SERVANTS OF THE STORM by Delilah S. Dawson

There's a possibility I'll be going dark for the first few weeks in August. We planned a trip to Hawaii, so barring any hurricanes, hopefully I'll be on a beach somewhere then.

But now, to business...

Long ago, Delilah S. Dawson was one of my first blog interviews. And after I saw her at Phoenix Comicon, I knew I had to interview her again, especially since she has a new book out, SERVANTS OF THE STORM. And speaking of hurricanes, the premise is fantastic:

From Goodreads:

A year ago Hurricane Josephine swept through Savannah, Georgia, leaving behind nothing but death and destruction — and taking the life of Dovey's best friend, Carly. Since that night, Dovey has been in a medicated haze, numb to everything around her.

But recently she's started to believe she's seeing things that can't be real ... including Carly at their favorite cafe. Determined to learn the truth, Dovey stops taking her pills. And the world that opens up to her is unlike anything she could have imagined.

As Dovey slips deeper into the shadowy corners of Savannah — where the dark and horrifying secrets lurk — she learns that the storm that destroyed her city and stole her friend was much more than a force of nature. And now the sinister beings truly responsible are out to finish what they started.

Dovey's running out of time and torn between two paths. Will she trust her childhood friend Baker, who can't see the threatening darkness but promises to never give up on Dovey and Carly? Or will she plot with the sexy stranger, Isaac, who offers all the answers — for a price? Soon Dovey realizes that the danger closing in has little to do with Carly ... and everything to do with Dovey herself.

And here are Delilah's answers to some updated questions!

Since our last interview, you've finished two other novels in the Blud series: WICKED AS SHE WANTS, and WICKED AFTER MIDNIGHT. How have the characters developed throughout the series, and did the overall story evolve in ways you expected?

Well, since Pocket wanted a different romantic couple in every book, Tish and Criminy haven't evolved as fully as one might see in a series that follows the same two main characters. But the series does follow a universal timeline, so you get to see what happens to Casper, first at a low point in The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance (an e-novella), and then in Wicked as She Wants. The third e-novella, The Damsel and the Daggerman, takes us back to Criminy's caravan, where Wicked After Midnight starts.

As I'd originally planned a 3-book arc for Tish and Criminy, I had to change modes and explore the world in new ways. It's been such fun, designing strong heroines and the men perfectly designed to sweep them off their boots--and, in many cases, frustrate the heck out of them first. Luckily, I just sold Blud 4, WICKED EVER AFTER, which will follow Tish and Crim to their inevitable conclusion...

Sounds like you've really expanded on the world you've built! Your forthcoming YA novel, SERVANTS OF THE STORM debuts August 5. Where did the idea come from, and what do you want readers to take away when they're finished?

The idea came from the photo set of Six Flags New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  But I had never been to New Orleans and didn't want to dishonor the victims of a real tragedy, so I made up Hurricane Josephine and moved the story to Savannah, a place I know well. I wanted to write a creepy Southern Gothic that was a paean to the darkness of the South, but the story is just as much about the friendship between Dovey and Carly and how love makes Dovey willing to fight. I want readers to come away satisfied but wanting the next book. :)

Very intriguing! Your new website, www.whimsydark.com, looks fantastic. What recommendations do you have for authors wanting to build (or rebuild) an online platform?

Aw, thanks! With my YA debut this summer, I wanted to make a site that highlighted the whimsical darkness that connects all my different genres… um, because I'm too lazy to keep up with separate sites for adult and teen work. I did what I always do when I'm stumped: went straight to Twitter and asked for recommendations for someone who wanted a simple way to build a sharp-looking site without a lot of fuss or fees. My dear friend Karina Cooper suggested Squarespace, which has worked wonderfully.

Seems like a great solution for writing in multiple genres. In our last interview, you mentioned were-narwhals as a possible "trend". What do you think a were-narwhal would do in its spare time?

I imagine they work as they hired muscle for were-walruses too bulky and lazy to do their own dirty work.

I bet they would! If stuck on a desert island, what books (or devices) would like to have with you? 


Definitely my iPad Mini with the Kindle and Nook apps utterly stuffed with books. And a solar panel to charge it. And my gigantic leather Jane Austen compendium for reading and crushing coconuts. And also my laptop. And… well, I'm glamping now, aren't I?

To grab SERVANTS OF THE STORM for yourself, click the links below.


And for more of Delilah's books, click these: