Meet the Faustin Brothers with Author Evie Byrne

Today we have guest author Evie Byrne discussing her Faustin Brothers series and giving away a copy of Bound by Blood . Thanks for joining us Evie!

I didn't really intend to write a trilogy of vampire books, but the vampires found me. Well, one did. Alex.

In those minutes between sleep and waking, when all my ideas come, Alexander Faustin showed up on the doorstep of my imagination, cute and goofy and incredibly hot. I eavesdropped while he talked with his decidedly eccentric mother, who sounded like Natasha from the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. Between drags on her cigarette, she said to him, "Alexander, without he has family, a vampyr ezz nuthking."

Huh?

I hadn't planned to write a vampire book, but heck, talkative vampires had moved into my head. I had no choice.

I knew from the start that these would be different vampires. Alex had a mother, so he'd been born, not made. He had a soul. He was mortal.

Huh.

I began to see his vampirism as both a blessing and a disability, and was intrigued by all the possibilities of writing about the adventures of an all-too-human vampire.

While I worked on Alex's story, I caught glimpses of his charismatic big brothers, and I realized each of them had a story too. So one book turned into three: The Faustin Bros. Trilogy, three erotic vampire romances made up of surprising twists.

In each book, the hero has to hunt down and win his bride. Yes, they have destined mates, but I swear it's not an authorial cop out! Each of the brothers has to work hard for their Happily Ever After, because their women are not pushovers.

This is the series in a nutshell:

Alex, is the youngest and the family romantic. He's always wanted to marry, but his human mate has no interest in marrying a monster. His story is Called by Blood.

("A new and refreshing twist on vampires..." Paranormal Romance)


The middle brother, irascible, workaholic Gregor, has no intention of marrying, prophecy or no prophecy. Fate is about to knock him on his ass. His story is Bound by Blood.

("It had me laughing one minute and teary-eyed the next…Evie Bryne’s erotic vampire tales are not to be missed." Romance Junkies)


The eldest, Mikhail, is a lonely prince. When he learns his destined bride is his arch enemy, he knows he'll be mated or dead within the month. His story is Damned by Blood, and it will be released at Samhain on September 22nd.


The giveaway:


I'm giving away a copy of a Bound by Blood to a lucky commenter. Please note, this will be an ebook. If you follow this link, you can read the first chapter at Samhain. You can read a sexier excerpt here at my website.

Release-wise, Bound by Blood is the second book in the series, but chronologically it is the first, so it is actually the best place to begin the series. Strange but true. I'll return here in September to give away a copy of Mikhail's story.

To win, all you have to do is comment below on the following questions. You don't have to answer all of them:

Have you noticed a lot of snark lately directed against vampire romance? If so, what do you think has caused the burn out? What makes you insatiable for vampire books?

I'll draw a winner at random. Make sure you leave some way for me to contact you!

Many thanks to Roxanne for graciously inviting me to blog here today.

Happy reading!

Evie

Guest Blog and Giveaway with J.K. Coi

Hello! I would like to say thank you to Roxanne and the readers of Fantastic Books for letting me be a guest here today!

When I set out to write my first book, I honestly thought it would be about vampires. It was about three years ago now, and vampires were the cream of the paranormal genre. And yet, when I thought about the story and my first main character, it wasn’t a vampire that came to mind, but another type of man—Immortal.

His strengths and weaknesses were different than those that I’d read in books before, and I was drawn to create a world where these men would be the heroes, protecting humanity from the creatures of the darkness. Then again, I couldn’t leave vampires out of this world completely because I love vampires!

But would they be the bad guys or the good guys?

Inevitably, they are both. In my books there are no blacks and there are no whites. Not all Immortals are good, not all demons are bad. Even vampires come in shades of grey. It makes for a very interesting series and I hope you’ll check it out!

So what are your favourite paranormal creatures to read about? How do you love your vampires—as heroes or villains?

Before I go, I’ll leave you with an excerpt from Immortal Kiss, my second book (in the spirit of Fangtastic vampire books), but don’t forget that Book 4, Forever Immortal, is now available from Linden Bay Romance and as a special thank you for having me here today, I’d like to offer one lucky commenter a free e-copy of the book!

J.K. Coi writes dark and edgy paranormal romance, where love is all consuming, the stakes are always high, and the immortals are to die for.

Website: http://www.jkcoi.com/
Blog: http://www.jkcoiblogspot.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jkcoi
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jkcoi

© Immortal Kiss by J.K. Coi

His head bent to her neck, and she felt those teeth grazing the column of her throat, felt his tongue come out and lick the sweat from her skin in one long swipe. At that moment she knew exactly what was happening, exactly what she had unwittingly come up against—

Vampire.

His claws dug into the flesh and muscle of her upper arms as he pulled her closer to him. He smelled of dirt and blood and evil—exactly what you expected the essence of insanity to smell like. She gasped as the teeth tore through her skin with brutal efficiency. She could feel her blood trickling thickly down her neck to the valley of her breasts, sticky and hot. Inside her mind Max felt his satisfaction, his eagerness. He wanted to rip her apart like an animal, but she sensed he was weak and his need for her blood was great. He couldn’t afford to waste any of it with games.

The teeth that pierced her went deep, and she couldn’t help the moan passing across her lips at the sharp tug of his mouth on her skin as he started to draw her blood into his mouth. The sounds were like something out of a bad movie, sucking and slurping and great hungry swallows.

Oh God, this was really happening to her. She was going to die out here at the hands of this monster...and it’s all Baron’s fault.

Devon was surprised. Very surprised. What luck he was having this night.
He let the woman’s smooth, rich blood fill him, heal him. He could feel the burns on his face fading and knew the charred, ruined skin was turning pink and healthy again. His body warmed as her blood started pumping in his starved veins.

He had intended to drain the woman dry—he sorely needed her rejuvenating blood to restore him to full strength—but she had surprised him with her spirit and fire, just as she had surprised him with her thoughts.

Baron.

Oh, it was too good to be true, but the proof was right there in her mind, in the fevered whisper of the damn Immortal’s name inside her head. The Immortal who had dared take his mate from him. The Immortal who had been close on his heels every night since then like a bloodhound after a scent.

Devon had been forced into hiding—an animal on the run. Hunted.

A week after losing Bettina, the bastards had found and raided his lair in the city, forcing him out onto the street just moments before dawn. He’d managed to avoid the sun, but only barely. And two nights ago, they’d found him again. Only by the skin of his pointed vampire teeth, by the strength of his hatred and desire to have vengeance upon their hides, had he managed to escape the fire they’d set to trap him. Thankfully, he found his way into the subway tunnels before the sun could do more than just blister his skin.

He still suffered from the painful burns, and it didn’t help that he was forced to seek shelter out here in the middle of nowhere to avoid the Immortals that continued to hunt him mercilessly. Here, where human traffic was non-existent at night, making human blood impossible to find. Injured and weak as he was, he needed a large amount of it to heal him completely and there was none to be found...until tonight. Until one lone woman’s car just happened to break down on the side of the road only meters from his newly appointed home sweet home.

Devon’s hatred for the Immortals thundered hotly in his veins. He hungered constantly for the revenge he had promised them. For what they had done to his beloved Bettina they both deserved to die—deserved more than death.

This surprising young woman would be his first strike against them.

Her sweet blood still flowed into his mouth, drawing a sharp moan of pleasure from his lips, and he drank until he knew she was but moments from her death.

Her heart had slowed, barely beating now, her breathing shallow. Her eyes were closed, long, soft lashes brushing the tops of her paper white cheeks, and her hand no longer clutched his wrist to pull him away, but fell limply to her side.

She really was a beautiful woman, and looking at her, Devon felt the loss of his Bettina sharply.

He pulled from her throat and scored his wrist with his teeth, pushing the bloody gash to her mouth.

“Drink.”

Thanks for the fang-tastic blog post and excerpt, J.K.

