Guest Author Interview: Alexandra Anthony

Today we are interviewing Erotic Romance author Alexandra Anthony. She is giving away a signed copy of ILLUSION.

Alexis: Hi Alexandra, thank you for visiting Happily Ever After Thoughts. You have an erotic series started called The Vampire Destiny Series. Can you tell us a bit about the series and where you expect it to go?

Alexandra: Thanks for sitting down and letting me talk about my books. The Vampire Destiny Series centers around Josephine and Stefan.  She’s a half-vampire hybrid and he’s a millennia-old vampire. They are both powerful psychics: he had a vision of her 200 years prior and had been on a mission to find her, and she’d had vivid dreams about him.  One might say they were destined or fated to be together.  During the series, Josephine starts to uncover her mysterious past, and they are both drawn deeper into the dark world of vampire politics and society.

Alexis: Sound like a very interesting series. Your latest release in the series is ILLUSION. What is this novel about specifically?

Alexandra:  Josephine has just found out that she’s a vampire hybrid and finally met her birth father.  She’s coming to grips with what it is to be immortal and realizing that she does have forever to spend with the love of her life.  She also begins to find out more about Stefan’s past, her vampire father and her mother’s mysterious death.  However, her curiosity at uncovering more about her heritage puts her life-and the life of another character- in jeopardy.

Alexis: Ah, so in learning more about herself, problems arise. I like that :-) Where did you get the idea for this story?

Alexandra: It always sounds a little silly when I tell it, but actually Stefan and the idea of a predestined love came to me one morning when I woke up. He’s my muse and definitely wants his story to be told, even though we hear (or should I say read it) through Josephine’s eyes.

Alexis: I completely understand. I once had a Greek god demand I tell his story. So, what are your favorite character traits of Josephine and Stefan?

Alexandra: Josephine is a flawed character. She’s a little sarcastic, opinionated and insecure sometimes.  She’s a powerful psychic and empath, so she’s spent a lot of her life shielding herself from people because of her abilities.  She’s been on her own and had trusted her instincts for a long time.  Being with Stefan has made her more vulnerable and has softened her as their relationship progresses. 

Stefan is everything I would want if I could have my own vampire.  He’s powerful, drop dead gorgeous, loving, intelligent, witty and a tad high-handed at times.  He’s also new to being in love, so he has to learn to let go and be vulnerable as well.  They’re both learning how to be in love.

Alexis: They sound perfect for each other! Why did you decide to publish your own works as opposed to submitting to publishers?

Alexandra: I wanted to be in control of what I wrote and when I wanted to write.  I can set my own deadlines, choose what goes into each book. It gives me a lot of freedom as a writer that I wouldn’t have if I went the traditional publishing route.

Alexis: Good points. What can we expect next from you? Do you have any new releases coming or a work in progress?

Alexandra: I do. AWAKENING, Book 3 in The Vampire Destiny Series will be released December 15th, 2012.  I’m also working on a new vampire book series called The Dark Hart Chronicles. Book 1 will be out sometime in the spring of 2013.

Alexis: That's great. Your readers have a lot to look forward to :-) Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It's a pleasure having you visit.

Alexandra: Thank you so much for having me.  

Alexis: For a chance to win a signed copy of ILLUSION, be sure to leave a comment for Alexandra. 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 Alexandra and her books, go to

http://www.amazon.com/Alexandra-Anthony/e/B0086EI9PK

Alexis: Check out this excerpt from ILLUSION

Excerpt:

The sun was rising when I awoke.  Flipping over on my back, I gasped when I saw Stefan sitting on the side of the bed, leaning forward with his head in his hands.   His clothes were wrinkled and his handsome face looked weary.

“Hey,” I whispered.  I wanted so badly to touch him, but I was too afraid he’d leave.

“Hey,” he repeated.  His deep voice was husky and sounded tired.

“Stefan, I shouldn’t have ran last night.  I should have talked to you.  I freaked out and didn’t think.”  I plucked at the comforter with my fingers.  Glancing up at him, I reached out and covered his hand with mine.  “I’m sorry.  If I could go back and do it over again, I would.  I’ll never run again.”

He squeezed my hand and pulled it away to trace the pendant around my neck.  “You are still afraid, vackra.”

“Of course I’m afraid.  Everything I thought I knew has been turned upside down.  Not to  mention I don’t always handle change well.”  I grabbed his hand and held it against my chest.  “This is my screwed up mind you’re dealing with.  I’m afraid of losing you, Stefan.  I’m afraid Kian will try to kill me or worse, kill you.”

“I will never leave you, Josephine,” he assured me. “No relationship is perfect and I have told you time and time again that we are in this together.  You cannot just run off and not talk to me.”

