Mornin’, Creeps… time for another round of twenty questions! I have with me today International Bestselling Author Rani Manicka to tell us a little about herself and her latest Paranormal Fantasy, Black Jack.

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About the Author

Rani Manicka was born in Malaysia and spent her childhood on a long white, beach in the company of natural storytellers. But when she was six, she was stuffed into a uniform and banished to school. In protest, she quickly mastered the art of reading novels during class. Though, she had never dreamed of writing herself, a chance encounter with a woman scorned in an Italian restaurant inspired her first plot.

Her first novel The Rice Mother, Infused with her own Sri Lankan family history, is a vividly imaginative story about the frailties of human nature and the terrible consequences of war. It won a Commonwealth Writers Prize in 2003. Her subsequent novel, Touching Earth is a dark and compelling tale of love, betrayal and addiction. The Japanese Lover, set in Malaya during the Japanese occupation is an absorbing tale of the intense passion between captor and captured. Rani’s books have been translated into 26 languages. She lives with the two great loves of her life; Rick and their beautiful son/dog, Ty.

Rani Manicka’s latest novel BLACK JACK is out NOW.

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Twenty Questions with Rani Manicka

SHR: What made you want to write?

RM: I read a book about a fading author meeting her silver-haired agent for lunch.  The author had fish and I thought, that’s what I want to be doing.

SHR: Favorite author?

RM: Cormac McCarthy

SHR: Favorite book?

RM: The Road

SHR: Favorite movie?

RM: The Matrix

SHR: What’s worse for you: a bad amazon review, or a bad review from a fellow author?

RM: No difference?  Both are only individual opinions.

SHR: When choosing reading material, what factors are important to you?

RM: The author’s voice. 

SHR: Your inspiration – is it from your imagination or from personal experience?

RM: Both.

SHR: If given the opportunity to meet one of your characters in real life, which would it be and why?

RM: Green. I have questions for him.  Big questions.

SHR: Give us your opinion:  Editors – are they friends or enemies?

RM: Definitely friends

SHR: How do you go about researching your stories?

RM: Internet mostly.

SHR: What comes first, the plot, the characters, or the setting?

RM: Usually plot.

SHR: Who is in control when you write, you or your characters?

RM: Me.  My poor characters do what they are told to do.

SHR: What inspires you to write?

RM: Beauty.

SHR: When you write, is it with or without visual/audio stimulation (tv, music, etc.)?

RM: I like listening to songs in languages I cannot understand.  They wash over me and do not interfere with my thinking process.

SHR: If you were told you could never write again, what would you do to fill your time?

RM: Paint.

SHR: What’s the weather like where you are today?

RM: It’s England.  It’s always grey and raining.

SHR: Best monster ever: vampire, werewolf, or zombie?

RM: Vampires but they’re kinda ruined now since they became god like creatures thanks to Stephanie Meyer.

SHR: Tell us how you really feel about the 50 Shades of Gray hype.

RM: Porn with a classy book jacket.

SHR:  Give us one dirty, little secret about yourself.

RM: That would strip it off its status as a secret, wouldn’t it?

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About Black Jack

At seven she became another missing child statistic. Seven years later her life is a strange, lonely existence. Her memories are not her own and her special powers have been harnessed for the sole use of her owners. To the people who guard her 24 hours a day she is known as Dakota, but they also know she is dangerous, so dangerous that she must never think for herself.

Fourteen-year-old Black dreams of another life. Hidden away in his bedroom with only his mother and a television for stimulation, each day mirrors the last.

When Black is visited by an inter-dimensional being it becomes a pivotal moment. A door to another world opens and changes Blacks life forever. Soon Black is propelled on a collision course with a powerful ancient secret society.

To save mankind, he must play… the Devil’s game…

But what are they really after and how far will they go to get what they want.  With deceit and betrayal all around… JUST WHO CAN HE TRUST?

Rani Manicka is an International best-selling novelist and the author of three previous books. Her works have been translated in 26 languages. Black Jack is her fourth and latest novel. A provocative, unforgettable tale that questions the beliefs that lie at the very heart of humankind.

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GIVEAWAY!

Up for grabs in this International Giveaway: Five copies of “Black Jack”.

Click the Rafflecopter logo below to enter!