Welcome guest author
Cera duBois
to the blog today!
I'm thrilled to welcome guest author Cera Dubois to the blog today! You all know I love vampires, even those ones that do sparkle *winks*, so I just think this is such a fun guest post. Be sure to see her giveaway information down at the bottom and leave her some comment love! Now, take it away, Cera!
My Vampires Don't Sparkle
Although
I freely admit the premise for A Hunter’s Angel and the whole
series came from a single line from Stephenie Meyer’s Eclipse, my vampires are
totally my own. I used a lot of different inspirations for the myth I created
surrounding my undead.
The
thing I admire about Ms. Meyer’s vampires is that she made them completely her
own, yet they are still very traditional. Her vamps are undead, they have
powers that are superhuman and paranormal, they don’t live on bagged blood.
What she has been criticized for are the two things I like—despite not totally
agreeing with—the sparkle and the lack of fangs. But what these two things do
is make the vampires of Twilight
totally, undeniably unique.
I hoped
to accomplish the same thing. Although I love Lindsay Sands and J.R. Ward, I am
not a fan of vampires being a unique species from humans and therefore alive, as
with Lindsay Sands’ Argeneaus, J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood or
Christine Feehan’s Carpathians. I used a combination of traditional myth, bits
and pieces from other places, and a lot of imagination to come up with my
vampires.
Ten
ways my vampires are unique, and yet are steadfastly seeped in traditional tropes:
1. My
vampires are undead—not really alive, but not dead either. They are considered
immortal and the only thing that can kill a vampire is stabbing through the
heart with either a silver dagger, a hawthorn stake, or decapitation by a
silver blade.
2. They
were created by the arch demon Asmodi, the prince of the Incubi/Succubae. (Hint
he shows up in Book 3 as the villain).
3. Although
older vampires can be out during the day, no vampire can be out during the
sunrise. Withstanding daylight comes around age 100.
4. They
must drink blood live from a human and the desire to kill is almost unbearable.
They can’t drink bagged blood and animal blood can’t be used long term or they
will go insane. They also can’t drink blood from each other (mates can share
blood, but this only strengthens their mate bond and can’t provide
nourishment).
5. My
vampires have fangs, which are similar to snake fangs, and like snakes, they
are venomous. The venom does several things if enough blood is taken from a
victim and enough venom induced. The most basic thing is it gives the person
being bitten an almost orgasmic feeling. But if enough blood is taken, the
venom creates a blood bond between the vampire and the human (the first step in
siring a vampire. With this bond, a vampire can find a fledgling anywhere in
the world). The venom also causes the physical changes to a fledgling’s body
(second step in the siring process.)
6. Vampire
siring is a three-step process, requiring three bites. The first bite is to
create a blood bond (if enough blood is taken). Step two (second bite) triggers
the venom to start the changing process. The last bite is to drain the body of
the poisoned blood to kill the fledgling. The venom is what keeps the fledgling
from crossing over the barrier between life/true death. Then the fledgling has
to take blood from the sire to complete the change.
7. My
vampires can’t read the minds of other vampires/werewolves. However, if they
have a blood bond, they can. The bond between mates (the strongest of all
bonds) allows them to share thoughts and sexual sensations magnifying the
pleasure they both feel.
8. They
have the power of mind control and manipulation over humans, they have
superhuman strength and speed (they can move faster than the speed of sound).
They can’t dematerialize, but because they are so fast, they do seem to
disappear before the eye.
9. Vampires
in my world have reflections and can be photographed and videotaped; however,
they have the power to prevent these things and can use their powers to cause
disturbances with video equipment.
10. The
only non-blood thing my vamps can drink is red wine…A gift from Asmodi and his
father Satan as the ultimate blasphemy in the face of God. Red wine is used by Christian churches to
represent the blood of Christ. So, if vampires can drink red wine, they are
drinking the blood of Jesus.
But in
no way do my vampires sparkle…
***
To find
out more about A Hunter’s Angel check out Cera's website for a
schedule of her blog stops during the book tour. She will be presenting a series
of short stories called The Vampire Encounters. Follow her as she interviews Ian McHenry, Master Vampire Lucas Pomeroy, Vivian van Dyke Pomeroy,
and have a scary run-in with Shane Chamberlain. Hope to see you along the way.
Contest
(Sorry,
only USA and Canada residents are eligible for any prize that needs to be
mailed. Non-residents and residents of USA are eligible for free PDF copy.)
