Friday, September 7, 2012

Fabulous Author Friday ~ Ashlynne Laynne


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.
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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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