First off, I’d like to say thank you for having me and Alyssa here today. For those of you who don’t know Alyssa, she’s a very young vampire. She debuted in story of her transformation Immortalis Carpe Noctem and again in Hunters & Prey. She is again the main character of my latest release, Book three in the Immortalis Series Pandora’s Box.
"Alyssa, can you please step forward and tell us a little something about yourself?"
A petite woman, with a long mane of straight auburn hair, stands up from a folding chair. "Yeah, sure, no problem Kate," She says with a smile, flashing her brilliant white teeth. Her tiny fangs, poke out just a little, reminding me of what she truly is. In one graceful blur of motion, she joins me at the makeshift podium.
"Um Alyssa, its Katie, not Kate," I cautiously remind her.
Her twilight, blue-grey eyes meet mine. I quickly look away, not wanting to be mesmerized by her stare.
"Sorry," she says cheerfully. "I was just trying to give you a pet name. You know, a term of endearment." She finishes with a little snort of a laugh.
I shudder for a second. I don't want to be any vampires, pet.
"Anyway," Alyssa turns to face the crowd. "I'm Alyssa... but then you already know that. I am, or was twenty-five when I was turned. Oh yeah, and I'm a vampire...but...you probably know that already too." She fumbles nervously with her fingers and looks down at her feet. “Wow..Uhh...Um... I feel so unprepared for this. I don't know what else to say. I'm not really used to being the center of attention, unless Nicholas is making me the butt if his jokes. He's a bit of a jerk," she adds with a nervous laugh.
“Why don’t you talk about your clan?” I suggest.
She blinks a few times, takes a deep breath, and focuses again on the crowd. "Okay. I can do that. So, I was turned by Lysander. He's my, um, Mate. That's the term most vampire's I've met, use to describe the person they are with. It seems words like: boyfriend, fiancé, or Husband, aren't really part of their vocabulary. Weird, I know. I guess he could also be called my master or my maker, I don't know about you, but those words just don't sit right with me. He's a pretty good guy though, once you get past the over protectiveness."
Alyssa chews on her nails for a moment, as if trying to figure out what to say next.
"I’m not sure what to talk about here. Maybe I'll just let you guys tell me what you want to know. Ask me anything. As long as it doesn't involve me giving away too many secrets, I'll be happy to answer. So tell me, what would you like to know about me?"
“What’s it like? You know, being a vampire.”
“Uh, well…Not much different from regular life. Diet kind of sucks, and I won’t be getting a tan anytime soon, but it has its perks.”
“Okay. What are the perks?”
“Well, my sire, Lysander. The guy who turned me. He is pretty hot. Imagine the statue of David coming to life: tall, dark messy hair, perfect muscles, gorgeous eyes… and all mine.” Alyssa giggles. “Besides that there’s the usual,” she said, flippantly waving her hand in the air. “Strength, speed, ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound… Oh, wait, that’s Superman.” Alyssa winks at the crowd.
“So, Alyssa – as a vampire you now have new abilities such as speed, heightened senses, strength, etc. Which do you like the best?”
“Hmmm, well, since I still haven’t mastered mind reading I’d have to say a close second would be, hypnosis. I love to play with that ability. This one time I had a guy come after me with a knife and I stopped him dead in his tracks. Then I made him take the knife and…” Alyssa is interrupted by the sound of Katie clearing her throat.
“Oh, um, Sorry.” Alyssa looks at Katie with a sheepish grin. “Next question please.”
“How do you feel about no longer being human? Was it much of an adjustment?”
Alyssa ponders the question a little before responding. “Well, I like the idea of immortality. As my friend, Crystal likes to say, it’s the best anti-wrinkle remedy out there.” She gives a little chuckle. “Seriously though, I like being a vampire, it’s fun for the most part to have such power and know I am not going to die anytime soon. The hardest thing about the whole, vampire thing is the bloodlust. I can smell a mortal from quite a distance, and let me tell you, it’s a great scent.”
She closes her eyes as a serene smile crosses her face. A pleasurable sigh escapes her lips as her tongue traces the edges of her fangs.
“Think of it like smelling fresh baked cookies, or homemade apple pie. It’s really hard to resist such a sweet, warm, inviting scent.”
She blinks her eyes and shakes her head, before focusing back on the audience.
“Controlling my natural instincts, in order to not mistakenly harm an innocent person is no easy task. That’s the hardest part in all of this. I would hate to make a mistake again and accidentally kill another innocent. The other minor inconveniences are tolerable. I was always more of a night person anyway. I mean, I can always get a spray tan if I want to appear like I’ve been in the sun.”
“How many people have you killed?”
“I’m not answering that. That’s a loaded question, like when a chick asks her boyfriend how many girls he’s slept with. Next question please.”
