1. Bound to a Vampire is an erotic paranormal romance that takes place
in both modern-day New York and 17th century Europe. What inspired
you to write a vampire novel set in those times and places?
I wanted to set my novel in the present and in the 17th
century, going back in forth through memories, in order to show how the past
shapes a vampire after centuries of living. This time-shifting allowed me to
show vampires not only living, but being hunted, having love affairs and experiencing
great tragedy. I also wanted to take my
readers deeper into my characters’ histories, exploring how they became
vampires, how they found each other, how they lived, and ultimately how they
lost one another. Since the 17th century is one of my favorite time
periods, and a dramatic contrast to the times we currently live in, setting the
book during that time allows us to understand the past, so we can sympathize
with a particular vampire’s motivations and desires.
2. Bound to a Vampire features the female healer, Cassandra, who
is turned into a vampire by the mysterious and powerful Master Vampire, Killian,
and who becomes the member of a sexual triad that includes the dark and
brooding Protector, Alastair. What’s special about Cassandra and how did you
come to choose her as the main character for your first Into the Dark Woods novel?
This genre is dominated by male vampire protagonists. What I
wanted to see was a strong female vampire, who is driven by ambition, passion
and romance and willing to fight for those she loves. As a 17th
century human midwife, Cassandra’s talents were misunderstood and feared, and
ultimately she is persecuted as a witch. As a vampire, her former talents are
transformed, giving her ability to heal and create life, making her very
powerful. She goes from a simple peasant to vampire royalty. Flame haired with
an exquisite kind of delicate beauty, Cassandra is spirited, strong-willed, and
nurturing. She quickly finds herself in a passionate love triangle with her
Sire and her Protector. Cassandra is the perfect compliment to each of them,
but her true gift is her ability to bridge the gap between these two powerful
males, whose love for one another is dark, tangled and complicated.
3. There are strong erotic
elements, including passages that describe submission and bondage, in Bound
to a Vampire. What made you decide to pursue these thematic issues in your Into
the Dark Woods series and in this new novel?
When I envisioned my vampires, I saw them as highly sexual
creatures. But I didn’t think that vampires would express their sexuality the
way most typical humans do. BDSM and the power exchange between a dominant and
a submissive rang true to me in terms of the vampires’ natures and their
ability to attain nourishment from that exchange. I also think there is a
connection between pain and pleasure with vampires. The vampire bite, at least
in my books, is both painful and euphoric. The pain some submissives crave, as Alastair
does, is a component of that particular crossover. There is also a strong psychological
component to BDSM that parallels the emotional bonds within my vampire world.
Some vampires, like Killian, are Masters and demand ultimate trust and
surrender from their mates. In return, their submissive mates feel protected
and ultimately loved. This dynamic felt
so organic to me, I believe it was the perfect way to structure the sexual relationships
of my vampires.
4. What do you find the
most fascinating about the paranormal romance genre?
There are interesting fluctuations in what creatures are
capturing the interests of readers. Recently, I’ve seen a popular rise in books
about shape shifters, dragons, sexy demons and angelic warriors. A few years
ago, the Fae world was popular. Before
that, it was witches. Many writers have been combining a number of different
supernatural creatures in their books for years, creating very developed and complex
worlds where vampires, shifters, Fae, and others creatures, co-existed to
varying degrees of animosity and peace. I find many of them fascinating, and I
faithfully follow a number of writers. And yet, I see vampire stories enduring, being
recreated, the rules of their worlds ever changing and expanding. For me, the
vampire remains as intriguing and sexually charged as he was 30 years ago when
I picked up Interview with a Vampire.
5. What would you like
readers to remember most about you and your books?
The characters. They get under our skin and we can’t shake
them. What I would like people to
remember are the emotional layers that exist between my characters as they
develop and evolve. All three main characters go through transformations, be it
with through love, sex, power, loss, or reconciliation. Their pain haunts us. Their
love grips us. It is these emotional resonances that I hope stay with my
readers.
6. Are you working on a
new Into the Dark Woods novel and, if
so, what can you tell us about it?
Yes. The second book in the Into the Dark Woods series is called A King in Chains, and it focuses on Alastair and his dynamic yet
tumultuous history with Killian. The story also explores Alastair’s present day
struggle to move forward as king without Killian by his side, while battling a
powerful and malevolent vampire from his past who threatens everything he holds
dear. In order to save his kingdom, Alastair must make the ultimate sacrifice
for those he loves. That’s all I can say for now!
Bound to a Vampire
Into the Dark Woods
Volume 1
by Grey Francis
ISBN 978-1-5023-3800-6
January 29, 2015
$19.99
Cassandra Montclaire is a three-hundred-and-sixty-year-old vampire living in modern-day New York. Her human life ended three centuries earlier when, condemned as a witch, she was rescued and turned by a Master Vampire named Killian. Bonded in a passionate trio with their Protector, the three lived an exciting and dangerous life full of love, decadence, and dark passion. But then Killian vanished without a trace. Until now.
A human ally of Cassandra’s has proof Killian is alive and is killing off members of his organization. Killian is now a marked man, and Cassandra must find him before time runs out and he is eliminated.
But Cassandra must first journey into her torrid past and face her demons before she can fight for what was lost.
Filled with erotic passion, great tragedy, and dark mystery, Bound to a Vampire is a turbulent thriller that delves into the history of vampires and the dramatic events that shaped them into who they are. For fans of Vampire Mistress by Joey Hill, author Grey Francis creates a vibrant world where secrets abound and the BDSM power exchange between mates is as essential to their survival as the blood they drink.
Available at Amazon
About the Author:
I have always written -- first as a journalist, later as a screenwriter, then finally as an author, discovering my true passion lay in writing books. I have always worked within the paranormal genre, writing about reincarnation, witches, magicians, and ghosts. But Love was always the common thread running through all of my work.
I took a break from writing after the birth of my two children. However, the ideas never stopped coming to me and Cassandra was born in my mind while driving around on a cloudy Halloween afternoon. My daughter’s first day of preschool was the day I set up a laptop and worked in a coffee shop next door to the school. I have never looked back, even if it meant working long into the night. Which it usually still does.
As a writer, I feel my best teachers are other writers. I have always been drawn to vampires, my early years filled with books by Anne Rice. But I didn’t truly fall in love with vampires until I read J.R. Ward’s The Blackdagger Brotherhood series. What I found in her books was a world I had never seen in vampire fiction. You could say I was officially inspired.
Over the years, I started noticing certain patterns in my writing, certain books or characters that affected me on a deeper level. It all finally came together in my mind when I read the magnificently erotic and compelling works of Joey Hill. Her vampire’s sexual expression through BDSM spoke to that deeper level. To say a lightbulb went on in my brain would be a vast understatement. Her characters and stories emboldened me to take my own unique path as a writer and create a vampire world all my own.
Other than my two wonderful children, nothing has been more exciting and rewarding than giving life to these characters. My greatest aspiration is for them to move beyond my own alternate reality and into yours.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment