As seen in the July issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.
Uncaged: Can you tell readers more about your book Wicked Descent?
Wicked Descent was actually the first book I ever finished writing, so it will always be special to me. It was inspired by a friend of mine who was looking for a gift for her new boyfriend’s mother and I suggested these cool glass ornaments I had seen that are often called “Witch’s Balls”. A story started turning in my head and became the following:
All families have secrets, but what Avery doesn’t know might try to kill her.
The day Avery Belmont was born, her father disappeared. Shortly after, her mother stole her away to Detroit, far away from the secrets buried deep in Shady Creek. But when her estranged grandmother dies, Avery is forced to return and face the rumors that she’s a witch, making her wish she’d never come back—until Drew Montgomery gives her a reason to stay.
Drew knows things no one else knows. Things about Avery, about her family’s past, and about what really happened to her father. However, the price for information may be too high as getting close to the striking, yet caustic Drew starts to have deadly consequences, and living with the lies may be safer than uncovering the truth.
Uncaged: What do you have coming up next that you can tell us about?
I have a few projects on the go right now, working on a dual POV YA romance based on Scottish mythology, a YA horror that is a cross between the Craft and the Exorcist, and also working on a new book in the Mercury Rises universe. Not sure when these will be out, but I’m trying to get them to my readers as soon as I can.
Uncaged: You attended the final RT Booklovers Convention in Reno as a signing author this year. What were some of the highlights from the convention for you?
“Final” RT Convention, such a sad thought. I’ve been to three now and I’ve met such fantastic people, it’s a shame that it’s all over. This year, the biggest highlights for me were; selling out one of my titles in the first hour of the book fair, getting to see my writer friends from all over the world and getting to talk books and writing for an entire week, discovering a ton of authors I’ve never read before, Damon Suede retelling the plot of the movie Wolves when the video stopped working halfway through (hilarious!!), and of course, all the free books!!
Uncaged: Do you read your reviews? What do you take away from them?
Sometimes. It is a tough and terrifying thing to put your work out into the world and open yourself up for criticism, but it can definitely help put things into perspective. My work won’t appeal to everyone, I know that, so I don’t put too much stock in reviews that just weren’t a good fit for the reader, but for anyone who is a fan of the genres I write and takes time to put together their observations, I try to take what they say and see if I can apply it to future work. If I want to continue in this business, I know I need to make sure I’m producing books that readers want to read and if anyone out there is willing to give me insight in that, I am forever grateful. That said, I much prefer reading good reviews 🙂
Uncaged: What is one of the nicest things someone has said to you about your books?
Someone said Mercury Rises was like a sci-fi Six of Crows. Being compared in any way to work by the fabulous Leigh Bardugo – Best. Compliment. Ever.
Uncaged: What is your favorite parts about being an author? What have you found to be the least favorite?
There is so much I love about being an author. I get to create worlds and share them with other people. People want to talk to me about books all the time, and I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet so many of my favorite authors. It’s like getting a pass into this magical world of books I only dreamed of as a kid.
Least favorite though, is probably the pressure. I’m not the fastest writer, so I often feel like I’m not coming out with new material quick enough than I would want. I also, like most writers, have a full-time and then some day-job and other obligations, so I don’t keep up on my social media as much as I probably should. There is definitely something to the old adage of “publish or perish” and trying to keep your name out there, while trying to produce new material, and just do your regular everyday things, is a struggle sometimes.
Uncaged: What do you like to do when you aren’t writing? Where is one of your favorite places on Earth?
When I’m not writing, I’m a huge music buff. I really love to just find new songs and blare them as loud as I can, getting engulfed in the sound. I love to read (obviously), and travel when I get the chance.
As much as I love to travel, I really haven’t been too many places, but my favorite place on Earth would have to be Venice. It isn’t quite as beautiful as some of the other cities in Italy, but as strange as it sounds, Venice kind of whispers to you. It’s old world and exciting, but it also has this dark and twistiness to it, like a mystery to be solved. If I could just sit in a piazza and write forever, I think I could be extremely happy. I also wouldn’t mind hanging out on a beach all day either.
Uncaged: What can you tell us that is very unique about you?
Unique. That’s a very subjective word. Here goes: I have a gold medal in diving, I have two unrelated university degrees (Criminology and Accounting), I won my first writing contest at 16, and I talk insanely fast.
Uncaged: What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you?
I would love to tell fans that I hope they enjoy my books, and I appreciate every single person who takes their time to read them. Reading was a huge escape for me as a kid, and if even one person falls in love with my characters the way I did with so many others it will all be worth it for me.
If anyone wants to follow me, I am on Twitter and Instagram @ScarlettKol, and on Facebook at ScarlettKolAuthor. I also have a reader group on Facebook called Scarlett’s Rebel Readers, and you can also sign up for my newsletter on my website at scarlettkol.com.
