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Blessed Nightside…
Interview With A Different Vampire…
by Holly Hannon
Doctor Raimond Banitierre, thank you for joining us today. Might you tell us a little bit about your story?
Bonjour Holly, it’s a pleasure to meet you…and please, just call me Raimond.
Not Commander Banitierre?
I see you’ve done some impressive research! Yes, I held that title once…in a different lifetime. But, it’s much too formal for today.
Is there anything you would want changed if your Author asked you?
I wish Anne Marie wouldn’t tell people about all my slip-ups. I admit, I ripped people’s heads off and put them back on the wrong bodies…one time, in a moment of regrettable revenge. I may have been born in the 1700’s, but even I’ve heard of accident forgiveness.
How would you describe Anne Marie?
Private, quietly emotional and passionate about the dignity of elderly people and their treasure trove of memories. We have that in common.
Do you feel like she portrayed you correctly?
Most vampires don’t aspire to be doctors…there are much easier choices of profession. Anne Marie gives me credit for that sacrifice every chance she gets, though calling me a saint in spite of all my missteps may be…more than I deserve.
How about others in the story. Do you feel she did well with them?
Anne Marie portrayed my heiress Julia, and my children Lily and Steven perfectly…especially Steven. He’s like the son I never had, with talents far beyond what outsiders see.
If we’re being totally honest though, she needs to reveal my friend Prince Draven Norman as a more compassionate man, vampire…whatever. He may act like an arrogant and flawed jerk…often…but underneath all of that is an incredible soul.
Oh, and one more person—Ivori Journé has taken her knack for blending into the background and elevated it to an art form. The truth is, she’s a New Orleans voodoo starlet and powerhouse in the making. Never underestimate her. Never
You might be wondering why I’m wearing this scarf so tight. It’s not that I don’t trust you…
No worries, I’m on my best gentleman’s behavior today.
Okay, I feel better now. So, in the saga of Monsters & Angels, who created you?
The villain Faison, as a slave to bring him victims.
Are you still connected?
I killed him. So, hell no.
Was there a reason for your creation?
It was a trick and power grab. Faison wanted to rule Paris. It backfired on him, badly.
Where are you from initially?
I was born in the French Alps. I’ve since discovered that I’m descended from one of the few gladiators to earn Roman citizenship.
Were you happy or angry about the transition from human to bloodsuc—I mean vampire?
I was furious for decades. Finally, I fought back and won independence for myself and my family. But freedom is rarely free. It was a bitter lesson in reality.
I like to think I’ve made the most of my second chance at…existence.
Favorite blood type?
AB-negative, but when I’m hungry, I’m not picky.
Favorite place to dine? Just in case some of us might want to avoid any late-night forays there in the future.
In New Orleans, the Rex Room at Antoine’s Restaurant. But please, don’t skip Antoine’s on my account…it’s a New Orleans must-visit. Especially if you enjoy Oysters Rockefeller.
Have you seen any more stories in the recesses of Anne Marie’s mind?
That girl has way too many stories in her head. A murder mystery at the Jersey Shore, a tale set in a mysterious Rhode Island mansion and a few more books in the Monsters & Angels Series.
Do you get to play a part in any of them?
I’ve never been to New Jersey…not yet anyway. But in Monsters & Angels, of course. I’m as much a part of New Orleans as the city is a part of me.
You’re no stranger to darkness, but what’s Anne Marie’s darkest secret?
She shows a very tough exterior, downright icy and intimidating at times…that is, until you get to know her. Don’t get me wrong, Anne Marie is no wimp, but she’s much more sensitive that she reveals.
If she makes you mad, you could just bite her when she’s sleeping, you know.
What makes you think I haven’t? Besides, she may be a bit annoyed with me for spilling that particular secret. I’d better text her before this goes to print.
I’ve heard that you go all-out celebrating the holidays.
Christmas is my favorite season, but tonight’s festival is incredibly special too—the longest night of the year. You’re welcome to join our celebration of night’s glory. I’m sure Anne Marie would love to meet you. Who knows, you could be the inspiration for her next main character.
Thank you so much for your time, Doctor Raimond, and I think I’ll take you up on that offer!
Bienvenue, Mademoiselle Holly.
Joyeux Noel!
Read Raimond’s story!
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Continue with Monsters & Angels!
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Read the original interview at JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder! A special thank you to JB’s for inspiring these questions/answers and for participating in Raimond’s blog tour!
AnneMarieAndrus.com
Happy December!!
Happy December
Monsters & Angels
Fans!
I’m just starting to look back at 2018 and…
Wow!
What a year!
Check out this Fabulous Amazon Giveaway!
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Two
RAFFLECOPTER Giveaways!
