Laura Kaye - Guest Blog and Contest

Please welcome Laura Kaye a multi-published author of paranormal, contemporary, and erotic romance. Today Laura introduces PVN readers to her amazing vampire world.

She is also offering one  lucky commenter an ebook of  Forever Freed plus some surprises.  [See rules at end of post]

The Vampires in the World of Forever Freed

Thanks to Patricia for having me here today to talk about my new release and share my vampires with you. I’ve been an avid reader of all things paranormal and supernatural—especially vampires—since I was a kid, so it’s such a thrill to have written a vampire story of my own. Forever Freed is about a reclusive, empathic vampire who falls in love with a woman he planned to kill and her daughter, then fights his ancient guilt, bloodlust, lie by omission, and an old vampire rival who threatens everything he holds dear.

Here’s the blurb:

A heart can break, even one that no longer beats.



I stalk my new neighbors, a single mother and her child, drawn by the irresistible scent of their joy and love. I crave their blood, starved for some healing respite from my ancient grief. Now to lure them into my grasp.



But they surprise me. Little Olivia accepts me without fear or reservation--talking, smiling, offering innocent affection that tugs at my long-lost humanity. Her mother, Samantha, seeks me out when she should stay away, offering sweet friendship, and calling to the forgotten man within me. They lure me instead

Ah, Dio, Lucien, run and spare them while you can...

*grins* So, today, I thought I’d introduce you to the vampires of Forever Freed’s world.  All of the vampires share the following attributes:

ABILITIES:  Supernatural strength, speed, hearing, eyesight; don’t age; supernatural ability to heal; ability to charm another’s will, although this is not absolute; ability to daywalk, though not in direct sunlight; ability to go long periods of time without sleeping [called “trancing”]

WEAKNESSES:  Direct sunlight, silver, holy water, decapitation—surest way to kill

The Hero:

Lucien Demarco [Turned 1895. Empathic.].  He’s hot, he’s fanged, he’s brooding, he’s Italian, he’s wonderful with small children—what more could you want? *grins*  Lucien has a strong empathic ability that has been a source of torment for him since being turned in 1895 in a gruesome scene that left his then wife and daughter dead.  His empathy forces him to feel his victims’ emotions when he feeds, so even though he can charm them into calmness, if they’re evildoers, he feels that about them, and feels he’s drinking it inside of himself.  The alternative?  Isolate and starve himself as much as possible.  Until he has a chance meeting with Samantha and Ollie Sutton.

The Ithaca Coven:

Seven vampires reside in North Ithaca, New York, and they are essentially Lucien’s adoptive family.  Days after being changed in 1895, they found him, abandoned by his maker, and took him in.  He lived with the Ithaca Coven for forty years, then broke out on his own.  But they’re still a major part of Lucien’s life.

Here they are:

Griffin [Turned 1760. Mesmerizer.]  Griffin is the oldest and most powerful of the Ithaca vampires and made the decision to bring Lucien into the coven when they found him in 1895.  He’d been dying after a battle during the French & Indian War when an ancient Native American vampire found him and turned him.  Griffin turned everyone in the coven except for Lucien and Anna.  He is mated to Henrietta.

Jedediah [Turned 1789. Gift not yet disclosed.]  Jed is smart-mouthed, quick-witted and loyal to a fault.  He’d been dying of a sickness while trying to build a homestead out in the wilds of New York when Griffin found and changed him—the first person Griffin ever changed, largely because he’d been in such dire need of companionship.  He is mated to Rebecca.


Henrietta [Turned 1792. Healer.]  Henrietta, or Henny, as Ollie calls her, is the next most powerful vampire in the coven.  A midwife in life, she is able to heal most, but not all, injuries and illness with her touch.  She is one of the four Ithaca vampires turned/saved during an Indian raid on western New York that occurred during the Northwest Indian War.  She is mated to Griffin.

Catherine [Turned 1792. Empathic.]  Catherine is the most beautiful vampire of the coven and the only one unmated.  She is also Rebecca’s older sister.  Catherine’s empathy is stronger than Lucien’s—whereas he can only sense emotions within close proximity, Catherine can sense emotions over distance, particularly with people with whom she’s had, er, certain connections.  She regularly has romantic liaisons with human men.  Aside from his human wife who died, Catherine is the only other woman with whom Lucien had a romantic relationship before he met Samantha.

Rebecca [Turned 1792. Not gifted.]  The youngest of the Ithaca vampires was only 17 when saved/turned after the Indian raid. She is also Catherine’s younger sister.  Rebecca is passionate, effervescent, and brutally honest.  She is mated to Jed.

William [Turned 1792. Gift not yet disclosed.]  For a long time, William was in love with Catherine and had a relationship with her, but it was generally one-sided.  Thus, when Catherine developed feelings for Lucien, William was immediately jealous.  His animosity and other actions, particularly turning three girls with attributes similar to Catherine’s, were ultimately what chased Lucien from the Ithaca coven.  Mated to Anna, who he turned.

Anna [Turned 1938.  Not gifted.]  Turned by William in a fit of desperate jealousy and loneliness, Anna ultimately forgave and fell in love with William. Her love healed the part of William’s personality so filled with rage and frustration.  Mated to William.


The Detroit Coven:

A large number of vampires make up this coven, though most are newer and pawns of the Laumets, the bad guys of the story.  Lucien worked for the Laumets from the 1950s through 1990.  Having gotten free, Lucien wants to stay free of them.

Four are most worth noting:

Antoine Laumet [Turned 1731.  Not gifted.] Antoine Laumet is the ruler of Detroit, a position that comes from his long history with the city.  Indeed, Antoine Laumet is based on a real person, the man who actually founded the French fort (Fort Ponchartrain) that was the forerunner of the city (the British changed the name to Detroit during the French and Indian War).  The Jesuits did not have nice things to say about the real Antoine Laumet, so he’s a perfect character to turn into an evil vampire overlord in the story.  And I love weaving history into my tales, as I did with the Indian raids and Northwest Indian War, also real.  Mated to Magena, who he turned.

Jacques Laumet [Turned 1731.  Not gifted.] Antoine’s only surviving son, Jacques is second in command of the Detroit coven and also based on a real person.  Jacques is small and slight in stature and rabidly jealous of Lucien, who his father grew to develop some paternal affection for, especially when Lucien saved his life in an assassination attempt in 1990.  Unmated.

Magena [Turned 1763. Telepathic.] Magena is the most powerful vampire in the Detroit coven. Her telepathy includes not only the ability to read other people’s minds but, through touch, she can also show those thoughts to another person.  A victim of the fighting during Pontiac’s Rebellion, Antoine found and saved her.  Ever since she’s felt torn between a sort of gratitude to him and respectful affection, and a resentment borne out of the fact that vampirism violates her native religious beliefs.  Mated to Antoine.

Langston Brown [Turned 1975. Free of bloodlust.] Newly hired as the director of the Detroit Medical Center blood bank, Langston remembers the friendship Lucien extended to him back when they’d both worked for Laumet and offers to provide Lucien with guilt-free sustenance.  His lack of bloodlust has been a challenge at times, but is useful for Laumet in gaining control of this blood supply.  Unmated as he has an unrequited love.


The Maker:

Lazar.  Despite several decades of trying to find him to exact revenge, Lucien as yet knows nothing about him.



So, you’ve now met the vampires in the world of Forever Freed.  A lot of these details are real sneak peeks in to the series, as they’re revealed and discussed more in the (as-yet) unpublished prequel than in this book.

I’d be happy to answer any questions, but, also: What are your favorite vampire attributes or special abilities?

Thanks for reading!
Laura Kaye

Website: http://www.LauraKayeAuthor.com
Blog: http://laurakayeauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/laurakayeauthor
Twitter: @laurakayeauthor
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Buy Forever Freed, and use this DigiBooks Café code for a 20% discount: e3d9d10a3c - http://tiny.cc/iydy4

Contest

*Laura is offering an ebook of Forever Freed plus signed romance trading cards and some other swag {by mail) to one lucky reader.

*Ask Laura a question, OR answer her question -What are your favorite vampire attributes or special abilities? - for a chance to win.
 
* Be sure contact information is included with your comment.

* Contest ends July 6, 2011 at 11:59pm EST

* Contest is limited to US and Canadian residents.

*ATTENTION - CONTEST IS NOW INTERNATIONAL!!

A multi-published author of paranormal, contemporary, and erotic romance with four books releasing in 2011, Laura Kaye’s hot, heartfelt stories are all about the universal desire for a place to belong.  Laura grew up amidst family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses, cementing her life-long fascination with the supernatural.  Though an avid fiction writer as a teenager, a career as a historian took her in other directions until recently.  Now that Laura’s inner muse has awakened, she’s constantly creating new story ideas!  Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.