Monday, May 05, 2014

Interview and Giveaway with Daniel de Lorne


What inspired you to become an author?

I have a thing for paranormal and fantasy stories, basically anything that’s got a touch of magic and the other in it. There are plenty of good books out there, some wonderful stories, but I wanted to be able to create worlds of my own. Writing seemed the best way to do that. It’s taken a while to get to where I am but I’m glad I’m here.

Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?

I’ll come up with an interim title, mostly just to give the document a file name, but will later change it depending on what happens. Beckoning Blood used to be titled Blood and Spirit, which was fairly to the point but I moved away from it and wanted a verb in there somewhere. Eventually, Beckoning Blood emerged and I was happy with it. Thankfully, Escape were happy with it too so the title stayed.

What book are you reading now?

Right now I’m reading Abigail Roux’s Cut & Run. There are eight books in the series so far and I’m really interested to see how she handles the relationship arc over so many books.

What books are in your to read pile?

Mostly m/m paranormal romances like Jamie Fassenden’s Murderous Requiem, or else your more contemporary m/m romance reads like Frat Boy and Toppy by Anne Tenino. There’s also Stalin’s Hammer: Rome by John Birmingham, and of course Anne Rice’s Prince Lestat is on the list too. Can’t wait for that to come out.

What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?

I recently finished the first draft of Binding Spirit, the sequel to Beckoning Blood, and I’ll be working on the rewrites for that. There’s going to have to be some tough decisions ahead about which way it’s going to go but I’m looking forward to the challenge. Once that’s out of the way, I’ve got a couple of other drafts I need to polish and then hopefully I can get started on something new.

Can you share a little of your current work with us? 

Current work in progress: Binding Spirit

The bruises had bloomed on his wrists. Aurelia’s strong hands and the power behind them had broken his blood vessels and turned his skin purple. Not that he’d tried to get away. Not that she’d tried to make him stay. OK. Maybe a little. All right. Yes. He’d wanted to run. He wanted her and her freakshow family gone from his life forever but then she’d grabbed him and made her offer.

He’d stopped then. And she knew she had him. She released her grip on his arm but that was only the physical side of things. He wasn’t going anywhere now except down. The pain throbbed, a beat that matched the blood pounding in his ears as he trailed behind her and descended to the dungeon.
He rubbed his wrist and pressed against the mark, encouraging the raw nerves to keep him sharp, to keep him angry and sane and whole. Hell knew the very idea of being here was enough to send him running into those butterfly nets.

But he’d given Aurelia his word.

And so had she. Offered the one thing that could make him willing.

As willing as a sacrifice ever could be.

Current work out now: Beckoning Blood

The pig refused to die. Thierry’s blade only nicked the skin, but the animal bucked and fought beneath him. Stupid, squealing creature.

‘Christ’s balls!’ his brother spat behind him. ‘What’s the matter with you?’

Thierry ignored him and readied the knife for a clean cut, waiting for the moment the swine calmed a little, hugging it tighter as it tried to pull away. Its bristled hide stabbed him like dried sticks through the grime and blood coating his chest, but he held on. The pig screamed louder.

Why wouldn’t it just be silent?

A shadow fell in front of him, as much as a shadow could form in one of Carcassonne’s abattoirs, where light barely penetrated the wooden slats that penned them in.

‘Are you trying to kill it or fuck it?’ Olivier said.

The other slaughterers chuckled, then Thierry’s twin sighed, grabbing the pig’s ear close to its skull, yanking the head up and plunging a knife into its neck. He sliced forward and out, blood spilling onto the stone floor as death shuddered through the pig’s body. Thierry released the animal as it weakened and then stood when it collapsed to the floor.

He turned to his viscera-coated brother. ‘I had it.’

‘Like hell you did.’ Olivier shook free the flecks of blood in his black hair and smiled a smile familiar yet so different to his own. One that said, Admit it, you need me.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

As I write about male/male relationships, sometimes it can be a bit tricky when using male pronouns, particularly when there are two or three men in the scene. Use ‘he’ or ‘him’ too much and readers (and I!) get confused. Use their first names and it sounds clunky. Finding that balance can be tricky. Reading aloud helps though.

Other than that the only challenges come from actually sitting down to write. Once one project (or draft) is finished, it takes a lot of mental energy to start on something else, or go back and edit what I’ve just done. It works best when I have a routine in place, sitting down to write in 30 or 60-minute lots without distractions. I’m a fast typer so I make good headway.

Who designed the cover of your latest book?

Escape Publishing organizes our covers and I’m thrilled with what they came back with. Soon after signing my contract, they sent me a cover information sheet that I filled in with information about the main characters, the setting and the themes. I also included a description of what I thought might work (or at least the picture I had in my head) and that’s pretty much what they came back with. I’ve been getting lots of compliments about it and it fits the book well, so I’m very pleased. (And don’t ask me who the guy is, I have no idea…though I wish I did.)

Beckoning Blood
Daniel de Lorne

Genre: Paranormal gay m/m romance

Publisher: Escape Publishing

Date of Publication: 1 May 2014

ISBN: 9780857991553
ASIN:

Word Count: 82,000

Book Description:

A gripping, blood‐drenched saga about twin brothers, the men they love, and the enduring truth that true love never dies — no matter how many times you kill it.

Thierry d’Arjou has but one escape from the daily misery of his work at a medieval abattoir — Etienne de Balthas. But keeping their love a secret triggers a bloody chain of events that condemns Thierry to a monstrous immortality. Thierry quickly learns that to survive his timeless exile, he must hide his sensitive heart from the man who both eases and ensures his loneliness...his twin brother.

Shaped by the fists of a brutal father, Olivier d’Arjou cares for only two things: his own pleasure and his twin. But their sadistic path through centuries is littered with old rivals and new foes, and Olivier must fight for what is rightfully his – Thierry, made immortal just for him.

Available at: Escape Publishing     Amazon    ITunes    Kobo   BN


About the Author:

Daniel de Lorne writes mostly about the loves and trials of hot and sexy paranormal men – and creatures.

He grew up in Perth, Western Australia, and developed a fascination for the mythical and magical early on. Daniel wrote stories from a young age but it was high school biology class he remembers fondly as providing an excellent cover for writing stories that were filled with teen angst and fantastical creatures.

From there it was just a short jump to creative writing in university, where Daniel really indulged his love for the gothic, particularly the vampiric. And plenty of essays on the topic gave it all an air of respectability.

After university he used his skills for good. He wrote about wildlife conservation for eight years before taking a break to explore Canada with his partner. It was while in this great northern frontier that Escape Publishing accepted his first book, Beckoning Blood, for publication.






a Rafflecopter giveaway

May 5 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm

May 5 review
Scrollin' Them Papers

May 6 Guest blog
Aly @ Aly's Miescellany

May 6 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair.  

May 7 Guest blog
Erotica For All 

May 7 Spotlight
Fang-tastic Books

May 8 Interview
Zipper Rippers:

May 8 Spotlight
Booklover Sue 

May 9 Interview and review
Penny Dreadful Books and Reviews 

May 9 Spotlight
Deal Sharing Aunt


0 comments: