Guest Author Interview: Gabrielle Bisset

Today we are interviewing Gabrielle Bisset, paranormal romance author, who is giving away a set of signed bookmarks from her latest series.

Alexis: Hi Gabrielle, thank you for visiting Happily Ever After Thoughts :-) You have a series called The Sons of Navarus. What is this series about?

Gabrielle:  Hi Alexis!  Thanks for having me here.  The Sons of Navarus is a paranormal romance series about eight vampire males chosen to defend their world from the Archons, the law and order vampires who long ago it was prophesized would take over and eliminate all who didn't follow their ways. The story is a great mixture of Greek mythology and vampires, two of my favorite things. 

Alexis: I love Greek mythology and to match that with sexy vampires makes this a must read :-) I understand the first book in the series, Blood Avenged recently released. Can you tell our readers a little about it?

Gabrielle:  Blood Avenged is the story of Vasilije and Sasa.  It's an introduction to the series, but it brings the reader into the story slowly.  Vasilije is a 400 year old vampire who travels to New Orleans to seek the killer of one of his vampires.  There he meets Sasa, a human who charms him like no other woman has for centuries. The story ends with Vasilije joining the other Sons of Navarus to fight in the vampire civil war that has just begun. 

Alexis: That sounds epic.Where did you get the idea for this story?

Gabrielle:  I knew if I did a series, I'd want it to begin slowly.  I'm never a fan of series that throw all kinds of information and details at me in the first book, so I planned for Blood Avenged to give the readers a taste of my vampires before giving them the civil war that the Sons of Navarus must fight.  Blood Avenged is mainly the story of Vasilije because he's such a powerful character.  He'd been the villain in a novella I wrote a year ago, Vampire Dreams, and he'd found a following with readers, so the idea of giving him a story and beginning a new vampire romance series merged together nicely. Then it was just a matter of giving him a heroine who could match him, if not in power than in strength.  Finally, I had to find a setting perfect for a hedonist.  New Orleans was the natural choice.

Alexis: What are your favorite character traits of Sasa and Vasilije?

Gabrielle:  I love the effect she has on Vasilije.  He's spent the last few hundred years as an unrepentant hedonist. Whatever pleased him was what he chose.  Sasa isn't a kick-ass heroine, but in her very quiet way, she enchants him and he finds love where he may have only considered lust with another woman.  She grounds him emotionally, which is what he'd been craving for years. 

As for Vasilije, I love his Alpha nature. He's commanding and knows it.  I also love how sensual a being he is.  It was so much fun to write a character who loved everything about life.  And when he meets Sasa, that hedonism morphs from a love of mere pleasure to a love for another. 

Alexis: That sounds like a great journey to join. The next book in the series is coming out this month! Who does this book focus on?

Gabrielle:  Blood Betrayed releases on May 24.  This is the second book in the Sons of Navarus series.  In this book, the civil war with the Archons really begins to heat up.  Here's the blurb:

I am everything forbidden.  I am vampire.

Haunted by betrayal, Saint hides in the human world, giving his heart to no one and finding the only solace from his past in the arms of human women. Now as the Archons begin their takeover of the vampire world, this Son of Navarus has been marked for death. 

Summoned to defeat the Archons by the world that shunned him, Saint must face his past and Solenne, the woman he loved and lost a century ago, for only in accepting her will his body and soul finally find salvation.

Saint is as different from Vasilije as night is from day, so it's a real change from the first book.  Each Son's story will show their unique personalities, so each book will have a distinctly different feel to it. 

Alexis: This series is fascinating. What can we expect next from you? Do you have any new releases coming or a work in progress?

Gabrielle: In addition to Blood Betrayed's release on May 24, I'm currently working on the third book in the series, Blood Spirit.  That will be released in the fall.  In that book, readers will meet another Son, Terek, who was a monk before being turned vampire in the mid 1300s.  It's shaping up to be a great story.  Terek was a very committed man to religion, but has developed into a very committed vampire, siring thousands of his own.  He has a wonderful spiritual side that melds beautifully with his sensual side.  

Alexis: How different. Your readers are sure to love these romances. Thank you so much for sharing your stories with us. It's a pleasure having you visit.

Gabrielle: Thank you for having me, Alexis.  It's been great! 

Alexis: For a chance to win a set of signed bookmarks from the series, be sure to leave a comment for Gabrielle. If I have contact information, I will let you know when you win, otherwise, check the side column for your name on Wednesday under WINNERS :-)

For more information on Gabrielle’s Romances go to http://www.gabriellebisset.com/index.html 

Alexis: Check out this excerpt from Blood Avenged.

Excerpt:

Sasa’s legs shook so violently she was sure the large vampire behind her would hear her knees knock and become suspicious of her. In one night, she’d been foolish enough to become involved with not just one but two vampires. Three if the one she’d watched murdered was counted. And she couldn’t decide which one was more frightening.

As she questioned whether she’d finally lost her mind, she remembered the man following her hadn’t given her his name. Spinning around, she asked as casually as she could muster, “So what’s your name?”

Her heart skipped a beat when he stepped close to her and said in a deep voice, “Vasilije. And I’m hungry.”

She genuinely hoped he meant for food, especially since she thought she saw him eyeing up her neck.

He walked past her, giving her a chance to thoroughly check him out from behind. The front view had been stunning, albeit frightening. His black hair was straight and glossy with stray strands that fell into his eyes. She imagined it would feel incredible between her fingers, like strands of the darkest silk sliding over her skin.

Then there were his eyes. Crystal blue, they were cold and expressive at the same time.

But the most frightening part of him was his mouth, and he knew it. Unlike Tatiana’s, whose fangs sounded more ominous than they looked, Vasilije’s fangs looked razor-sharp, like a wild animal’s. She’d noticed Teagan’s were similar and wondered if a vampire’s sex had anything to do with their fangs’ sharpness.

Poor Teagan! She’d had no idea Tatiana meant to kill him when she followed her to his house. She’d ranted on about this one all the way there, but when she’d called Teagan by name, Sasa had thought perhaps she’d been spared the sight of Tatiana killing someone tonight.

What have I gotten myself into?

“Love, you’re supposed to be leading the way. Stop daydreaming and take me to some food.”

“I’m sorry. I was just thinking about...”

Sasa let her sentence trail off, sure by the look of disgust on Vasilije’s face that he wouldn’t ask about what she was thinking. Catching up to him, she hoped she wouldn’t have to pretend to be the sad girlfriend much more. As it was, she was giving an Oscar-worthy performance, but she had to be careful not to overplay her role. If this vampire found out she was working for Tatiana, something told her she’d know instantly who was more frightening. He might look like the most erotic dream a woman may have, but she was sure angered he’d quickly become her worst nightmare.

Sasa led him to a side street off Teagan’s street and a little hole-in-the-wall bar called Napoleon’s. She’d been there once with the boyfriend she’d used as material when she’d told Vasilije of her problems with Teagan and remembered it being secluded. Perfect for a discreet drink with a vampire.

He stood for a moment eyeing the sign and turned to her. “Original for these parts?”

She couldn’t help but smile as she opened the screen door to enter. To locals, the idea of a place being named Napoleon’s seemed perfectly natural, but to an outsider, she knew it must have seemed almost campy.

“It’s a local thing.”

In a voice as sarcastic as he’d used for his last comment, he remarked, “I guess the thought is if it works once, it will work every other time?”

 Alexis: Don't forget to leave a comment for Gabrielle for a chance to win a set of bookmarks from the series.