“I know.  I guess I needed time to think and I didn’t go about it in the right way.”

“I thought you had left me, Josephine.”  He lay down beside of me with his head on my pillow, our heads touching.  His fingertips lightly stroked my face and his eyes swept over my face, as if committing it to memory.

“I wouldn’t leave you, Stefan.  I just needed to leave reality for awhile.  I had a few cups of espresso at Chelsea Market.”

He offered me a weak smile.  “You were in a coffee shop in Chelsea?  You drowned your sorrows in over-priced tiny cups of coffee?”

I nodded and huddled against his broad chest, which was now as warm against me.

“You befuddle me, Josephine,”  he sighed softly.  “No more running from me.  You not only ran from Kian, vackra.  You ran from what we have.”  He gestured between us, raising his eyebrows sternly.

“No more running,” I agreed vehemently.

He nodded and finally, his arms embraced me, overwhelming me with his ferociousness.   It was like coming home, erasing all of my doubts and quieting the voices in my head.   I peeked into his mind, and the fear and confusion he felt was overpowering.  His thoughts were like mine last night, chaotic and conflicted.

“I spent the night staring out the windows, reflecting back over the last few weeks.  I wondered if I made the right choice in finding you and exposing you to this life.  I feel as if you never truly heard all the things I said to you,”  he said impassively against my hair.  “And not with your ears, with your heart.  Perhaps I have not told you what you needed to hear.”

“Stefan...”

“Let me finish,” Stefan continued quietly.    “Yet I am selfish.    I realized that I would have continued to search for you regardless.  I was on a mission to find you, the only thing I’ve known for two centuries.  There will never be another for me except you.  However, I will let you go.  I love for the first time in my long life, and I will not force you to give up who and what you are because I think I know what is best for you.”

Craning my neck, I regarded him in a new light and with different eyes.    Possibly Stefan was right.  I’d never really listened to him, not with my heart.  It was if someone flicked on a light bulb in a dark room and I could see the light.  Stefan Lifsten, in his almost 1,000 years on this earth, had said he’d never loved anyone until he met me.   He was willing to sacrifice it all to let me go.

And what did I do?  I single-handedly did the worst possible thing to him.   I ran from him.   He assumed the worst, figuring I’d had enough and taken off.    In his mind, I proved his theory right.

What did I know about love?  I’d never loved a man in a romantic way until Stefan.    Most of my relationships failed even before they had a chance to begin.    Stefan and I were both stumbling through a relationship, a millennia old vampire and a hybrid vampire.   Helplessly lost, hopelessly in love.

“I’m going to talk now.”  I pushed him to his back against the bed and climbed to straddle his hips.  My fingers began methodically unbuttoning his shirt and once it was open, I met his gaze.    “I love you, Stefan.  The best night of my life happened the moment you walked into it.”  I leaned over him, pressing my breasts against his chest, fisting my hands into his thick hair.  “I was foolish because I ran from you last night and I won’t ever make that mistake again.  I’m not giving you up.  You were reborn for me.”

  Stefan had flipped me to my back before I could blink, standing at the foot of the bed.  He tossed his shirt to the floor and his jeans were off in a blur of movement, lowering himself to his knees on the bed at my feet, staring down at the cover.

“Stefan?”

His face lifted up and the look he gave me was one I’d never seen before.   His handsome face was stripped bare, no arrogance or age marring his smooth features.   His was wide eyed as our eyes met, shocked at my admission.   He looked impossibly young...and pure.

Slowly crawling to meet him, I sat in front of him, reaching out to carefully run my hands over his broad chest, my fingers caressing his pale pink nipples and stroking over the rippled muscles of his abdomen, his body jerking from my touch.  He swallowed roughly and the corner of his mouth twitched.

“Josephine,” he whispered harshly.  “You were made for me.”

My hands froze in place, afraid to move.  I glanced up at him through my eyelashes, my breathing shallow.  He hadn’t moved, he was simply watching me.

I nodded and smiled.    My hands were still, waiting for his permission to continue.  “You were saved for me.”

Stefan sighed softly.  “Touch me.  Please.”  He was beautiful, completely unguarded with soft eyes.  “Please.”

Hesitantly, I continued my exploration over his soft skin, letting my mouth follow the path my hands had made.  My lips and tongue skimmed over his stomach, back up to his chest.  I traced around each of nipples with my fingers, rubbing my mouth over the satin skin of his neck, feeling the muscles in his throat constrict under my lips.

I inched closer to him, until our lips were almost touching.  His impossibly pretty mouth was curved in a small smile, his fangs fully extended.    I took a finger and caressed each one, moving as if to kiss him, instead my tongue tracing each sharp incisor.  His chest rumbled, his blue eyes becoming unfocused.