Two Lucky Posters will get a PDF copy of Bloodwine.
(for info on this short story check out my website)—ends July 27.
1st Stalker Prize: Every Poster will also be
entered into a drawing for either a custom-made pair of angel wing earrings,
charm bracelet, or necklace (check out my website for photos)—drawing to happen
on September 1.
2nd
Stalker Prize: Every Poster will also be entered into a drawing of a $10 gift
card from either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice)—drawing to happen
on September 1.
(Stalker means that for every blog you comment on over the length of the book tour, your name will be added in for the final drawing. For example, if you comment on five blogs, your name then is entered five times. Good luck!)
The serial killer stalking Clayton,
Pennsylvania, isn’t all that has Chief of Police Grace Wallace worried. For a
year, she’s tried to forget Special Agent Ian McHenry and now he’s the expert
the FBI sent to catch the killer. She can’t stay away from him, but something
primal is telling her to run to save much more than just her heart. Despite the
strict code of ethics Ian vowed to follow as a vampire hunter, he craves
Grace’s blood above all others. If he chooses to stay, Ian risks losing his
chance at divine forgiveness. But if he leaves Grace unprotected from the evil
he’s hunted for over a century, he loses more than just his soul…
Excerpt:
“I’m in
love with the man inside the vampire.” Grace moved her hand to thread through
his silky hair. When she rested the other over his heart, a soft sigh escaped
his lips. Underneath her palm, the slow beat was barely noticeable.
His
thumb grazed her cheekbone and slowly trailed down to the hollow of her throat.
Her breathing quickened at the zinging anticipation as he caressed the pulse
point where he’d claimed to have taken blood from her. He glanced at the spot
with eyes as haunted as he sounded. “I’m not a man.”
“But
you were once.”
He met
her gaze again. “Yes, once.”
His
fingers lingered over her pulse. Her heart raced under his touch. She tilted
her neck as if his touch awakened some base instinct to offer the sacrifice.
“Do you still want my blood?”
Ian
stepped away and locked his wide-eyed gaze onto hers. At last, he rasped, “No,
I don’t want your blood. Oh, God, I still crave it. You have the sweetest I’ve
ever had, but I will never hurt you again.”
She
didn’t know what possessed her to do so, but she whispered, “You can
take...some of it.”
He
closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he acidly said, “No, Grace. I can
never taste your blood again. It would kill you.”
Fear of
what she’d wanted him to do tumbled through her. She stepped away, and for a
moment, she considered telling him to leave. How did she know any of this was
real? She couldn’t imagine she’d ever freely offer a vampire her blood. Did she
really believe him? He was sucking her into his insanity. But if this was true
and he could make people do things against their will, maybe he could control
her feelings.
“Maybe
I should go?” Ian backed away another step and headed toward the counter where
he’d left his dagger. He turned back to her with the sheath in his hand. Her
heart shattered with the knowledge that, if he walked out the front door, she’d
never see him again. “Goodbye, my sweet angel.”
His
jagged murmur ripped at her soul as his eyes took on a blazing intensity and
snared hers. She felt a pressure in her mind, and she knew what he intended to
do. He wanted to erase her memories of him.
No!
Bio:
Cera duBois has a strong belief in never giving up on your
dreams…
Although Cera was unable to read due to dyslexia and a
learning disability until she was in the fourth grade, she always had a story
to tell. She wrote her first novel in eleventh grade when she had to keep a
journal for her academic English class. Since her life was far from exciting
growing up as a farm girl in West Central Pennsylvania, she decided to rely on
her imagination to give her something to write about. Over the course of the
school year, she wrote a tangled romance set in the Deep South during the Civil
War. Becoming an author was her ultimate
dream. Despite holding a BS in secondary social studies education from Penn
State University, she currently works full-time as a medical secretary. A
mother of a teenage son and pre-teen daughter, she lives near Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, with her husband of nearly 20 years. If she isn’t sitting in a
quiet corner with her laptop, warm days will find her in the English garden
surrounding her house. Cera loves to read and is interested in history,
romance, science fiction and the paranormal. She also writes contemporary
Westerns under her real name of Sara Walter Ellwood.
Find Cera on the Web:
Thanks so much for reading! Wasn't that fun? Now, please tell Cera either which unique vampire feature your most enjoyed or a favorite line from her excerpt! And good luck in her contest!
Laura
