Friday, April 2, 2010

Win a Copy of Immortalis: Carpe Noctem by Katie Salidas


You cannot deny that vampires are HOT in today’s market. Between Urban Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Erotica, and let’s not forget the super popular YA market, vampires are taking over.

Not that I think that is a bad thing. I’ve been a die-hard vampire lover since I read my first novel, The Vampire Diaries, by LJ Smith. I believe I was about 10 years old at the time (Ooh, I’m dating my self. Strike that from the record).

There was just something about those creatures of the night that struck me. Perhaps it was the mystique, maybe it was the ability to be the ultimate bad boy (let’s face it, you know we deny it but we women do love a bad boy.), maybe it was the power and immortality.

I was hooked, plain and simple.

From that moment on I devoured anything, vampire related, I could find.

Combine that love, with a desire to create and that sparked the idea to write my own stories.

And that brings us back to the recent surge in popularity of vampires.

It’s not enough to just write a vampire story. You have to give a little oomph to it. Like it or not the, “sparkly vampires” that were created in Twilight, show us a perfect example of this concept. Whether or not you like them, Mrs. Meyers did something different. She took an old idea and added a fresh twist. The market is hugely competitive at the moment; so, to stand out, you have to have something to give your audience that they might not get with another story.

We all know the standard vampire themes: Vampires cannot handle sunlight, crosses (or any holy relics for that matter) are a great deterrent, garlic is supposed to be toxic, and a stake through the heart makes a good killing weapon.

When writing my story, I asked myself, why? Why can’t vampires handle the sunlight? Why do holy relics bother them? I wanted to give the reader a real, solid reason behind the answers to these questions. I wanted to make my vampires real enough to step out of the pages.

With all that in mind, I wanted to deliver a story that let you experience, with the main character, the transformation from human to full fledged vampire. While reading, you will learn what it takes to be a vampire; you will experience the gut wrenching feeling of blood lust. You will make your first kill. You will feel the high and experience the guilt. If you can get over that, you will learn to hone your new supernatural abilities. In the end, you might even like being a creature of the night.

In Immortals Carpe Noctem, vampires inhabit a world identical to our own. They follow a few of the standard vampire themes and the ones they don’t follow are explained. They live mostly solitary lifestyles and remain secret because they know the danger in being out in the open.

Don’t get me wrong, my vampires are not weaklings, but let’s face it, when your confined to the indoors during the daylight hours, you do have to be careful who knows what you really are.

Because of their nature and need for fresh, live blood, they generally do not live en masse. Too many dead bodies might be a bit of a giveaway, don’t you think?

Not to mention they are, and have been hunted for centuries, by a secret and very powerful organization called the Acta Sanctorum.

Immortalis follows Alyssa, a fortunate (or unfortunate, you be the judge) girl who was rescued from a brutal mugging, by the least likely of saviors; a two-thousand year old loner named Lysander.

Alyssa awakens as a vampire and is soon devastated by harsh realities of her new way of life: the loss of her friends, her independence, and worst of all, her humanity.

As if that weren’t enough to make life interesting, she finds out her “turning”, did not go unnoticed. The Acta Sanctorum has caught wind of some strange activity in Las Vegas and sent their top hunter, Santino Vitale, to eradicate the problem.

Meanwhile, Lysander’s old mate has learned of Alyssa’s turning as well and has a bit of a jealousy problem. Let me tell you this, hell hath no fury like a vampire mistress scorned.

There is no time to whine about the loss of her mortal life, Alyssa has to come to terms with the changes quickly because there at two separate enemies ready to take her new found immortality away.

To survive as a vampire, one must learn to, Carpe Noctem (Seize the Night).

Now that I’ve given you a taste of my vampires, I’d love to hear some of your thoughts. Tell me what your ideal vampires are like. What powers should they possess? What weapons should defeat them … or not?

I’ve got a copy of Immortalis Carpe Noctem to give away to one lucky commenter. Who will it be?

Find Immortalis Carpe Noctem at online retailer Amazon.com or visit the publisher’s website for an autographed copy.
http://www.risingsignbooks.com/

Blurb: Immortalis: Carpe Noctem

Bleeding to death after brutal mugging on the campus of UNLV, Twenty-five year old Alyssa, is rescued by the cold and aloof, vampire, Lysander. Taking pity on her, he shares the gift-and curse-of immortality. She awakens as a vampire and is soon devastated by harsh realities of her new way of life: the loss of her friends, her independence, and her humanity.

As if having her humanity stripped away was not enough to make life interesting, Alyssa finds out her “turning”, did not go unnoticed by the rest of undead society. Old enemies; an ancient sect of vampire hunters, known as the Acta Sanctorum, as well as a powerful Vampire mistress, each set plans in motion to destroy both Alyssa and Lysander. Only by accepting her newfound immortality, seizing the night, will Alyssa hope to survive. She and Lysander must fight together against two sets of enemies bent on destroying them both.

Would you like to win a copy of Immortalis: Carpe Noctem?

