A warm Love Bytes welcome to author Shira Anthony stopping by our blog on her blog tour promoting her new release Blood and Rain.
She answers a few questions , shares an excerpt of her book and there is a wonderful giveaway you can all participate in
Welcome Shira!
Book Name: Blood and Rain (Blood #1)
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23261044-blood-and-rain
Author Name: Shira Anthony
Shira Anthony was a professional opera singer in her last incarnation, performing roles in such operas as Tosca, Pagliacci, and La Traviata, among others. She’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle. Shira is married with two children and two insane dogs, and when she’s not writing, she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. When she’s not working, she can be found aboard a 35’ catamaran at the Carolina coast with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.
Author Contact:
Shira can be found on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shira.anthony Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4641776.Shira_Anthony Twitter: @WriterShira Website: http://www.shiraanthony.com E-mail: shiraanthony@hotmail.com
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Blurb:
Blood: Book One Adrien Gilbert has spent several lifetimes searching for the love he lost. Born in the 1800s into a clan of fabled vampire hunters, Adrien once wanted nothing more than to tend his family’s vineyard in southern France or read a good book. But Adrien’s peaceful existence ends abruptly when his older brother, François, is murdered. Bound by his hunter’s oath, Adrien sets out on a path that will forever change his life when he agrees to execute his brother’s killer, the vampire Charles Duvalier. After months chasing the elusive Charles, Adrien reluctantly makes a bargain with Nicolas Lambert, an ancient vampire. Adrien will escort Nicolas to Paris for his marriage to a rival clanswoman, and Nicolas will help Adrien find Charles. Nicolas’s quiet strength and gentle heart soon convince Adrien that Nicolas is nothing like the vampires he has sworn to destroy. As the wedding date draws nearer, a force intent on destroying the fragile peace between the vampire clans threatens to tear apart both the vampire realm and the world of the hunters. To secure both past and future for those he loves, Adrien must find a way to stop the looming war between hunters and vampires. But first he’ll have to let Nicolas go.
Categories: Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Vampires, Historical, M/M Romance, Romance, Paranormal
Buy Links:
What was your inspiration for Blood and Rain?
I’ve always loved reading about vampires—one of my favorite series is Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles.” I love the many ways vampires have been portrayed over the years, and how many different interpretations of the vampire myth there are. Add to that immortality and the need to feed on human blood, and you have the makings of some serious moral conflict.
My vampires are more like Anne Rice’s than the sparkly variety, but they’re still unique in many ways. Vampires in this series all descend from the ancient vampire race. Ancient vampires are born as vampires, while vampires can also be created from humans. The ancients are what you might call vampire royalty, and they form the backbone of vampire society. The vampire hunters in the story share a common heritage with the ancient vampires, although many of them prefer to pretend otherwise. An ancient vampire can give a vampire hunter immortality once in his or her life. That ability plays a key role in the story, which spans more than a century.
It looks like this will be a series, can you tell us about the future books?
Book 2 in the series, “Blood and Ghosts” is under contract to Dreamspinner Press and is in the editing process. It will be released in the spring. Each book is a sequel, and books in the series should be read in order. Much like the Mermen of Ea series, the Blood series is one long story with various arcs. There are 3 MM pairings in the series, with the main focus on Adrien Gilbert, a vampire hunter, and Nicolas Lambert, an ancient vampire. Book 3, tentatively titled, “Blood and Eternity,” is in the works!
Would you rather be a vampire or a mermaid? Why?
Mermaid, definitely! Much as I love vampires, I love the ocean more, and the idea of being able to breathe under water is too appealing to pass up.
How do you celebrate a new release?
You’ll probably laugh, but I usually celebrate by working on my next book! I’m almost always in edits or working on another book I’ve promised to my publisher, so there isn’t much time to sit back and enjoy a new release. But that’s a good thing—I love writing and I’ve always got something on the back burner, waiting to move to the top of my to-write list.
What do you have coming out next?
My next book to be published will be the second book in the Blood series, “Blood and Ghosts.” After that, look for the third (and last) installment of the Mermen of Ea series, “Running with the Wind.” That will probably be released in the summer of 2015. Both series are from Dreamspinner Press.
Adrien licked the skin of Cole’s neck, feeling the blood pulse there, hearing it call to him. Cole tilted his head in anticipation, opening himself to Adrien.
Adrien buried his teeth in Cole’s skin. Blood flooded his mouth and danced on his tongue, sweet and salty. Too long. His body was far more vampire-like in its craving for blood than when he’d first been given the gift of an ancient vampire’s soul. He wondered if it was the same for other immortals.
Adrien tried to ignore the images that flashed through his mind—the sound of silvery laughter, a mother’s loving caress. Cole’s memories. Adrien despised this forced intimacy, but he’d come to see it as the price of blood. Something to be tolerated.
It hadn’t always been that way. When he’d shared Nicolas’s blood, Adrien had experienced great joy. He’d seen himself through Nicolas’s eyes and felt the depth of Nicolas’s love. Each drop of that precious liquid had opened new doors. Each taste offered insight into Nicolas’s heart and soul. A beloved memory. A mystery—the mystery of Nicolas—unfolding with every swallow.
Adrien drank his fill, then claimed Cole’s mouth. This kind of contact he could stomach. He didn’t need sex to survive, but he enjoyed the release. Cole unbuttoned Adrien’s black silk shirt and his cock swelled against Adrien’s thigh. Adrien moaned as Cole skated his fingertips over his chest.
“I have never known a hunter to crave blood,” Cole whispered in his ear. “I thought only we experienced the bloodlust.”
“You were wrong,” Adrien said as he pulled Cole’s shirt over his head and mouthed a pretty pink nipple. Sex was always better after he fed, and Adrien’s cock was already hard at the thought of fucking such a lovely ass. He drew Cole’s body against his, walked backward into the living room, and pulled Cole with him onto the rug. Soon they were naked and he was no longer a hunter or an immortal, he was simply a man, seeking release, seeking pleasure.
For at least an hour after, Adrien lay on the floor and allowed the night air to caress his bare skin. He closed his eyes and dozed.
“Adrien.”
The voice awakened him. Nicolas’s voice again. Why sleep if it only served to reawaken the pain he sought to suppress?
He stood and pulled on his jeans. He walked onto the balcony in his bare feet, then climbed to the roof of the penthouse.
Pathetic.
Having reached the edge, he spread his arms. He leaned forward and fell unimpeded, riding the wind like a sigh. The glass of the building sailed by him, the breeze buffeting his face. He hit the water and sank into the cold blackness. He wished he could die.
Tour Dates:/Tour Stops:
15-Dec
16-Dec
17-Dec
18-Dec
19-Dec
Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
22-Dec
23-Dec
Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves
24-Dec
25-Dec
26-Dec
Rafflecopter Prize: Handmade “Blood and Rain” unisex pendant from artist Martin Brodour. $10 Dreamspinner Press Gift Certificate
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cf0ba9497/
Added to my wish list!
I really enjoy Shira’s books <3 and recommend them! I was beside myself after hearing from her there was going to be a vampire book 😀
I’m so eager to read this!
book sounds great
I can’t wait to read this one! It sounds fantastic! I love the cover too!
I love the mermaid series, and this one looks like it will be good, too. Thanks for the giveaway, and happy holidays!