Hello, everyone!
Today I have for you all a book spotlight, author interview with Shiela Stewart and a giveaway! If you love adult paranormal romance novels and vampires then you enjoy Seducing the Darkness!
Enjoy!
Seducing The Darkness by Shiela Stewart
Series: Darkness #1
Number of Pages: 154 (ebook)
Publisher: Champagne Books; Second Edition edition
Publication Date: November 2, 2015
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
An outcast by her kind, Trinity Ford has learned to live on her own..not an easy thing to do when you’re a vampire.
Trinity was once a fragile girl. Being taken by a powerful vampire prince changed her, Discivering gin in the arms of another woman changed destiny. Alone, she’s earned fast how to be tough, how to survive, and how to protect the people of her city from the evil that lurks in the dark. She was managing just fine, until Basil walked back into her life.
Basil Hawthorn has been the reigning prince of vampires since banishing his father to the Realm of Dark Mystics decades earlier, When a perfect dream makes him realize Trinity is at risk, he decides the only way to save her is to push her away. Doing so is not easy. Trinity is the only woman he has ever loved, ever will long and he can’t seem to let her go.
When rumors arise of a place to raise the king ad blot out the sun, both Trinity and Basil know they must do everything to stop it. Even if it means working together. Despite the betrayal and the threat, they find themselves drawn to each other. Love has no boundaries, especially in the face of danger. But will they be able to stop the ritual before it's too late?
Or will the darkness capture them both.
PG 13:
She watched a group of young girls—and if they were of legal age, she would eat her shoes—stumble from the bar. They separated and two went off towards the street while the last wandered drunkenly down the dark alley.
Oh yeah, like this was going to end well.
“Five, four, three, two, one. Bam!” She shot her hand out just as a vampire jumped from out of the shadows and right beside the stupid young girl. Shaking her head, Trinity moved towards the screaming girl. Idiot.
“I don’t think you want to be doing that.”
The tall, gangly, greasy haired vampire jerked and spun around to face Trinity. His teeth were primed for the kill, his yellow eyes glaring at Trinity as if she were his next meal. The poor girl in his arms was wailing something awful.
“Yeah, says who?”
Trinity lifted a brow, cocked her body to one side and rested her hand on her hip. “Jesus, could you have said anything more lame?
Let the girl go and no one has to get hurt.”
“How ‘bout I keep her and you wait against the wall until I’m done?” He jerked the girl towards him, yanking her head back to expose her neck. He was just about to bite down when Trinity placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and his face froze.
“How ‘bout I don’t.” Trinity bared her fanged teeth to show him she was not going to back off. “Beat it kid.” She clamped her hand on the vampire's shoulder, her nails digging into his flesh as she jerked her head at the girl. As she’d suspected, the guy was a wimp.
He released the girl who immediately ran off screaming.
“Now, you wanna take off, or am I going to have to mess up that pretty face of yours?” she asked sarcastically as she glared down at him.
“You couldn’t handle me, bitch.” He slapped her hand free, then curling his fingers in a fist, threw a punch at her face.
She was ready and ducked out of the way. Slicing her hand up, she chopped him in the neck, sending him crumbling on the ground. “You don’t want to mess with me, jerk,” she advised as she planted a booted foot on his jugular. The razor blades she had attached to the toe drew a small amount of dull gray, deoxygenated blood as she pressed it just below his chin.
“Go ahead and dust him, he’s useless.”
Trinity glared over her shoulder at the man she had once been destined for and felt her heart ache. She couldn’t stop herself from admiring the beauty of the man before her. His long dark hair floated in the light breeze sweeping away from a face sculpted of fine bone and delicate skin. He looked so dark and dangerous in that long, black leather coat he always wore. One look into his translucent blue eyes turned her heart to mush.
Then she reminded herself how much she detested him.
To show she wasn’t a push over, Trinity pressed her foot harder, the razor blades cutting into the vampire’s neck. His arms flailed out, trying to yank her foot away from his neck. His legs kicked wildly, but
Trinity had a good ten pounds on the scrawny vamp. Tilting her toe downward, she sliced deep into his neck, finally cutting his head off.
In a whoosh he disintegrated into a pile of dust, his last breaths used to scream his way to death.
She took a deep breath, shook the remnants of a useless life from her boot then turned. “Basil.”
“Trinity.” They stalked each other like the predators they were, neither taking their eyes off the other. “You’re looking good.”
Her breath always caught in her throat when she looked into those icy blue eyes of his. Unlike the rest of her race that had yellow eyes,he had the color of his heritage. He was royal. “So are you, but you already know that. Was he one of yours?”
“Would I have cared if you dusted him if he was one of mine?” His hand slid to his pocket and he pulled the pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “How have you been?”
“Better now that I left you.” And wasn’t it odd how acrid a lie could taste?
“I noticed you’ve had your belongings gathered from our home.”
“Your home,” she corrected, keeping her distance from him. She knew perfectly well being close to him would have dire repercussions.
“Have you settled into your apartment, then?”
He was being so nice, so civil. She didn’t like it. “Why are you here, Basil?”
“I might ask the same of you, Trinity.” He lit the cigarette smoothly and the flame showed a devastatingly handsome face, with curves and lines and strength.
“I’m protecting the humans,” she remarked with an edge in her voice.
“Always the warrior, my fiery princess.” He smiled sweetly as he drew long and hard on his cigarette, then smartly blew a ring of circles in the air. All without taking his eyes from hers.
“Don’t call me that.” She hated when he called her that. Okay, once upon a time hearing him call her that made her hot, but that was then.
This was now.
“It’s what you are and always will be to me.”
“Yeah, I was such a treasure, that’s why you decided to fuck another woman. Leave me alone, Basil.”
In a quick shift that surprised her, he was in front of her, his hand clamped on her chin as he tilted her face to meet his. “Despite my indiscretion, I will always love you.” He dropped his cigarette and ground it out beneath his boot.
She jerked her chin free, snarling, “You have a funny way of showing it.”
Grabbing her chin again, this time he held a little tighter. “Love has many sides to it, my sweet.” He sealed his words with a sharp kiss, his teeth scraping her bottom lip right before he vanished into the night.
Cursing, Trinity spat on the ground, wanting to eliminate his flavour from her tongue. Bastard thought he could come back and act as if nothing had happened. Fuck him! She still remembered all too clearly what it had felt like to walk in on him and the woman crawling over his naked body.
Shaking herself free of him, Trinity walked away. The last thing she needed was the memory of Basil’s kiss or the feel of his touch on her skin. What she needed was a vicious kill. If only she could find one.
1. Tell us a little about yourself, Shiela. How long have you been an author?
I’ve been married for 30 years to a wonderfully supportive man who has stuck with me through the good and the bad. We have three grown children, two daughter in laws and a wonderful little granddaughter. If it wasn’t for my hubby, I wouldn’t be here today as an author. He pushed me to get my work published and for that I am forever grateful. My first book was published in 2006. I love to write, which is obvious, but aside from that I love to create in other forms such as drawing, painting and knitting. I have a wicked sense of humor and love to scare people. My children are never safe. I’m not sure if I should be proud or annoyed that they inherited my sense of humor. LOL
2. Seducing the Darkness is your new PNR novel, what do you feel makes it special?
Actually The Darkness series has been previously published. My characters are relatable, despite most of them being a vampire. Each one has gone through some sort of trouble or loss. I don't completely focus on the vampire aspect of blood suckers after one thing. Killing, drinking blood and recreating more vampires. The main focus is to stop a ritual to bring on the darkness which will bring the rise of the King, the most ruthless Vampire that even some vampires fear. It's about love, loss and bringing together the forces of friends and strangers. Each book takes up where the last left off.
3. How long did it take you to write your novel and when did the idea for it come about?
Believe it or not, the entire series was written over the course of six months. Originally it was going to be one book here everything is wrapped up nice and pretty. My publisher at the time suggested making it a sequel and before I knew it, there were eight books in the series. My hubby and I were taking a walk one evening and we were discussing how pretty the sunset was. It sort of just popped into my head. Wouldn't that be the perfect life for vampires if there was no sunlight. Boom! Seducing the darkness was born.
4. What was the most difficult part of writing the book? Did you ever have any writers block along the way?
My brain was on rapid fire popping out one scenario after another to be blocked. I couldn’t write fast enough. The ideas just kept flowing. The most difficult part was finishing Tempting the Darkness, the fifth book in the series. It's about one of the character and his quest to find a cure for cancer before his wife dies from it. I was a quarter of the way into the book when my father passed away suddenly from lung cancer. Returning to the book after that was difficult, but I kept at it.
5. Are there any authors you look up to or go to for inspiration? If so, what one(s)?
I always felt like my books didn’t fit into any category. They had romance in them, but there was a paranormal, horror or suspense theme as well. They weren’t your typical mushy romance. Then, one day my niece lent me a Nora Roberts book and I finally saw that my stories were very similar to hers. At last, I felt they belonged. The horror aspect of my books came from admiring Stephen King. From early on in my youth I was fascinated by suspense and horror so when I saw one of his movies, Cujo, I was hooked and so he became my inspiration to write horror.
6. What types of books to do like to read? Name a few of your favorites?
I like to read similar books for what I write. I still read Nora Roberts/ JD Robb as well as Stephen King. Another of my passions is true life crimes.
7. To close with, is there anything you'd like to say to my blog readers about your book or yourself?
Several of my books have stemmed from real life incidences as well as several nightmares, such as my Demon series. The humor comes from not only myself, but that of my hubby and kids. We love playing pranks, and there is never a dull moment when we are all together. Food fights are guaranteed to erupt.
About The Author: Shiela Stewart
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Raised on a rural farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, Shiela Stewart relied on her vivid imagination to fill her days. Never did she realize that her need to tell a story would someday lead to becoming a published author.
In the fall of two thousand and six, Shiela published her very first book and she hasn’t stopped since.
When not writing, Shiela spends time with the love of her life and biggest supporter, William. She enjoys doting on her children and granddaughter. She has a strong affection for animals which is evident in the five cats, one dog, plenty of fish and one turtle she owns.
Some of her other passions are home décor, crocheting and knitting.
Shiela is giving away an ebook copy of Seducing the Darkness to one lucky winner! To enter please use the rafflecopter form below. Good luck!