Elle Lewis geeks out with Michael Sturgis!

Why do you like SF/F?

​SF/F - good SF/F - hurts.  It makes me ache.  When I come to the end of a title, and have to close the door on the world that I was visiting, I immediately feel homesick.  Then comes the longing, as I'm forced to wait for the next in the series to (hopefully) be published.  The genres wouldn't hurt if I didn't love them.  I like SF/F for the secret loves that they're able to spark in me.

What book got you hooked in the genre?

WIZARD'S FIRST RULE by Terry Goodkind

What is your favorite book to film adaptation and why?

My answer to this wouldn't be very original. I'm sure Peter Jackson would jump to mind for many Fantasy readers.

I'd rather answer this question in reverse: my favorite film to book adaptation.  The answer is PAN'S LABYRINTH.  The movie is of course breathtaking.  Images and creatures from that film burn into your brain with the very first viewing.  Over the summer, Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke successfully managed to bring that movie experience into book form without sacrificing any of its original charm.  The artwork and the writing style make that book one of my favorites in my personal library. 

If you could live in a fictional world, which would you chose and why?

​The answer to this question may change a half dozen times over the next year, but for the moment, as I've only recently returned from an adventuresome and all too short visit to Andy Weir's ARTEMIS, I'd have to say that that colony on the Moon could be home.  I loved the personalities, the inhabitants own sense of culture and the claustrophobic feel of living in a space station imbedded in the lunar surface.

If you could wield and be proficient with a fictional weapon, which would you chose and why? Or would you rather practice magic? And if so, what is your favorite set of magic laws from a Fantasy book?

For this I have to return to Terry Goodkind. Since I'm the wrong sex to be allowed into the ranks of the Mord-Sith, to be the master of the Sword of Truth and it's inherent magic would be living the dream <slices forearm and drags sword through the blood while muttering "blade be true to me this day">

What is your greatest pet peeve while reading a book?

The first thing that pops to mind isn't about a book, but rather a series.  A certain amount of story/setting recap is expected when one begins the 2nd or 3rd installment of a series, but when you're putting out the 5th, 6th, 7th, etc, we don't need a drawn-out recap.  Nobody reads that much into a world and needs detailed explanations.  

Who is your favorite antagonist in a book or move? Why?

Darrow.  That's my final answer.

What do you geek out over?

Firefly/Serenity.  My wife and I met Summer Glau and did pics with her at a Con over the summer.  We might've been wearing Serenity shirts.  I had her sign a comic featuring River Tam on the cover.  I was on a geek high that lasted days.  Lol.

Do you like maps in Fantasy books? Why?

You could say that.  Part of the map and map border inside the Sword of Truth series' books Bicep/shoulder tat.

Maps in fantasy books give a bird's eye view that is often (in my opinion) hard to successfully relay through the written word alone.

How did you hear about Dark Touch?

Twitter.  I enjoy interacting with other readers and authors alike, and the cover grabbed my attention (and, if I'm being honest, the font on that cover).  

Are you a fan of Horror? If yes, what type and what are some of your favorite books/authors/movies?

​Yes.  I dabble in most types, but occult horror is probably my go-to choice (although "extreme" horror makes the biggest impression and is the most memorable).  Lately, some of my faves include THE SWITCH HOUSE by Tim Meyer, FULL BRUTAL by Kristopher Triana, THE FEARING books by John F. D. Taff, SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLOOD-SOAKED by Christa Carmen, ALIEN: THE COLD FORGE by Alex White, THE FORGOTTEN ISLAND: A HORROR NOVEL by David Sodergren, OUT BEHIND THE BARN by John Boden & Chad Lutzke and PRETTY MARYS ALL IN A ROW by Gwendolyn Kriste.

What do you like about Urban Fantasy?

I'm drawn to SF/F partially because of the world-building.  I enjoy the experience of leaving the humdrum nature of the real world behind as I immerse myself in the new and exciting lands that are created for the readers.  Urban Fantasy somehow manages to capture that faraway magic and entwined it into the fabric of the world that we know.  Urban Fantasy is the genre that most makes me feel like magic(k) really exists (if it doesn't, don't tell me).

Do you have a question for Elle Lewis?

If/when you do get around to giving us a Horror book, will it have to be classified as "extreme" horror because of your up close and personal exposure in operating rooms?

Lewis: That's a great question. I play around with horror in my fantasy writing but it's not the focal point. My Horror book will give me a chance to really "let loose" as bad as that sounds. My medical knowledge combined with my dark imagination is a recipe for some explicit material that might greatly disturb readers, especially considering the medical setting is a place that many people naturally fear. So…. maybe I should, haha! Possibly a disclaimer on the first page.