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Did you enter both?
And last but not least, order signed paperbacks of either (or both) of my books!
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Signed Paperbacks!!
AnneMarieAndrus.com
Lily: A Thanksgiving Story
Happy Thanksgiving!! ❤️❤️
This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S., and my family and I are celebrating a reason to be truly thankful.
If you read the post about our new kitten, then you know we found him because of an unfortunate circumstance. On October 23, our shy, sweet Lily kitty went missing.
Our hope that she would turn up in hours turned into days. Then weeks. We took down flyers ruined by the weather and replaced them with laminated ones that would bear the elements.
I admit that I struggled to remain hopeful as we neared the completion of her fourth week missing. She gets scared of every little thing inside our own house, and I couldn’t imagine her exploring outside for long. She’d find a dark, tight hidey hole, and maybe–maybe–come out to hunt or to be fed by a friendly stranger.
I kept up my…
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Excavation Murder!
From the #1 Best-Selling Horror Anthology, Dark Visions, comes Excavation Murder from award-winning author, Victoria Clapton!
Without a word we followed Eugene down into the darkness as the cellar doors closed behind us. We were forced to creep in the silent oppression, listening only to the sounds of our racing hearts and ragged breaths while smelling what surely was the awful, unmistakable scent of death. Along the way, I had begun to beat myself up for not having the foresight to put a stop to this charade earlier. We should never have followed him down to this pit. I’d had a bad feeling from the beginning, and now, we were underground in the middle of nowhere, walking into what I imagined would be a horrific death. I opened my mouth to shut this mission down. For the first time ever, I did not care what waited in the unknown. I did not even care if my suspicions were unfounded. “It’s time we…”
“We’re here.” Eugene’s excitement filled the cold space. “This isn’t the way I’d hope you’d discover my treasure trove, but, Ally, I’m so glad it is you. I’d always hoped your parents could come here. But alas, they were the ones who got away. Not you, Ally. I knew I could depend on you.”
Darkness thickened around us, and I fought an urge to tell my crew that I was sorry, though I didn’t know for what, when Eugene struck a match and lit a couple of old oil lanterns, casting an eerie, dull light around a large chamber illuminating an unimaginable sight…
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I know you’re intrigued!
27 Authors!
34 Stories!
Get Your Copy Of Dark Visions Now!
If you liked Excavation Murder, you’ll love Victoria’s Clapton’s work!
I am a huge fan of The Binding Series!
Amazon Author Page
Victoria Clapton Author Website
Foundations
Why did I write a prequel to
Monsters & Angels,
instead of a sequel?
I spent the last few days before the release Raimond, reflecting on how the Monsters & Angels Series was born.
In January of 2013, the winter after Superstorm Sandy, I was desperately searching for an escape. Though the season was tremendously bleak and depressing, it held an unexpected gift—a story.
Monsters & Angels is the tale of Sorcha Alden’s life and death, her tragedy, rebirth and epic love. I released that novel as my debut in October of 2017 and immediately got to work writing the sequel…then a funny thing happened.
I realized that a step back was necessary in order to move forward. My readers also pointed out that, while I was writing Sorcha’s story, Raimond was the real leading man of this saga.
Raimond is more than a prequel, it’s the foundation for Monsters & Angels…and now we can truly waltz into the future.
Raimond
Monsters & Angels
Raimond
A lone soldier on night watch. A single bullet through the heart. Every light in Paris flickers—the city’s thundering silent scream.
When Commander Raimond Banitierre was assassinated, French Revolutionaries lost their gallant leader. After a villain’s offer of eternal life condemned him to slavery, Raimond rebelled again, driving his vampire comrades to freedom.
Raimond escapes to Savannah, Georgia where his dream of becoming a doctor comes true. During his trial-by-fire residency on the Civil War’s battlefields, he discovers his true calling—the power to preserve memories and dignity in the face of death. His chance meeting with a beguiling mortal nurse ignites passionate nights and a long overdue crack in the door to paradise.
Vicious flames and an unholy miscalculation deliver Raimond back to the depths of hell. Being arrested for treason makes him wish for death and the arrival of Prince Draven Norman appears to be the final nail in Raimond’s coffin. Will the prince’s eccentric judgement grant Raimond a true reprieve? Is Draven’s invitation to join New Orleans mystical royalty an extension of his own treachery, or the next step in Raimond’s miraculous journey?
Has the legendary Crescent City found a spirit noble enough to protect her future?
A Monsters & Angels Novel
Read Raimond Now!
Watch Raimond’s Book Trailer!
AnneMarieAndrus.com
Raimond—The Trailer!
Apricots and Wolfsbane
Please welcome Guest Author K.M. Pohlkamp to the blog today!
