Loving the Vampire Hero
by Tes Hilaire and Elisabeth Staab
What is our generation’s obsession with the creatures of the night. Is it simply the night and the pulse of life energy? The spilling of life-giving fluid? Or maybe the intrigue goes further than that, balancing on that fine line of forbidden seduction and the murky line of death. Whatever the reason, there is no denying that there is a widespread love of vampires out there. I have it, you have it, and we know Elisabeth has it too. The thing is, all of us have our different reasons for loving them, and no two are exactly alike. So what is Elisabeth’s? What’s mine? And what is yours? Let us introduce you today to the vampire heroes that we love so much…
Elisabeth: For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by the tortured bad boy.That kiss between Michael and Star in The Lost Boys movie brought me around to the idea that vampires could be sensual and romantic, not just pasty coffin-dwellers who killed for fun and games. How…different. How hawt! Fast-forward to my discovery of over a decade later of the gritty intensity of vampire romance with fangs and alpha males who needed not just love but a physical blood tie to their mates to survive. I was hooked. I also became a documentary addict, taking in tales about the pressures those who have to lead, and what the strain can do to them. Enter Thad, the king in KingofDarkness. I took a vampire leader and handed him crisis after crisis on the heels of a tragedy, and he had pull himself together for the good of his race. Oh yeah, and there’s this prophecy that says he won’t be able to lead properly until he finds just the right mate…
Excerpt from King of Darkness:
…Thad leaned in more, legs apart, elbows on his thighs. “Look,” he said. “I get that this sounds pretty insane, but believe me when I say I’ve got better things to do with my time than make up stuff like this. If I didn’t think there was something to it, I wouldn’t have been combing half the country looking for you.
“I thought it was all a crock of shit too, ya know?” He sat back up and studied her face for a second. Her expression was blank and her mouth was slack again, like she couldn’t quite process what he was saying. But his jaw was tight and his blood pounded in his ears with the urgency of what still remained to be said. So he kept going.
“The Oracle you asked about is long dead. My parents—both of them—are also dead. I am close to a century old, and I have no power whatsoever. When word gets out about that factoid, it’s gonna put a crack in the ice. My experience and training up to this point have been completely theoretical. I’m running out of time to officially announce my ascension, and our race needs to have faith in its leader.
“We are down to tens of thousands, Isabel. Thousands. On a planet of billions of humans. We work damn hard to keep the communities protected from wizard attacks, but if the folks get scared, they might scatter. And if they scatter…” He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly…
Tes: My love of vampires can be stripped down to one aspect: volatile passion. Or maybe I should say the control of it. Like Elisabeth, I’m a big sucker for the tortured hero. And the vampires who hold a special place in my heart are the ones who suffer all the violence and passion inherent to their species, the need and obsession with blood and sex…and then they control it. InDeliverMefromDarkness my hero, Roland, is such a hero. Once a Paladin warrior, he fell from grace on the night he was turned, and has been struggling ever since to rise above his volatile nature and reclaim his humanity.
Excerpt from Deliver Me from Darkness…
…Roland tossed back the last of his scotch, then glared at the bottle sitting on the coffee table. Empty. There wasn’t enough liquor to burn away the taste of the blood he’d spilled.
Ninety-four years of bloodlust. Ninety-four years of trying to hold onto his humanity. The first few had been a lesson in abject failure, the bloodlust overriding everything else. Possibly if he’d been turned by a master who cared, one who would help him past the cravings and teach him how to temper his needs…but Christos was not that sort of master. He’d encouraged the mindless violence, egged Roland on, and Roland had been more than pleased to oblige.
Until Logan. Logan had brought him back and helped Roland to sever the master-slave bond that Christos had had over him. It had been eighty-nine years since Roland had killed. Yet he’d almost killed a man tonight. The blond had looked like Angeline. And in his mind it was Angeline, his sister, that Don Juan Tom had been planning to rape. Roland’s rage had been so great he’d kept drinking. Wanting to punish. Wanting to lose himself to his nature. When the bloodlust was over him there was no pain, no emotion. Empty. Void. Thoughtless creature of the night. God, the blood had tasted so good.
