Guest Post with Author Cera duBois and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome author Cera duBois to RFTC. Cera is currently on tour for her book A Hunter's Angel and has stopped by to chat. Before I give the floor over, let's get to know a little about Cera.

Cera duBois has a strong belief in never giving up on your dreams…

Although Cera was unable to read due to dyslexia and a learning disability until she was in the fourth grade, she always had a story to tell. She wrote her first novel in eleventh grade when she had to keep a journal for her academic English class. Since her life was far from exciting growing up as a farm girl in West Central Pennsylvania, she decided to rely on her imagination to give her something to write about. Over the course of the school year, she wrote a tangled romance set in the Deep South during the Civil War. Becoming an author was her ultimate dream. Despite holding a BS in secondary social studies education from Penn State University, she currently works full-time as a medical secretary. A mother of a teenage son and pre-teen daughter, she lives near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with her husband of nearly 20 years. If she isn’t sitting in a quiet corner with her laptop, warm days will find her in the English garden surrounding her house. Cera loves to read and is interested in history, romance, science fiction and the paranormal. She also writes contemporary Westerns under her real name of Sara Walter Ellwood.

Places to find Cera:

| Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |

Thank you so much for having me today.

I’d like to share the sixth instalment of my series of short stories, entitled The Vampire Encounters. As I hop around the internet these next few weeks, I’ll be sharing a part of each story. The story has four parts, with each part broken into two—except the last, it’s broken up into three sections. So, come follow me, as I interview (Ann Rice style) the four vampires from A Hunter’s Angel...

Although all of them could be read separately, if you would like to read them all I will also be putting them on my website. Or, if you’d like to follow along, go to http://ceradubois.wordpress.com/a-hunters-angel-the-book-tour/ for the link to the other parts.

The Vampire Encounters—Lucas Pomeroy

PART 2: Lucas explains to me how the vampires came about…

“The first vampires were created by a demon, correct?” You were created by a demon. But I kept that thought to myself.

Of course, I should have known it wouldn’t have mattered if I thought it or shouted it. Lucas smiled as if amused, but his voice was gentle. “I do not make it a habit to read humans’ minds.

But your mind is screaming at me. Yes, I was created by the arch demon Asmodi.” He stood again and moved over to look out the window. His accented voice going back in time. “Vampires were first created during the Jewish captivity in Egypt in around 1300 BC.”

“That’s not very long ago.”

He smiled over his shoulder at me. “Sorry to disappoint you. But I think you will enjoy this story. You have faith in the truth of the Bible.”

“I’m a Christian, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

He nodded once and looked out the window again. “Then you have heard the story of Moses and of how his mother put him into the Nile to protect him against the edict of the Pharaoh to kill all male infants.”

“He was then found by an Egyptian princess.”

“As he grew strong, he became part of the royal house of Ramesses II.”

I glanced at my watch. I really had to get home. “What does this have to do with how vampires came about?”

He turned and cocked a brow. “Everything. I’m going to tell you the part of the story humans don’t know. The unseen story of the war happening on the nontemporal plane—the war for power over all of humanity.” Now, he had my undivided attention. “The princess finding the baby Moses was arranged by a very special guardian angel.”

He knew her—it—him—whatever sex angels were!

“Yes,” he said and met my gaze again. “I know the Guardian. She’s the same angel who helped me learn to feed without killing. She’s been coming to me ever since my turn, giving me guidance.”

I flopped back in my seat completely flabbergasted. “Wow!”

He smiled and continued his story. “She also gave me silver from her wings to infuse into our daggers to kill those who refuse to follow my code.”

“Silver…wings?”

He smiled. “Angels wings are made from silver. It is a holy metal and is why vampires and werewolves can be killed by it.”

“Wow.” Swallowing hard, I regained some of my composure. “If there was a war going on between angels and demons, I guess the Guardian’s interference royally pissed off someone,” I pointed toward the floor, “down there. It doesn’t take a theologian to figure out, if Moses was destroyed, the Jewish people may not have left Egypt.”

Dear Lord, how would that have affected history?

