Eliza Morgan is desperate to escape the horrors of her mortal life and understand why death follows her, leaving only one man, Nicholas French, in its wake. He’s the one she loves, the one she resents, and the one fated to make her legendary among the Shinigami– an ancient order of vampires with a “heroic” duty to kill. He’s also decaying before her eyes, and it’s her fault.
On the ghostlike mountaintop in Japan that the vampires consider home, Eliza will be guided by the all-powerful Master for her transition to Shinigami death god. When Eliza discovers that sacrificing her destiny will save Nicholas, she’s not afraid to defy fate and make it so—even when Nicholas’s salvation kills her slowly with torturous, puzzle-piece visions that beg her to solve them. Both Nicholas and his beloved Master fight her on veering from the path to immortality, but Eliza won’t be talked out of her plan, even if it drives the wedge between Nicholas and her deeper.
Allying with the fiery rebel, Kieran, who does what he wants and encourages her to do the same, and a mysterious deity that only she can see, Eliza must forge her own path through a maze of ancient traditions and rivalries, shameful secrets and dark betrayals to take back the choices denied her and the Shinigami who see her as their savior. To uncover the truth and save her loved ones, Eliza will stop at nothing, including war with fate itself.
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Sounds amazing, right? And that cover?? GORGEOUS.
I read the first book in this series, Running Home, and really enjoyed it. Nicholas and his dreamy let’s-take-a-walk-in-the-woods-love-bubble (you’ll have to read it to know what I mean) sticks with you. So when I heard that the sequel was releasing, I was so excited to spread the word.
I caught up with Julie and bugged her with a few questions:
Today is the day! Running Away is released into the wild! It’s the sequel to Running Home, a vampire story with a mysterious, dreamy guy at the center. What can we expect to see in this follow up?
Well, a new dreamy guy…or 2 or 3, some new dreamy guys. But one of them is REALLY dreamy, and he helps Eliza find her own way a bit. Eliza and Nicholas leave all the awful things that happened in New Hampshire for a mountaintop in Japan where the Shinigami vampires make their home. A mountaintop full of vampires and mystery and new characters and gods. And we see Eliza become something and someone we’d never see coming.
Was your writing process any different this time around?
Oooooooh yeah. The majority of this book was handwritten. RUNNING HOME was actually handwritten completely, and I just kept writing. RUNNING AWAY wasn’t a write 1000 words a day until it’s done book, it was a lot of new material added on top of and weaved into old material, integrated with new mythology and a much changed Eliza. There was always a huge notebook open, laptop open, a copy of RUNNING HOME…. it was intense. Took as long as it was going to take, and worth every minute of the work I put into it.
What do you like best about this book?
Short answer: Kieran. I actually felt guilty I loved him so much because Nicholas…. Nicholas and I have a thing. But I just really fell for Kieran’s brooding bad boy fast. But the real thing I love about this book is what we see Eliza turn into. She changes so much, and yet she stays so much the same, so true to herself and always looking for more. I love her.
What are your Halloween plans this year? Already have your costume planned?
Trick or treating of course! We have a great neighborhood with a lot of energy. Not to mention that one of the dads down the street makes the best Halloween cocktails for us to walk around with. Makes everything fun. My 7 year old’s school does a big Halloween thing every year too, and this year it’s a Hogwarts theme, so I’ll be pretty geeked out over that with him. I’ve never been much of a dresser upper, unless way too much alcohol was guaranteed, but I saw a plaid tutu I need to buy. So something with a plaid tutu. Chewbacca with a plaid tutu.
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Chewbacca with a plaid tutu, guys. DANG I love that woman.
Find RUNNING AWAY on Goodreads.
And here are all the places you’ll want to stalk Julie. And you DO want to stalk her, guys. She is witty and talented and one of those writers who is very upbeat and supportive of others in the writing community. She’s pretty much the bee’s knees.
Julie on Twitter: @HutchingsJulie
Julie’s blog: Deadly Ever After
More about Julie Hutchings:
Julie’s debut novel, Running Home, giving you vampires with a Japanese mythology pants kicking is available through Books of the Dead Press. Julie revels in all things Buffy, has a sick need for exotic reptiles, and drinks more coffee than Juan Valdez and his donkey combined, if that donkey is allowed to drink coffee. Julie’s a black belt with an almost inappropriate love for martial arts. And pizza. And Rob Zombie. Julie lives in Plymouth, MA, constantly awaiting thunderstorms with her wildly supportive husband and two magnificent boys.