Meet The Rogues — Tracy Korn

Author Tracy Korn
Tell us a little about yourself.
Well, I am a nerd–an academic nerd, and a bonafide, dresser-upper at Comic-Cons and Renaissance Faires caliber nerd. By day, I teach English Literature and coach a competitive robotics team, and by night, I write all manner of SFF from YA Dystopian to Urban Fantasy. I love movies–everything about the whole movie process–I even watch all the credits! I’ve been married to my equal parts nerd and hipster husband for 25 years, and our two teenagers are a few of the best people I know. If you ever want to talk about why James Cameron is the coolest or how the first season of True Detective is unreplicatable in its perfection…you’re my tribe. Drop me a line anytime.
What inspired you to write your last book?
The last book I wrote was part of a Little Mermaid retelling boxed set, and I wanted to write something that was both a little darker to serve as a prequel to the first book in my new series and a little more “girl-power” than the more familiar story. I also love underwater stories in general, so it was fun to imagine that world.
How did you come up with the title of your book?
Bad Seed became the title of my book in the Rogue Skies boxed set because it’s the first book in my new First Bloods urban fantasy/sci-fi blended series–a story arc about how the original divine “creations” before mankind were asked to help out humans, but some of them wound up using The Tree of Life against humanity. Knox Ryder, one of the main characters, has to overcome the self-fulfilling prophecy of thinking he’s inherently “bad” after he’s affected by this supernatural gardening SNAFU, and then we’ll find out if he has any shot at saving the rest of humanity…so, the title Bad Seed seemed like kind of a fun metaphor to use.
Tell us about your main character.
There are two, actually. Frankie Mason is a workaholic botanist who’s trying to find a cure for a monstrous virus gripping the city. She’s a tough kid from The Grind who has earned her place at The Citadel…but under all that polish, she’s a scrapper through and through. Knox Ryder was a longshoreman and an illegal medic from The Grind before he got wrapped up in some nefarious business that he’s dead set on not perpetuating, but he has to risk revealing his demons in order to keep Frankie from being the next victim in a mysterious, even supernatural, turn of events.
Do you have a favorite scene in the last book you wrote? Tell us about it.
Oh, good question. I really liked Nervous Water (my Little Mermaid retelling I mentioned above) all the way through, but I suppose my favorite scene is…ok, how do I do this without spoilers…I suppose my favorite scene is when Cora learns why humans call pockets of percolating water “nervous,” but she can’t tell Nicholas what’s really happening just below the surface. I gave myself chills writing that part, haha.
What are some of the things you learned from publishing your first/most recent book?
From the first book I published to the latest, I’ve learned that I write faster when I outline, even if that outline changes along the way. If I know where the book is generally going to wind up, and if I have a good sense of the main character(s) going in, I can cut the process time in half.
Who designed your book cover?
I’m fortunate to have an award-winning photographer / commercial designer as a husband, so JKorn Photographics does all my design work!
How did you find your editor?
My friend and writing partner of over a decade is my first-pass editor, and I found my line editor through my friend and publishing co-op sister, Lyssa.
What are you currently working on?
My current project is my new urban fantasy/sci-fi hybrid series, First Bloods.
What kind of books do you read in your free time?
I love science fantasy like Dune, straight up fantasy like American Gods, hard sci-fi like anything Joe Haldeman writes, but probably my favorite fiction is action adventure sci-fi like Journey to the Center of the Earth. I am a non-fiction addict as well, especially when it comes to anything by Malcolm Gladwell.
✨Stalk Tracy✨
Website: http://tracykorn.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTracyKorn
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/Tracy-Korn
BookSprout: https://booksprout.co/author/6407/tracy-korn
Instagram: https://instagram.com/tracy_korn
Blurb
Something is coming…
In a world where debt is obsolete and time is literally money, botanist Frankie Mason works tirelessly to find a cure for a monstrous virus gripping the city.
But when she discovers her work is being used for a black market immortality drug, she’s framed and sentenced to life at Scrapper Island penal colony—an upside-down reality of shadows and whispers where people vanish, and one mysterious prisoner is an unwilling soldier in a supernatural war on humanity.
If Frankie can save him from himself, could they have a shot at saving mankind?
Bad Seed is just 1 of 25 stories awaiting you inside Rogue Skies!
Pre-order today for just .99!