Interview and Giveaway with Laurie London!

Got a thing for vampires? Well, then you are in luck because author, Laurie London is here to talk about her Sweetblood series!  Ms. London has created a new and exciting world of good and bad vampires and the humans whose blood is so important and addictive to them.  If you haven't read them yet, check out our reviews of Bonded by Blood, Hidden by Blood and Embraced by Blood.

UTC: Hi Laurie! Thanks so much for stopping by today! Let's get started on this interview... When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I started writing when I was twelve. Then I tried to write again when my kids were little, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I really began writing in earnest.

UTC: It's a good thing you continued your writing as a child! Who would you like to co-write with?

I’ve never considered co-writing with anyone.

UTC: Your heroes have usually been strong characters and very alpha. Will Jackson be a little like that as well?

Yes, he is! I knew he was a bad boy, but he’s much naughtier than I had thought.

UTC: You have a short story coming out in the A Vampire for Christmas anthology. Was it difficult or actually fun to mix vampires and Christmas?

I had a lot of fun writing a Sweetblood story set during the Christmas holidays.

UTC: After we get Jackson's book, who will be next in the Sweetbloods series?

Santiago’s book will be up after Jackson’s.

UTC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Right now, I’m contracted to write four books in the series, but the conflict and the world could continue beyond that. I already know what happens in books five and six.

UTC: How did the idea for the darkblood vampires come to be?

It was actually the concept of sweetbloods that started it all. I liked the idea that both the good guys and the bad guys were vampires but with different ideologies. Darkbloods sell the rare blood, called Sweet, on the vampire black market and are constantly coming up with various schemes to get more.

UTC:  You use some spanish references in your books. Is there any part of the story based on any true myths? What kind of research is involved in the creation of a Sweetblood novel?

The Cantabria area of Spain is rich with folklore including those of immortal dragons, faeries (both good and bad) and mermaids. Ancient people of the region worshipped the sun and fire, while modern people celebrate the summer solstice on St. John’s Day with bonfires on the beaches. If humans celebrate the longest day of the year this way, then, I figured, vampires would celebrate the longest night of the year in a similar fashion. This led to the Night of Wilding, which is a big celebration in Embraced By Blood that gets out of hand. Also, ancient Cantabrians referred to the twilight hours as the Sun of the Dead, which marks the time when the sun dies and the dead come back to life. Vampires in the Sweetblood world refer to this as the time of day when they can move about freely.

UTC: Now let's do some fun questions! If one of your heroes could meet any other character in the PNR world who would it be and what would they do?

Alfonso from Embraced By Blood would probably enjoy meeting Maddox from The Darkest Night since they’re both tormented today by things that happened in the past.

UTC: Pick just one character for each statement! It can be any of your characters or any other fictional characters!

I would marry....Alfonso
I would be best friends with...Mackenzie.

UTC: What's next for Laurie London?

I’m currently working on Jackson’s story, Tempted By Blood, which will be out next February.


Thanks so much for the interview, Laurie! Maidens, stay tuned because there is a giveaway! 

 

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

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.

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