And readers please leave a comment for your chance to win a free e-copy of Forever Immortal.

Welcome Guest Author Norm Applegate

Today I would like to welcome Norm Applegate,

author of the new book Blood Bar.

Hey Roxanne thanks for inviting me here, this is great site supporting the vampire. However, move towards me, tilt your head, I’m feeling greedy; give me all of you.

A little about me, I started writing in the 90’s while traveling through New Zealand and Australia as a Hypno-therapist with letters back to the USA sharing my experiences as a hypnotist with my wife. But began my first novel, Into the Basement in the mid 90’s. It took me a couple of years to get into the daily habit of writing, and reading everything I could about developing a story, it took awhile to find the zone.

So much of life is luck. I sent the first five chapters of “Basement,” to about seventy publishers, only twenty responded, and nobody was interested. Then about a month later I was in a Borders Book Store, a signing going on, talked to the author, and a few minutes later her husband found me in the store, the publisher had just come in. I introduced myself, and the rest just happened.

Recently I've been asked how did I come up with the title? Blood Bar, A Vampire Tale...what the hell is a blood bar? Sounds creepy, but intriguing. The premise for Blood Bar, was what would happen if you found out you were turning into a vampire. Where else to be initiated but a bar. So I built the plot around my murder mystery sleuth and heroine Kim Bennett, she’s in my first two novels, murder at a bar for vamps, gothic dressed men and woman, and your basic role playing vampires, however it’s fertile ground for picking up fresh meat...if you like that sort of thing. Are you going ask if blood bar exists, I can’t disclose that here for fear of being arrested...blushing sinfully.

Now onto info about the book, Blood Bar is my third book, you can visit my website at http://www.normanapplegate.com/ it’s stuffed full of links to horror sites, authors, actors, and just good stuff.

Title: Blood Bar
Author: Norman Applegate
Paperback: 324 pages
Publisher: BLACK BED SHEETS BOOKS (January 31, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 098225301X
ISBN-13: 978-0982253014
Available: Amazon.com

Quick Blurb:

Vampires don’t exist...yet, on the brownstone back alley side streets of New York, a vampire dies. Desperate, his lover turns to Kim Bennett, author Norm Applegate’s quintessential heroine whose passion for S&M led to celebrity status as a hell-and-back murder mystery sleuth who’s been there, done that, and then some. This time, Kim finds herself caught between a secret vampire society’s attempts to locate The Black Testament (a sacred document written by Jack the Ripper), the modern-day vampire hunters bent on their destruction, and a white knuckled journey of self-discovery that catapults her into the bowels of hell and the arms of the ultimate vampire.......courtesy of The Haven, New York’s ultimate BLOOD BAR.

Excerpt:

Surrounded at the bar, Kim’s thoughts were focused as her eyes became fixed on the ring, until she caught Rose glancing toward her chest eager to see what would be revealed beneath the tight fabric of her sweater.

“I dare you.”

“Very well.” Kim knew what to do next.

“There.” She exposed her swaying breasts, felt the cool air against her rubbery nipples, and leering eyes all over her.

Rose’s voice broke her concentration, “It’s not too late to say uncle.”

“Then what?”

“Run in fear the rest of your life, always wondering what the blood bar is all about.”

“I don’t run.”

“Then I dare you not to flinch.”

“Test me,” Kim said, "Really test me."

Rose shook her head and smiled, “You know what you’ve become don’t you?”

“A donor...”

“Not just a donor, you are my property,” Rose said.

Everyone’s attention was diverted to the look on Kim’s face as her eyes shot open when she felt the cool metal press against her skin. Kim followed the blade as it shimmered in the light, and with a strong steady hand, Rose carved a slit under her right breast. Slowly their eyes met, a furnace burned in Kim's chest with searing pain, and biting her lower lip, drew blood as she felt the full hell of blood bubbling from the wound.
The moment the blade penetrated, separating the plumpness of her skin, Kim’s mind came to attention. She was so well conditioned in her role as a submissive that her body instantly released a flood of endorphins like an explosion of fireworks on the 4th of July.

