Ascher questions the purpose for his existence and which world he truly belongs to: the human world or the vampire world. Two months from sealing to Ursula— a prearranged union to a woman he abhors — he’s at his wit’s end. He knows if he calls off the sealing, the Romanian clan will strike with deadly force, but he cannot see eternity with a cold empty shell of a woman like Ursula.
Just when he thought life was complicated enough, he meets Shauna— a beautiful, bi-racial human wiccan — and immediately develops an unshakable attraction to her. She makes him feel alive and vital despite his origins and Ascher makes a decision that turns his immortal world upside down ."
Today we have author Ashlynne Laynne here, to talk to us about vampires! I know we all love that, right? I know I do! And at the end, please enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win a copy of The Progeny!
The New Breed of Vampire
Why write
about vampires?
I've been
obsessed with horror movies since I was very young. My grandmother took me to
see Creepshow at the dollar movie, when I was nine. The dollar movie has
long been gone but that day spurred my love of the horror genre.
I'm a
horror fanatic. I'll watch anything—slasher, cheesy b rated, zombie, vampire,
witches. You name it; I will or have already seen it. My movie library is more
than half horror.
My
upcoming series is about a family of vampires and one within their family who
is different, yet the same. Ascher is a half-bloodling (half-human and half
vampire). His skin possesses the warmth of a human's yet he lives off blood and
is immortal like his family.
I and
other authors are bringing forth a new breed of vampire. The days of the
cold-blooded, garlic fearing, cross avoiding fiends of old are slowly giving
way to a new warrior. The new
blood is tougher, meaner, and
more human-like. They fall deeper in love than any of their predecessors. These
guys have the gentle touch of a feather but will tear an enemy apart with the
same hands. They're as passionate about their clan ties as they are about the
women who stir their blood.
They're
bold, sexy warriors with hearts of gold and wills of steel. Their bodies are
lean, sculpted immortal vessels of paranormal strength and ability. They’re
devoted brothers, enemy slayers and erotic lovers capable of completely
satisfying their chosen mate.
Authors
like Brenda Dyer and myself, believe that our imaginations dictate our
characters’ worlds. We’ve empowered ourselves to freely interpret our mythical
beings—even if it goes against the grain of traditional vampire roles. We’ve
created feeling and intense vampires that are outside the typical vampire box.
In Brenda’s paranormal romance, Love’s Prophecy, her vampires are demon slayers
who appear just as human as you or me. They love passionately, eat food and
feel the full gamut of human emotions.
While I’m
not one to conform, I subscribe to the fact that vampires are pale and blood
drinkers. I, however, don’t have mine running around draining the life out of
poor, unsuspecting victims. I'm a purist in believing that they are
cold-skinned and burn in sunlight. I'm not one to believe that vampires are
emotionless, evil fiends who sleep in coffins and plan the demise of us
warm-blooded humans.
The
humanization of the "undead" makes for more interesting and intense
love stories with the ability to suck the reader in while fueling the
imagination.
And
really...why is it so hard to believe that a vampire might have the emotional
capacity to love as much as a human? They typically were human once and surely
felt the full range of emotions during that time. So, why wouldn't that carry
over into immortality?
With the Twilight
craze, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries (all of which I think are fabulous)
vampires have taken on a sexy, new persona becoming objects of longing, lust
and rabid curiosity for young and older women alike. And who could blame us? I
mean...if a vampire that looked like Ian Somerhalder wanted to bite me, I
wouldn't say no.
He
wouldn’t need his vampire mind control for me to comply.
About Ashlynne
Laynne:
Ashlynne
Laynne has always had a soft spot in her heart for vampires but grew tired of
the garlic fearing, sun loathing creatures of old. An avid horror movie fan,
she tends to enjoy media and music that is of a younger, more eclectic nature.
This was the catalyst for her writing The Progeny. The vampire/witch pairing is
unique and different when most books pair vampires with werewolves.
The
infinite possibilities, for such a wickedly unique couple, intrigued her. There
is no shortage of romance, steam and surprises in The Progeny. These books are
for adults and contain adult sensuality and themes, but minimal profanity. She
loves writing on the edge and teetering between the erotica and romance genres.
She thinks of Ascher and Shauna as the damned version of Romeo and Juliet.
She’s
currently working on book two of the series entitled Blood Bonds. In her spare
time, Ashlynne enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with her family.
Ashlynne juggles the hats of wife, mother, full time employee and part-time
writer, hoping to write full time one day soon.
Ashlynne
lives in North Carolina with her husband and teenage son.
About The
Progeny
At its core, The Progeny is simply a
story about a man and woman who fall in love, and the fact that he’s a
half-blood (half-human, half vampire) and she’s a Wiccan human are secondary
factors. It started as research about the Salem witch trials, some rough
sketches of a special family heirloom that my guys would wear and two
names—Ascher and Shauna. In the beginning, of the book, Ascher is grumpy.
Frankly, who could blame him? He’s engaged to seal to Ursula—a cold and
careless vampire who wants nothing more than to get her hands on a bloodstone—
and he feels conflicted about his existence.
