Please give a warm welcome to author, A.C. James!
Where do all your ideas come from?
There are no unique ideas. Sorry. Hate to burst your bubble, but there’s not. Archetypes and tropes repeat themselves across genres. What is unique is the perspective on those archetypes and tropes. Characters that embody them bring their own unique voices to the story. I’ve always loved fairytales, folklore, mythology, and classic literature. They do influence my writing and my interpretations of their narratives.
Eternal Ever After was inspired by a love of vampire mythology combined with Cinderella. Except I always wanted to see Cinderella be more proactive. I wanted to see her save herself instead of prince charming swooping in to save the day. Could she be poor? A little naive and unsure of herself? Of course! That’s what makes her relatable, but at the end of the day I wanted to see her kick a little ass.
There’s no magical well filled with ideas. I read a lot and I write a lot. I’ll sit with a glass of wine and a good book, mostly on my Kindle these days, and I’ll fall asleep with the stories swirling in my subconscious. It’s not like I’ll wake up with a fully formed story, but often a character will reveal themselves to me or a plot will start to take shape.
Then I try to type fast enough to follow wherever they decide to take me. And I hope that they’ll take readers along for the ride. With that I hope you’ll enjoy Eternal Ever After… It’s steamy and doesn’t have the level of sex you’d expect from an erotic romance. Reads heavy on character and plot. It’s a paranormal romance so the bdsm does not reflect the lifestyle as you’d find in a contemporary romance. Thus the warning.
xoxo —A.C.
.jpg)
Eternal Ever After EverAfter Series Book 1
A.C. James
Genre: Steamy Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Wandering Impulse Press
Date of Publication: 11/23/13
E-Book: 978-0-9911485-0-9
Print: 978-0-9911485-1-6
ASIN: B00GTT0UK6
Number of pages: 307
Word Count: 88K
Cover Artist: Ramona Lockwood
Amazon E-Book ~ Paperback
Buy the Paperback—Get the E-book FREE with Kindle Matchbook.
His past holds a secret…Inside Scoop: This story contains bondage, anal play, a M/F primary romance with mild F/F situations.
Arie Cush has a secret that he thought he’d left behind. When his past follows him to Chicago he must protect someone that reminds him of all the painful memories he’s tried so hard to forget. But when every touch from her sets his heart and body on fire—he finds it hard to maintain his aloof façade.
That becomes her nightmare.
Holly Ellis has secrets of her own. An encounter with the handsome stranger who frequents her coffee shop reveals a vampire with baggage. Even though it might be more than she bargained for, she can’t resist the one person who understands her. But her life is in danger and a supernatural threat could reveal the underground world of vampires to humankind in this Gothic Cinderella re-telling.
Warning: This book is fictitious. The bdsm portrayed in this story does not portray the lifestyle. Vampires will be vampires. They don’t exactly stop to discuss a scene, pain thresholds, and there is no aftercare involved. Trust is an intrinsic part of the lifestyle. Use due diligence and research before deciding to make fiction into reality.
Heat Level: This book is a steamy romance. It’s the development of a romantic relationship that contains more explicit language and sex. The sex is not an inherent part of the story, character growth, or relationship development, and if removed you still have an amazing plot.
Excerpt:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.”
–Holy Bible: King James Version
PREFACE
I never guessed that I could die with a sea of faces surrounding me, all cheering for my death. A woman wearing a jacket dress made of brocade only laughed louder when blood splattered the low square neckline. Where is Arie? I scanned the crowded club but all I could see were pale faces, some half covered by masks.
My time had come and I prayed she would finish me off quickly. The warm trickle of blood ran down my neck and chest, saturating the corset bustier of my gown. It seemed like a shame to ruin such a pretty dress. Strangely, I felt relieved the bodice was black and not a light color that would show a stain.
The fear of dying or more accurately, the fear of not existing, scared me stiff. Perhaps if I had satisfied this existential anxiety with faith I wouldn’t jump from panic to ambivalence. I should be angry at everyone who simply watched. They must think the gruesome display is part of the entertainment for tonight. After the bloody burlesque show I could hardly blame them.
Holly, I gave you the chance to leave. The telepathic transference hardly seemed relevant at this point. I knew if I’d never gone to the Hellfire Club, I wouldn’t be facing death now. Still, if my death meant the killings would stop it seemed justifiable.
“No!” I could barely hear Arie scream above the cheering voices clamoring for attention. The constant drone defies my effort to form coherent thoughts. I looked up and could see him on the balcony. When I blinked he had disappeared into the throng. I could feel the blood continue to trickle down my neck as she drained me. Dizziness threatened to pull me under. The audience applauded her brutality. I crumpled at her feet, looking up at her smile as thin as paper.
Blood. So much blood. My blood.
I didn’t want this to be the story of my death but this part is only a fragment of a narrative as old as time. Its voices fill the shadows with whispers of legend. We are told that the damned cease to exist and those absolved from sin are given eternal life. The damned can never be saved. They walk the earth in an eternal hell. I fear it will be my curse if death doesn’t claim me instead.
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.”
–Holy Bible: King James Version
PREFACE
I never guessed that I could die with a sea of faces surrounding me, all cheering for my death. A woman wearing a jacket dress made of brocade only laughed louder when blood splattered the low square neckline. Where is Arie? I scanned the crowded club but all I could see were pale faces, some half covered by masks.
My time had come and I prayed she would finish me off quickly. The warm trickle of blood ran down my neck and chest, saturating the corset bustier of my gown. It seemed like a shame to ruin such a pretty dress. Strangely, I felt relieved the bodice was black and not a light color that would show a stain.
The fear of dying or more accurately, the fear of not existing, scared me stiff. Perhaps if I had satisfied this existential anxiety with faith I wouldn’t jump from panic to ambivalence. I should be angry at everyone who simply watched. They must think the gruesome display is part of the entertainment for tonight. After the bloody burlesque show I could hardly blame them.
Holly, I gave you the chance to leave. The telepathic transference hardly seemed relevant at this point. I knew if I’d never gone to the Hellfire Club, I wouldn’t be facing death now. Still, if my death meant the killings would stop it seemed justifiable.
“No!” I could barely hear Arie scream above the cheering voices clamoring for attention. The constant drone defies my effort to form coherent thoughts. I looked up and could see him on the balcony. When I blinked he had disappeared into the throng. I could feel the blood continue to trickle down my neck as she drained me. Dizziness threatened to pull me under. The audience applauded her brutality. I crumpled at her feet, looking up at her smile as thin as paper.
Blood. So much blood. My blood.
I didn’t want this to be the story of my death but this part is only a fragment of a narrative as old as time. Its voices fill the shadows with whispers of legend. We are told that the damned cease to exist and those absolved from sin are given eternal life. The damned can never be saved. They walk the earth in an eternal hell. I fear it will be my curse if death doesn’t claim me instead.
About the Author:
A.C. James—author of erotic paranormal romance and erotica featuring bdsm. Author of Cursed Ever After, an anthology of four erotic paranormal short stories and prequel to the series. Its full length sequel, Eternal Ever After, tones it down to steamy romance. Wife, mother, and storyteller extraordinaire. She resides in northeast Pennsylvania drinking large vats of coffee while taming two toddlers by day and writing by night. Recovering video game beta tester and tech geek who grew-up going to cons and watching SmackDown. There's probably some cosplay pictures around somewhere of her dressed up as Bloodberry from Saber Marionette J. Just don't tell anyone.Web/Blog: http://www.acjames.com/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/ApQ7z
GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I really enjoyed this book! Can't wait for the next one :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Arianne! Glad you liked it ;) And thanks for having me Crystal!
ReplyDelete