Vampire Love Continues On Scribal Love With "Bound by Night" by Amanda Ashley

Scribal Love Welcomes Amanda Ashley!

What is the name of your novel?

Bound by Night, which will be out the end of August, followed by a sequel, Bound by Blood, at the end of September.

What first attracted you to writing vampire fiction?

I’d been reading a lot of it – stories by Nancy Gideon and Anne Rice among others. As I recall, my agent asked if I’d like to write a short vampire story, which I did. It was titled Masquerade. I loved it. And I’ve been writing and loving vampires ever since.

Who is/are your main character(s) and is he/she a vampire?

Drake is my hero. He’s a very old vampire, and very sexy, of course. And not your run-of-the mill vampire, either.

How would you describe your vampire character? Is he/she a lover or fighter? Is the beast within held at bay? Or does he/she go with her passions?

Well, he’s a lover and a fighter. Most alpha vampires are. He’s learned to control his hunger and his passion, but the heroine changes all that.

What are your thoughts on some of the traditional weaknesses of vampires? Sunlight, crosses, wooden stakes etc. Did you incorporate any of that into your fiction? If not what were some of the weaknesses that your character must avoid?

I use most of them. After all, my heroes have a lot of supernatural powers, and since there has to be opposition in all things, they have to have a weakness or two. Not all my heroes are subject to the same weaknesses, since I tend to pick and choose; however, I think all of them can be destroyed by a wooden stake. Some of my vampires can be awake during the day but can’t be in the sun. Some sleep in coffins, some don’t. Some have reflections, some don’t. Part of the fun of writing paranormal fiction is being able to pick and choose what works for a particular story.

Go crazy and tell us about your book! Include an excerpt if you like!

My heroine, Elena, was born in the US but when her parents were killed in an accident, she was sent to live with her aunt and uncle in a small village in Romania. When her aunt passes away, Elena’s uncle begins making unwanted advances toward her. When he tells her he’s decided they would wed, she runs away and takes refuge in an old deserted castle to think of what to do next.

To her surprise, the castle is not deserted but is inhabited by the most gorgeous man she has ever seen. In spite of her initial fear, when he invites her to stay, she agrees and soon finds herself falling for the enigmatic man she sees only at night. It isn’t until later that she discovers what he is and that he has a destiny to fulfill, one fraught with danger for both of them.
Excerpt

Elena was sitting on the rug in front of the hearth, thumbing through a magazine, when Drake entered the room. She looked up, surprised to see him so early. It was usually well after dark before he made an appearance, if he showed up at all. Could it be that, after last night, he was as anxious to be with her as she was to be with him? The mere idea made her heart skip a beat. In all the world, had there ever been a man who was as tall and dark, as sinfully handsome, as the one who now stood before her?

“Good evening, fair Elena,” he murmured, smiling.

His voice flowed over her like silk, soft, sensuous.

“Good evening, Drake. I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

“Shall I leave?”

“No! I mean, it’s your home, after all.”

“Indeed.” He regarded her solemnly, one brow raised. “Is there something you wish to say?”

She blinked up at him. Did he know what she was thinking? But how could he? He couldn’t read her mind. Such a thing was impossible.

He took a seat on the sofa, then gestured for her to join him.  Suddenly nervous, she hesitated a moment before taking a place beside him. What had seemed like such a good idea late last night now seemed utterly ridiculous.

“You look upset,” he remarked. “Is something amiss?”

“Yes. No.” She twisted her fingers together to still their trembling.

“Something obviously has you upset,” he remarked. “Why not tell me what it is? Perhaps I can help.”

“Yes, you can,” she said, the words spilling out in a rush. “I don’t want to go back to my uncle, and I have nowhere else to go, and you live alone with no one to care for you, so I thought maybe, if it wasn’t too horrid a thought, that you might marry me. Not a real marriage, of course. It would just be in name only…” she said, her words slowing as her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“You want to marry me?” Of all the things she might have said, a proposal had never entered his mind.

“Well, my marrying someone else to get away from my uncle was your idea, after all. I can cook and clean and wash your clothes, and…” She swallowed hard, her courage suddenly deserting her. “I won’t be any trouble.”

Lifting one brow, he muttered, “Somehow I doubt that.”

Amanda Ashley

www.amandaashley.net




Thanks Amanda For Dropping By!

We're Getting Back To Our Paranormal Roots! Vampires Abound in Robin Badillo's 'The Blood Hunter Trilogy's: The Return'

Scribal Love Welcomes Robin Badillo!