The phone rang.
Teeth sinking into flesh.
Another chiming burr.
Warm sweet liquid pooling on his tongue.
Brrrriiinnnggg.
Coopery taste sliding across the back of his mouth and down his throat.
With an inhuman growl, Roland grabbed up the phone, punching the talk button. “What do you want?”
“It’s Karissa. She’s run away.”
Roland’s hand tightened around the tumbler, the cut glass leaving grooves in his palm. “Are you telling me she’s outside? Alone? Before dawn?”
There was an audible swallow on the other end. “They’ve sent Valin after her.”
Roland stood, carefully clicking the off button on the phone and he dropped it in the chair. He raised the tumbler—no scotch left. He started to lower it, then with an enraged roar, he threw the tumbler across the room where it smashed against the mantel.
About the Authors
Elisabeth Staab still lives with her nose in a book and at least one foot in a fantasy world. Her bestselling paranormal romance novel,KingofDarkness, is available now. Her second book,PrinceofPower, releases in January. Find out more at ElisabethStaab.com
Tes Hilaire’s idea of a perfect vacation would include her porch on a sultry summer night, a good glass of rich, red wine, and a book about darkness, passion, torture and love. Her first novel in the Paladin warriors series DeliverMefromDarkness is available now. The next, DeliverMefromTemptation, releases in December. For more, visit TesHilaire.com.
Giveaway!
Tells us about your obsession with the most seductive creatures of the night. Why do you love them? Who is your favorite? And, gulp, would you actually want to meet one in real life? One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of Tes Hilaire’s Deliver Me from Darkness, and another will win Elisabeth Staab’s King of Darkness. Thank you for joining us today!
Want more chances to win some great prizes?
Check out the rest of Tes & Elisabeth’s tour stops.
June 5 – Books n Kisses
I do love vampire books a lot, there are so many great ones out there! Like Christine Feehan’s Carpathians. Lynn Viehls Darkyn, Lara Adrians Midnight Breed. Sigh. But my very favourite vampire is Jean Claude by Laurell K. Hamilton. And yes, I do judge every other vampire I read about, against him.
Why do I love them so much? I have no idea. I like that they can be centuries old, they have seen and done so much, they are suave, gorgeous and often very rich. They know what they want (the heroine) and go after her.
Would I want to meet one? Hell no, I am not dinner!
I am all about the vampires. The ones from BDB not Twilight. I would meet one in a heartbeat! They are Alpha, sexy, mysterious and emotional. What is not to love?
Aurian – I think we all are like that. Once we find a hero (whether vampire or otherwise) that tickles our fancy we tend to compare everyone to them! Thanks for stopping in and be sure to fill out that you commented in the rafflecoptor!
Allie – Oh the BDB are so sexy… I positively love the gritty dark world that J.R. Ward created with them. And same for you, be sure you go and fill out that rafflecoptor for that chance to win!
Nevermind ladies! You must have done it while I was being slow and sipping my coffee and flipping through my open windows on the computer! Best of luck!
I love vampires with their dark, brooding nature so shape shifters are awesome with their hot blood and shape shifting abilities. Since I’m a bookaholic, I’m always looking for new authors and I think I just found two of them. AWESOME!! thanks for the contest!
I love the vampires! They are sexy.. I would like to meet the sexy vampires not the scary type..LOL Give me hunky vampire with fangs and I would be a happy girl… I find it sensational if they would bite ya on the neck… (you know that one spot?? ) SO there ya go .. That’s why I love the vampires of today! LOL
mrsworldwidewebb@cox.net aka Kathy
I do love vampire novels and I totally agree with aurian on everything 🙂 I just want to add Jeaniene Frost to the author list – her Night Huntress series is my all-time favorite 🙂 Bones is… *sigh* But I don’t think I’d like to meet him, because my mouth would fall open and stay that way and I wouldn’t be able to say a word 🙂
Loving these answers.Is it hot in here? Thanks for stopping by, everyone!
