?
My most recent book is Shadowing: A Henchman's Tale. Heroes are overrated. Shadowing has villains, shape-shifters, golden-armored heroes, elves with knives, intellectual barbarians, and sheep. It’s sword and sorcery in the best way, and fantasy without being wordy.
If you gave some of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?
The poor, beleaguered henchman would probably yell at me for making him brush with death every other chapter, dropping him from heights, and beating him up. But he might not express this in words, he might just howl and attack, if given a chance.
Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Shadowing is part of a series called Moonblind. I am working hard on the sequel, Gloaming, which continues the story and introduces new characters. I am also finalizing a book best described as 'chick lit with a side of arson.'
Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?
Yes. At the moment I am proud to offer free ebooks in any format for anyone interested in reviewing it.
How did you come up with the title and cover design?
I actually have a comprehensive blog post that follows the cover from brainstorming to almost final version: http://katzantow.blogspot.com/2011/07/cover-evolution.html
What books have most influenced your writing most and why?
The Moonblind series was strongly influenced by a fantasy kick I had in high school. I read so much that I became really frustrated by the preponderance of prophecies and chosen heroes. Then I broadened my search a little, and fell in love with the slightly subversive fantasy novels: Villains by Necessity, by Eve Forward, The Anvil of the World by Kage Baker, and much of the Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust.
Is there an Author that you would really like to meet?
I would love to give Amanda Hocking a high-five.
Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks or hardcover?
I have a growing love of ebooks, which is perhaps mostly due to the large and overflowing bookshelf in my room. Ebooks are much more spatially efficient.
Are you a self published (Indie) Author?
Yes - I wanted to experience every aspect of the book creation path. And I like designing covers.
Have you ever read a book more than once?
Dune I have read three times. If you've read it, you know that's a lot of pages. But you also know that the book does not allow itself to be closed once it is opened.
Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version?
Definitely Fight Club - except that everyone started telling me I looked like Marla Singer.
Who designed the cover of your book?
I do my own covers. And the artwork for my blog, too. But that's a different standard of quality at times, if you see my post about henchmuffins.
What is the best advice that you have ever been given when it comes to writing?
From Richard Rhodes, The Knickerbocker rule is definitely the best advice for anyone who wants success writing: "the best remedy for fear of writing ... is ... ass to chair." It has held me in good stead. That's the only way anything gets written, except for those writers who like to write while standing.
Do you write under a pen name?
Funny story - I began writing under the pen name Evelyn Zant. A few weeks later I discovered the prolific romance writer Kimberly Zant. Not trusting my readers to scroll through three pages of naked people to get to my book, I dropped the pen name and went back to my real name, which is pretty much a blank slate on Amazon. Fully story on my bog: http://katzantow.blogspot.com/2011/06/kat-is-not-zant.html
Cats or dogs?
Cats. Always cats. They are a writer's friends.
Where can your readers follow you?
My blog: http://katzantow.blogspot.com/
My facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/katzantow
My Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4907422.Kat_Zantow
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Kat_Zantow
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kat-Zantow/e/B0054T93TQ/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/EvelynZant
Is your book in Print, ebook or both? Currently only offered in ebook, a physical omnibus is planned for later development.
About the book:
The moon has not changed in the fifty years of the dark lord Magna’s rule—but everything else has.
All too often, the servants of Dark Overlords are dispatched with a lazy flick of the hero's sword. But in Shadowing, the job benefits of fire, mayhem, and shapeshifting almost make up for it. In between burning down villages, the minion's primary directive is taking out heroes. When a man in golden armor and his faithful companions sneak across the border on a quest to assassinate the Dark Lord Magna, long live the Magna, it's up to the Shadows to cut his quest short. As always, things do not go quite according to plan, and one henchman ends up lone-wolfing it across the permafrost lands, following the stench of valor.
A story of sword and sorcery, tooth and claw, and wyvern wing.
Book One of Moonblind.
Kat Zantow is a twentysomething alumna of Jon Stewart's alma mater, a coffee/Twitter addict, psychology enthusiast, and has a soft spot for dark fiction and humor. She overdosed on bleak and postmodern literature in college, and now writes everything from sword and sorcery to psychological thrillers to the occasional literati conspiracy. She is in love with the spatial efficiency of eBooks. She currently resides in Virginia.
Please leave a comment if you would like a free book from Kat to review.
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