Interview with a Source Blood - Amber - Felicity Heaton - Paranormal Romances with PassionFelicity Heaton

The first of today’s interviews is with the lovely Amber from my vampire romance book, Forbidden Blood. I’ve already spoken to her vampire lover Kearn in a preview interview during my Halloween Spooktacular.

(The door to my interview room opens slowly and a head pops around it. Amber smiles at me, looking surprisingly bright and healthy considering everything she’s going through, and then steps into the room. Her hazel eyes sparkle as she approaches and then settles in the black velvet armchair opposite me. Like Lady Lilith of my Vampires Realm series, she toes off her sneakers and settles her feet on the cushion, tucking them close to her bottom. She’s wearing a deep red hoodie and jeans today, and it’s strange to see her so casually dressed considering she’s currently staying at Kearn’s family mansion. Her long brown hair is up and she’s sporting a rather new looking set of bite marks on her throat.)

FH: It’s wonderful to see you again, Amber. You’re looking well and those bite marks suit you. (she blushes) It’s alright. I’m just a little jealous. You’ve landed yourself quite the vampire. Let’s kick off with a little about you.

AMBER: I’m not sure where to start. I’m human, for now, and I was just going through life like everyone else, not a clue about the fact that vampires are real… and that they aren’t the only supernatural species out there walking amongst us. I thought my life was going to be normal. I had a job, and was on the verge of moving to Paris to pursue my career when I met Kearn. I’m not saying that I prefer that life to the one I have now, just that I hadn’t expected to meet a vampire that night or to discover that I’m a Source Blood. That might sound crazy to people who don’t know what a Source Blood is. I’m human… but my lineage dates back thousands of years to a time when vampires were evolving. My ancestors broke away from them and remained human, but I share a gene with them. Because my bloodline didn’t evolve, that gene has remained pure. Now, if a vampire drinks my blood, they can gain anything between a nice buzz if they only take a little… and if they drink a lot… well, I’ve seen what happens, and it scares me. My blood can restore the same deteriorating gene in theirs, reawakening their godlike powers. It’s a frightening thing… both to know I carry the power to unleash the true powers of a vampire, and to know there are other women and men out there who share my blood… my family included. I want to warn them, but I’m not sure I can do it without sounding as though I’ve lost my mind. Kearn tells me that they’ll be monitored and the Venators and the Sovereignty will keep them safe, but I still worry about them, and the others like me out there.

FH: Can you tell us about what happened in your story?

AMBER: I was attacked in an alley because I had witnessed something I shouldn’t have. All I had done was see inside a factory courtyard where men were carrying heavy black sacks, and suddenly life as I knew it was over. Men attacked me, and a vampire fed me his blood… I thought I was going crazy but once you see fangs and you’ve tasted their blood… and can feel it inside you, controlling you against your will, then it’s hard to deny they exist. Kearn rescued me. Every day I thank God that Kearn was prowling the area in search of the very man who attacked me. When he took me back to his apartment and explained some things, and asked me to assist him, I couldn’t exactly say no. I knew the safest place for me was with him, and he was my only means of survival. The man wanted to taste my blood to discern whether I was a Source Blood and valuable to him as a blood slave, so he could harvest it and sell it to other vampires… he wasn’t going to stop until he had me, and I wasn’t about to leave Kearn’s side until Kearn had him instead. Everything turned mad after that… I found out what Kearn was… and the man upped his game, and I still have to live with the memories of what happened. Sometimes I still have nightmares.

FH: It must have been hard to deal with everything, especially discovering the existence of vampires and other demons, and also the discovery about your blood.

AMBER: It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with. Being told that I was different, and that the man after me wouldn’t stop until he had me… I still get shivers now. I was lucky that Kearn was there. I know he’s a vampire, but he’s so different to how I pictured them. He’s strong and steadfast, and he did everything to protect me. He sacrificed so much to keep me safe, and I love him all the more because of it. Vampires are as different to each other as humans are. Some of them, like Kearn, are good inside, even if they don’t realise it. Kearn helped me through everything. He supported me and I couldn’t have done it without him. I’m a strong woman, but there’s only so much I can deal with… and being told vampires exist, that Venators are there to hunt those who harm Source Bloods, and that I’m one of those special humans… it’s a lot to take in. I think I would have fallen apart without Kearn there to keep me together and give me something to focus on. It’s far easier to deal with something when your mind is on something far nicer… like making a vampire with a closed-off-heart open up and fall in love with you.

FH: Your relationship with Kearn is very complicated because your blood is forbidden and he’s not supposed to taste it. It must have been difficult for both of you at first, and not just because of the blood. There’s the vampire thing too.

AMBER: Yeah, the vampire thing and the blood thing were hard to work out at first. When I confronted him about the fact he was a vampire, not just a Venator, and I saw the effect my blood had on him, I wasn’t sure how to react. It’s like a drug to them. It unleashed a different side to him, released his inhibitions and his passion. It’s hard to be afraid of the fact a man, a vampire, has just tasted your blood when he’s pinning you to the side of his car and kissing the breath from you in the most delicious way. He was still the man I knew, the one who would do anything to protect me… but all the emotions he usually kept locked away were unleashed and there was actually a small part of me that really wanted him to take more blood from me. Not just that night either. I wanted him so much, against my better judgement, and every time he tasted my blood, we grew a little closer. He finds it hard to keep things hidden from me when my blood is inside him. I can feel his emotions, so I could sense his pain and turmoil, all the dark things he wanted to hide from me. Kearn has been through so much. It was impossible not to fall for him, especially when I found out the things he had endured with his family and his exile. When I learned about his past, I also realised why he kept his emotions on such a tight leash, and why there were times when he refused my blood… like when we were making love.