Leave a comment on this post with your email contact info

Contest Closes Tuesday April 6 Midnight EST


Winner Announced on Wednesday April 7

+5 entries for being a Fang-tastic Books Follower


+5 entries for blogging about this contest


+5 entries for including a link to this contest on your blog, twitter, or Facebook


+5 entries for adding my link back button to your blog


+5 for being a @RoxanneRhoads Twitter follower






32 comments:

SiNn said...

awesome give away i love that cover

+5 entries for adding my link back button to your blog


+5 for being a @RoxanneRhoads Twitter follower : @bainesgoddess


+5 entries for being a Fang-tastic Books Follower

SiNn said...

posted on twitter


http://twitter.com/Bainesgoddess/statuses/2147483647

Persephone said...

I would love to win this book! Woot!

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http://twitter.com/suan_tian/status/11479703355

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julstew said...

This looks like a great book! Thanks for the giveaway.

+5 GFC follower

Unknown said...

Great giveaway! I like the sound of this book.

+5 entries for being a Fang-tastic Books Follower


+5 entries for tweet: http://twitter.com/_elizabethjoy/status/11481498196

+5 for being a @RoxanneRhoads Twitter follower (@_elizabethjoy)

Jamie said...

+5 entries for being a Fang-tastic Books Follower

+5 entries for including a link to this contest on your blog, twitter, or Facebook
http://twitter.com/Stacy_Stewart/status/11481330022
http://www.facebook.com/stacy.stewart?v=feed&story_fbid=110553202301726&ref=nf

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@Stacy_Stewart

Total:25

SandyG265 said...

I tend to lean more to the traditional vampire although I don't mind if they can move around during the day as long as they have some of their native earth with them.

+5 follower

Sherry said...

Sounds like a great book I would love to win it.

sstrode@scrtc.com

Becky said...

Great post! This sounds like a really good book. I enjoyed reading about your views of a vampire. I have a hard time trying to decide what powers they should possess or weapons that could defeat them or not.

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tetewa said...

Sounds good, +5 for being a Fang-tastic Books follower! tWarner419@aol.com

Tawania said...

Great cover! I can't wait to read this book!

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angie said...

I would love to win a copy of this book!
email bangersis(at)msn(dot)com
+5 I am a follower
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+5 for being a @RoxanneRhoads Twitter follower @bangersis

The Scarf Princess said...

+5 I'm a Fangtastic Books follower
+5 I tweeted about the contest here....http://twitter.com/jone402/status/11499794187
+5 I follow Roxanne at twitter @jone402

For my vampires, I'd like them to have super strength, be able to manipulate peoples thoughts, and have super speed. I'm rather old fashioned when it comes to how I picture my vamps. And I want their weaknesses to be the usual sunlight, fire, and silver. It just feels wrong to have them walking in daylight.

joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com

Kelsey said...

Thanks for the contest!

I'm already a follower.

I included a link on my blog's sidebar: www.thedoortowonderland.blogspot.com.

I tweeted: http://twitter.com/Door2Wonderland/status/11500440568.

I have your blog button on my sidebar.

I follow on Twitter. My username is Door2Wonderland.

Kelsey
krae991@yahoo.com

Katie Salidas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Katie Salidas said...

SandyG265 - I never touched on the "home soil" theme in my book but that has always been an interesting one to me. I think it would be a pain to always have to carry around your home dirt.

Becky - It was those types of questions that led me to write this story. Finding the answers can be fun.

joder - your thoughts on vampires are not to far from mine. I did not touch on silver though. I've always felt that was more a werewolf thing that got attached to vampires.

Thanks for the compliments on the cover art. I was lucky enough to find an awesome artist who just 'got" it, right from the start.

Katie

Anonymous said...

SOunds like a great book ;)

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Unknown said...

Would love to win this one!

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Jennifer Mathis said...

love the cover

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Reading said...

Please count me in. Thanks for the chance.

+5 I am a follower.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Unknown said...

+5 entries for being a Fang-tastic Books Follower
+5 for being a @RoxanneRhoads Twitter follower
Please enter me in the contest.
marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

Van Pham said...

Realllly want to read this, THANKS for the giveaway!


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cait045 said...

This book sounds great

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Barbara E. said...

I enjoyed the post and I'm looking forward to checking out Immortalis: Carpe Noctem - it sounds like a fantastic book.

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EVA SB said...

+5 I'm a Fang-tastic Books Follower

+5 I tweeted
http://twitter.com/EVA_n_essence/status/11578779126

+5 I sidebarred
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+5 I added your button to my blog
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Denise said...

Roxanne, thanks for posting this review. I'll have to pick this one up. I agree with you about the vampires, it's not a bad thing that they are taking over at all. I also loved L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries books. I'm glad they are bringing them back in new covers, plus the show is very good too.

Denise
www.denisealicea.com
www.thepenmuse.com

donnas said...

I would love to be included. Thanks!!

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Rosie said...

I love the cover of this book (being from Vegas, of course). Looks like another good book to add to my list. Thanks for the contest.

+5 follower

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Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

Love, love that cover

+5 blogged about contest
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Sara said...

Enter me if this contest is open internationally :)

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Aik said...

I'd love to enter! Thanks!

+5 entries for being a Fang-tastic Books Follower

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http://twitter.com/aikchien/status/11699397768

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Unknown said...

been a twitter follower

n9ot sure if this is still open

 
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