What is the name of your novel?

My newest release is book #3 in my Blood Hunter trilogy, The Return

What first attracted you to writing vampire fiction?

Actually, my first attraction to writing about vampires came from a character I liked, whom we’ll just refer to as “Eddy”.

He had such potential and his story intrigued me. However, after finishing the series, I was left feeling a bit empty, so I said what I’m sure many people have said after reading a book, ‘I can do that, too.” Yeah, right.

Turns out, I could. Though, I’ll never go so far as to say I do it better than anyone else. I’m too much of a cynic to be so arrogant. I do give it all I have, though.

Who is/are your main character(s) and is he/she a vampire?

In this edition of the trilogy, I have merged the first two book’s storylines and characters into one grand finale. Thereby giving, The Return, two heroes, Thorne Abbott and Jason Craft. Naturally, neither of these two guys would be complete without their two leading ladies, Raven Prince and Jazmine Fabré.

How would you describe your vampire character? Is he/she a lover or fighter? Is the beast within held at bay? Or does he/she go with her passions?

Jason had always been a bit of a playboy, and in his early days, relished the thrill of the seduction and hunt. Although unmatched in the skills of a hunter of his own kind, when it came to feeding, he was a lover not a fighter. That was, until Jazmine Fabré came along, enticing his lust for a new passion, and stifling his need for beautiful, human snacks.

Raven Prince, quite the seductress herself, also enjoyed a good hard hunt and her seductive abilities usually lead her straight into trouble. Enter, Thorne Abbott, the human who broke her down and changed her eating habits forever…not to mention fulfilling every other need she had. He was one heck of a human.

What are your thoughts on some of the traditional weaknesses of vampires? Sunlight, crosses, wooden stakes etc. Did you incorporate any of that into your fiction? If not what were some of the weaknesses that your character must avoid?

With science fiction and paranormal stories pushing the envelope in recent years, imagination is a writer’s best friend. These days, sticking strictly to old stereotypes limits boundaries and prevents the unveiling of so many new traits just waiting to be discovered.

I, personally, mix it up.

Though all of my book’s vampires have some aversions to sunlight, the degrees vary. In the “Blood Hunter” trilogy, sunlight can ruin a perfectly good day’s sleep, so you won’t find them at the beach on a sunny afternoon. At least, not by choice.

Wooden stakes hurt like hell, but to kill vamps in my stories, you better take his head with you before you go.

Food isn’t necessary, but wine and hard liquor are always on the menu. Of, course nothing beats blood, whether synthetic, human, wild animal or other vampires, it’s all lip smacking good.

Go crazy and tell us about your book! Include an excerpt if you like!

First of all, I want to say how much fun it was bringing together two books for a great conclusion. Tying up loose ends and healing old wounds isn’t easy, but when you’re dealing with such loveable characters in the first place, it made it much easier.

Here’s what you can expect inside the pages of, The Return…

Raven Prince, a vampire, and Thorne Abbott, her human lover, have endured secrets, lies and even murder. The only task remaining is for Thorne to become a vampire as well. Eternity never looked so good.

Haunted by the shame of deserting his first true love, Jason Craft, became a hunter of his own kind. Brought together on a mission of revenge, he found sanctuary in the arms of Jazmine Fabré and together they uncovered a startling truth.

Jason, now an enemy of the Vampire Lord for whom he’d been employed, sets out to save the coven he’s been commissioned to eradicate, which leads straight to the woman he left behind thirty years before, Raven Prince.

Will fate lead them to where they were meant to be? Or will evil forces destroy them all?

Sometimes the only way to get something right is to go back to where it all went wrong.

Excerpt:

Thorne and Raven

Her stomach fluttered, hearing the sound of his car engine rev as he pulled up the long drive to their family’s estate. He was home.

Raven dabbed a bit of tuberose scented perfume on her neck, then dipped down between her breasts and made a quick swipe across her wrists, hitting all the pulse points as though she were still human. Some habits were hard to break.

She glanced down and smiled as the sheer fabric skimmed across her breast, prompting her nipples to ball into tight, sensitive buds. Thorne’s warm tongue lapping at her hardened peaks would have them softened and wet in no time.

“Raven,” Thorne called out as he neared their bedroom door.

Raven bit back a giggle, dove onto the bed and stretched across it on her side, making sure she bent one knee ever so slightly to force her rounded hip to rise up from the indention of her narrow waist. The negligée clung tightly to her shapely form and the split up the side revealed enough flesh to get a rise out of him the instant he walked through the door. What little skin the slit didn’t show off, the sheer fabric would surely expose.

