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I would like to
introduce to you today, the incredible talents of Kallysten, author of the Demons Age series, who was happy to answer some questions about her writing and
books.
Today is also very
special as Kallysten is on a blog tour promoting her latest book, Demons & Lullabies, book 2 in the Demons
Age series.
Please make sure to
read all of this post so as you can be teased by an excerpt of the book.
Now let’s get this
party started shall we *wink*
Thank you Kallysten for being with us today on Blood, Lust
and Erotica. It is so nice to have fresh blood, I ahmm mean new people come and
join us *giggles*
Ø
What inspired you to write your book?
I write a lot about vampires, and in my
stories they often live side by side with humans. I had the idea to write a
story showing a vampire reacting to a child growing up and how it changes the
vampire. When I realized it couldn’t be about one specific event but that I had
to show the evolution through childhood and teen years, I became very excited
about writing a very different kind of story, told through snapshots that span
eighteen years rather than a single plot.
Ø
Which Point of View do you prefer to write in
and why?
I enjoy both 1st and 3rd
person limited very much, and it really depends on the story. Most of my books
are 3rd person, but as close as I get to my characters’ thoughts
it’s sometimes not enough, and I have written an entire series of short
stories, plus a novel sequel, in first person. This series, Out of the Box, was
about the sexual and romantic awakening of the heroine (and hero) and I really
felt like the reader had to be right in her head to truly experience what she
did.
Ø
Do you prefer to plot your story or just go with
the flow?
Again, I do both *grins*. For most of my
stories, I outline extensively before I start writing, and usually know what
the last scene, sometimes even the last words of the story will probably be. Of
course, sometimes the outline goes out the window when the characters decide I
didn’t get things quite right. There’s one time when I completely write with
the flow, and that’s for my monthly freebies, including the current one, One Last Lullaby.
For these, I start with a general idea and just make it up as I go. It can be
really fun to see where my characters take me.
Ø
What excites you the most about your book?
As much as I enjoy writing, it’s always
hearing back from readers that’s the most thrilling. What I keep hearing from
readers about Demons & Lullabies is how relatable the characters are.
They’re two vampires, two men raising a child, but their experiences are for
the most part little things that most families would go through, which is what
I was trying to show in this book. It’s always exciting to me to realize that I
have transmitted through my words the very thing I wanted to express.
Ø
Are there any sequels planned?
Well I first set up to write one book,
which was Fangs & Lullabies, released last year. It was so long that I cut
out some parts and developed them and created this companion book, Demons &
Lullabies. I also just released a companion freebie based on the same snapshots
concept, Forgotten Lullabies.
And the monthly freebie I mentioned earlier shows Jacob, the vampires’ son, as
an adult. Will I write another full length novel in the same series? At this
moment in time I’d say no, but I’ve learned that even stories that feel
finished sometimes come back to haunt me, and I have a feeling this one just
might do that…
Thank you very much for giving me the chance to do this interview, it was fun!
And If I may add a note to finish… October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I am running a Shades of Pink event on my website with giveaways of swag, paperbacks and book thongs, as well as a handmade quilt. I’d love it if your readers dropped by to participate!
Now
that sounds fantastic and such a worthy cause too. I know I’ll be popping
over to try my fangs ahmm hand at winning lol.
Please
feel free to drop by anytime you want Kallysten, you have been a joy to host
and your answers quite insightful.
On
behalf of the readers of Blood, Lust and Erotica, I wish you well with your new
release, Demons and Lullabies and please feel free to come back anytime!
***
Title: Demons & Lullabies
Series: Demons Age, Book 2 (Can be read
independently)
Author: Kallysten
Genre: Male/Male, Paranormal, Romance,
Publisher: Self-Published
Ebook/Paperback
Words: 107.000 words
Purchase: Kallysten.net
Book Description:
Some little
boys want to be firemen or astronauts when they grow up. From the moment Jacob
understood what his fathers did, he never wanted to do anything but fight
demons.
Andrew,
Jacob’s father and a vampire, fights demons because it’s a necessity: few
others have the strength or skill to kill the strange creatures that started
appearing the very night his son was born. He carries with him some guilt, too,
and the suspicion that the magic that made Jacob’s very life possible also
opened the way for the demons. The last thing he wants is for his son to ever
join this fight and get hurt.
As the years
pass, however, and Andrew watches Jacob grow up and grow more determined, he
slowly has to accept there’s little he can do to deter his son. It doesn’t help
that Nicholas, Jacob’s other dad and Andrew’s Childe, starts giving Jacob
sword-fighting lessons under the cover of playing, or that Jacob discovers his
mother’s diaries and comes to the same conclusion Andrew did concerning his
origins and the demons’.
Through
snapshots covering Jacob’s life from birth to adulthood, watch all three members
of this unusual family change, grow up, and find their place in the world.
Excerpt:
His
father’s car was there, and Jacob tried to swallow the lump in his throat when
he saw it was empty. He rested a hand on the hood for a second; it was
lukewarm, as though the car had only been stopped for a while. The roof was
down, and Andrew rarely left the convertible open if he expected to be gone for
long. Dropping the blanket inside the car, Jacob checked the phone again. The
pin that represented him was very close to Nicholas’, but as he looked around,
he couldn’t see anyone. It was that steady water drip he could still hear that
clued him in.
Near
the beginning of the trail was a water fountain, with one of those
old-fashioned hand pumps and a basin at the base. If it dripped…
Tightening
a suddenly sweaty hand over the hilt of his sword, he went over to the
fountain. He wanted to run, but forced himself to walk at a steady pace, giving
himself time to look around for any sign of life, to listen for suspicious
sounds, even smell the air, like the hunter Andrew had tried for so long to
deny Jacob was.
Before
he reached the fountain, he had already picked up both his fathers’ scents,
along with something else, something like sulfur and rotten eggs. He’d smelled
this before, lingering on his fathers’ clothes or Craig’s after they had fought
hard. This was what demons smelled like.
His
heart jumped in his chest at the same time he flexed his fingers on the sword.
He had been trained to fight demons since the very first time he picked up a
foam sword and played with Nicholas but he didn’t know if he was ready to fight
one now.
A
gleam, low in front of him, brought his gaze to the ground. He bent down to
pick up Nicholas’ phone. His throat had never felt so tight. His eyes searched
the ground for ashes and dust, but even if they were there, would he have seen
them in such poor light?
He
wanted to call out for his dads, but at the same time he knew it would have
been a terrible idea. If there was a demon around—demons—the last thing he
wanted was to give away his presence. Besides, he had other means to track them
down.
Turning
off Nicholas’ phone, he slipped it into his pocket and took a deep breath in
through his nose. Nicholas’ scent, along with Andrew’s and the demon’s, led him
straight into the woods.
He
advanced with cautious steps, holding the sword in front of him with both
hands, his eyes sweeping around him, attentive to any movement. There was none
that he could see, and no sound other than the rustling of leaves above them,
or small animals scurrying out of sight. He continued to follow the scents
deeper into the woods. Again, he wanted to call out for them, and again he
thought better of it.
He
was afraid—no, he was terrified—but not for himself. He was afraid of how badly
his fathers might be hurt. Afraid it had taken him too much time to come to
them. He wanted nothing more than to run, find them fast, find them now,
but everything he had ever learned told him to go slow, from Nicholas teaching
him how to be very quiet when he had been a toddler to Andrew’s slightly
surreal but actually helpful lesson about controlling his heartbeat and
breathing, a few weeks earlier. Slow and steady, listening to every sound,
breathing in through his nose not to lose the scents he was tracking, he
crossed through the woods.
At
the end, both their scents and the demon’s led him to a small clearing. A
stream passed through, murmuring quietly, the water flowing around the massive
body of the demon that laid face up across it.
His
fathers’ scents were thicker here, now with the prominent smell of blood like a
veneer that tinted everything. More than ever, Jacob wanted to call out to
them, but he managed to reign in his instincts. If there were more demons, he
didn’t want to draw them to him now. He held the sword hilt so tight that his
knuckles turned white and approached the demon. Under a row of small spikes in
the place of eyebrows, the demon’s eyes were open, staring straight up at the
tree canopy above them. It was dead, and Jacob only needed seconds to find the
bloody wound on its side that must have killed it.
He
looked around again, and this time caught sight of a glimmer on the other side
of the stream, moonlight reflecting on metal. His heart in his throat, Jacob
started circling the thick tree that blocked his view, remaining at some
distance so he would see before being seen.
He
recognized the weapon first: Nicholas’ sword. Two more steps and he could see
Nicholas, sitting on the ground with his back to the tree, holding the sword in
front of him with both his hands as though defending. Jacob only needed one
more second to know what he was defending. Across his lap, the unmoving body
could only be—
“Dad!”
About the Author:
Kallysten’s
most exciting accomplishment to date was to cross a few thousand miles and an
ocean to pursue (and catch!) the love of her life. She has been writing for
fifteen years, and always enjoyed sharing her stories and listening to the
readers' reactions. After playing with science fiction, short stories and
poetry, she is now trying her hand, heart and words at paranormal romance
novels.
To see her
stories, including free short stories and sample chapters, visit
6 comments:
Thank you for having me, it was a hoot!
This book sounds awesome!! Different then what I read but I like reading different books. I've seen this book around on some blogs and I cannot wait to read it!!!
I've got this book on my wishlist as I want to read more about the three of them. Are there going to be more to look forward to?
ilona
felinewyvern at googlemail dot com
Lisa, have you tried the freebie Forgotten Lullabies? It'll give you a taste of it!
Ilona, you know how things turn out when I say no sequel LOL It isn't planned at this time, but we'll see :)
I can't wait to read these as have purchased most of your books I am working my way through they are all so amazing
Thank you Bubbles! I'd love it if you told me what you think of them as you read :)
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