Please help me welcome today, guest author Ashlynne Laynne.
Without further ado......
Ashlynne, please tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Ashlynne Laynne and I live
in North Carolina with my husband and teenage son. I consider myself a gothic
flower child and love a varied mix of media. I’m an avid horror movie fan and
my favorite paranormal creatures are vampires and witches (anyone who knows me
will laugh at this). When I’m not writing I enjoy reading, cooking and relaxing
with my family. I’m a part-time writer and full time employee at a local power
company.
Did
you always want to be an author?
I’ve written everything from Country
lyrics to poetry in my lifetime. The itch to be a novelist came after a dream
about my character two years ago.
What
is your favorite part of being a writer/author?
The thing I enjoy most about being an
author is taking an idea and nurturing it until it’s a work capable of standing
on its own.
Tell
us a little about your book.
At its core, THE PROGENY is simply a
story about a man and woman who fall in love, and the fact that he’s a
half-blood (half-human, half vampire) and she’s a Wiccan human are secondary
factors. When we meet Ascher, he’s grumpy. Frankly, who could blame him? He’s
engaged to seal to Ursula—a cold and careless vampire who wants nothing more
than to get her hands on a bloodstone— and he feels conflicted about his
existence.
All of that changes when he meets Shawnette McCutchin. She’s
beautiful, intriguing and possesses some of the most potent blood that he’s
ever smelled. A war immediately begins inside Ascher. He craves Shauna’s blood
just as much as he craves her body and the closer they get, the harder it is
for him to control his urges. After Ascher calls off the sealing to Ursula, the
trouble begins. His family’s peaceful period ends when Ursula’s army attacks
the Rousseaus.
This series is about a family of which
we’ve never seen before. They share a common mortal and immortal bloodline but
loyalty is the thread that holds this clan together. Once you become a part of
this family, the others will risk their lives to protect you. We see examples
of this throughout the journey. There is no shortage of romance, steam and
surprises in The Progeny Series but these books are for adults and contain
adult sensuality, language and themes.
When
did you start writing and when did you finish your first book?
I started writing THE PROGENY in
October of 2010 and the first edition released February of 2012.
Where
do you get your inspiration?
The Progeny started as an intense dream
about my character, Ascher. When I woke up, I immediately started sketching the
amulet that he and his brothers wear. Most of my scenes come from very vivid
dreams. It was a bit disconcerting at first because I couldn’t understand why I
was having these dreams.
Do
you plot and outline or do you just write? Plotter or Pantser?
I usually start a project with an
outline but it rarely holds up. Ascher and Shauna have been very uncooperative,
as of yet, giving me writers block when I attempt to direct them. I now just
wait for a dream to guide my writing.
Can
you tell us a little about the process of getting your first book published?
I queried agents and publishers at
first with no luck. In October 2011, I was contracted by a small e-pub. As luck
would have it, after I signed two other publishers accepted the project and
wanted to publish it.
What
book have you most recently released?
I re-released THE PROGENY in May 2012
and its sequel, BLOOD BONDS, is set to release soon.
What
was your favorite part of the book?
For me, going on this journey along
with my characters has been amazing. My favorite scenes are those with Ascher
and Shauna. They are such a sweet and naughty couple.
Rate
your story in terms steaminess?
I recently made up my mind to write
more erotically after a dear friend told me that she felt me holding back when
I wrote the love scenes. Readers will see a marked difference in the love
scenes of book one and book two. It’s a delicate balance writing steam and
keeping the integrity of the emotions. I think I’ve successfully done this. The
Progeny was about a three in heat level while Blood Bonds will probably be a
four.
Do
you have another book in the works?
I’m currently in final edits for book
two of the series, Blood Bonds. I’m also writing books three and four of the
series, book one of an upcoming series called The Rocker Series and an untitled
novella.
What
advice would you give new authors?
What have you learned about the business?
I’ll give new authors the same advice a
dear friend gave me a couple of months ago. “Protect your story.” By this I
mean, make sure that you are involved in all processes regarding your book and
its development. Never take for granted that anything is done unless you did it
yourself. You are the guardian of your brand.
Boxers
or Briefs? boxer briefs
Pizza
or hamburger? pizza
Beer,
Wine, or mixed drink? wine
If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would
it be? Would you write or read there, or do something else?
Like Shauna,
I’ve always wanted to go to Paris. Doubt I’ll be meeting a billionaire vamp to
whisk me away there, so I’ll have to make that happen on my own. I’d tour the
sights and eat loads of French cuisine.
(Character
Questions)
What
were your first impressions of each other?
Ascher: “I thought Shauna was smoking hot.