[symple_box color=”black” fade_in=”false” float=”center” text_align=”left” width=””]Born and raised in Northern Manitoba, Scarlett grew up drawn to the darker side of literature. Vampires were her first love, but that soon branched into ghosts, werewolves, demons, angels, and anything else that might make you sleep with the lights on. As an adult, she’s still afraid of the dark.
She began writing at thirteen, and completed her first novella at sixteen — a broody vampire romance–that has never seen the light of day. After a decade or so break for school and other pursuits, Scarlett returned to writing and has been creating ever since. Her debut novel, MERCURY RISES, a dystopian retelling of Robin Hood, released in early 2018, shortly followed by her second release WICKED DESCENT. Hopefully, there will be many more titles to come.[/symple_box]
Wicked Descent
Scarlett Kol
Young Adult/Paranormal
All families have secrets, but what Avery doesn’t know might try to kill her.
The day Avery Belmont was born, her father disappeared. Shortly after, her mother stole her away to Detroit, far away from the secrets buried deep in Shady Creek. But when her estranged grandmother dies, Avery is forced to return and face the rumors that she’s a witch, making her wish she’d never come back—until Drew Montgomery gives her a reason to stay.
Drew knows things no one else knows. Things about Avery, about her family’s past, and about what really happened to her father. However, the price for information may be too high as getting close to the striking, yet caustic Drew starts to have deadly consequences, and living with the lies may be safer than uncovering the truth.
Excerpt
“Then prove it. Try again. Really try.”
“No. I’m tired Drew, and I want to go home.”
“Do it,” he yelled.
“No.”
He opened his mouth as if to argue, but slammed it shut. Then he marched over and grabbed my hand with a firm, stinging grip and dragged me toward the trees, huffing and puffing until steam circled his head. “Let me show you something.”
I stared back as the view of town vanished under the treetops, lifeless wooden limbs stretching out above me and covering us from sight. Darker. Secluded. No one around to hear me scream. The last time Drew showed me something, I ended up trapped in a pile of mangled metal and shattered glass. My queasy stomach told me to leave, but he promised he’d never try to hurt me again.
If only I trusted his promises.
“Stand right here.” He stopped under a particularly ominous willow tree and clamped his hands on my shoulders, his thumbs at the base of my neck. I squirmed, but he held tight, his fingertips digging through my layers of sweaters, positioning me into some unseen perfect spot.
Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting inky shadows across his face, his lips a hard line. “Don’t move.”
I shrank my neck into my sweater. He stomped in front of me and scooped up a handful of snow as I shifted my weight to my toes, ready to run. He packed the snow between his palms, his eyes fluttering closed. He grimaced as he pressed his hands together until his knuckles turned white against his cold-reddened fingers. “Now watch.”
He fanned his hands open. Resting in the center was a flower. A peony or gardenia, or some other flower with delicate tiny petals, each one glistening in the moonlight as if it were made of tiny glass shards.
“Is that ice?” I reached out to touch it but stopped, lifting my eyes to meet his.
He nodded. “Take it.”
I cupped my hands and he gently passed the flower to me. A chill ran across my skin as it landed on my palm. It really was made of ice. Amazing. Drew created this perfect, beautiful thing out of ice—just for me. I studied it closer. The petals looked white, but they were clear, as though my finger would float right through if I tried to touch them. The ghost of a flower that never existed.
“Blow on it.” A crooked smile twisted Drew’s face. “Like a birthday candle.”
“Seriously?” I lowered my chin to my hands and softly exhaled. The flower exploded into a cloud of snowflakes. They whirled around my head, faster and heavier, making it impossible to see. My heart pounded as the cloud shrank around me. Closer. Tighter. Then it shot into the air, spun high above my head, and disappeared.
“What was that?” I looked up at the sky.
Drew stared past me and pointed up. I turned around. The branches of the tree behind me were covered in thick hoarfrost. No, not frost—the fluffy heads of ice flowers. Each branch hung heavy with them as if in full bloom. Moonlight reflected off hundreds of petals casting a brilliant glow around the tree. It was sunshine and summertime, all in the middle of the night. For the first time since I arrived in this town, I almost felt warm.
“It’s incredible,” I whispered. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s like—”
“Magic,” Drew said with a grin I could hear in his voice. “Now, what do you say about giving the water thing another try?”
Uncaged Review
This book starts out as a normal teen book, with Avery being the new kid in school, and all the normal angst that she’s going through, not knowing anyone and be uprooted from her Detroit home she’s grown up in. Avery’s grandmother passes away and leaves her house to her mom and they move to Shady Creek. Everything starts looking up for Avery as she makes some new friends. But one new friend is not like the others. Drew latches onto Avery, and for some reason she’s drawn to him, even though he’s the “bad boy.”
This book really starts ramping up around 40% through. The author does a nice job with a few twists and turns, and when you start finding out some of the answers, you may be surprised. This book had great dialog, and good action sequences – and all the lies will come to an exceptional ending. Reviewed by Cyrene
4 1/2 Stars
