Caridad Piñeiro® is a multi-published and award-winning author whose love of the written word developed when her fifth grade teacher assigned a project – to write a book that would be placed in a class lending library. She has been hooked on writing ever since. From the start, Caridad’s novels have received acclaim and have helped redefine the landscape of modern romance novels. In 1999, Caridad was published by Kensington as part of Encanto, the first line of bilingual Latino romance novels. In 2000, Caridad was one of the first Latino authors featured at the launch of BookExpo America’s Spanish Pavillion. In December 2006, Caridad helped Silhouette launch its successful Nocturne paranormal line with DEATH CALLS, one of the novels in the award-winning THE CALLING Vampire series. In addition, Caridad has appeared at BookExpo America on numerous occasions and has captained both the multicultural and vampire genre panels at the RT BookClub Conventions. THE LOST was also a 2012 RITA Finalist in the Paranormal Romance category. Thanks for being here Caridad, we’re so happy to have you.

Caridad, let’s start off with you telling us about your paranormal series, SIN HUNTERS.

This series has a bit of a different twist on mythology with the Hunters (an ancient race of people that gather energy). Can you tell our followers a little bit about them as well as the difference between a Light and Shadow Hunter?

While I love my shifters and vampires, I wanted to create a different mythology and one which would allow my heroes to do all kinds of different things. The Hunters are very different, although they have elements of both shifters and vampire in them. By being able to take energy from nature and various living things around them, they can incorporate that energy to do things like assume the shape of other creatures or Hunters, heal things, kill, harness lightning or other elements. It’s really a very broad and malleable mythology that gives the Hunters lots of powers.

As for the difference between the Light and Shadow Hunters, I knew I needed to create a conflict that was bigger than just the emotional conflict between the hero and heroine. I needed something that would impact on not just the human world, but on the world of the Hunters. To do that, I reached back into the history of the Americas and the arrival of the Conquistadors on the shores of this hemisphere. Their arrival brought many things, including illnesses to which the indigenous people, like the Hunters, had no defense. The Light and Shadow Hunters were born from the contamination of their agent race by smallpox. That virus affected their ability to collect the energy they need to survive. The Light Hunters’ abilities were cut short, leaving only a few stronger leaders with the capability to harness energy and share it with their people. The Shadow Hunters retained the ability to collect energy, but their bodies were plagued by the pox forever, making it necessary for them to constantly feed on energy to keep the pox from ruining them. The Shadow Hunters are kind of like energy vampires and the worst of them will suck either human or Hunter dry in order to keep their bodies whole.


Adam Bruno is no ordinary millionaire. The heir to an ancient race possessing a dark, powerful magic, he can shapeshift and create energy. His gifts make him a living weapon and have forced him to live in seclusion. But now an inhuman force hunts down Adam-just when he finds someone who makes him feel more human than he ever imagined possible . .
Home from combat in Iraq, Bobbie Carerra wants only peace, yet soon joins Adam in a terrifying battle against paranormal enemies who hide in plain sight. She’s drawn to his strength of mind and body; he’s attracted to her courage and intoxicating energy. Their scorching passion can either transport them to the heights of ecstasy or-if Adam’s powers rage out of control-destroy them. But when an invisible brotherhood tightens its nets and someone Adam trusts betrays him, only a heartrending decision can save them.

Tell us about Adam Bruno. His character has so many dimensions, was he hard to develop and express to your readers so they truly understood him?

Adam was very complex for me. First, his name. His adoptive father thinks of him as the first of his kind which is why he names his Adam. Because Adam is very different from the very beginning, he is an outsider to the human world, unsure of what he is and of the reason for his powers. At the start of THE LOST, Adam is beginning to feel a very strong call to learn how to strengthen and control his powers. Unknown to him, that is the beginning of his Equinox, the time when he must mate with the right female in order to fully reach the pinnacle of power. I loved Adam because of his aloneness and also because of his uncertainty about who he is and what he wants. He is a reluctant hero who must really step up to the plate to become a true hero and his story is more powerful because of that.

This isn’t the first time that Bobbie Carerra has been a character for you. Tell us a little about her past.

