Second Skin (Skinned: Book Two) by Judith Graves

By J. H. Bográn

When an ancient demon targets Redgrave High, Eryn and her crew of hunters must face their innermost fears to prevent the Harvest Moon Dance from becoming one serious Monster Mash. Loyalties are tested and temptations abound. With questions ever brewing, can Eryn share a future with the brooding, noble, human Alec—the hunter after her heart? Or will she succumb to her enemy’s son, Wade, a seductive predator as bloodthirsty as she is? What happens when you’re both the beauty and the beast?

The author recently took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions for TheBigThrill:

How has Eryn changed from book one to book two?

UNDER MY SKIN introduces Eryn as a tough cookie, she’s a shapeshifter who wears a wise-cracking, devil-may-care attitude as a permanent mask, shielding her insecurities. After all, she’s a being who walks between multiple worlds. Is she human? Wolven? A ruthless hunter of her own kind?

In SECOND SKIN we start to see a few holes in Eryn’s plastered-on sardonic armor. She’s letting people in and that scares her to death. My favorite scene is between Eryn and one of her love interests, Alec, a human hunter who refuses to acknowledge the dark side of Eryn’s nature. He challenges her to put her weapons down – to come to him – exposed.

I’m not sure she’s there yet, but his simple, heartfelt request has a huge impact on book three.

A crack in the armor, how interesting. Tell us, what kind of research have you done in order to write your books?

There are several Metis characters in SKINNED, one being Alec’s mother, a powerful shaman who attempts to dreamwalk with Eryn in hopes of refining her skills enough to battle the night mare on his turf. Of course it goes horribly wrong. While I took some creative license, I researched First Nations perspectives on dreamcatchers, dreamwalking, and related mythologies.

Do you have a book video?

Here’s a link to the trailer for SECOND SKIN (or scroll down below the article to watch the video):

I hear people are saying good things about the book. Can you share some of those comments?

“Smart, sassy and more than a little scary, Second Skin hits all the right notes. I adored reading about Eyn and her attempts to deal with her life!” ~ Amanda Ashby, author of ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEWBURY HIGH and FAIRY BAD DAY

“In Judith Graves’ Second Skin, book two of her Skinned series, shapeshifter Eryn McCain is fighting the paranorm baddies again and cracking wise while she’s at it. A wild ride of snark, chills and romance, Second Skin poses the creepy question: what if your worse nightmares came to life?” ~ Joy Preble, author of DREAMING ANASTASIA and HAUNTED

What are you currently working on?

I have several projects on the go, SKIN OF MY TEETH, the third book in the SKINNED series, as well as a new steampunk ghost hunter series, STRANGEWAYS. The intro tale, STRANGEWAYS VERSUS THE WRAITH, appears in SPIRITED: 13 HAUNTING TALES, an anthology featuring bestselling authors such as Maria V. Snyder, Candace Havens, Shannon Delany, and wicked talents such as, Dawn Dalton and Kitty Keswick. Proceeds from SPIRITED go to 826 National, a literacy-based charity.

Busy, busy busy! Will you be attending any upcoming conferences or public events?

I do author visits to schools and libraries regarding the craft of writing, and library staff conferences where I give tips on hosting Author Visits to DIE for. I have a unique perspective on literacy and connecting authors with libraries, as I’m both a writer and a library technician – there are many ways for both to connect and enhance the lives of readers.

As I type, I’m sitting in the passenger seat as my hubbie is driving us into Edmonton for my third visit to the Young Author Conference. YAC is an amazing event where Alberta authors offer writing workshops to over 300 super keen grade 4-9 students. This time around I’m co-presenting screenwriting workshops with my writing partner, Dawn Ius (also writes under, Dawn Dalton). Scripts are my new love. 😉

I’ll also be a first time ThrillerFest attendee this year and I’ve been obsessing over which registration package to choose. Might have to go to EVERYTHING. Can’t wait!

I had a terrific time at ThrillerFest in 2010. Yes, go to everything! What’s next for both Eryn and you?

Ah, we have many more tales to spin for readers. SKINNED was originally supposed to be a trilogy, but I’m working on book four, HOUR OF THE WOLF, and have book five coming down the pipe – if it gets a thumbs up.

Wow, you certainly have your plate full. Where can readers connect with you?

My website and the site for my new steampunk series. You can also follow me on Twitter.

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Residing in a northern Alberta community, similar to the fictional town of Redgrave, where SKINNED is set – Judith unhappily endures snow in the winter, and runs away from bees in the summer. A firm believer that Canadian teen fiction can be sexy, action packed and snarky as hell – Judith writes paranormal stories with attitude.