Caridad Pineiro Talks Movies/TV & Writing Inspiration! #TheClaimed

Hey everyone! I'm very excited to welcome to the blog today my good friend and awesome paranormal romance author Caridad Pineiro, recently a nominee for the extremely prestigious RWA RITA Award for The Lost, the first book in the series she's here to share with you today ! Woot! So, read on for a hugely fun post about inspiration and the writing process!

Take it away, Caridad... 

Laura, thank you so much for letting me come and visit with you.  I appreciate you letting me give some behind the scenes inspiration for my new paranormal romance, THE CLAIMED, the second book in the SIN HUNTERS series.

When I set out to create the new SIN HUNTERS paranormal romance series, I wanted to do something very different from the vampires and demons populating so many stories in the genre.  I also wanted the mythology to be thought-provoking to readers by creating a concept that would have them thinking about whether or not it was possible that a race like the Hunters could actually exist.

Christopher Sombrosa, the hero in THE CLAIMED, is a Shadow Hunter, one faction of a race of energy gatherers whose destiny was forever changed by the arrival of the Conquistadors and the smallpox brought to the Americas.  The pox has contaminated the Shadow Hunters and they must constantly feed on energy in order to keep the illness at bay.

The other faction of the ancient race is the Light Hunters.  Many of the Light Hunters can no longer gather energy and must rely on their leaders to sustain them.  Despite that, the energy they can gather is pure and because of that, some Shadow Hunters are content to catch and drain the Light Hunters in order to keep the smallpox from eating away their bodies.

That destiny has Light Hunter battling Shadow Hunter in a civil war which is coming to a head when THE CLAIMED begins.  Especially since at a local gathering, Christopher meets and is attracted to Victoria Johnson.  There is just one problem.  Victoria is the heiress to her Light Hunter clan.

You could say that THE CLAIMED is a paranormal Romeo and Juliet as Christopher and Victoria must find a way to bring peace to their warring clans in order to have their happily-ever-after.  The book is action-packed and sexy as Christopher and Victoria fight for their survival and explore the unique bonding of their Hunter energies.

As you can imagine, it took time to build a mythology and history for the Hunters and THE CLAIMED.  To do so, I took inspiration from various history books and studies into the different concepts regarding the control and enhancement of life forces and energy.  I was also inspired by trips along the Jersey Shore and the connection I felt to the ocean and nature.

Because I’m motivated by visual things, I will almost always write with the television on while I am working.  I’ll play movies and television shows that fit the mood of what I am writing.

Here are five movies I will oftentimes watch while I write and maybe they are some of your favorites as well!

KING ARTHUR with Clive Owen and Keira Knightley.  Honorable hero and a gang of friends who each bring something different to the mix at the round table.  A kick-butt heroine in the form of a warrior Guinevere.  Amazing action scenes with one of my favorite sword moves.

UNDERWORLD with Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman.  Tortured kick-butt heroine, honorable hero and an ages-old battle of vampire versus werewolf.  Futuristic-type action sequences and weapons ramp up a traditional vampire mythology.

TWO WEEKS NOTICE with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant.  What can I say, but the sight of Hugh Grant flopping around on a mattress like a fish pulled out of water is classic.  Humor.  Even in the darkest paranormal there has to be that hint of humor that humanizes both hero and villain.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER television series with Sarah Michelle Gellar.  Tortured, kick-butt heroine (are you noticing a theme?) and unexpected heroes in the form of Spike and Angel.  The Scooby Gang of friends.  More importantly, amazing metaphors, story arcs and word play that is as sharp as any punch that Buffy might throw.

A WALK IN THE CLOUDS with Keanu Reeves.  Lush cinematography brings to life the California wine valleys and is so real you think you could step into the landscape.  A sweet romance filled with amazing sexual tension and the conflict of both cultures and expectations.

I hope you’ll check out some of my favorites as well as THE CLAIMED, the second book in the SIN HUNTER paranormal romance series.  If you haven’t read the first book, THE LOST (which is nominated for a RITA by the way), never fear.  THE CLAIMED stands alone although many readers are going back to catch up on what they missed in THE LOST.

Find Caridad and her books here:

Buy The Claimed on Amazon | B&N

Website | Twitter

Thanks so much for coming on the blog, Caridad! Hey guys, what do you think of her cool mythology in the Sin Hunters series???

Thanks for reading!

Laura