Monday, February 28, 2011

Guest Blogger: Sara Reinke

Sara Reinke's here today talking about her book, Dark Passages. Now being a fellow paranormal author, I was thrilled to host her. Welcome Sara!! I wanted to know lots and lots of things, but let's start with this: why paranormal? What's the draw of the vampire?
Hi, Wendi! Thanks so much for this opportunity to meet your readers. When I was a kid, I always had my nose stuck in a book—and usually it was one about ghosts, monsters, aliens or other supernatural phenomena. If the show had been around back then, my teachers probably would have told you I’d grow up to be like Fox Mulder from TV’s The X-Files.

I’m older now, a little more skeptical, in many ways more like Dana Scully, Mulder’s practical-minded partner on the show. I love researching the history, science, technology and logic behind things; considering ideas or theories that might explain the seemingly unexplainable.

Since I like to write paranormal romance, these dual components of my nature are often in conflict with each other. Take my Brethren Series, for example. I love the idea of vampires. I think their long-running appeal comes from the fact they’re blood-thirsty and predatory, yet somehow seductive and sensual.

A vampire is usually portrayed as stealing into his victim’s room under the cover of darkness, when she’s at her most vulnerable—asleep in bed. Despite this intrusion, he’s able to make her feel at ease, mesmerizing her into submission. By drinking her blood, penetrating her with his fangs, pressing his mouth against her throat, he’s intimate with her in a way that’s primitive, almost sexual.

I also think another part of the appeal of vampires is that although some are portrayed as living hundreds, even thousands of years, they retain a youthful appearance and stamina. Who wouldn’t want to look and feel like they’re twenty-something their entire lives? (And who wouldn’t want to have a lover with that kind of energy, lol?)

All that being said, the standard mythology behind them—they can’t be exposed to sunlight, see their reflection in a mirror, touch or be touched by holy water or other sanctified objects—has never made much sense to me. In order to make the Brethren work logically enough to write about them, I had to come up with my own mythos; in essence, I had to reinvent the vampire.

For me, that was part of the fun in writing The Brethren Series; it provided the perfect complement of both sides of my creative mind—Mulder’s “I want to believe” philosophy and Scully’s “I want to explain.” It’s taking the supernatural and hypothesizing about how it might be possible; trying to put some normalcy into the paranormal.

I’m pretty pleased with the results. The Brethren, for all of their wealth and powers, are basically as flawed as the rest of us; as motivated by guilt, greed, lust, love—you name it. Though they strive to live apart from humans whenever possible, they’re more like us than they’re willing to admit or accept. And therein lies the story.

I see on your site you love ferrets. Why ferrets?
I can’t take credit for the ferret love, LOL. The ferret button on my site is to support one of my closest friends, Devyn Quinn—also one of the most amazing paranormal authors I’ve ever read (www.devynquinn.com). She’s also the founder of Texico Ferret Rescue (www.texicoferretrescue.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue and rehoming of domesticated ferrets in New Mexico and the Texas panhandle region.

There are tons of organizations across the U.S. that do the same for dogs and cats, and the reasons for having to give up a pet are many and varied. Devyn’s an animal-lover by nature, and she began taking in ferrets from pet-owners in her area who were either unable or unwilling to care for them anymore. Before long, as word spread around to veterinarians and pet stores, she found herself being asked to take on more and more. Texico Ferret Rescue was her solution. Through TFR, she assists in adopting ferrets to new homes, locating temporary “foster” homes for ferrets in need, and providing safe, comfortable living arrangements for ferrets who because of age or illness are unsuitable for adoption.

If you could be one of your characters, who would it be and why?
Karen from Dark Passages, of course—because she gets to see Tristan naked. ;)

Want an blurb? Here you go!
Tristan Morin is a vampire on a mission: to not fall in love with Karen Pierce. To do so would prove that humans and Brethren were meant to be physically and emotionally bound to each other -- something he, as a full-blooded Brethren, refuses to believe. It would be so much easier if Karen wasn't beautiful. And if there wasn't something about her that draws him like a moth to a flame, damn near impossible to resist.

Karen has always felt an inexplicable attraction to Tristan. More than just the fact he's strikingly handsome, it's as if being with him is something natural, comfortable and right. But soon a brash choice on his part leaves her heartbroken and confused, and a sadistic new enemy will put their tentative love -- and their lives -- to the ultimate test.


Whetted your whistle? Sure I did. Here's an excerpt:
Karen remembered another reason the name Davenant was known to her. “They’re the ones who tried to murder your family, aren’t they?” she asked, and Naima nodded.

“In 1812, they burned our great house to the ground, yes. Their objective was to kill everyone inside.”

But you’d already escaped, Karen thought. Augustus Noble found out what the Davenants had planned, and he warned Michel, helped the family to escape. The Davenants didn’t know, didn’t realize it, not at first, anyway.

“Probably not until last night,” Naima agreed, because unlike most other Brethren, she kept her mind wide open nearly all of the time, making her privy to the thoughts of just about anyone within her immediate vicinity.

“Jean Luc Davenant attacked us,” she continued. “He doesn’t possess the telekinesis of one who has fed from another Brethren, but he’s still physically very powerful. We fended him off, drove him away, but Michel thinks he’ll be back. And that he won’t be alone this time.”

“What will they do?” Karen asked. “The Davenants, I mean. When they find out the Morins are still alive?”

Allistair Davenant had been the worst among them, right? she thought. He was their Elder, the one who hated Augustus.

“I imagine they’ll try to kill us again,” Naima replied grimly. “They hated Michel, too, just as much as—if not more than—Augustus. And Allistair was far from the worst. There were seven Davenant brothers, each just as dangerous—and as deadly—as the last.”

4 comments:

Wendi Zwaduk and Megan Slayer said...

Welcome Sara! Hope you have a fantastic time. Anyone with questions? Comments?

Sara Reinke said...

Hi, Wendi! Thanks so much again for the chance to meet your readers! :)

doreen lamoureux said...

This sound like fun. Hi everyone

Unknown said...

These books sound like my kind of read! I love reading in the paranormal genre :)