How a Roman Poisoner Inspired A Tudor Thriller
K.M. Pohlkamp
Inspiration is all around us and sparks uniquely in each person. That is the beauty of individualism and creativity. So when I read an article about a Roman poisoner, I’m guessing I’m the only one who envisioned her in Tudor England.
Locusta was a female poison assassin from Rome (Gaul) and is considered to be the first serial killer. Days of research later, I discovered there is not much known about Locusta, but that only incited my imagination. The fact the first serial killer was a woman also struck me. As a female engineer, I relate to the challenge of going against traditional stereotypes. I imagined the challenges Locusta must have faced and wondered if her gender ended up being an asset in a field where surprise would provide an advantage. And with the little historical bits I could find, a story began to weave in my mind.
During this time, my priest gave a sermon about how easy it is to fall into a cycle of sin and penance. How often we realize our actions are incorrect and then feel guilt and perform penance. But after a while the guilt wears and it becomes easy to commit the sin again. Of course he was talking about minor offenses, but as a matter of reductio ad absurdum, I applied this concept to a murderer. My main character, Lavinia, believes she can continue to murder because confession forgives the sin.
Inspired by the notion confession could provide a source of false permission, I lifted Locusta’s inspiration out of
Rome and placed my novel at the height of the Catholic church in Tudor England, my favorite period of history. The exact year is open within the book, but I imagine it to be ~1520. During this time, the priest was a powerful official at the local level and the historic practice of “indulgences” helps bolster why Lavinia may (falsely) think she can simply go to confession to be forgiven for mortal sin.
APRICOTS AND WOLFSBANE follows Lavinia’s career as a poison assassin, however Lavinia could never justify her skill to the magistrate she loves. When the magistrate uncovers her ruse, he pressures her priest into breaking her confessional seal. Lavinia must decide between the magistrate or her love of her craft, but the betrayals are just beginning. This Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choice novel was also shortlisted for the 2018 International Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction, among other awards and honors.
If you do decide to google Locusta for yourself, you’ll discover she was ultimately executed for her crimes. I do not believe the lore she was raped to death by a giraffe, but I’ll leave that up to your imagination . . . (Now you want to google her, don’t you?)
K.M. Pohlkamp is a blessed wife, proud mother of two young children, and an aerospace engineer who works in Mission Control. She operated guidance, navigation and control systems on the Space Shuttle and is currently involved in development of upcoming manned-space vehicles. A Cheesehead by birth, she now resides in Texas for her day job and writes to maintain her sanity. Her other hobbies include ballet and piano. K.M. has come a long way from the wallpaper and cardboard books she created as a child. Her award-winning historical fiction thriller, Apricots and Wolfsbane, is published by Filles Vertes Publishing.
Connect with K.M. at her Website, or on Twitter, Facebook, and GoodReads
Synopsis of Apricots and Wolfsbane
(Or watch the book trailer!)
Lavinia Maud craves the moment the last wisps of life leave her victim’s bodies, to behold the effects of her own poison creations. Her morbid desires are balanced with faith since she believes confession erases the sin, though she could never justify her skill to the magistrate she loves.
At the start of the 16th century in Tudor England, Lavinia’s marks grow from tavern drunks to nobility, but rising prestige brings increased risk. When the magistrate suspects her ruse, he pressures the priest into breaking her confessional seal, pitting Lavinia’s revengeful instincts as an assassin against the tenets of love and faith. The dilemma distracts her struggle to develop a pledged tasteless poison and avoid the wrath of her ruthless patron.
With her ideals in conflict, Lavinia must decide which will satisfy her heart: love, faith, or murder, but the betrays are just beginning.
Learn More at:
Raimond Cover Reveal!
Happy October 11th !
&
Happy 1st Book Birthday
Monsters & Angels !
To celebrate the occasion, I’m thrilled to share my brand-new cover for Raimond…the prequel to Monsters & Angels.
Wait—prequel?
Yes—prequel. Why am I writing books out of order? Let me explain.
After the successful release of Monsters, exactly 1 year ago, I
went straight to work writing the sequel. My readers demanded it.
OMG, it sounds surreal to say that, but they all wanted to know. . .
What happens next?
What happens to Sorcha?
What happens to Raimond?
And then I realized how much I didn’t know… and the incredible story I was
still driven to write.
This book is dedicated to
my extraordinary readers,
who knew Raimond was the true star of this show
long before I did.
Vive la magie!
Sometimes, in order to move forward, we all need to take a step back.
October 25, 2018
Pre-Order Raimond Now!
Cover design by Eight Little Pages —
Thank you
Claire!!
AnneMarieAndrus.com
Monsters & Angels 