Hi and welcome to my blog! Today, Elise Whyles is guest blogging and I'm hosting a spotlight on The Forsaken Series. Thanks for stopping by, and I do hope to see a few comments so we know you came by. Have a great day, and enjoy!
Elise? I turn it over to you now :)
Finding a happy place with a writing partner.
When I came up with the idea of a series about mythical beings I never believed it would ever get as large as it did. I was thinking four books maybe, but I knew I couldn’t do it alone.
So I approached my writer friend Ciara Lake, who was interested. Together we sat down and brainstormed and worked out the details on the idea I’d given birth to. Was it all easy sailing, no. I wish it were.
When you have two distinct personalities and writing voices working together there are always going to be bumps in the road no matter how close the writers are. Countless hours were spent discussing things like who was writing what? When were the books due in? Who would we submit them to? What exactly was each author responsible for?
Not all easy to answer questions. We’d discuss something, get it worked out and move on only to find ourselves having to revisit the topic because we’d missed the mark in some fashion. Communication in writing is a key element in my opinion. We’ve done a lot together, worked hard on this series and we’ve had a blast.
At the same time we missed the boat on several things – and found out after the fact there were things which didn’t sit well with one or both of us. Back to the drawing board lol, so we hashed it out. Debated, discussed, asked for outside input, and reach a decision we’re both happy with.
There are moments when I think an author needs to be aware of their motivations, their goals. In a single career there’s never any question about this because we’re all aware of where we want to go. When you have a partnership with a co-author then you have to rely on contracts, communication, and an open discussion to help guide you.
Our journey to the ‘happy-place’ has been long, with a few minor bumps, but over all we’ve had fun, and we’re both learning. Doesn’t mean we both always are happy – but that’s life and art. Sometimes you just have to compromise on the small stuff to keep the bigger picture in vivid Technicolor.
The
Forsaken Series
By
Elise Whyles and Ciara Lake
Series Overview:
Among
us walk immortal beings – cursed to hide within the shadows they
live along side us as they have for centuries. Using, feeding, living
off the mortals so reviled for their weakness – yet there are some
who will be awakened and immortality will be given.
Now,
an ancient evil stirs – rising to threaten not only the Immortal
Realms but the mortal world. A cursed vampire General stirs, plotting
his revenge on those who have forsaken him…but he’s forgotten
about the innocent, who like him have been punished.
There
are those who are Forsaken.
It
could be anyone among us…
The first book, Forsaken Heart
by Elise Whyles is set to release in April 2012. The second book
Curse of a Dargon’s Claim by Ciara Lake will release
shortly after.
Forsaken
Heart
Punished for sins not her
own, can a mortal claim her vampire mate?
The world of immortals must
unite to save both themselves and the mortals they co-exist with from
an ancient evil.
For Bede MacTaggert this means
trusting in the warrior sent for her sister—a man of mystery, of
power, and one who could easily sweep her into a world she's destined
to be part of.
An imperial guard to the king
of vampires, Gawain has always tuned out the needs of the flesh.
Dedicating himself to the service of the royals, he's lived on the
fringes of his people for centuries. Now he's forced from the shadows
and into the arms of a woman who will awaken his heart and body to a
passion unequaled.
Content Warning: sexy alpha
vampire, explicit sex, violence
Excerpt
"Frails are not to be
toyed with," Gawain ground out and grabbed the girl, spinning
her away, his sword at the ready as the man heaved upward, a dagger
clutched in his hand. Gawain's sword rested easy on his palm, ready,
the surface slicked with blood as he faced the coward.
"She's mine to do with as
I choose." He gurgled, collapsing to the ground, his weapon
falling from pudgy fingers. "Paid ten pieces of gold for 'em
both, and I aim to get a might of use out 'em."
"Now she's mine,"
Gawain declared. Raising his sword, he drove it through the man's
chest, pinning his twitching frame to the ground. He stepped back,
his gaze sweeping the clearing. Males such as this did not travel
alone, his cohorts would be close. He'd need to find and kill them…
Searing pain lanced through
him, splitting his chest. Gawain glanced down. The thin, sharp tip of
a blade stuck from his chest. He touched the blade and snarled. The
metal was warm, when it should have been cold. Shock slammed into him
as the blade began to glow, turning a searing red before changing
back to normal, or as normal as it could be with blood racing down
the weapon.
Whirling, his hand already
scrabbling for the dagger's hilt in his back, he grabbed his
assailant by the throat and lifted. Grunting as he pulled the weapon
free, his lips curled upward. "You'd do well, wench, to know
your place."
"If you think I mean to
let you do her harm…" Sputtering, her nails digging into his
wrists, the girl's brown eyes stared into his. Fear lay within the
depths but something else stirred. Something dark, dangerous, easily
recognized if one knew what they were looking for.
His fingers moved, tightening,
loosening as he pulled her against him. Inhaling, he caught the faint
scent of blood, fear, sweat, fire, and something sultry, sweet, and
light on his tongue. Drawing the scent deep, he wallowed in it, his
body responding to the aroma he'd dreamed of but never found.
Gawain inhaled slowly, his
muscles tightening, burning. Using the tip of her dagger, he pushed
the material of her shift aside. The scrolling marks of a serpent
flared before his eyes. It coiled and danced beneath the girl's
flesh.
LOVE the excerpt!
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