“Raven? Why aren’t you downstairs?” Thorne froze, wide eyed, as he rounded the corner of the entryway leading into the bedroom of their private suite.

Raven ran her tongue over her lips and eyed him up and down. “Would you prefer I be down there with the entire family, or up here waiting for you?”

His heart pounded so loud she heard it from across the room. “Well that depends,” he said as he inched toward her.

“On?”

“On whether or not you want me to take that off of you.”

Raven rose up on her elbow and glided her fingers up her thigh. “Oh, this better come off.” She giggled.

He came to her and stood next to the bed. “What’s gotten into you?” The left side of his lip curled as his hooded gaze took her in.

“You, if you hurry.”

Jason and Jazmine

Jason stared at her as she returned her attention to the road. How had a guy like him managed to find the only two women on the planet who could get through to his tough, loner ways and dig their nails in so deep he couldn’t stand the thought of being away from them, not once, but twice in his life?

He had, in fact, let Raven go, but Jazmine? That was a different story. He wouldn’t make the mistake again of bowing down to anyone, not even his creator, Mena, and certainly not her ruthless sire, Bruin Duerr. Jazmine, he would die for.

He scanned her body, taking note of the way her thigh high leather boots hugged her legs and how soft ivory flesh peeked out from under the hem of her short, black skirt. She rarely wore skirts, but when she did, every ounce of her sensual femininity seeped from her every pore. “If you don’t get to the hotel in the next five minutes, I just may have to force you to pull over.”

Jazmine’s attention snapped back to him. “Why? What’s wrong?” Her brow pinched with worry.

“I need to see you in those boots and nothing else, Kitten.” He offered a cocky grin as his jeans tightened from his uncontrollable desires.

Jazmine arched her left brow, the corner of her mouth tugged tight and a devious grin followed suite. Tires skidded across gravel as she slammed on the brakes, pulling over to the side of the road.

“You’ll have to catch me first.”

Before Jason could unfasten his seatbelt, the driver’s side door slammed shut. She was gone.

“I love it when she plays dirty,” he growled as he exited the SUV and bounded toward the forest just beyond the road’s shoulder.

Playful laughter echoed through the night, bouncing from one redwood tree to another as he hurried through the woods in search of Jazmine.

“You’re getting warmer,” she sang out from the dark.

Jason slowed his pace. “When I find you, and trust me, I will find you, you’re gonna be in real trouble, Kitten.”

“What’s the matter? Is the big, bad vampire hunter feeling frustrated?” She continued to tease.

Jason’s chest rumbled with a hungry growl as he skulked through the underbrush, her sensual scent, burning in his nostrils. The delicate skin around his eyes tightened and his fangs slipped down into a predatory position. If it was a vampire hunter she wanted, that was exactly what she would get.

Links:

Website: http://robinbadillo.com/

Blog, Sealed with a Kiss: http://robinbadillo.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robin.badillo

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Robin_Badillo

Publisher- eXtasy Books: http://www.extasybooks.com/

The Return Buy Link: http://www.extasybooks.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=3270

Amazon Buy link: http://tinyurl.com/4xc2hmc


Thanks Robin For Dropping By!

Can the Navy Seals Survive Against Their Non-Human Foe?

Cool Scifi for a Hot Summer!

Blurb for 'Fugue'

Lt. Chad Meyer and his team of Navy Seals on a simple arctic training mission in the Gates of the Arctic National Park find more than bargained for when a normal day goes awry. Attacked by an unknown and deadly force, the team

now outgunned and out manned must fight for survival.

Chad, determined to safeguard the lives of his men, must use all of his courage, will and stamina to make sure that they survive against their non-human foe.

Excerpt:

Giving, his second in command, Chief Petty Officer Easely, a slow nod, he and the rest of the team who had become alert to the change in their behavior, prepared themselves to go.

“To our nine o'clock and watch my back,” Chad mouthed, knowing they had to get to cover. They were weapon‟s poor and needed to procure safe ground if they were to make it out alive.

Easely cracked the slightest of grins, signaling to Chad that it was a given. The rest continued talking casually as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. The adrenalin began pouring into Chad‟s veins. As if toying with them, the pebbles continued to fly through the air, pelting the trees in front of them. Taking one big breath, he bolted to his feet and headed towards the forest, away from the clearing. As they regrouped in the trees, they tapped each other‟s shoulder, one behind the other, assuring they were friendly and alive.

