Guest Author & Giveaway: Laurie London

This is history in the making people! The FIRST guest author on Reader’s Edyn EVER! I am so excited to welcome Laurie London to the blog! I met Laurie on Twitter and have enjoyed getting to know a bit about her. She is fun, witty, and intelligent all mixed in with a little bit of snark! She is WIN! Not too long ago I reviewed her latest release A Vampire for Christmas. The book is an anthology with stories from a lot of talent including: Caridad Pineiro, Alexis Morgan, and Michele Hauf. And .. you guessed it … it is packed with hunky vampires finding love at the most unexpected times during the Christmas season. Laurie’s story, Enchanted by Blood, is part of her Sweetblood Novels. Those of you familiar with the series, and even those who are not, are in for a real treat with this terrific story. And guess what! Currently (and by that I mean as of today – for a limited time) Laurie and Michele have FREE Ebook downloads on Amazon! And, you can click here to see my review of A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS!

Laurie London: Hidden by Blood (A Sweetblood Novel) Kindle:http://amzn.to/uoS8e1

                                                                                                Nook: http://bit.ly/s5PH5t

Michele Hauf: Kiss Me Deadly (Silhouette Nocturne) Kindle: http://amzn.to/ujFSxy

                                                                                            Nook: http://bit.ly/u9LGfC

But enough of my rambling … welcome Laurie London to the blog!

 

 Buy Now on Amazon: http://amzn.to/vZ2B14

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/sc5mmF

Tell us a little about your new release A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS.

Former Guardian Trace Westfalen is set to take over his father’s seat on the Governing Council, but he won’t be approved if he’s in a relationship with a human. Party planner Charlotte Grant feels an odd connection to the man who hired her to decorate his home for a big holiday party, but she’s never met him before…or has she?

 

Your story within the anthology is called ENCHANTED BY BLOOD. This story is part of the Sweetblood Novels. What can you tell us about this series? And where does ENCHANTED BY BLOOD fit into the collection?

Set in the Pacific Northwest, the series follows a group of vampire warriors (Guardians), sworn to keep their existence secret and protect humans from Darkbloods—rogue vampires reverting back to the ways of their ancestors who prey on people. Sweetblood is the rarest blood type and extremely addictive to vampires. Darkbloods sell Sweet on the black market, which causes all sorts of problems.

ENCHANTED BY BLOOD is designed to be a standalone novella in the Sweetblood world. In fact, as I wrote it, I approached it from the angle that readers hadn’t read the other books. Chronologically, it’s Sweetblood #2.5 and people who’ve read the other books will recognize a few characters (Dom and Jackson, anyone?), but the story is solely about the romance between Trace and Charlotte. There’s reference to an incident that happened in the other novella, HIDDEN BY BLOOD, but the details aren’t important to the core of this story.

How do you keep in contact with your readers?

Readers can find me on: Facebook

                                      Twitter

                                      My website

                                      Tumblr

                                      Goodreads

For readers who are not familiar with your work, how would you best describe your books?

They’re emotionally charged, sexy vampire romances with alpha hero bad boys, whose inner wounds are healed by strong heroines who love them passionately but don’t put up with their crap.

Do you ever have any difficulty balancing writing with the everyday demands of being a wife and mom?

Always! But I have the best husband and kids on the planet. They’re very supportive and manage things on their own when I’m busy with my writing obligations.

What is one thing you cut from the book that either you wish you had left in, or readers would like to hear about?

I’m fortunate that my editor hasn’t suggested cutting anything major from the books I’ve turned in so far. It’s mainly fine-tuning and clarifying. When I came up with the idea behind ENCHANTED BY BLOOD, she did point out that it’d be easy for Trace to come across as a “meanie” for doing what he did. To me, there’s a big difference between being an alpha-I-know-what’s-best kind of guy and being a jerk, so I was very careful (and hopefully successful) in making sure that his motivation was strong enough and that he truly felt as if he didn’t have a choice. The scene where Charlotte slaps him and his reaction to it came as a result of how angry I’d be if something like that happened to me.

What’s next for Laurie London?

Jackson’s book, TEMPTED BY BLOOD, comes out March 2012, and I’m currently writing Santiago’s story, which comes out August 2012.

What are you reading now? Any favorites you tend to go back to?

I’m on a zombie kick right now. Some recent reads are Feed, Aftertime, Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Passage (yeah, I know they’re vampires, but they’re zombie-like vampires and the world is very zombie-post-apocalyptic-like). It’s not that I love zombies as characters, but I love worlds in which a few clever people face seemingly overwhelming, life-or-death odds, where even death would be better than the alternative.

What is your favorite thing about this book?

I particularly love the interaction between Charlotte and Trace’s grandmother. One thing I’ve noticed that unintentionally creeps into a lot of my stories is the addition of feisty old people. My own two grandmothers were very feisty, one grandfather was rather crabby, and the other was a total character, so I think that’s where it comes from.

I also like that Trace considers himself a very visual person. It made for a very fun-to-write ending scene.

Any advice you’d like to share for aspiring writers?

Read a lot of books, both inside and outside your genre, and try to figure out what it is you like about seemingly very different books. Is it the pacing? The way the story is told? The tone? The subject matter?

Because I came from a fan-girl background, I try to write from the perspective of a reader and tap into the things I love, always asking myself how me-the-reader would respond. I love reading about two characters who, at the beginning, you don’t think will ever be able to be together. I love sexual tension that makes you turn the pages faster and faster. I love hot but romantic love scenes. I love spooky and eerie undertones throughout the story. I love big, giant climaxes (in the story and the love scenes) that explode off the page. And, last but not least, I love happily ever afters that bring tears to my eyes, where I clutch the book to my chest and want to read the story again.

So I’d say, pinpoint what it is about the stories you love, study how other authors accomplished it, and then try to do it yourself. Don’t be afraid to write from your heart, rather than your head.

**Random Questions**

Favorite place you have ever visited?

Whistler, British Columbia. The view from the gondola between Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain is stunningly gorgeous. It’s only a five or six hour drive from where I live, so we try to go at least once a year.

Do you have a favorite inspirational quote?

This Steve Jobs’ quote is a favorite: Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

Tell us one random piece of information that you could have lived your whole life without ever knowing?

When you smell something, it’s because a few molecules of it are in your nose. (Barf, poop, someone’s BO, that rotten container of food in the fridge…)

So there you have her – Laurie London in a nutshell! I hope you have enjoyed getting to know Laurie a bit. Be sure to add her books to your to-read lists! You won’t want to miss them! And don’t forget to follow Laurie on Twitter, her website, Tumblr, Facebook, or Goodreads. She’s a character and frequently makes me laugh!

**Giveaway**

As a special treat, Laurie has agreed to give away one signed copy of A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS to one lucky commenter. To enter, please do the following:

1)    Follow Reader’s Edyn
2) Follow Laurie on Twitter, FB, or website (etc.) and tell us how you are following. (Be sure to leave your username)

3)    Leave an e-mail address so that the winner can be contacted

4)    Answer Laurie’s question: Why do you think alpha heroes are so fun to read about? 

Fine Print: One commenter will be drawn at random to receive a copy of the book. Must be 18 or older to enter. Open to US and Canada residents only. Contest ends November 14th. Winner will be chosen and contacted November 15th and have 48 hours to respond. Failing to respond will forfeit the win and another winner will be chosen. Reader’s Edyn and participating author are NOT responsible for lost or damaged items. Only one entry per person. Any duplicate entries will be deleted. Anyone may be disqualified at any time so be sure to follow directions to avoid disqualification. No substitutions allowed.

 **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 now writes from her home near Seattle where she lives with her husband and two children.  

Her debut book, BONDED BY BLOOD, A Sweetblood Novel released February 2011 from HQN. EMBRACED BY BLOOD, the second book in the series, released July 2011. 

Her writing has won and been a finalist in several prestigious contests including the Beacon, the Emerald City Opener, the Marlene, and the Orange Rose.  

She is represented by Emmanuelle Morgen of Judith Ehrlich Literary Management and 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 – one of which she helps coordinate live online author chats with readers from around the world.  

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.