FH: How has life been since the events that happened and brought you together?

AMBER: It’s been so much quieter since then, but I know that Kearn still feels a lot of pain over the events that happened in our story, and in his past. I think he has a long way to go before he can move past it all and let it go. He’s been even more attentive than usual, and I’m not going to say that I don’t enjoy it. When he’s not off on missions and we’re together, he scores top marks in the romance stakes… actually, he scores high when he’s away from me too. He calls me whenever he can to check in on me. I think he’s worried that his family aren’t treating me well when he’s not around, but they’re nice to me. He takes me with him on missions whenever he can, and says that it’s because he can’t bear to be apart from me, but I’m convinced it’s because he doesn’t want to leave me with his family. I’ve been working with some of the vampires to promote better treatment of humans amongst the species. It’s amazing the work you can do, and the attention you get from even the darkest of vampires when you have Archduke Pendragon on your side. He oversees all the vampires in Britain, and since he introduced me into society, everyone has been very pleasant to me, even at the balls when Kearn and I break the rules by dancing together.

FH: Your story, FORBIDDEN BLOOD, is a book in a series. Can you tell us a little about the series and can we expect see more of you in other stories in this series?

AMBER: Yes, it is part of a series, and I believe you’re writing about Kearn’s cousin Traegard Montagu next. I would love to read that book because in the few times I’ve met Traegard, he’s been colder than the Antarctic around me. I don’t think it’s a human thing either. I think it’s a woman thing. I’ve wanted to ask him about it so many times, but he’s so quick to make an exit if we’re left alone together. Traegard is a Venator too. Kearn says that he didn’t know that his cousin had been chosen until they met again at the Savernake mansion the night that Kearn defeated the man who was after me. I believe the series focuses on the Venators, doesn’t it, and in particular the vampires? Kearn has told me about Venators, and how they work for the Sovereignty and basically dish out punishment to every vampire who breaks the laws regarding Source Blood. He won’t tell me much about the place they call the â€œendless darkâ€ which is where the souls of those sentenced by the power given to the Venators by the Sovereignty go. He closes up if I try to get him to talk about it, and says that I don’t want to know. I generally take that as a sign that I really don’t want to know. The vampires aren’t the only demon species that the Sovereignty governs. I’ve heard that there are angels, witches, werewolves and cat-shifters, and things called therianthropes… and even fairies! I haven’t met any of them yet, and Kearn says that I probably won’t as vampires don’t tend to associate with other species, but I overheard someone talking about cat-shifters at a ball recently, and apparently a pride of them has moved to the countryside near the Savernake and Montagu mansions, so I might get to meet some after all.

FH: Describe yourself in one word?

AMBER: Strong. I think it’s a requirement when dealing with a vampire fiancÃ© and the whole crazy world they live in.

FH: Thank you for meeting with me today and chatting. Is there anything else that you’d like to add?

AMBER: Thank you for having me here today and letting me ramble about Kearn. It feels good to talk to someone about everything and not have to worry that they’ll think I’ve gone round the bend. I can’t wait to catch up with everyone in other stories in the series. I’m sure any who read my story will be as interested in finding out how I turn out as the vampires I live with are!

FH: I’m sure they will. I can’t wait to sit down with Traegard and have him tell me his story. I’ll probably see you then!

AMBER: No doubt about that. Take care until we meet again then! I’m surprised you’ve lasted until this point in your event without receiving a set of bite marks from one of your guests. (she laughs)

FH: Well, there is still Venturi to come but I don’t think he’ll bite me. He wouldn’t dare.

(Amber smiles and rises from her seat, slips her shoes back on and then leaves with a little wave and a big smile. It must be nice to be engaged to such a handsome vampire)

Did you all enjoy this interview with Amber? If you would like to know more about her and her love story, then here’s some more information for you…

Forbidden Blood
Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark.

Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampireâ€™s grasp, it turns out sheâ€™s the lead heâ€™s been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?

As they race to catch the vampire and survive the cruel games he plays, Amber is pulled deeper into Kearnâ€™s world and discovers the painful secrets he hides behind his handsome but emotionless exteriorâ€”hurt that she has the power to heal if she is brave enough.

Forbidden Blood is book one in the Vampire Venators series and a dark, sensual tale of betrayal, revenge and a love that knows no bounds.

ebook price: $3.99
paperback price: $10.99
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 126000 words
rating: sultry
released: June 2011
Book 1 in the Vampire Venators series

Available in e-book from:
Author’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebooks.php?title=Forbidden%20Blood
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-blood-felicity-heaton/1103572024
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-forbiddenblood-613573-139.html/
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/forbidden-blood/_/R-400000000000000406450
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Forbidden-Blood-Vampire-Venators-Romance/book-mWkS9umUmkmp2XI4cX_woA/page1.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/66030
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0055I1LNW/