The pebbles followed them to the trees but this time with more force.

“What the hell are they doing?” Easely asked in a harsh whisper.

“Toying with us.”

“Shit, if all they have are rocks then—” Easely said, just as an energy bolt popped a tree four feet in front of them. The smell of creosote filled the air.

Soon, the weapons fire came in barrages, pinning them. Then suddenly, bright beams of

light pierced the darkness. It was as if whoever was searching for them had a flashlight to see them. He and his team pinned their backs to the trees, unwilling to be spotted so easily. Looking toward the southern slope of the Brooks Range, the wind caused the clouds to shift at the top of one of its peaks.

Rushing down the mountain, it was not long before the frigid air reached them, causing moisture to run down Chad's nose. Shifting once again, the wind reversed its direction in the jumble of trees, and the lights went out as quickly as they came on. A barrage of fire soon followed.

http://secretcravingspublishing.mybigcommerce.com/products/Fugue.html

Do You Feel Lucky? Elaine Lowe's Newest Release "Magic Eights" Is Your Lucky Charm!

Scribal Love Welcomes Author Elaine Lowe!

Elaine Lowe is an author of erotic romance. Her newest work Magic Eights is available from Ellora’s Cave on July 8th.

What is the name of your latest book? And how did you come up with the title?

Hi Clare! Thanks for having me here. My upcoming release Magic Eights is my latest book, although I’m also part of one of the latest Ellora’s Cave print anthologies, Some Like It Sweet (my story is Nancy’s Sweet Spelling Bee). For Magic Eights, the title was simple! Unlike most of my books where I agonize about the title for ages, Magic Eights has a very important character – a Magic Eight ball, and also a confluence of other eights, it’s the couple’s eighth anniversary, there are eight copies of William to deal with, et cetera. Eight is my lucky number, and I abused it thoroughly in this particular book!

What is this book about? And what genre is this book in?

Magic Eights is about fulfilling the wild fantasies of a happy but slightly frustrated wife. Susanna makes an idle wish to a Magic Eight ball she receives from a good friend, who happens to style herself as a witch. That wish results in not just one, but seven different copies of her husband being created, each with a purpose to fulfill! It’s a sexy romp, but it’s also a loving story of two people in love who still have insecurities and secrets and find deep fulfillment in rediscovering each other and opening up completely. This is a contemporary paranormal, a highly erotic romance and a quick fun read that I had a ball writing. It’s very different from my usual deeply-researched and plotted historical romance, but I think it’s true to the heart and soul of my writing style.

Who is/are the main characters? And why did you choose them?

Susanna Walker-Wong and William Wong are just your everyday couple in San Francisco, he’s a programmer, she’s a biologist, and they have a four year old son who’s out visiting his grandparents. And I’m not so sure that I picked them, when I’m pretty certain Susanna picked me! She waltzed into my imagination while I was knee deep in a completely different manuscript and demanded that her story be written. When a character takes control like that, it’s pretty hard to deny her!

What is the coolest or best part about your book? (Any Favorite scenes, the world-building etc..

The book is a departure from my other work, in that the interaction between the characters is so intense and so much the focus rather than external plot factors and the world in which they live. In my other works I do a lot of worldbuilding, and set up their universe to guide the characters. In this book, the characters and their interaction is the entire world, and their reactions and emotions are an intense palate to work with. As to a favorite scene, I have to say then when Darcy Will walks in, I simply can’t resist sighing. I’m a sucker for a Regency twist, even in a thoroughly modern setting.

Do you have a favorite character in the book? If so, why?

I love William, the husband. I think he takes the events and the resulting disorientation extremely well. He just wants to make his wife happy, and revels in being able to do just that.

Is this book part of a series? If so? What can we expect in future books?

Not yet, but I’m certainly interested in expanding into a series. I’m still in the planning stages, but Susanna’s friend Esme Morgan, who gave her the Magic Eight ball in the first place, is beginning to demand her own story be told. Esme sees magic everywhere, and owns a magic shop, but she’s not entirely convinced that she’s sane and magic is real, or that she’s insane and deluding herself. When she goes to a local psychologist for counseling, she certainly doesn’t expect him to be the Fae who’s courted her for years!

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I would love to more in depth about their life together and the pressures each of them face, and how time together is so precious to both of them. I think that’s something anyone in a relationship needs to recognize and value.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I learned that having countless copies of the man you love would really, truly be exhausting. But I think it’s become my favorite fantasy!