She was wearing this short black skirt and wedge heels. I think I fell in love
with her that first night but I was engaged to seal to another and needed to
get out of that before we could have a future.
Shauna: “Ash was a real jerk who held
me at arm’s length. I know why he did it but it was frustrating to me in the
beginning. Of course, I thought he was gorgeous, look at him, but he was weird
too. I mean...the guy hardly ate and he has those strange colored eyes.”
What’s
your favorite characteristic of each other?
Ascher: “Shauna is independent, smart,
loyal and has the kindest spirit of anyone I’ve ever known. I have to admit
that her trinity blood and sexy body were the immediate draws for me.”
Shauna: “After he stopped being such a
jerk, Ash was funny and intelligent. The thing I fell in love with was that he
treated me like I was the most beautiful and precious thing in existence. I
never knew men could be like that.”
What
are your plans for the near future?
Ascher: “My immediate plans are to keep
Shauna from killing people with her witch rage. She has quite the temper.”
Shauna: “Ash and I are taking a year
off from college to travel and enjoy one another. He’s one credit away from
finishing his undergrad and I have two more years before I’m done.”
Blood
Bonds Blurb (The Progeny Series #2)
“Forever. For always. For eternity.”
The ties that bind two hearts are
powerful. For Ascher Rousseau and Shauna McCutchin, it’s more than just a blood
bond. Their union is that of vampire legend. Their love is a predestined
prophecy foretold centuries ago.
It’s a week before Ascher and Shauna's
sealing and the couple is making final preparations for their eternity, but
Ascher's ex has other plans. Ursula is hell-bent on revenge—revenge fueled
by lover's scorn and her father's death—and she begins breeding a fresh
army of newborn darklings to do her bidding.
When Ursula finds a
new weapon—an ally with the capability to dismantle the Rousseau clan—
Ascher and Shauna's bond is tested and they must stand together against
Ursula or lose each other for eternity.
About Ashlynne:
Ashlynne
Laynne has always had a soft spot in her heart for vampires but grew tired of
the garlic fearing, sun-loathing creatures of old. An avid horror movie fan,
she tends to enjoy media and music that is of a younger, more eclectic nature.
This was the catalyst for her writing The Progeny. The vampire/witch pairing is
unique and different when most books pair vampires with werewolves.
Ashlynne
loves writing on the edge and teetering between the erotica and romance genres,
and thinks of Ascher and Shauna as the wicked, damned version of Romeo and
Juliet. She is currently working on books three and four of her Progeny Series,
book one of her upcoming Rocker Series, and an untitled novella WIP. In her
spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with her family. She
juggles the hats of wife, mother, full time employee and part-time writer,
hoping to write full time one day soon.
Ashlynne
lives in North Carolina with her husband and teenage son.
<<<<>>>>
Excerpt From Blood Bonds:
Shauna hesitated, because she didn’t want
to see her reflection. Mirrors weren’t her favorite things in the world. The
impossibly stunning woman in the mirror wasn’t an apparition or stranger—she’d
opened and closed her eyes several times, certain that the image would fade away,
but her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.
The tanned skinned, bright-eyed woman
wearing her engagement ring was the picture of youth and beauty, a dewy and
slightly flushed complexion reflecting back from her glowing, delighted face.
The breath hitched in her throat as she accepted the fact that the depiction of
loveliness staring back was her mirror image. For a brief moment, she actually
believed Ascher when he’d called her beautiful so many times.
Her dress was made of the softest ivory
fabric, embellished with a lacey front panel and wispy sleeves. Shauna was sure
she’d heard the name ‘medieval lace dress’ used to describe it more than once.
It was unusual, unique and definitely not traditional—all of the things that
described her relationship with Ascher. Her hair rested atop her head, secured
into a tight bun, curly tendrils escaping around her face and at the back of
her neck. The veil was sheer, the same color ivory as the dress while
interlaced with faceted crystals and tiny lace flowers.
Fabulous! I love the imagery in the excerpt. Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Ashlynne. It was great hearing about your books and I fell in love with Ascher and Shauna!
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Be sure to visit Ashlynne Laynne @
Facebook Progeny Series Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Progeny-Series/129418917161599?bookmark_t=page
Buy Links
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Progeny-ebook/dp/B0074535P6/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328127665&sr=1-1
Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Progeny-Ashlynne-Laynne/dp/1470141604/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330639326&sr=1-1
Barnes and Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-progeny-ashlynne-laynne/1108540255?ean=2940014108355&itm=1&usri=the+progeny+by+ashlynne+laynne
Thanks for having me here today, Krystal.
ReplyDeleteYour welcome! Glad to have you.
DeleteI love this entire series! These books are so unique and WOW they are hot!
ReplyDelete