October Vampire Romance Month: Emily Shore, Author of Roseblood
October 2020 is Vampire Romance Month on my blog, so I’ll be featuring authors of vampire romances throughout the month.
Today, I’m pleased to welcome Emily Shore, author of the Roseblood Series, a world where Phantom of the Opera meets Twilight. She’s also offering a giveaway (details below).
Please join me in welcoming Emily to the blog!
Meet the Author: Emily Shore
When Emily is not writing strong, female protagonists across the multi-genre universe, she is an anti-trafficking activist who loves her amazing husband, two little girls, two fur babies, and pursuing a degree for domestic abuse advocacy.
Connect with Emily on the Web:
Roseblood
Book title: Roseblood
Series title: Roseblood Series
Volume in series: Book One
Release date: September 2019
Publisher: Emily Shore
TWILIGHT & PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
If only Reina Caraway could stop waking up in vineyards with bruises on her back and bloody roses and corpses at her feet!
As the only human in a secret society of vampires and werewolves prophesied to rule both races, Reina has more than her fair share of pressure. Add her growing supernatural abilities, a stalker murderer able to cloak her scent, two rival vampires training while competing for her heart, and even the Queen enlisting her aid, it's just another typical day in Le Couvènte.
The perfect recipe for murder, mystery, romance, and suspense set against the decadent Redwoods and wine-soaked backdrop of Northern California.
Excerpt:
Someone…someone powerful had moved my body in the middle of the night without my family knowing and brought me here.
When I stepped forward, something pricked my foot. Peering down, I leaned over to pick up the fresh rose: an awkward presence in the vineyard. Examining it, I shuddered.
The rose was bloody.
I slammed my eyes shut, remembering something from a dream. No, a nightmare. A vampire caped in shadows. Faceless. I shook my head, wishing I could rid myself of the memories. A human girl in a white dress. A bloody rose. In my dream, she didn’t even have time to scream before his strong arms nuzzled her neck and his fangs buried deep into her tender throat. He’d tossed a long-stemmed rose to the ground, picked up her body, and carried her into the vineyard.
This same rose. This vineyard.
I felt a chill like hoarfrost creep up my spine. I spun my head, searching for a predator. Was I next? No, I hadn’t survived the past seventeen and a half years in Le Couvènte to become a morning entrée.
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Interview with the Author
Vampires are notoriously nocturnal. Are you personally a morning lark or a night owl? How does this influence your writing schedule or creative process?
I am typically a night owl. While I prefer to write in the early morning, I put my kids to bed early and spend the rest of the night writing. I’ll also squeeze in writing sessions any time during the day. Children zap my creative process far more than daily cycles.
Every author adds their own twist to the vampire mythology or genre conventions. What’s one traditional vampire myth you put your own spin on? What’s one aspect of vampire lore you kept and incorporated into your series?
Traditional Dracula lore: my vampires are only weakened by sunlight, but it doesn’t burn their skin. If they remain in sunlight for sustained periods, it will weaken them to unconsciousness. However, due to their enhanced eyes, they cannot look at sunlight or moonlight. My vampires also have great bat wings and special powers, but it varies between bitten vampires and pure born vampires.
Tell us about your book. What drew you to writing a book about vampires? What made you decide to write this particular book or series? What can readers expect?
I am a guilty Twi-hard. However, I loved Twilight long before the films were released and began sucking (yes, I’m so punny) down any vampire works I could find along with heavy research. My goal was to write a vampire series where the human grew up in a supernatural society and family but was not afraid due to her raising. I injected my love of The Phantom of the Opera as a theme. Each book grows considerably darker and more challenging and steamier for my audience. Crossing over into adult category, we get a TWILIGHT X GAME OF THRONES vibe.
Let’s talk tone: Did you go dark and brooding vampires with spooky undertones, or is your book laugh-out-loud funny? Something else entirely? Let us know what to expect.
I have a blend of both. There are plenty of dark and brooding vampires in my series, power struggles, battles, sensuality, clan conflicts, but also enough witty banter between my characters. By the time you reach the final book, they feel like family. Or secret lovers on account of all my sexy boys.
What surprised you most when you were writing this book or series?
In first drafts, Reina, my protagonist, was so meek and timid. Over the years, I honed my craft and my books and turned her into a downright warrior and the only one of her kind: a creator in human form who can literally form any power into being.
Besides your own, what book or series would you most recommend to readers looking for a good vampire read?
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, Ali Winters's The Vampire Debt, and Susan Harris's Ever Chace Series. Harris uses vampires as a subplot, but it’s still a good read.
How many books are available in your series currently? How many are planned total?
The 4th ebook in the Roseblood Series will be available October 1st. Roseborn, the fifth, will be released next year. The spinoff series featuring steamy court intrigue will be available shortly after.
Are the vampires in your series inherently good, evil, or morally neutral?
All of the above. In Le Couvènte, they are mostly good but with dark sides. One of my most beloved characters is a morally neutral, lovable bastard. And my villains are love-to-hate.
What’s your favorite quote or line from your book?
A creator.
Once he’d revealed that I had more power in my human body than thousands of vampires could only dream of, power that only the Father of vampires himself carried, I had only one response. I’d promptly unleashed my wings, flew outside, and threw up.
What’s the most interesting thing you learned about vampires while writing your book or series? Is it something you learned from research or something that your characters taught you?
I believe I’ve learned far more about the industry, about craft, and about myself over the course of this Roseblood journey. I’ve loved growing and the transition with my writing. I will always be a perfectionist, but I am ultimately proud of what I’ve accomplished.
Bonus question: Anything else you want to share with readers?
In this fast-paced world with short attention spans, I hope I’ve written a worthy suspense with plenty of sensuality and action to keep readers intrigued. Give Reina a chance. I promise she will shine like the sovereign she is!
Giveaway: Enter to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card & Author Swag!
Emily is offering a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card AND a Roseblood magnet! To enter, subscribe to her newsletter and follow her on her social media pages. Reviews give you a bonus entry.
Giveaway closes at midnight Eastern on Nov. 12.
This giveaway is now closed.
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