Do you have a publisher? And if so, why did you choose them?

I have several great publishers that I’ve worked with, but for Magic Eights my publisher is Ellora’s Cave. They do a really great job, I adore my editor Helen, and they have a wonderful art department. I’ve lucked out with some incredible covers over the years! My personal favorites are the covers for Scandalous Profession, Lady Six Sky and Enchant the Dawn. All of them are beautiful!

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I enjoy so many different kinds of genres that it is very difficult to choose. I adore the wry style and deft social commentary mixed with true romance of Jane Austen, the brilliant wit of Mark Twain, and yet I adore the speculative fiction of Eric Flint and the authors at Baen. But as a romance writer, I have to say that I will always love Katherine E Woodwiss, and she is greatly missed. My mom used to read her books (highly highly edited!) out loud to our family as we crisscrossed the country on car trips, and I think her style and brilliant characterizations made me love romance.

What books are you reading now?

I’m waiting on tenderhooks right now for Gail Carriger’s steampunk romance Heartless to come out! Her parasol protectorate series is incredible and I love her style (and I crave her parasols!) And I just finished fun cross-genre romp of myth and scifi called Pyramid Scheme, which also results and Medea and Arachne finding love in the arms of some heroic American soldiers. I highly recommend it.

What are the current writing projects that you are working on?

I often have two or three manuscripts going at any one time, and countless short flash fictions and drabbles. The more I write, the more I write, and I like to keep my mind agile with whatever is flowing the best. At the moment my main projects are that infamous interrupted Hawaiian story, which is part of my Passion Magi series along with Enchant the Dawn, Reveal the Heart, Foretell the Flame and Command the Wind. Competing for my writing attention is a very cool tale of demigods and would-be vampires set in 1880’s London, with a five thousand year old heroine and a snarky thermodynamics professor. And finally, there’s the first stirrings of Esme’s tale, which is shaping up to be a whole lot of fun.

I’ve got a whole huge file of story ideas, and characters that occasionally pop into the forefront of my mind and demand that I scribble notes about them on paper napkins, the back of envelopes, or the always useful palm of my hand. After all, I’ve got a day job, or two, and I’m a mom and a wife, and I’ve got to grasp on to inspiration when it comes and hold on tight to the heart and soul of it before it disappears back down into the chaos of the everyday.

Do you write full time? If not, do you hope to do so one day?

I wish I could, but alas I’m a mom to a special needs child, and I work several part time, at-home jobs. Writing is my fun time, and my escape! I worry that if I was ever so lucky as to be able to write full-time, it would become work instead of the joy that it is now.

Still, I wouldn’t mind trying! And I don’t see myself as ever giving it up. I have to write, my fingers itch otherwise.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I’ve always loved stories and storytelling. My Dad read to me every night, and we started The Hobbit when I was four, and by the time I was seven I was reading The Return of the King back to him. I blame my mother for my need to tell stories. While waiting in line as I child, Mom would regale me with stories about the people around us, based on their clothes, the way they stood, the objects in their shopping cart or the looks on their face. They weren’t meanspirited, and they did pass the time, but more than that, those stories encouraged me to become a good observer of the world and the people in it, and to contemplate what happened in their lives and what made them who they are today. I think that made me a natural writer, and a good citizen and friend as well.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I really try to make sure to reveal key information in context and in dialogue rather than the infamous “infodump”. I try not to blather out too much too fast and instead give juicy crumbs of information that come together later on in the story. It’s always the hardest part of me, especially in a complex story sent in a rarely discussed historical period!

Do you have any advice for other writers seeking to get published for the first time?

Persevere! It’s easy to get discouraged, but keep writing. Get lots of feedback, join critique groups, and really listen to the comments others have about your writing. You don’t have to take every comment as dogma, but try to be open minded about your baby. And once one manuscript is done and you’ve submitted to a publisher or an agent, don’t wait around and twiddle your thumbs. Begin writing the next one!

Want to know more about my writing and me? Check out my webpage at

www.elainelowenovels.com, or connect with my on Twitter.

I’m elainelowe there, and I tweet about anything and everything, although I promise I won’t give a play by play of how I brush my teeth, but you might see pictures of my latest goggles 

I’ve acquired for my steampunk Dickens costume, or get a hot and juicy quote from whatever manuscript I’m working on at the moment. I also love to hear comments, ideas and input from readers, so drop on in and say howdy or send me an email at elalowe@gmail.com. Have fun and keep reading!

Elaine Lowe

Thanks Elaine for Dropping By!