I have been obsessed with vampires since the first time I saw Lost Boys as well!! Keifer Sutherland as a Vampire? Yes please lol. From there my obsession just kept on building when it came to vampire movies. Then I started reading about them and good God the movies do not hold a candle to the vamps I have read about. Bones from the Night Huntress series is my ultimate favorite so far and would LOVE to run into him as long as Cat is nowhere around lol.
Great intro. I’ve always loved these two authors and their books. Can’t wait to see more of them on the shelves.
The attraction of the vampires for me is a) the fantasy factor involved, b) the experience of decades (or centuries) of living, c) the alpha/big boy/protection of what’s theirs. Who doesn’t dream sometimes of someone who will defend and protect their mate while still giving them the right to be themselves? {drool} I don’t really have a favorite, and I don’t think I’d really like to run into one IRL.
Good morning all! I have to say, I am a huge fan of both of you! Especially since you both tell tales of Vamps. Like Ms.Staab I fell in love with vamps watching the lost boys. I thought Michael was sooo hot, and I dreamed of being the girl he kissed. Lol Till this day I can watch Lost Boys over and over and love it like I did the first time. I must be crazy. Lol I think the fact that vamps have a dark side, they are not innocent is what attracts me most. As far as meeting one, why not!
Can we say HOLY ABS on that Deliver Me From Darkness book cover? **whew** Love talking vamps. I’m with Mellissa M…I could watch Lost Boys every day…just love it. 🙂
Best of luck on your vampire stories!!!! 🙂
They are yummy, aren’t they?
What I love most about vampires is that they are usually dark, tortured creature who need a strong woman to support them. I have not read books by either Elizabeth or Tes but I’m looking forward to reading them now!
Some great comments in here! Brooding, mysterious, Alpha protectors… Oh, yeah, we are all on the same wavelength 😉 Thank you everyone for stopping in and sharing your thoughts! And a special thanks to Mellissa and Jen for stopping in to say Hi! It’s so great to hear from fans 😀
Got to be the hotness and seductive powers of vampires….*fans face* Deadly, sexy and mysterious. BDB Vamps are the hottest I know and I would love to meet Zadist from there. 🙂 I have a weakness for bad boys with heart of gold.
I’m with you aaall the way Dawn! Thank you for stopping by and re-tweeting!
I love vampires. They’re brooding, most only come out at night and hide in the shadows, they’re mysterious. They just need someone to love them and I whole-heartedly volunteer for the job.
Oh! We have a taker on meeting a vamp! Thanks for volunteering, Joanne!
Well I think we are attracted to Vampires because they are so mysterious. You want to find out more about them. Plus they have a feeling that they can not be redeemed and you know you are the one who can help redeem them. And they are sexy. Picking a favorite is hard. One of my favorites is Zhadist for JR Ward’s BDB. Would I want to meet one in real life? Probably just so I could say I did.
Amy, I love Zhadist… Like you, I’m a sucker for the tortured hero 🙂
I love books about bad boy vampires because they are immortal characters who live long lives and they get to grow through so many different experiences. They have depth of character, are world weary and have incredible powers. It’s very difficult to pick my favorite vampire of all time because there are so many great ones like Bones from Jeaniene Frost’s series, Jean Claude from Anita Blake’s series and of course Erik from True Blood. I really can’t make a choice. I really enjoyed the post but I’m ashamed to say I’ve never read either author. Thanks for the the giveaway!
Maria, don’t be ashamed! We’re glad you found us here 🙂 Both Elisabeth and I are debut authors. We’re actually release-buddies as our books both came out this spring! We hope you love both series and become a fan 😉
I like all sorts of paranormal creatures. Vampires are cool, shape-shifters are awesome, I just can’t say which is my favorite. I’d probably mess my britches if I ever met one in real life. LOL. Although, I would like to.
LOL! I think I’m with you, Elvina. Sometimes it’s scary enough writing about these guys. In fact I had some scary moments when I wrote a few scenes. Roland did NOT like what I’d done to Karissa, Yikes!
