Thursday 23 April 2009

CONTEST WINNER - Dawn Gray


Dawn Gray won an 'Author Spotlight' when she entered a contest and gave the correct answer to a question held in the previous issue. I would like to thank everyone who took part, but there can only be one winner per quarter and this time, that was Dawn.

Writing has always been a very relaxing hobby for me, something that I could use to step out of the chaos of my own world and create a place just for me. With three very active children and a school schedule that keeps me hopping, I love my written world all that much more. My eldest son actually wanted so badly to help with this spotlight that he came up with a handful of questions for me to answer and I thought it would be the perfect way to introduce The Vampire Legacy and its characters to you.

Q: Is The Vampire Legacy series?

A: The original title was Prophecy: A Vampire Legacy, but there would have been too many words with the subtitles also. There are five in all, based in the New London/ Waterford, Connecticut area, and a sprawling New York mansion.

Q: What is series about?

A: The first book starts our story of prophesized events, with the birth of a prince and the realization that Ashley Wolf has about her own royal vampire heritage. In order for the Prince to reign in peace, not only Ashley but also unexpected heroes must put their lives on the line for our future. Five different women tell the series as their lives collide with those of Quinn La Rouge and Julian Deveraux, two vampire brothers who hold the keys to the prophecies.

Q: Who are the main characters?

A: Julian Deveraux and Quinn La Rouge play a large roll in all of the books main plot. Julian is the gallant Knight-in-shining armor who upholds not only vampire law but mortal law as well. He is the peacekeeper among the large population of undead. Quinn is the rebellious one with a sense of duty and honor. He likes the darkness, the mischievousness that comes with being the black sheep amongst the wolves. With his darkness also comes the fury of emotions when the people he cares for are in danger. He is hell unleashed when he is provoked.

Q: When did you start writing this book and what gave you the idea for it?

A: The New Queen Rises was written 1999, while I was pregnant with my eldest son. He was in inspiration for Jackson Wolf, the child in the story, but what really started my mind working on the plot was a visit to Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Connecticut. The mansion in the story is based on the three-story sprawling house with over 200-acres of beautiful grounds and the view of the ocean from its back patio. While walking these grounds, I looked up at the house and imagined Julian standing there in the garden, needless to say, the plot just seemed to stick with me until I could get it down on paper.

Q: When is the next book set to be released?

A: The Light, the Dark, the Heart; The Vampire Legacy II is available at Publishamerica.com, Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and other online stores. It will be available at book retailers within the next month.

Q: Can people contact you for more information on you and your books?

A: Absolutely! I love fan feedback and comments, you can send them right to my email Dgray3994@aol.com or check out Myspace.com/ravenbook2008 for the latest on the ongoing Legacy series.

Excerpt:

As I sat on the end of the ramp, I thought of a plan to get Jack back. I knew that my husband would have a few of his friends with him when we met, but all I could think of was to try to get information about Jack's whereabouts out of him, since he would never actually bring me to where they were hiding him.
I stood up and walked down to the waters edge, slipped off my shoes and bent over to roll up my pant legs, when I heard footsteps on the planks of the ramp. I turned and looked at Quinn, who was, surprisingly without his tan duster. He walked down to the edge of the ramp, with his hands in the pockets of his black Dockers. He wore a white dress shirt with them and he looked very good, for a change. He looked normal.
"Hi." I said and went back to what I was doing.
"Hello." He replied. "How did you sleep last night?"
"Lousy, thanks for asking." I replied and walked out into the water and looked down at the dirt below. "So, did you come to pester me about last night?"
"Actually, I just wanted to know if you were okay." He replied, quietly, showing a side of him that I rarely saw, and he looked at me as I glanced at him. "So, are you? Okay, I mean?"
"Yes." I said and splashed around in the water, then shrugged. "No."
"Which is it?" He asked and crossed his arms.
"I'm not all right, Quinn." I walked out of the water and walked up to him. I grabbed my shoes and stood just on the other side of him. "I feel like I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown and I have to meet someone tomorrow night."
"Who?"
"Whoever has my son!" I told him.
"Tell me what I can do to help you?" He asked me. I looked at him and sighed.
"You can't do anything. I have to do this on my own." I walked up the ramp away from him and he followed. I turned, looked at him quickly and sighed. "Leave me alone, Quinn."
"No." He said and crossed his arms again.
"NO? What do you mean no?" I asked him.
"My brother asked me to protect you, and that's what I'm going to do." He said softly.
"If your brother told you to jump off a bridge, would you do that?" I asked him.
"I'm just doing my job." Quinn said and looked at me in anger.
"I don't need your protection; I don't need your brother's protection, all I need is my son back." I said and leaned on the railing. "I don't see why the two of you feel the need to protect me all the time."
"Because Julian loves you; and because I care about you too." Quinn said and sighed, this made me look at him.
"Oh, please, I don't need this now."
"What do you want from me, Ash?"
"I told you what I wanted, to be left alone."
"Who has him, Ash?"
"You're starting to piss me off." I yelled at him, getting closer to breaking down.
"Yeah, well...good, maybe it will knock some sense into your infant mind."
"Infant? If anyone's an infant, it's you."
"Ash, I just want to help."
"If you want to help so badly get Jack back from my husband. If you want to help me, you can tell David that he's making a huge mistake coming between me and my son." I watched as his facial expression changed as I felt my eyes start to glow and my teeth begin to grow. "If you really want to help me, Quinn, stop this burning feeling in my veins, the anger that is driving me insane, and the fact that I just want to drop dead right here and now."
I was crying and ranting off the top of my head. I walked up to Quinn and hit him on his chest, then put my hands against him and leaned my forehead on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly.
"Shh." He whispered in my ear. "It's going to be okay, Ash. We'll get him back."
He kissed my cheek and put his head on my shoulder. I felt the strange tingling that flashed through my body as he held me close and then he started kissing my neck, then my cheeks, and he glanced at my eyes as he kissed me on the lips.
This started the fire, as his kisses became more passionate and my body responded to his, he unbuttoned the sleeveless shirt I wore and slid it down over my shoulders, as we knelt on the deck. I ran my hands through his hair as he kissed the hollow of my neck, then down to my breasts, where my bra exposed them. Slowly, he leaned me back to lay down on the wooden ramp. I grabbed at his shirt, pulling it out of his pants. He rose his body off from mine and unbuttoned the first couple buttons as he continued to kiss me, then I unbuttoned the rest, slipped it over his shoulders, and then pulled it off from him totally.
Slowly, as he kissed my bare skin and I ran my hands over his hard body, I realized what I was doing. He glanced at me, suddenly, his hair falling in front of his eyes, and looked me deep in my eyes. I reached up and touched his cheek, my eyes filling with tears.
"I'm sorry, Quinn." I told him softly and he sat up as I struggled to get up and began to button my shirt. "I'm so sorry."
I turned and walked away quickly, leaving him there, on his knees, with out a shirt on.

2 comments:

  1. Cool!!! Getting up in the world of Authors! It is what you wished for and love to do! Good luck on the rest of your novels. Your sis, Kim!

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  2. Try #2...I have and always will be proud of you...You been wanting this for as long as I can remember and its good to see you finally making your dreams come true! Tanya

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