Tes Hilaire & Elisabeth Staab - Interview with a Vampire...or two...or three...or four... Gulp.

Please welcome Tes Hilaire and Elisabeth Staab to The Qwillery at part of The Darkness Tour. Today Tes and Elisabeth are interviewing the vampires from their novels. Let's listen in....

Interview with a Vampire...or two...or three...or four... 

Gulp.

Today Elisabeth and I have four very intriguing... peeps... with us. After much arm twisting and withholding of HEA’s our heroes and heroines from Deliver Me from Darkness and King of Darkness agreed to sit down with us and answer a few questions (would you believe they made us wait until after we delivered their HEA’s? Some vampires *shakes head*) Anyway... I got to start off the round of questions and let me just say... I’m very *rubs hands* excited.

Tes:  Okay, then. To start off, I’d like to ask our heroes some basic questions to dispel some of the myths, both correct and incorrect, about vampires... and of course to get to know you both a little better. *bats eyelashes*

Thad and Roland, do you eat or drink anything besides, uh... well, you know?

Thad:  Well prior to becoming king I fought against the wizards for my kind, so I stuck with a high calorie, high protein diet so I could keep in good shape. You know, complex carbs, mini meals, all that. I have to be honest though, Isabel’s gotten me turned on to the occasional Krispy Kreme, and I rather enjoy them.

Roland:  Doritos. Scotch. Coffee.

Sounds like you’re a man of few words, Roland. Maybe you’re better at expressing yourself in other ways? *I laugh at his raised eyebrow* So... if you were to smile for us now, would we see those pretty canines?

Roland:  That’s a very big if. But yes, if you knew to look, you’d see them. Most people figure it’s some sort of cosmetic dentistry… Unless I’m really angry. Then they know. *His lip curls up on one side, exposing the tip of a sharp canine.*

*I give a jittery laugh* Wow! Okay. Those are... impressive. Are you sure you’re not mad? *Roland shrugs. I gnaw my lip. Turning to Thad.* How about you, Thad? Are your canines always elongated?

Thad:  They get longer when I have to feed. Or if I’m pissed off, or...you know... *shifts and nuzzles Isabel’s neck a little before she bats him away* Ahem. To answer your question, yes, they’re always longer than human incisors. Most vampires have them that way. Part of the genetic difference between the species. Mine is an old bloodline, so they’re particularly long and sharp.

Hmmm... I wonder, Thad, what exactly that “or” is? *I smile* If you were to take me to your bed (Oh, please do...) would it be six feet under and lined with silk?

Thad:  Jesus, that sounds morbid. First of all, Tes, you’re a lovely lady but I’m a newly mated king and I’ve been down that road thank you very much. No more one-night rolls in the hay for me. Second, Izzy and I have a four-poster king-sized with a pillowtop mattress. She tosses and turns alot. *he puts his arms around his mate and snuggles her close* Who the f**k sleeps in a coffin? That’s messed up.

Ah. My loss...but I understand. Isabel is a lovely and lucky lady. And you Roland? Coffin? Silk sheets? or... *I bite my lip, wiggle my brow*

Roland:  Regular bed. Cotton sheets. King Size so I can stretch my mate out upon it and show her the world.

Oh wow. You men make normal sound like my hottest fantasy. I think I need some time to recover though so I’ll leave you boys alone for a bit. But in the meantime... *I rub my hands together, shifting my focus to the two females who sit before their mates.* ...I do have some questions for the ladies...

Karissa and Isabel, are you a sun worshipper or do you avoid it like the plague?

*All I receive is a couple of thinly veiled glares.*

Okay.... How about this. *I glance over their shoulders to the two males behind them. The room is vast but their muscular bodies seem to eat away at the space, the air itself dripping with their...appeal. I lean forward, licking my lips as I lower my voice into a conspiratorial whisper.* Is it true that vampires, especially male vampires, have powerful... or shall we say... consuming appetites?

Karissa:  You mean, our men? *She gives me a saccharine smile. I can’t help but notice that her fangs seem longer than when we’d first made our hellos. I sit back in my chair. Sweat beads out across my upper lip as I realize how close I’m sitting to these two very powerful and obviously angry women. What possessed me to ask about their men’s sexual prowess. No, what possessed me to make that stupid coffin comment earlier. Crap, crud, and...oh please don’t kill me!*

Okay, then... So, no more questions about your men. Let’s change the topic to something much more interesting to our readers (and safer for me, yikes!) If I were to come across one of your kind, and they weren’t as... uh... friendly or nice as you all are, how might I defend myself, or better, how would I, um, make sure they never bothered me again?

Isabel:  Oh, I don’t think you’d need to worry about that. So long as you don’t attack us, we don’t attack humans, right Thad? *Thad nods* And we have the ability to alter human memories, for our safety as well as yours. You’d never know you saw us, if the vampire you met is following the code properly.

Well, that is encouraging. And good to know. What about you Karissa? Any words of advice if I were to find myself in your neck of the world? I hear there are some vampires who don’t follow Isabel and Thad’s code there.