All of that changes when he meets Shawnette
McCutchin. She’s beautiful, intriguing and possesses some of the most potent
blood that he’s ever smelled. A war immediately begins inside Ascher. He craves
Shauna’s blood just as much as he craves her body and the closer they get, the
harder it is for him to control his urges. After Ascher calls off the sealing
to Ursula, the trouble begins. His family’s peaceful period ends when Ursula’s
army attacks the Rousseaus. Kidnapping, some steamy love scenes between our
hero and heroine and Wiccan rage complete the plot.
Ashlynne
appreciates and loves to hear from her readers. Connect with her:
Twitter: @qlane
Facebook: Book Page- http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Progeny-Series-by-author- Ashlynne-Laynne/129418917161599
Buy Links
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Progeny-ebook/dp/B0074535P6/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328127665&sr=1-1
Barnes
and Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-progeny-ashlynne-laynne/1108540255?ean=2940014108355&itm=1&usri=the+progeny+by+ashlynne+laynne
Amazon
paperback: http://www.amazon.com/The-Progeny-Ashlynne-Laynne/dp/1470141604/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331315022&sr=1-1
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/128489


Yep...i love the new breed of vamps. WHO doesn't like a man who can kick-ass and be romantic and passionate.
ReplyDeletehaha, you got that right!
DeleteThanks for dropping by, kimba88. It was important to me that my story and vampires be different that what I'd previously read. Ascher is what I call an A.I.T. (Alpha in Training) He's the youngest in his family and has yet to learn the things that will truly make him a warrior. He becomes an intense kick-ass warrior as the series progresses. Book one is the beginning of his journey into Alphahood.
DeleteFirst, what a beautiful site!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I've read The Progeny and L.O.V.E.D it! Your new breed of vamps is exactly what I have been looking for.
Thank you so much Brenda!
DeleteI think it sounds great, I haven't read it yet, but it is definitely on my list :)
Thanks for supporting, Brenda. I'm always surprised at how our two stories parallel. It's like we shared a brain. I'm thrilled that you loved The Progeny so much and I am just as crazy about your characters and story. I'm hoping that others will join us in our quests to reinvent the vampire persona.
DeleteAshlynne, I think there are others out there just like us, lol.
DeleteVampires are here to stay I think, so we need to help them find a permanent home among us humans, lol.
Liz, thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteYour site is one of the prettiest I've seen. I love the colours.
I love the new Vampire. As you said, they were human once why shouldn't they have the human emotions that they were born with. The book sounds awesome. I'm sure I'm about to fall in love with this series. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by, Dynie. I'm really having a fun time writing this series because vampires and witches are very near and dear to my heart. I hope you do love it. Please feel free to email my fan address and let me know what you think. I just love connecting with my readers. You can also visit my website ashlynnelaynne.com to learn more about the series and to download a cool Progeny desktop background. Enjoy and thanks so much for coming by.
DeleteThe world is ready for a new breed of vampire. I love the idea od being warm to the touch. I just could never get around the idea of vamps living undetected with ice cold skin. Your vampires rock! I am a true fan of horror!
ReplyDeleteThanks;
Laura Thomas
Thanks for dropping in, Laura. The rest of the Rousseau family are your typical cold skinned vampire but they have a clever excuse that is revealed in book two. Ascher is the only warm skinned vampire and that is only because he is a half-blood. I imagine that the bulk of their interactions with the warm-blooded are conveniently wiped away using their vampire mind control. That seems to come in handy!
DeleteSounds like a great contest Thanks
ReplyDeleteleighsavage@sbcglobal.net
Thanks for dropping by, LeighSavage.
DeleteThey sound great! I can't wait to read about them! Thanks for the contest
ReplyDeleteterrilee.byles@yahoo.com
I'm so glad you could make it by, krtb. Good luck!
DeleteYes, most definitely. I like that they are more passionate & intense yet have humanlike emotions.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda,
DeleteThanks for coming by. In the case of my half-blood, Ascher, he doesn't start as an alhpa but grows into his role during the progression of the series. For me, this was important so that the reader goes on the journey with him.
New breed of vamps sound interesting
ReplyDeletepademe_lee@yahoo.com
Hi Tammy,
DeleteYes they are unique in the sense that they can walk around in the daytime (then again there is a special reason for that). They only get more special as the series goes on.
Yes, this sounds like an interesting type of vampire.
ReplyDeleteHi bn100.
DeleteMy half-blood is what I call different, yet the same.
well they sound interesting, i liking when authors do something differnt.
ReplyDeletedonnasing777@yahoo.com
Hi Donna,
DeleteThanks for taking the time to drop by. It was always my intention to create characters that stood out from the crowd. I'm hoping my readers like them.
I have to admit that I used to be a little addicted to horror movies too! Can't really watch them in front of the baby now though! I love the idea of a half-vampire, half-human. It's always fun to mix the two and kind-of form something totally different! Going to pop this one on my wishlist!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping in Sarah Elizabeth. The whole half-blood thing really appealed to me as a reader and writer. I love vampires and witches. So it was very gratifying to be able to join my two great horror loves. The mixing of the two also made for some explosive bed action! These characters go on an amazing journey together and I hope that the reader really becomes involved in the journey.
DeleteThat is so awesome that you all came by! Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this book and giveaway :)
ReplyDeleteI flip flop between the two. I suppose what I want from my vampire depends on what sort of book I am reading. I am all for the new blood in my love stories, but I want something creepier in my horror.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway
Antane
Thanks so much for the contest. I think your vamps sound intereting
ReplyDeleteforettarose@yahoo.com