Lucas’ dark eyes flashed with something that couldn’t be anything but appreciation. “Yes. You are correct. The arch demon Asmodi walked the world and could take the form of a man. He’s believed to influence gambling, debauchery and most of those vices. He’s the commander of the succubae/incubi class of demons.”

“Energy vampires?”

He shook his head and laughed again. “They have been known as that, but in reality they influence sexual appetites, greed, and paranoia. According to the Guardian, Asmodi is the one who convinced Pharaoh to order the killing of all the Jewish newborn males. Asmodi’s orders came from his brother, Satan, who wanted control of Earth.”

I had long ago stopped writing and stared at the vampire. “But with Moses now under the protection of the Pharaoh…”

Lucas smiled and slid his hands into his pockets. “As well as a legion of angels under the command of Archangel Michael, Asmodi’s plans were thwarted. He had to come up with something new, something that would please his prince and king—Satan and Lucifer.”

“Wait.” I shook my head, confused. “Aren’t they one and the same?”

He moved back to the couch and sat down. “No. Satan and Lucifer are not the same being. Lucifer was an archangel before he fell. Satan is his son.”

“I’m confused. Who’s his mother?”

Lucas shrugged. “I’m not sure anyone knows. It’s been rumored to be the fallen angel Litith—the first succubus and Asmodi’s mother, although Lucifer is not his father. Another rumor is that Satan’s mother is Aphrodite or one of the other goddesses.”

Needless to say, he just threw me for one of the BIGGEST loops ever. The Greek gods and goddesses were real? But before I could voice the million and one questions exploding in my head, Lucas turned the conversation back to vampires. I was actually disappointed.

“Asmodi left the city, with the plan of creating an army of beings who could defeat the humans from within. He approached one of the Pharaoh’s enemies and created the first vampires out of this army. However, Asmodi hadn’t counted on his creations having their own minds, free wills. These first vampires had a vicious thirst. Whole villages fell, drained dry.

“By the time Asmodi gained some control over his army of vampires, Moses was a man. Asmodi was running out of time. He’d learned about Moses fleeing to the desert and sent his army after him, but he’d been summoned back to Hell, and one doesn’t disobey that kind of summons.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” I muttered and shivered. “Let me guess. The vampires scattered to the four winds?”

He chuckled and leaned forward. “Not exactly. They had free will, but they were also greedy and Asmodi had dangled before them promises of power if they followed through with his mission. They followed Moses into the desert, and it was there most of them met their destruction by the sun. The morning that Moses first conferred with God in the form of the Burning Bush. As the sun rose over the desert, the vampires went up in flames and ash…All except one. This master survived and fled at night and never returned. He created the first vampires that were not demon turned. No one understands why we are able to survive during the day as we age, but no vampire can survive the rays of the dawning sun—the sun of creation—the light of God.”

“But Asmodi created other vampires. Or you wouldn’t be here.” I glanced at my watch again. Damn, I was in so much trouble when I got home. Dawn was only two hours away.

“Yes, Asmodi has made other masters. Since I destroyed four masters within the past year, I’m sure he’ll be walking Earth again to create others. Right now, there are only three masters.”

“Has there ever been a vampire king or queen?”

“Yes. A king. But there isn’t one now.”

“Why?”

“I destroyed him about a thousand years ago. I’ve never let another one reign.”

I stared at the master and couldn’t help but wonder. Why hadn’t he ever set himself up as king?

Lucas shifted in his seat and looked down at his clasped hands. “I don’t want to be king of anything.” I rolled my eyes. Should have known he’d read my mind. “I lead the hunters and provide guidance to those who wish to follow my teachings—my code—and I will for as long as there are vampires and werewolves out there to do evil. However, I have no desire to rule over them as king.”

He glanced out the window and then back at me. “I believe we should conclude this meeting, Ms duBois. Dawn is quickly coming, and I’d like to be with my wife.”

I stood and gathered my things. “You’re married to the vampire who turned Ian, aren’t you?”