Karissa:  You’re right. Many of the vampires from where we come from don’t. Honestly though? The smartest thing to do is stay in at night and not tempt fate. Killing a vampire is not an easy thing to do, especially for a human.

Hmmm. I think I’ll be visiting Isabel and Thad then. Sounds safer! Just in case though, I think I’ll bring my stake ;-). Speaking of which, I’ve been told that a vampire’s heart doesn’t beat. Myth or Fact?

Karissa:  Myth. Or at least both mine and Roland’s do. I haven’t exactly been hanging around with other vampires much recently. *She shudders.* Not after the mines.

Isabel:  *a deep crease appears in the middle of her forehead* Doesn’t beat? What a crazy idea. Of course our hearts beat. We’re not dead, we’re just another species. Like the humans, like the wizards. There aren’t many of us, so we’ve learned to live under the radar. Humans tend to fear what they don’t understand. We’re stronger than they are, and we already have one fight on our hands, with the wizards. We don’t need another.

Well you don’t have one from me. Or, I bet, our readers. Our readers love vampires... or so I’ve been told. And speaking of our readers. I know they’re still curious about that first question. Not the appetite thing but the sun. Are you ladies morning birds or night owls?

Isabel:  Oh, I’ve always been an up all night sleep all day kind of girl. I mean, it’s in the genes, right? Before I met Thad I lived on my own in the human world, hiding out in the party scene. An endless supply of young blood to help me survive and nothing got going until after 10:00. It was perfect. *she pauses to snuzzle noses with Thad* Not as perfect as what I have now, though.

Karissa:  Ah... I’m still a morning girl. Unfortunately Roland isn’t, so I instead of waking up early, well... *she smiles as Roland leans in closer, whispering something that has color rising to her cheeks*...let’s just say that Roland and I find ways of entertaining ourselves so that I can stay up until sunrise.

And now my mind has found the gutter again. I think I better turn this over to Elisabeth.... Elisabeth? *No answer. I glance over at her chair... which is empty. I raise my voice, thinking maybe she stepped out to the kitchen for some coffee or something (she is a bit of a coffee addict)* Hey, Elisabeth, you have any questions for our vampires? Elisabeth? *I crane my head, trying to see down the hallway. Elisabeth has most definitely disappeared. I frown, glance back at her chair. There is a note tacked to it which I pick up and read*

Tes, you seem to have this all under control. Tell our guests thanks for me and that I wish them the best. Roland looked really angry...if you manage to get out of there alive and with your memory intact... email me. We still have a couple more blog posts to finish! ~Elisabeth

About the Authors

Elisabeth Staab still lives with her nose in a book and at least one foot in a fantasy world. Her bestselling paranormal romance novel, King of Darkness, is available now. Her second book, Prince of Power, releases in January. Find out more at ElisabethStaab.com

Tes Hilaire’s idea of a perfect vacation would include her porch on a sultry summer night, a good glass of rich, red wine, and a book about darkness, passion, torture and love. Her first novel in the Paladin warriors series Deliver Me from Darkness is available now. The next, Deliver Me from Temptation, releases in December. For more, visit TesHilaire.com.

DELIVER ME FROM DARKNESS BY TES HILAIRE – AVAILABLE NOW

A stranger in the night…
He had once been a warrior of the Light, one of the revered Paladin. A protector. But now he lives in sin darkness, and the shadows are his sanctuary. Every day is a struggle to overcome the bloodlust. Especially the day Karissa shows up on his doorstep.

Comes knocking on the door…
She is light and bright and everything beautiful—despite her scratches and torn clothes. Every creature of the night is after her. So is every male Paladin. Because Karissa is the last female of their kind. But she is his. He may not have a soul, but he can’t deny his heart.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

KING OF DARKNESS BY ELISABETH STAAB – AVAILABLE NOW

ETERNAL COMMITMENT IS NOT ON HER AGENDA...
Scorned by the vampire community for her lack of power, Isabel Anthony lives a carefree existence masquerading as human—although drifting through the debauched human nightlife, she prefers the patrons' blood to other indulgences. But when she meets the sexy, arrogant king of the vampires, this party-girl's life turns dark and dangerous.

BUT TIME'S RUNNING OUT FOR THE KING OF THE VAMPIRES...
Dead-set on finding the prophesied mate who will unlock his fiery powers, Thad Morgan must find his queen before their race is destroyed. Their enemies are gaining ground, and Thad needs his powers to unite his subjects. But when his search leads him to the defiant Isabel, he wonders if fate had gotten it seriously wrong...

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Thank you for joining us today!



The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of Tes Hilaire’s Deliver Me from Darkness and another commenter will win Elisabeth Staab’s King of Darkness.  So... two winners and one book for each winner.

How:  Leave a comment answering the Tes' and Elisabeth's question:

If you could ask a vampire anything, what would it be? 

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3)   Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Monday, June 18, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*