“How often do you go out for blood… er a drink”
“That’s a little better. In the beginning, I had to, um…snack,” she giggles, “every night. Now, I can go a few days without needing blood. I've seen some of the older ones go more than a month without having to drink.”
“So what else can you tell me? How about, weaknesses. Let’s say I needed to kill you. What is it? Garlic, stakes through the heart, holy water?”
“Right.” Alyssa laughs. “With that line of questioning, you think I’m going to tell you? Let’s just leave it at, none of the above, for now.”
“Fair enough. Moving on… So, Alyssa, now that you're a vampire, do you still care about ordinary entertainment? Playing games, dancing?
“Yeah, were just like you.” She winks. “I love movies, video games, and gambling. Just not going to clubs. I had a really bad experience last time I was dragged out to go dancing. I’m not doing that again. But, yeah, were still into all the same kinds of things we enjoyed in our mortal life. I’ve been trying to convince Lysander to get me a Wii..” Alyssa makes an odd hand swinging motions as if she is holding a remote control.
“And I just can’t wait to see the second part of that vampire movie, what’s it called, Breaking Dawn? It’s always funny to see how Hollywood portrays your kind. Maybe Katie will let me give you a vampire’s review of it.” Alyssa giggles.
“Guess my time is up. It’s been so fun talking with all of you. I hope to see you again.”
Pandora’s BoxImmortalis Series, Book 3
Primary Genre: Urban Fantasy
Secondary Genre: Paranormal Romance
Adult Content: Some strong language.
Page Count: 238
Word Count: 65,000
Publisher: Rising Sign Books, LLC.
Print Publishing Date: July 12th 2011
Author: Katie Salidas
After a few months as a vampire, Alyssa thought she’d learned all she needed to know about the supernatural world. But her confidence is shattered by the delivery of a mysterious package – a Pandora’s Box.
Seemingly innocuous, the box is in reality an ancient prison, generated by a magic more powerful than anyone in her clan has ever known. But what manner of evil could need such force to contain it?
When the box is opened, the sinister creature within is released, and only supernatural blood will satiate its thirst. The clan soon learns how it feels when the hunter becomes the hunted.
Apparently powerless against the ancient evil, the clan flees Las Vegas for Boston, with only a slim hope for salvation. Could Lysander’s old journals hold the key? And what if they don’t?
And how welcome will they be in a city run by a whole different kind of supernatural being?
Werewolves…
Hunters & PreyImmortalis Series, Book 2
Primary Genre: Urban Fantasy
Secondary Genre: Paranormal Romance
Adult Content: Some strong language. No sexual content.
Page Count: 263
Word Count: 75,000
Publisher: Rising Sign Books, LLC.
Print Publishing Date: December 10, 2010
Author: Katie Salidas
Becoming a vampire saved Alyssa from death, but the price was high: the loss of everything and everyone attached to her mortal life. She’s still learning to cope when a surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum’s most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the friend she’s missed more than anything.
Alyssa breaks vampire law by revealing her new, true self to her old friend, a fact which causes strong division in the group that should support her most: her clan.
Worse yet, her revelation entangles Fallon in the struggle between vampires and hunters and The Acta Sanctorum is ready to attack again, with a new army of hybrid creations: the Frenzy Soldiers.
If Alyssa hopes to survive and keep her mortal friend safe, she’ll have to be willing to make a deal with the enemy, and regain her clan’s support. It will take everyone working together in a precarious truce to fight against the Acta Sanctorum’s new threat.
Immortalis Series, Book 1Primary Genre: Urban Fantasy
Secondary Genre: Paranormal Romance
Adult Content: Some strong language. No sexual content.
Page Count: 323
Word Count: 85,000
Publisher: Rising Sign Books, LLC.
Print Publishing Date: March 2, 2010
Author: Katie Salidas
Bleeding to death after brutal mugging on the campus of UNLV, Twenty-five year old Alyssa, is rescued by the cold and aloof, vampire, Lysander. Taking pity on her, he shares the gift-and curse-of immortality. She awakens as a vampire and is soon devastated by harsh realities of her new way of life: the loss of her friends, her independence, and her humanity.
As if having her humanity stripped away was not enough to make life interesting, Alyssa finds out her “turning”, did not go unnoticed by the rest of undead society. Old enemies; an ancient sect of vampire hunters, known as the Acta Sanctorum, as well as a powerful Vampire mistress, each set plans in motion to destroy both Alyssa and Lysander.
Only by accepting her newfound immortality, seizing the night, will Alyssa hope to survive. She and Lysander must fight together against two sets of enemies bent on destroying them both.
Katie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, She still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write.And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…
Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.
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Thanks for the interview, I enjoyed reading it. I especially love the cover of the first book, really gorgeous. Looking forward to reading them.
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