Halloween Event: Vampire - Dianne Duvall (Guest Post & Giveaway)

Alright you'all, has everyone enjoyed our Halloween event? I sure hope so! I want to give a humongous thank you and a great big cheer to all the amazing authors that took the time to join us this week and I can't forget all of you fabulous readers as well. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting! Don't forget that all the giveaways for this event will close on Nov. 6th. For the last post of the event and our vampires feature I'd like to welcome author Dianne Duvall back to Reading Between the Wines for a special character interview! Besides being one of the sweetest people I've had the pleasure to chat with, Dianne also writes some fang-tastic paranormal romance that is an absolute must-read!

Vampires, Immortals, and Seconds . . . Oh, My!

Happy Halloween!  I know I’m early, but I’m very excited to be here today.  Thank you, Crystal, for letting me join the “Creatures That Go Bump in the Night” fun!  I’m Dianne Duvall, author of the Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series.  Since the topic for today is vampires, I thought I would let Roland and Sarah, the hero and heroine from Darkness Dawns (Immortal Guardians, Book 1), tell you a little bit about the vamps you’ll encounter in my series.  Sheldon, a Second (human assistant to an Immortal Guardian) will interview them for me. 

Sheldon:  Nice to see you again, sir.

Roland:  Do I know you?

Sarah:  He’s Richart’s Second, sweetie.  *smiles at Sheldon*  Aren’t you?

Sheldon:  *straightens his shoulders and puffs out his chest*  Yes, ma’am. 

Roland:  The one who screws up all the time?

Sheldon:  *deflates*  Yes.

Sarah:  *elbows Roland*  Be nice.

Roland:  Why?  We could be neck-deep in a bubble bath right now, licking water droplets off each other’s--

Sarah:  *claps a hand over his mouth and blushes*  Later.

Roland:  *eyes flash brilliant amber*  Promise?

Sarah:  Yes.  *clears throat*  Now, if I’m remembering correctly, Sheldon, Chris Reordon sent you here to interview us.   

Roland:  For what? 

Sheldon:  There have been rumblings recently at the network.  Some of the employees are . . . uneasy, with regards to the new vampire situation.  As head of the network, Chris thought it might ease their minds a bit if we provided them with a vampire handbook of sorts and squelched some of the more alarming rumors that are going around.

Roland:  *grunts*  What do you want to know?

Sheldon:  First, what’s it like to be a vampire?

Roland:  How the hell should I know.  I’m an immortal.

Sheldon:  Yes, but you hunt vampires every night and have encountered . . . hundreds in your lifetime.

Roland:  I’m almost a millennium old.  I’ve encountered thousands.

Sheldon:  So, what can you tell me -- and the network employees -- about them?

Roland:  They’re insane.

Sarah:  *nods sadly*  They are.

Sheldon:  Could you tell us why?

Roland:  Is there really anyone at the network who doesn’t already know?

Sheldon:  Reordon wants to revamp -- no pun intended -- the handbook for new recruits.  Someone *cough* me *cough* told him the current explanation was too long-winded and included way too much medical mumbo-jumbo, so he wanted me to ask you immortals to tell it in your own words.

Sarah:  *pats Roland’s knee*  I’ll field this one.  Immortals and vampires are both infected with the same virus, which lends them dramatically increased strength, speed, healing capabilities, and enhanced senses.  Vampires are humans who have been infected, whereas immortals are gifted ones who have been infected.  Gifted ones are men and women who were born with extremely advanced DNA that lends them special gifts, such as healing, telepathy, precognition, and the like.  Vampires rapidly descend into madness when the virus damages their brains.  Immortals don’t.  Their advanced DNA protects them from that aspect of the virus.

Sheldon:  Thank you.  You just told me in one paragraph what that boring-ass manual spent three chapters explaining. 

Sarah:  I really feel sorry for the vampires.  Some of them are nice guys before they’re transformed.  And most of them don’t ASK to become sociopaths who prey upon humans.

Roland:  That doesn’t stop you from destroying them.  You should see her in action, Sheldon.  She kicks ass like the best of them.  She has from the very beginning.

Sarah:  *grins*  You’re biased.

Roland:  Damned straight.

Sarah:  He loves strong women.

Roland:  *wraps an arm around her and drops a kiss on her hair*  I love THIS strong woman.

Sheldon:  Wow.  Marcus was right.  You two really can be kinda nauseating when you’re all lovey-dovey.

Sarah:  *frowns*  Marcus said that?

Sheldon:  Yeah.  But to be fair, I think he was ticked off at the time because Roland wouldn’t tell him where your new place is.

Sarah:  Ro-land.

Roland:  What? 

Sarah:  I thought you were going to try to be a little less anti-social.

Roland:  *grumbles*  I’m working on it.

Sheldon:  Speaking of Marcus, have you heard the latest?

Sarah and Roland:  *shake their heads*

Sheldon:  *leans forward and drops his voice to a dramatic whisper*  Seth assigned him a new Second.  A woman.

Roland:  Why are you whispering?

Sarah:  You mean Ami?  Yes, we heard.

Sheldon:  *disappointed*  Oh.

Roland:  We also heard she wants to kick your ass.

Sheldon:  *frowns*  Yeah, she can try.

Roland:  *looks over Sheldon’s shoulder*  You heard him, Ami.  Have at ‘im.

Sheldon:  *leaps up with a deer-in-the-headlights expression and spins around only to find no one there*  Dude!  *wilts with relief*  Uncool!

Roland:  *offers him a dark smile*  So, she really is gunning for you.

Sarah:  *trying not to laugh*  Roland, you shouldn’t scare him like that.

Roland:  Technically, I didn’t.  Ami did.  Care to tell your friends at the network what you did to incite her wrath, Sheldon?

Sheldon:  *scowls as a flush creeps up his neck*  I, uh, I just remembered I have to be someplace, so I’d better go.

Sarah:  Are you sure? 

Sheldon:  Yeah.

Sarah:  Well, it was nice to see you again. 

Roland:  I’ll give Ami your regards.

Sheldon:  *swears as he exits*

Sarah:  *smiles*  That was mean.

Roland:  I know.  *kisses the tip of her nose*  Now, about that bath . . .

If you’d like to see more of Roland and Sarah or to dive into the world of the Immortal Guardians, I hope you’ll check out Darkness Dawns.

Once, Sarah Bingham’s biggest challenge was making her students pay attention in class. Now, after rescuing a wounded stranger, she’s landed in the middle of a battle between corrupt vampires and powerful immortals who also need blood to survive. Roland Warbrook is the most compelling man Sarah has ever laid hands on. But his desire for her is mingled with a hunger he can barely control . . .

 In his nine centuries of immortal existence, no woman has tempted Roland as much as Sarah. But asking her to love him is impossible -- when it mean forfeiting the world she’s always known, and the life he would do anything to protect.

If you’d like to know why Ami is gunning for Sheldon, find out in Night Reigns, Book 2 in the series, due to be released on December 6th.

Ami isn't much for trusting strangers. She has a hard time trusting anyone. But she's no coward, and she's no pushover in the protection department either. So when she comes across a mysterious warrior taking on eight deranged vampires on his own, she doesn't hesitate to save his bacon. Of course, that was before she realized what one little rescue would get her into . . .

 Marcus Grayden has been an immortal protector of humanity for eight hundred years, and at the moment he's not interested in backup. From the moment Ami arrives in his life, he can't deny that she's strong, smart, and extremely skilled at watching his back. But she's also destroying his protective solitude and stirring desires he can't bear to awaken. After all, whatever her secrets — how can she defeat death itself?

Have a fantastic weekend!

Dianne Duvall

Website - Blog- The Immortal Realm - Facebook - Twitter

~*GIVEAWAY*~

Dianne is graciously giving away a sighed copy of Darkness Dawns and some Immortal Guardians swag to one lucky reader. To enter, just leave a comment answering this question: If you could ask Sarah or Roland anything, what would it be? Then fill out the rafflecopter below!