"Cut me," Kim said, "Make me hurt."

From the wet wound, droplets of blood emerged, which became a watery trickling, then turned to the familiar gore red syrup which wormed its way over her ribs.

At that precise moment, Nicolai crossed the room and as swift as the wind and just as silent, he positioned himself at the far end of the bar. His ice blue eyes were hidden behind dark recesses until he raised his angular chin and in the obscurity of the room, he met Kim.

“Is it burning?” Rose lowered her head toward Kim’s breast.

“Hell yeah.”

“This will take it away.” Her lips made contact, receiving the gift and the room filled with the odor of warm sweet iron.

A fiery sensation ran through Kim’s veins. The emotion was overwhelming and cradling her head, Kim pulled Rose tight into her body. The urge to be bled peaked with a soaring pulse rate as Kim, panting for air, reached out and cupped her breasts. The heightened sexual frenzy of anticipation had Kim moaning with pleasure. She arched her back, felt a warming sensation run through her stomach, squeezed her thighs together until they throbbed and felt her face slowly flush sinfully.

Drugged from the embrace, Kim lazily looked down the long shiny length of the crowded bar. Lust was in the eyes of every man and woman watching Rose feed, and at the end of the bar Kim locked eyes with the vampire and couldn’t let go.

Nicolai smiled his approval, slowly nodded his head and felt the beast inside explore perverse thoughts. The two of them never lost eye contact, and while everyone was studying Rose, Nicolai studied Kim.

Seconds turned into minutes and felt like time stood still as Rose nourished. “I love the feeling of blood gushing down my throat,” she said. In her rapture, she was able to control the craving before draining Kim of too much life, and lifting her head up for air, she kissed her on the lips. Instinctively Kim responded.

Like in a drug induced state, Kim’s body began to shut down, the dizziness took over, her eyes began to close, then Rose placed Kim’s head on the bar. With her mouth open and thin drool seeping out, Kim’s half closed bedroom eyes remained fixed on Nicolai.

“I love you,” Rose whispered into her ear. “It’s all good, let yourself dream.”

Vibrant colors flashed before her eyes, feeling no pain and dancing to the thoughts of making love to the devil's thrashing as he rode her like a dog, she drifted in and out of reality.

Erin Roberts was working the floor, preparing drinks and watched the whole episode play out until distracted by Nicolai’s focus. Between the passion she felt for him and the embrace between the girls, Erin was more than curious about Kim.

As the evening wore on, Kim began emerging from her stupor, and stared into space for a moment thinking about all she had been through, and then she remembered where she was. She looked up, rubbed her eyes and watched the room slowly come into focus.

“That is as close to an orgasm I could ever have without actual sex,” Kim said with a sultry tone that brought a smile to Rose’s face.

“I missed you.”

Brushing her hand through Kim’s hair, Rose looked at her and smiled. It was the signal Kim needed; she reached over, kissed her on the lips and eased her tongue forward as she accepted the invitation of her open mouth.

“I feel really close to you right now,” said Rose.

“Hold me.”

“Your skin feels cool, you okay?” Rose asked.

“Yes,” Kim responded immediately, “I’ve been here before.”

What Kim was referring to was the bond that develops during an intense S&M edge play. The high experienced from this, combined with the mental submission of giving yourself to someone, is infatuating.

Rose smiled, “They call it a blood bond.”

“I like it,” Kim whispered.

Rose understood. She had found satisfaction in being both a donor and a consumer. “Still feel weak?”

Kim’s face had lost all color and Rose was right, she was weak. “Yeah, it’s a strange feeling.”

“Not your cup of tea?” Rose inquired.

“Contraire mademoiselle, give me a drink and I’ll go again."

“Now do you believe in blood bars?” Rose asked.

Before she answered, Kim realized all around her were groups of two, three and as many as five people feeding off one another. It was a decadent orgy of the most sinful kind. Strangers meeting at a hidden away bar to engage in blood play.

Kim looked peaceful, and turned to Rose, “I like this place.”