I have to be honest with you guys, if vampires really exist, I hope they exist on the sly and stay hidden in the shadows kind of the way the vampires I imagine in my head do! They’d be rather intimidating up close and personal. But…sexy…so, I dunno, I guess I wouldn’t mind meeting some of them up close…
MANY thanks to all of you for coming by and checking out the Darkness tour! We hope you’ll hop along with us all week, for those of you who haven’t checked out our work yet we’ll have more excerpts and book giveaways, and for those who have we’ll also have character interviews and deleted scenes, and swag giveaways!
Oh, and a biiig high five to all the fellow Lost Boys and BDB fans!!
Hi Tes, Elisabeth and Kelly. I’m really looking forward to your Darkness blog tour and stalking….oops, I mean following you guys to hear all you have to tell us. Just wanted to drop in and tell everyone that both these ladies are in my top 5 aithors and their respective books are truly wonderful. They are filled with sexy alpha males, headstrong heroines, constant action and conflict, hot-passionate-sizzling love scenes and a myriad of characters that will hold your interest and keep you coming back for more.
Have a great day! 🙂
I think the “bad boy with the heart of gold” archetype is what appeals to me about vampires. It’s why I loved Spike in Buffy (and Angel too!), because he was trying so hard at times to overcome his own nature and you got the feeling that if someone just loved him, he might transform.
I’m a Vampire and Dragon lady myself and would def want to meet the kind of V’s and D’s I read about in Paranormal romance. The Vamp draw is the obvious erotic/sexy thing that seems to surround all of them and just suck you in. The dark/dangerous edge just makes it that much more seductive. Now Dragons, that’s a whole other thing, for me at least. I’ve been in love with them since I was a young, always fantasizing about them in a romantic way. That they could be so huge and strong, dark and sexy, yet have capacity for love and vulnerability. I think I would def want to meet them both!
I think I enjoy the fantasy of the impossible. I have not read these novels, so cannot say they are on my favorite list, but who knows they likely will make it there. If I had to choose one today it would be Jean Claude. He is smooth, strong, ruthless, but willing to temper this for his love of Anita. Thank you so much for sharing with us today I have really enjoyed the post and look forward to these reads 🙂
Hi, Phyllis! And Denise, I love Jean Claude too! Thanks for checking out our books today!
Oh yeah, I do love creatures of the night. But not sure want to meet them, lol! Even they are so seductive, I don’t want a vampire bite me or werewolf change me into one of them. I love my life normal, lol! I love werewolf more than vampire. Because I think all that growling and alpha attitude are sexy as hell. But then I can’t resist vampire charm. I think because both creatures are protective to their mate, that’s way I love it. For my favorite vampire, I will choose Bones from Night Huntress, as for werewolf, there are plenty.
Before I hit my pillow, I wanted to thank everyone for stopping in! There were tons of great responses today! Thanks for sharing your thoughts…and your love of vampires 😉
Best,
Tes
I love vampires because they’re mysterious, powerful, and darned sexy. My favorite vampires are Cat and Bones from Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series. If they were like the ones I read about and weren’t out to drain me dry, I’d love to meet one. But I would be a bit tense until I felt like I could trust them. 😀
i love everything about were and i absolutely love dark hunter though it’s hard to tell what kind of night creature are they;)
I like vampires because they’re dangerous. I like Lothaire.
very sexy cover art, love vampire books
Thanks so much to all the vampire lovers for stopping by! We love the cover art too!
I am a huge fan of vampires – have been since I was a teenager – and that my dears was a long long time ago…. Back before Twilight and BDB… I have read all the classics Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, Kim Newman…. But I am a even bigger fan of the stuff that has come out in recent years. Black Dagger Brotherhood is one of my ultimate favorites and if I was to have a chance to meet a vampire – it would be one from that series – Z… he is my ultimate favorite!
Great contest! Look forward to partaking in both of your books!
