Liz Strange - Interview and contest

Meet Liz Strange author of the new vampire trilogy The Dark Kiss. Liz has a whole range of interests and is certainly never bored. Here is how she is described on her website:

"When not working, writing or spending time with her family, she enjoys reading, watching scary movies, spicy food, soccer and hitting the gym.  Liz is aself-confessed sci-fi nerd, loving Star Trek, X-Files and Torchwood, and is a horror fanatic.

"She also loves anything to do with mythology, history and anthropology, and has a long-standing fascination with ancient Greece and Easter Island.

"Her true ( and undying) love for vampires was born when she got her  hands on a copy of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot."

Book one My Love Eternal and Book two A Second Chance at Forever have been published.   [see contest details at end of post]

Thanks for joining PVN today, Liz. Let me begin by asking about your latest series. What is the premise of The Dark Kiss Trilogy?

The Dark Kiss trilogy follows Rachel, from her days as a young, mortal woman in my hometown of Kingston, Ontario on to finding the love of her life, who happen to be a vampire, and the subsequent adventures they have together (and apart). Rachel’s lover, Giovanni, has a history he can’t seem to escape from, and which haunts then throughout the books.

What are the characteristics of your vampires?

My vampires follow a more traditional notion; they don’t go out in the sun, they don’t age, they drink blood, are incredibly strong/fast, and have varying levels of psychic awareness and control over humans. They are monsters and they know it, but they still hang on to a touch of their humanity. They haven’t entirely lost the notion of love or friendship.

When will Book three be available?

The print version should be available sometime in April or May, and the e-book version will be out in the summer.

I also have a fourth book coming out from MLR Press, which is more of a off-shoot of the series, but still takes place within the same “realm” and involves some characters introduced in books two and three of the series.  It’s called The Embrace of Life and Death (A Dark Kiss tale).

What attracts you to the paranormal?

I love everything about it- the mystery, the thrills and chills. There are so many great stories out there, often with some basis in mythology, local lore and spiritual beliefs. It fascinates me. 

Which authors or books have influenced your writing?

Well definitely Anne Rice, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft and Tanya Huff. For my vampire fixation I enjoy authors like P.N. Elrod, Laurell K. Hamilton, Raven Hart, and Charlaine Harris. I always consider myself a horror or dark fantasy author first, though my stories often involve relationships, sex and love stories.

Please describe your writing day and writing environment.

I wish I had writing “days”. I work full-time, so my writing is at night after my kids are in bed and I’ve taken care of everything else I need to for the day, and on the weekends. At present my office is a desk pushed into the corner of my dining room.

Do you use music or visuals to inspire you as you write?

I do like to listen to music when I write. It keeps me alert and energized.

When reading for pleasure what kinds of books to you choose?

I like paranormal, horror, fantasy and mysteries.

Are you a fan of any of the paranormal themed TV series?  (What are they and why?)

I am a HUGE X-files fan. As far as I’m concerned that was the best TV show ever. I love True Blood, Being Human and have just discovered Supernatural. Not sure how I missed that when it first came out, but I’m catching up on the past seasons.


Anything else you would like to add?

Just to say thanks to all the readers for buying my books, and for the compliments and encouragement. I really appreciate hearing from you.

Readers can find me here:

Website: www.lizstrange.com
Facebook:: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=291798485838
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LizStrangeVamp
Gooodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3360700.Liz_Strange




The Dark Kiss Trilogy

Book 1:  My Love Eternal

Blood, sex and eternal life… What more could a girl ask for?
Tall, dark, and sexy, as well as fabulously wealthy, Giovanni is everything a girl could ask for in a lover. There’s only one catch. He’s been undead for more than three hundred years.

Giovanni’s world, she learns that the rules of human existence mean nothing in the world of vampires. This, however, is a fair price to pay for a love that will last forever.

Hunted by the Desmarais family, who carry a centuries-old vendetta, Rachel and Giovanni travel to the ends of the earth in order to stay one step ahead. Can their love survive, or will their eternity together end?

Content Warning: Violence, sexual encounters with the undead.

Book 2:  A Second Chance at Forever

Forever is a long time to live without love.

 After enduring a sequence of tragic events, Rachel is forced to start over without her beloved Giovanni. Relocation to San Francisco with vampires Eli and Charles is the second chance at life she feels she needs.

With the help of immortal allies, Rachel, Eli and Charles initiate a brutal showdown with the Desmarais, avenging Giovanni’s death and removing the threat to all vampire kind.

But after making the most unexpected discovery, she knows lines have been crossed and things may never be that same for any of them.

Contest

1.    What city is the main setting for A Second Chance at Forever?
2.    Who are the “bad guys” in A Second Chance at Forever

*Liz is offering an electronic copy of A Second Chance at Forever to one lucky reader. Note: US or Canadian winner may choose a print copy.

* Answer ONE of Liz's questions for a chance to win.
 
* Be sure contact information is included with your comment.

* Contest ends April 26, 2011 at 11:59pm EST

* Contest is international