Anastasia Pergaki's Cleanse Fire! Special interview & book giveaway

Thanks to Captain Derac Vidor, hero of Cleanse Fire! and 

Blood Trade, by Anastasia Pergakis, for taking time out of his busy schedule for this interview...

What is your day job?

I am Captain of an elite military unit of elves, known as the Kinir Elite. We handle top secret missions, hostage rescues and other specialized missions that require a small task force, rather than the entire Kinir Army.

What missions have you completed so far?

There are so many and some I am not allowed to talk about. However, in our book, Cleanse Fire, our mission was to track down a traitor, our own Commander. In the end, we discovered he was not the mastermind of the plot to kill us. We also dealt with a powerful wizard who wanted us dead for his own revenge. He simply enlisted our Commander to help him accomplish his goals. Greed and lust for power caused him to betray his country. I'll never fully understand how or why he could do such a thing.

What other missions are in the works for you?

In our next book, Blood Trade, we will be working closely with the Kinir Army. The Vaxies attack our capital city and begin kidnapping people from all over the country. When we retaliate, we realize that fighting these new beings will be tougher than anything we've ever encountered before. You see, the Vaxies are very small creatures – almost like bats – and they swarm much like locusts do. We have to replan our entire history of warfare and strategy in order to defeat them.

Why did you join the Kinir Army and how long have you served?
 

Good question. Let's see, I grew up on a farm with two brothers and my twin sister. I didn't have any need to escape my family home or had feelings of wanting adventure. I joined the Army because someone needed to do it. It's a privilege for me to serve my country. I enjoy what I do and feel pride in wearing the uniform. Someone had to do it, so it might as well be me. At this point, I've served 20 years: 10 years in the Army, 5 years as a Kinir Ranger and, so far, 5 years as Elite. I must serve another 20 before I have the option to retire or not.

What/who inspired you to write and still inspires you?

My father is probably my biggest inspiration. As a farmer, he taught me how to appreciate the land, plants and all the creatures in the world. I think those lessons helped me decide to join the Army, truthfully. I wanted to protect the beauty and good in Kinir, and what better way to do that in the Army?

Fave things: animal? food? drink? film? colour?

I find dragons to be beautiful creatures, but I believe my favorite would have to be the Pegasus. My favourite food? Simple – steak and potatoes. We don’t have 'films' in our world and I'm not really sure what they are to begin with. My favorite color is green.


What other hobbies do you have?

I paint portraits, mostly of family and close friends. I don't have a lot of time to paint usually, but on the few occasions that I'm at home I find it very relaxing.

What would you like to achieve in the next five years?
 

To continue to protect Kinir. I'll do so until I can't do it anymore, whether that be by death or injury.

CLEANSE FIRE!

Complete the mission, no matter what…
 
Captain Derac Vidor has served Kinir for nearly 20 years. It’s his life, his blood, his soul. And then his Commander betrays everything Derac holds dear. Now he has to focus on his own life and his team instead of saving the citizens of Kinir.

Treason is only the beginning…
 
Fuelled by rage, the team chases the source to their Commander’s betrayal – a powerful wizard bent on revenge. The wizard seeks to destroy the Kinir Elite, in both mind and body. No place is safe, even among their allies.

The past holds the key…
 
Derac’s tragic past may be the key to saving the team, but can he face the gruesome nightmare in time?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – ANASTASIA PERGAKIS

Anastasia knew she always wanted to write. She began at a young age, writing little stories about the apple tree in the yard. Though her love of stories stayed with her through her poetry stage at high school, she didn’t begin writing novels until she was almost an adult. That’s where she found her true passion.

Her characters visit her dreams – and sometimes during the day – to share their stories with her. Anastasia is merely the writer, but the characters are really the storytellers.

Anastasia lives in Columbus, Georgia, with her husband and son. A stay-at-home Mom, she loves spending time with her son during the day, then writing furiously at night. 

GIVEAWAY

Purchase Cleanse Fire!

• for your Kindle at Amazon
• for your Nook at Barnes & Noble
• for your other e-readers at Smashwords
• in paperback at Amazon
• in paperback at Barnes & Noble
• in hardback at Kinir Elite Website

Join the Kinir Brigade by signing up for our newsletter! Get exclusive deals, access to special giveaways and inside information about the series! Join the Kinir Brigade now and receive the first five chapters in your email! And don't forget to visit our Facebook page and website too!

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Anastasia is giving away a signed paperback copy of Cleanse Fire! Leave a comment on this post to enter into the random draw. She will draw the names at the end of her tour, on January 31, 2012. If you want more chances to win a copy, visit her website to follow the tour! The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

All those who leave a comment will also be added to the draw to win a signed hardcover copy. This draw will also take place on January 31, 2012.

You can gain more chances to win by tweeting or posting on Facebook! Just leave a link to the tweet or post in a comment below!

**All winners will be announced on the Kinir Elite Website on February 1, 2012**