The Gates Book Tour: guest post

The Gates (The Resistance Trilogy, #2)
By Rachael Wade
Genre: Paranormal fantasy
Format: Paperback, 245 pages and ebook
Publisher: Rabbit Hole Press (March 1, 2012)

Getting There is Half the Battle...

Armed with more unsettling knowledge about Gavin Devereaux and her circle of friends, Camille Hart is faced with new adversities and lethal propositions when she returns to the Amaranth exile to carry out Gavin’s risky crusade.

Realizing her journey through the bayou was only the beginning of her struggle to stay with Gavin, she finds that leaving her Louisiana home is the least of her worries. New evils await her on the other side, and as she and her friends press on with their mission, they are confronted with the reality that everything doesn't always go according to plan.

As secrets unfold and alliances are formed and broken, only the strongest will survive and the power of love will be tested when a war between witches, humans, and vampires erupts into an all-out power struggle and all is on the verge of being lost.

Book Trailer http://youtu.be/VdwvTRr5ioM

Guest post:
The Story Behind the Story: The Gates (Resistance Trilogy, #2) 

Thank you for having me stop by the blog today! As a voracious reader myself, I always love hearing how authors came up with concepts and plot ideas for their books and what inspired them before and during the creative process.


The Gates was an extension of Amaranth, book one of the series, and the whole concept came to me when I was visiting Southern Louisiana a few years ago. I was visiting for the weekend with my husband to pick up our new lab retriever puppy in the St. Martinville and Breaux Bridge area, not far from New Iberia and Lafayette. It just so happened that we had to pick him up in St. Martinville, which later became Camille’s hometown. (Coincidentally, “bayou baby” has been Shiloh’s—our pup’s—nickname ever since.) :)  

During my visit, I was fortunate enough to check out Breaux Bridge, Café Des Amis (the first date night scene in Amaranth), and the Bayou Teche: all locations that later became prominent in the series. Those locations really inspired the entire trilogy, and if I hadn’t visited those areas, the Voodoo and hoodoo magic side of things never would’ve made it into the story. 

For example, originally, Camille just worked at a regular bookstore. When my editor mentioned including the culture of the area in her place of employment somehow, it gave me the idea to include a spell book section for the locals who practice magic, and from there, the bookstore where Camille worked transformed into something more relevant to the Southern Louisiana culture and the Voodoo religion. There is also a scene in Amaranth where Camille and Audrey have a discussion while walking through Camille’s neighborhood, and Camille tries to distract Audrey by talking about the ducks. A random photo I took inspired that scene.

The whole area was very spiritual and everything felt like a mystery. From the building architecture and the region’s history to the creepy back roads and front porch wind chimes, I felt very far removed from everything and thought, “this is an ideal place for paranormal activity.” Driving over the bayous, feeling the muggy heat, and hearing the sounds of the swamps all inspired the creation of the story. 

 “Bayou Baby” has been Shiloh’s
—our pup’s—nickname ever since

All of those elements were responsible for the bayou portal concept as well. I’ve always loved the South, and there is just something about the bayous. They are extremely mysterious and magical, and also very eerie. While I was around them, I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to be amongst a hidden portal that leads to another realm, buried deep in the swamp, and not even know it’s there. How would I stumble upon it? What would happen if I entered? Where would it take me and why? Why would it be hidden in the first place? As soon as I started asking those questions, the concept for the other realm came to life and the Amaranth exile behind “the gates” was born. When it was time to leave Louisiana, I knew I had to get home and write about this world as soon as possible while I was still in the zone. 


Although The Gates takes place mostly in Amaranth, I was thinking about Camille’s Southern Louisiana home back on earth the whole time I wrote it. I needed to meditate on it to draw a contrast to where she was and what she left behind. 

Thankfully, my time in Louisiana not only inspired Amaranth and The Gates, it also brought the final book in the series (The Tragedy of Knowledge, releasing October of this year) to life. Much of it takes place back in Louisiana again, and I don’t believe it would have turned out the way it did had I not been inspired by that region’s unique culture. Without a doubt, I owe the creation of the series to the bayous and the authentic streets of Breaux Bridge! 

Do you live in Southern Louisiana? Have you ever visited? What intrigues you most about the culture and history there? Also, if you write, I’d love to hear how you came up with the concept for your novel. 


About the Author: Rachael Wade is the author of the Amazon #1 best-selling paranormal romance series, The Resistance Trilogy, and the best-selling contemporary romance, Preservation. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and her work has been published in The Storyteller, A Hudson View International Poetry Digest, and Amulet Poetry. When she's not writing, she's busy learning French, watching too many movies, and learning how to protect wildlife and stop animal cruelty. The first title in her post-apocalyptic sci-fi romance series, The Keepers Trilogy, is set for release winter of 2012.

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