Hi Rebecca! Thanks for doing an interview swap with me. What a great idea.

So what are the unique rules of magic in your Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles series? In other words, tell us a little about your world.

RC: Mythical creatures are commonplace and elemental magic reigns supreme in the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles. Gargoyles inhabit rooftops throughout the city (and move around freely), gryphons can be hired for transportation, and the ne’er-do-wells aren’t above using a kludde for security. Also, every human can work magic based off water, earth, fire, air, and wood, but the level of powers vary from person to person.

The heroine, Mika Stillwater, is a midlevel earth elemental who specializes in quartz. She has grand plans to launch her own business and leave behind her dreary quarry job, and she’s well on her way to proving she can compete with more powerful elementals. However, her plans are shunted aside when a desperate baby gargoyle bursts into her studio, pleading for her help on a dangerous rescue mission.

What’s the romance level of the series?

RC: There is a very slow build of romance across the trilogy. And by very, I mean it doesn’t even factor into Magic of the Gargoyles (book 1). I was concerned that introducing a love interest in Curse of the Gargoyles (book 2) would irritate readers who might have expected a romance-free fantasy, but the response has been incredibly positive. People want to see Mika succeed professionally and emotionally.

You’ve had jobs in a lot of different fields, and judging by your bio, you’ve had some pretty unique experiences. Have you drawn on any of these experiences for your novels?

RC: For my Madison Fox series, definitely! For this series, I’ve used my experiences with animals to help flesh out the gargoyles. Animals have always played a huge role in my life. I spent two lonely years in college without a pet, but otherwise I’ve always had animal companionship. There’s a lot that living and interacting with a different species can teach you about empathy, responsibility, and humor. (I’ve had dogs, horses, and cats, and I’m a firm believer that all animals have a sense of humor.) Mika wouldn’t be the character she is if she didn’t share my connection with another species. Only for Mika, it’s gargoyles, and I’m more than a little jealous of her!

Is there an author or book that has had a lasting impression on you?

RC: Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series. I read her novels as a preteen and teen, and I’ve yearned for a dragon or fire lizard of my very own ever since. In some ways, the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles are my answer to filling that particular hole in my heart. Through Mika, I vicariously get to befriend mythical creatures, and it’s a whole lot of fun.

What are you currently working on?

RC: I just finished Lured, a novelette in the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles that I released for free as a thank-you to all the readers who supported the series. After I wrote Magic of the Gargoyles, I had a tremendous outreach from fans, all who wanted more stories in the universe, and I am immensely grateful that I got to play more in that world. Now I’m turning my attention back to my Madison Fox urban fantasy series, where the setting is in my hometown, the main character is spunky, and the magic revolves around the energy of souls…and all the evil creatures that want to eat it.

Rebecca Chastain is the internationally bestselling author of the Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer series and the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles, among others works. She has found seven four-leaf clovers to date, won a purebred Arabian horse in a drawing, and once tamed a blackbird for a day. Writing stories designed to amuse and entertain has been her passion since she was eleven years old. She lives in Northern California with her wonderful husband and three bossy cats.

You can find Rebecca here:
Website: http://www.rebeccachastain.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccachastainnovels
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Author_Rebecca
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5660379.Rebecca_Chastain
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Chastain/e/B00MW89XB0/

Magic of the Gargoyle

To help a baby gargoyle, Mika will risk everything.

Mika Stillwater is a midlevel earth elemental with ambitions of becoming a quartz artisan, and her hard work is starting to get noticed. But when a panicked baby gargoyle bursts into her studio, insisting Mika is the only person she’ll trust with her desperate mission, Mika’s carefully constructed five-year plan is shattered.

Swept into the gritty criminal underworld of Terra Haven, Mika jeopardizes everything she’s work so hard for as she attempts to save the baby gargoyle from the machinations of a monster—and to stay alive…

From the imaginative mind of international bestselling fantasy author Rebecca Chastain, Magic of the Gargoyles is a spellbinding adventure set in a world full of elemental magic and adorable gargoyles that is sure to enchant young adult and adult readers alike.

You can buy Magic of the Gargolye on Amazon