Bobbie first appeared in a prequel to SINS OF THE FLESH and also in a cameo appearance in STRONGER THAN SIN. Although we changed up the SINS series with THE LOST, I was determined that Bobbie would get her story because I saw in her a strong and powerful woman who was determined to save the day. I knew from the very beginning that she would suffer great loss before doing so, however. When we meet Bobbie in THE LOST, she has lost most of the men in her platoon and she is physically and emotionally wounded. Despite that, her strength is evident, especially in her first encounter with Adam. When she sees he is in trouble, she doesn’t hesitate to go help him even though she risks injury to herself. That is the heart of Bobbie: caring of others above herself. It’s why I knew I had to write her story in THE LOST.

 

The artwork cover for The Lost is fantastic as well as the cover for SIN HUNTER’S next installment, The Claim. What kind of input do you have when it comes to deciding on these yummy eye candy covers *G* ?

I normally don’t have much input, although the cover for THE CLAIMED was based on a design I did for some postcards of Christopher, the hero in THE CLAIMED. THE LOST cover was quite striking and totally captured the idea of a hero with otherworldly powers and a connection to an ancient race with the medallion worked into the title of the book.



Victoria Johnson loves her life. She’s her own boss in a quaint beachside town, and has great friends who keep her grounded. If only they knew who she really is: an heiress to an ancient race who possesses astonishing superhuman powers. It’s Victoria’s duty to restore her clan of Light Hunters to their former glory by choosing the perfect mate. In Christopher Sombrosa, she just may have found him. Strong, smart, and successful, Christopher exudes a powerful energy. Their connection is sensual, irresistible-and forbidden.
A member of the Shadow Hunter clan, Christopher has defied his own father to lead his people away from affliction and violence. Yet he cannot ignore his duty to carry on his ancient bloodline. Stunningly beautiful and brimming with an erotic life force, Victoria is everything Christopher ever hoped for in a mate . . . but as a Light Hunter, she’s his mortal enemy. Together, they could unite their warring tribes. But murderous factions on both sides don’t want peace-and they’ll stop at nothing to keep light and darkness apart forever . . .

What kind of research did you find yourself involved in for this series? I did some historical research into the early peoples of the Americas. The ability of the Hunters to gather energy actually came from some indications of early Mayan rituals to honor the sun. I read about reike and other forms of energy healing/gathering to develop the mythology of how the Hunters worked with energy. I also explored some native languages to create the titles for the Hunter leaders. The words QUINCHU and ANARU are actually from the Quechan language and mean “hummingbird” and “spider” which I thought described the differences between how the Light and Shadow Hunters took in energy.

If you could pick one of your books to put yourself in and be a part of it, which adventure would you indulge in, and why?

Wow, that’s a tough one. I love action, adventure and history, so it might be fun to be in THE FIFTH KINGDOM and trying to track down an ancient relic. But I also love Manhattan and police work and of course, vampires, so being an FBI Agent like Diana Reyes in THE CALLING/REBORN vampire novels series would also rock!

 

Do you feel in todays market, there are good and bad points to being known as a multicultural author? What are they?

I think that labels tend to dissuade readers from trying out stories labeled as “multicultural.” It’s almost as if you’re saying, “This is not for you” while a good story resonates with all kinds of readers. Many of my stories have what some would call “multicultural elements” but in reality, everyone can connect with them and with the universal issues in many of them, such as being alone, finding your inner strength, finding love or building a committed relationship. Those are all universal and appeal to everyone.

Finish this sentence. I’m taking the day off and I’m going to.............

Sit on the beach and read a good book!
 

Thanks for taking the time to let our followers get to know a little more about you and your work Caridad. Is there anything you would like to tell our followers in closing?

First of all, thank you for having me with you! I truly appreciate that. Also, I’d like readers to know that I am donating a portion of the sales from THE CLAIMED to HOPE FOR THE WARRRIORS, an organization that helps our military and their families in times of need.  

Thanks again for having me with you!
 

For more information, where can we surf to find you?

You can find me at www.caridad.com or www.rebornvampirenovels.com. From there you can meet up with me at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and as part of my Caridaddicts Street Team!

Caridad is having a fantastic giveaway for three of our followers that leave a comment or question for her. Remember to leave your email address also to be entered.

1. A limited edition print copy of THE FIFTH KINGDOM

2. A tote bag

3. A CLAIMED T-shirt

(Sorry, this is limited to US residents only)