Spotlight: A Hunter's Angel

 Today we welcome, Cera duBois to Konnections. 

Tell us a bit about yourself.  Who is Cera duBois?

I was unable to read due to dyslexia and a learning disability until I was in the fourth grade. In fact, I didn’t even read a book on my own until I was eighth grade. I spent two months laboring through the novelization of the TV miniseries The Blue and the Gray. Right after that though, I read more books set during and about the Civil War and soon began coming up with my own story. I eventually wrote that book in eleventh grade for a journaling assignment for my academic English class. After that, all I wanted to do was become an author, but knew that was a hard dream to make come true. I have a BS in secondary social studies education from Penn State University, but when I couldn’t find a full-time teaching job, I went back to school and became a medical assistant and currently work for the Army as a medical secretary. I’m married and have a teenage son and pre-teen daughter. I live near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, actually not far from Gettysburg. If I’m not writing, I’m in the English garden surrounding my house. Despite my earlier difficulty, I love to read and am interested in history, romance, science fiction and the paranormal. I also write contemporary Westerns under my real name, Sara Walter Ellwood.

When did you begin your writing career?

I started writing with the intention of being published four years ago.

How do you develop your plots and your characters? Do you use any set outline?

I’m a panster. I always have an idea of where my stories are going, but I don’t really plot them. I see the turning points as flashes of scenes like a movie in my head and write to those scenes.  The only time I outline, is when I’m getting to the end of a story and need to get there within a certain word count.

What do you think makes a good story?

Strongly written characters, unexpected plot points, and great romance.

Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?

Science fiction. I have a futuristic romance set during Earth’s first exploration of our colonizing planet (yep, you read that right <g>) that I’d like to write someday.  I started it about eight years ago, but never finished it.

Now, about your story, A Hunter’s Angel. What can you tell us about it?

I like to think of it as The Black Dagger Brotherhood meets CSI (although, I just recently read the BDB. I was amazed by some of the unintentional similarities in themes between my Hunter’s Dagger Series and Ms. Ward’s BDB).

Here’s the blurb:

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…

Which character was the most difficult to work with – the hero or heroine?

The heroine Grace Wallace. For the longest time, I just didn’t know what made her tick... It wasn’t until I rewrote the book for submission (after writing four other books in between) that I realized what the problem was.  I didn’t have a handle on her goals and motivations.

What makes this couple perfect for one another?

They balance each other. Grace is a jaded police officer, Ian sees himself as a monster. He helps her see the good in people, she helps him see the good in himself.

What do you hope readers take with them after they’ve read this story?

I’m hoping they feel good after reading it. I hope I’ve entertained them by taking them to a world where vampires live among us and may even work to keep us mere mortals safe.

If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?

A Hunter’s Angel is the first book of at least a three book series, but I’m tinkering with the idea of a fourth book… We’ll see if that happens.

The second book, A Hunter’s Blade, is currently in the final stages of editing at The Wild Rose Press and hopefully will be release either this fall or early next year.

I’m currently writing the third book, A Hunter’s Wings. I’m hoping to have it submitted by March of next year.

Although I have a good idea what the forth book (if there is one) will be about, I haven’t come up with a title yet.

Tagline:

All that stands between Evil and Humanity is the strength of The Hunter’s Dagger...

Fast & Fun:

Boxers or briefs?  Neither.... Most of my heroes go commando

Silk or satin?  Silk

Brad Pitt or George Clooney?  George Clooney

Harry Potter or Twilight?  Twilight

Wine or beer?  Wine

Dancing with the Stars or American Idol?  American Idol

Chocolate or Vanilla?  Chocolate

Heels or running shoes?  Heels

What place to travel is on your Bucket List?  Ireland

When traveling do you prefer hotels or Bed & Breakfasts?  Bed and Breakfasts

Was it love at first sight for you when you met your spouse?  No... But it happened pretty quick.

What did you notice first when you met your spouse?  His eyes.

Where can readers contact you?

Website Links:

Website: http://www.ceradubois.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sarawalterellwood.ceradubois/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sara_w_ellwood

To Sign up for my newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mVxXf

Buy Links:

The Wild Rose Press: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=980

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=cera+dubois

To find out more about A Hunter’s Angel, check out my website (http://ceradubois.wordpress.com/a-hunters-angel-the-book-tour/) for a schedule of my blog stops over the next month. 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.

Thank you very much for being here. We all wish you the best of luck!!

Thanks for having me! I’m also running a contest.

Excerpt:

“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!

A Hunter's Angel

by Cera DuBois

 

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…

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code for the form here:

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.

Website: http://www.ceradubois.com 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sarawalterellwood.ceradubois/ 

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sara_w_ellwood

Contest:

Please leave a comment and your email address to be eligible. (Sorry, only USA and Canada residents are eligible for any prize that needs to be mailed. Non-residents and residents of USA are eligible for free PDF copy.)

*One Lucky Poster will win either a custom-made pair of angel wing earrings, charm bracelet, or necklace (check out my website for photos).

*Two others will get a PDF copy of Bloodwine. (for info on this short story check out my website)

*1^st Stalker Prize: Every Poster will be entered into a drawing for a chance at a $5 gift certificate from The Wild Rose Press (four to be given away)—drawing to happen on September 1.

*2^nd Stalker Prize: Every Poster will also be entered into a drawing of a $25 gift card from either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice)—drawing to happen on September 1.