Interview & Giveaway with author Laurie London

Today we are taking a break from the Countdown to This Side of the Grave to have the lovely Laurie London over for an interview. Laurie is the author of a fabulous paranormal romance, Bonded by Blood, and if you haven't read it yet then you definitely should! You can check out my review on it HERE. 

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Author Bio:

A graduate of Western Washington University with a BA in Business Administration and a former tester/programmer for a Fortune 500 company, Laurie London  writes from her home near Seattle where she lives with her husband and two children.  

She is a member of Romance Writers of America®, Greater Seattle Area RWA, RWAOnline, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, FF&P (RWA chapter devoted to all things paranormal), and two book clubs.  

When not writing, she can be found running, reading, or riding and showing her horse. Someday she hopes to qualify for the Quarter Horse World Show – that is, if her horse doesn’t get hurt again.

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Hi Laurie! Thank you so much for joining us today at Reading Between the Wines!

Thanks, Crystal, for having me on today! I love books and I love wine, so I feel right at home.

First, can you tell us a little bit about ‘Bonded by Blood’ and the Sweetblood series?

It’s the first book in the series and my debut novel as well. Since it just came out, I’ve been a little giddy.

Here’s the back cover copy:

Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, two vampire coalitions battle for supremacy—Guardian enforcers who safeguard humanity and Darkbloods, rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors.

Movie location scout Mackenzie Foster-Shaw has always known that she’s cursed to die young. No one can protect her from the evil that has stalked her family for generations—vampires who crave her rare blood type. Until one afternoon in a wooded cemetery, she encounters an impossibly sexy stranger, a man she must trust with her life.

For Dominic, a man haunted by loss, Mackenzie satisfies a primal hunger that torments him—and the bond they share goes beyond heat, beyond love. She alone can supply the strength he needs to claim his revenge. But in doing so, he could destroy her…

How did you come up with the term sweetblood, the rare blood type that some humans have and vampires crave?

Since vampires have been living secretly among humans for centuries, they are able to blend in well. They absorb our energies and don’t need a lot of blood to survive, so killing a human host isn’t necessary.

However, I knew Mackenzie was different from most humans. She tempted Dom in a way that he’d never experienced before. What was it about her? I wondered. It had to be her blood—her sweet blood—that called him like a siren, causing him to question his beliefs and his sense of right and wrong.

As a Guardian agent, he’s sworn to protect humans from Darkbloods, bloodthirsty members of their kind, but her blood gives him the power to exact revenge on the enemy he’s been after for centuries. He’s suddenly faced with terrible choice.

And when I realized it wasn’t just him, that all vampires were attracted to the addictive Sweet, I saw all sorts of potential conflict to write about.

Was there anything specific that inspired the series?

The inspiration for the Sweetblood series came to me as I drove past a tiny old cemetery near where I live. Although I’d driven by many times, there was something about this one particular time that stuck with me. Tucked beneath a stand of fir trees at the side of a busy highway, it seemed glaringly out of place.

Because I’ve always been intrigued by cemeteries, I doubled back and got out of my car. Not seeing any fresh flowers, just crooked and broken gravestones littering the forest floor, my mind started imagining all sorts of things.

So I created characters that had a reason to be there, and the Sweetblood series was born.

If you want to see pictures of this cemetery, click the For Readers tab on my website at www.LaurieLondonBooks.com.

How many novels are planned for the Sweetblood series?

Right now, I’m contracted for two, but I originally planned five books, with the possibility of more. And after having finished book 2, there are a few more characters whose stories I’d love to tell.

And how big of a role does the romance play in your novels?

The romance is the most important element. My books are romances set in a paranormal world, as opposed to a paranormal world with a romance.

What kind of readers do you think these novels will appeal to? 

My books will appeal to readers who enjoy hot romance and men with a little bite.

What kinds of writing process or rituals do you have when writing your novels?

Because I don’t have an office to block out the distractions (my husband works from home and bogarts the actual office), I use noise-cancelling headphones which I turn on without any music. 

Was there a character that was harder to write than others? Any you have a love/hate relationship with?

The characters that are hard to write are the ones I know are going to be killed off. It’s like knowing someone has a terminal illness and there’s nothing you can do about it.

I have a love/hate relationship with the villains. For some reason, the scenes I write in their point of view flow very easily. I hesitate to think what that says about me.

What is your favorite type of hero to write about? Bad boy, alpha, brooding, nice guy or something else? And what is your favorite to read about?

Bad boy/alpha heroes! Anyone with a dark, tortured past. And I love it when they have deep dark secrets that they can barely admit to themselves. They bring lots of baggage to the relationship and I love pairing them with the one woman who can help them heal.

These are the same kinds of heroes I love reading about too.

Could you tell us a bit about the sequel to this novel, ‘Embraced by Blood’? 

It’s Alfonso and Lily’s story. Alfonso is Dom’s brother and the black sheep of the family. Lily, also a vampire, is a single mother and one of the best Scent Trackers within the Agency. Here’s the back cover copy:

Alfonso Serrano is a hunted man. For months he’s managed to elude the Darkbloods, vengeful foes who won’t rest until he’s dead. But he still craves one dangerous temptation: Lily DeGraff, the sexy Guardian agent he’ll risk anything to protect.

Lily is a wanted woman. Her talent for tracking Sweet-a rare blood type that’s addictive to vampires-makes her a prime target for enemy capture. Her only hope is the stealthy vampire operative who stole into her bed...then left her in despair. Danger aside-Lily won’t let Alfonso near her heart again-until an irresistible hunger draws them back together...and into an assassin’s snare.

Do you have anything your working on now that you can share?

At this exact time, I have no news that I can share. 

But stay tuned. ;-)

On your website you state that when you’re not writing you can be found running, reading, or riding and showing your horse. Can you tell us some more about your horse?

She’s a gorgeous Quarterhorse mare that I showed on the breed circuit until she got hurt just two days before the biggest show of the season. After almost four months of complete stall rest, she made a full recovery. I can’t wait to get her back into training and start showing 

again.

You are stranded on an island with only five of your favorite books, what are they?

1. The Giver

2. The Shadow of the Wind

3. The Count of Monte Cristo

4. Lover Awakened

5. Rebecca

What is your favorite color?

Green

Do you have a favorite dish?

Homemade macaroni and cheese.

And last but not least, what is you favorite wine?

Alexandria Nicole Cellars Crawford Viognier

Thanks again for stopping by Laurie, I hope you’ve enjoyed your time here.  Any last comments or words you want to say to readers?

Thanks so much, Crystal, for having me on today!!!

Readers can check out my website at www.LaurieLondonBooks.com or find me on Facebook www.facebook.com/LaurieLondonAuthor and Twitter www.twitter.com/LaurieBLondon

I’d love to give away a signed copy of Bonded By Blood to one lucky commenter who can tell me what books you’d bring if you were stranded on a deserted island.

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To enter to win a signed copy of Bonded by Blood that Laurie is graciously giving away just leave a comment answering her question above. The giveaway is opened to residents of the US & Canada, please make sure to leave an email address with your comment. Giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on March 4th at which time a winner will be selected at random and contacted via the email address provided. Good luck everyone!