Hi, Tes and Elisabeth! I love reading about creatures of the night because they can be such exotic, fascinating OTHERs. They can be heroic or not, and can be such terrific characters. I’m not sure I could choose a favorite–I’ve recently been reading Michele Hauf’s and been enjoying them very much. As for whether or not I’d want to meet one in reality, probably not–I’m quite a chicken, and to meet someone so powerful and potentially scary would send me off the deep end 😉
I love the Others because even though they are stronger and have abilities no human has they still have to deal with normal human like issues. The males often tend to be rather dense when it comes to females very much like my own husband. So I get tons of enjoyment from them.
My favorite is Larissa Ione’s Wraith. I love that demon! I fell for him right from the beginning when he was supposedly not all that good a dude. He’s more than proved himself worthy. And I would love to meet up with him in real life. We could have sarcasm fights ;). Thank you.
Can you imagine talking to a vampire who is 500 years old? Think of all the historical events he as lived through. If I saw one, I would likely faint…..LOL I have a couple of favorites, Wrath from J.R. Ward’s BDB series. I also adore Darian and Xavier from D.N. Simmons KOTDC series.
I have added both of these books to my must have list. I can’t wait to read them.
My favourite are shifters, especially the ones of Ilona Andrews in Kate Daniels and Edge books. I love shifters for their lotalty to their friends and mates, and the nuturing qualities that balence out their alpha-ness. Although I also love the more domestic weres of Lilith Saintcrow’s Jill Kismet books
If I saw one in real life…I think I’d do something very embarressing like jump then and beg them to take me here and now
i do love creatures of the night the carpatians were my first so i have a big space in my heart. yet my number one right now is hunter from the midnight breed series, he is so honest , kickass, loyal, and true all the best qualities,i would lobve to meet any any charector from any book that is permantley in my brain
Wow, you guys! Some of you have me really wanting to go back and re-read other books I haven’t read in awhile! I want to thank everyone who’s come by to read our blog post and enter the contest, and books and kisses for hosting us!!
Vampires are one of the ultimate males. I am usually the one to take care of things in life, basically I take on the role of the man. And the vampire characters I enjoy reading about are the take charge type. So for the few hours I get to read I get to not be the “man”. I love so many different vampire characters I couldn’t pick just a few to love. They all bring so many different qualities to the table.
It would be a great pleasure to meet a creature of the night. 😉
Well my first ever Vampire book was The Vampires Kiss by Cynthis Eden, having never read a paranormal before I didn’t know quite what to expect.
I thought perhaps it would be a nasty vampire praying on the weak girl, boy was I wrong.
Sexy vampire, one true mate, hot loving, bless my soul.
I loved it.
My fave author is now Sherrilyn Kenyon, Acheron being my all I’ve favourite book, would I like meet my hero vampire you asked, you bet your boots I would, heart of gold, looks of an angel.
One true hero.
I know not all vampires are supposed to be sexy but hey mine would be.
Hope I an enter. I am from the UK if not good luck everyone.
I love vampires, they’re so cool ! It might be because I like paranormal things, but I like how strong they are…yeah I enjoy action stories! My favourite might be Simon from TMI. I don’t think I’d like to meet one in real life…unless they were gentle and “vegetarian, so they wouldn’t want to drink my blood.
Hmm Vampires and Shifters 🙂 Curran of Ilona Andrews and Dmitri of Nalini Singh – as for meeting one, well I guess it depends on what is going on and whether it would be as great as I would like or ,… I mean if its my little fantasy world meet then hell yeah!!!
Vegetarian vampires! Love it. And Nalini Singh is awesome.
Oh yes I love me some Alpha Vampires. My favorite is Zsadist from BDB, yummy! I love vamps because their Alpha (in a good way), sexy, dark, strong, fast, etc…and when they find “their one” they are head-over heels in love, devoted, possessive, protective, faithful, etc…
In real life I would LOVE to meet one, bring him on (especially if he is like Thad!)
Thanks so much for stopping by, Crystal! I love Z too. Although I think Thad will probably always be my first love. 😉
Thanks for the interview! I have not had a chance to read these books yet but I’m always interested in finding new authors. Keep up the great work!