He nodded with a smile curving his lips and a twinkle in his eyes. “Yes. Vivian. We celebrated our 300th anniversary this summer, in fact.”

Now, that had to be love.

“Would you like to meet with her?”

“Yes." Did I just say yes to meeting another vampire? Dear God, I must be nuts! “I’d love to meet her.”

Lucas smiled with amusement showing in the fine lines at the corners of his twinkling eyes. “Then I shall ask her to meet with you. It has been a pleasure. I’m glad that you met Grace and agreed to tell our story.”

Though irritated that he so easily read my mind, I smiled. “Yeah, me, too.”

Before I could say anything else, the master walked from the room, leaving me to flop back in my seat.

“Now, that was one hell of a story.”

***

To find out more about A Hunter’s Angel check out my website for a schedule of my blog stops during the book tour. I will be presenting a series of short stories called The Vampire Encounters. Follow me as I interview Ian McHenry, Master Vampire Lucas Pomeroy, Vivian van Dyke Pomeroy, and have a scary run-in with Shane Chamberlain. Hope to see you along the way.

The serial killer stalking Clayton, Pennsylvania, isn’t all that has Chief of Police Grace Wallace worried. For a year, she’s tried to forget Special Agent Ian McHenry and now he’s the expert the FBI sent to catch the killer. She can’t stay away from him, but something primal is telling her to run to save much more than just her heart. Despite the strict code of ethics Ian vowed to follow as a vampire hunter, he craves Grace’s blood above all others. If he chooses to stay, Ian risks losing his chance at divine forgiveness. But if he leaves Grace unprotected from the evil he’s hunted for over a century, he loses more than just his soul…

Places to Purchase:

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Wild Rose Press | 

“I’m in love with the man inside the vampire.” Grace moved her hand to thread through his silky hair. When she rested the other over his heart, a soft sigh escaped his lips. Underneath her palm, the slow beat was barely noticeable.

His thumb grazed her cheekbone and slowly trailed down to the hollow of her throat. Her breathing quickened at the zinging anticipation as he caressed the pulse point where he’d claimed to have taken blood from her. He glanced at the spot with eyes as haunted as he sounded. “I’m not a man.”

“But you were once.”

He met her gaze again. “Yes, once.”

His fingers lingered over her pulse. Her heart raced under his touch. She tilted her neck as if his touch awakened some base instinct to offer the sacrifice. “Do you still want my blood?”

Ian stepped away and locked his wide-eyed gaze onto hers. At last, he rasped, “No, I don’t want your blood. Oh, God, I still crave it. You have the sweetest I’ve ever had, but I will never hurt you again.”

She didn’t know what possessed her to do so, but she whispered, “You can take...some of it.”

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he acidly said, “No, Grace. I can never taste your blood again. It would kill you.”

Fear of what she’d wanted him to do tumbled through her. She stepped away, and for a moment, she considered telling him to leave. How did she know any of this was real? She couldn’t imagine she’d ever freely offer a vampire her blood. Did she really believe him? He was sucking her into his insanity. But if this was true and he could make people do things against their will, maybe he could control her feelings.

“Maybe I should go?” Ian backed away another step and headed toward the counter where he’d left his dagger. He turned back to her with the sheath in his hand. Her heart shattered with the knowledge that, if he walked out the front door, she’d never see him again. “Goodbye, my sweet angel.”

His jagged murmur ripped at her soul as his eyes took on a blazing intensity and snared hers. She felt a pressure in her mind, and she knew what he intended to do. He wanted to erase her memories of him.

No!

Want to win some goodies from Cera? Check out what's up for grabs.

Up for grabs:

• 2 lucky commenters from the ENTIRE tour will win a PDF copy of Bloodwine
• 1 lucky commenter from the ENTIRE tour will be entered into a drawing for a $5 gift certificate from The Wild Rose Press.
• 1 lucky commenter from the ENTIRE tour will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate for Amazon/Barnes & Noble.  

To Enter:

• Please leave a meaningful comment/question for Cera. 
• Please leave your email address broken up along with your comment to be entered. 
• Giveaway ends September 1st.

Good Luck =)