ELISABETH STAAB is blogging with us today. Here are her thoughts on innate traits and love, Take it away Elisabeth,.............

Innate Loves, and Beginning at the Beginning

 by Elisabeth Staab

Hi there, and thank you so much for having me on your blog!

You know, I have this theory that we’re all born with a tendency toward certain innate traits and fascinations, I guess. Stuff that makes our heart sing. Certain things that keep us following what life coach Martha Beck would refer to as our own North Star.

 The artist in me has always been fascinated by tattoos and body modification, by the living/breathing/moving art and the psychology and culture that goes into the infinite permutations of possibility to be had. Why does one person go with the Batman logo on his bicep and another get her back covered in a detailed depiction of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus? I could wander a tattoo convention for hours, just to watch people. The mind boggles.

Music is another. Why do certain sounds call to certain people? My critique partner loves movie scores. No lyrics. I LOVE lyrics, and the way words and music together can be heart wrenching, uplifting, gritty, sensual, or silly.

The dreamer in me has always been drawn to mythical creatures. So I suppose it makes sense that I was drawn to those things as an author as well. What one author friend of mine refers to as “unnecessary complication (he writes plain ol’ contemporary stuff) I think of as infinite opportunities for excitement and escape.

Fairy tales and Disney movies with talking animals and princesses who fell in love with beasts and all of that jazz were totally my thing. Although I thought that I hadn’t discovered vampires until I saw The Lost Boys, but apparently I was mistaken:

My father is in the middle of a move, and I got a pretty cool letter in the mail full of some old drawings he had unearthed while he was packing. My first literary work on vampires, such as it was, was a scribble (I guess it was supposed to be a picture of a vampire) on yellow paper, along with the word “vampire” done when I was about aged five.

Cool, huh??

Okay the handwriting was atrocious, but I was five! I don’t recall doing the drawing, nor do I have any idea how on earth I even would have heard of vampires at that age. Or what I thought a vampire was. But maybe it explains, just a little, why the first time I read a vampire romance novel it was so very much like coming home.

And the first time I saw Thad, the king in King of Darkness in my head? I knew I was supposed to write my own novel. Just knew. So I did.

So maybe it’s the lingering full moon, or maybe it’s that drawing I just got in the mail, but as I sit here on deadline to finish Prince of Power, the sequel to King of Darkness, AND prepare to start book 3, I am feeling a little cosmic about things. I think about all the times I’ve been asked why I write about paranormal creatures, and wonder if it’s another innate love or if maybe I wasn’t just meant to all along. ;-)

And you can see my fascinations quite clearly, in King of Darkness. They are both vampires. Music is woven in throughout the story. The heroine is tattooed. The king and queen meet because of a prophecy (the cosmicness, which is TOO a word, I am declaring it so right now). She is not, however, on board with the whole destiny thang. Thad is an honorable vampire, but the future of his race is on the line and he does what he can to convince Isabel that they must be together: 

Excerpt:

…Forgoing the speed with which their kind was able to move, she advanced slowly, purposefully. Thad’s cock throbbed and his gut clenched with each fall of her thigh-high boots on the floor. Dark shadows caressed her long legs and shapely body, and as her face came into full view, he noticed a slight smile curling the corners of a very generous mouth. Jesus… so sweet and angelic… but she was wearing such a naughty schoolgirl getup. The combo was as dizzying as the inexplicable realization that had just arrowed straight into his soul: This was his female.

He couldn’t begin to explain it, but as she drew nearer, Thad was caught in her gravitational pull. That was, until she did a sudden deer-in-headlights and then broke for the bathrooms. “Shit!”

He was on the verge of taking off after her when his guard’s paw gripped his shoulder. “Do it, and we’ll have to clear the memories of everyone on this floor.” Lee jerked his head across the way. “Besides, we’ve got her. She left the friend.”

Thad nodded and started toward Alexia, who had the look of a person who knew she had just been screwed. He had to hand it to the girl: she kept her head held up proudly. But a defensive stance and minute chin tremble gave away her unease. Poor thing. Sometimes it didn’t pay to be helpful…

About the Author

Elisabeth Staab still lives with her nose in a book and at least one foot in a fantasy world. Her bestselling paranormal romance novel, King of Darkness, is available now. Her second book, Prince of Power, releases in January. Find out more at ElisabethStaab.com 

KING OF  DARKNESS BY ELISABETH STAAB – AVAILABLE NOW 

ETERNAL COMMITMENT IS NOT ON HER AGENDA...

Scorned by the vampire community for her lack of power, Isabel Anthony lives a carefree existence masquerading as human—although drifting through the debauched human nightlife, she prefers the patrons' blood to other indulgences. But when she meets the sexy, arrogant king of the vampires, this party-girl's life turns dark and dangerous.

BUT TIME'S RUNNING OUT FOR THE KING OF THE VAMPIRES...

Dead-set on finding the prophesied mate who will unlock his fiery powers, Thad Morgan must find his queen before their race is destroyed. Their enemies are gaining ground, and Thad needs his powers to unite his subjects. But when his search leads him to the defiant Isabel, he wonders if fate had gotten it seriously wrong...

 

The second installment of Elisabeth Staab's paranormal romance series follows Tyra, a vampire soldier who is nearly killed on the battlefield while fighting the vicious wizard clan. When she awakes from her injuries, she discovers that the man who saved her life is none other than the Master Wizard's son, Anton. They are inexplicably drawn to each other, but Tyra knows this mysterious wizard is hiding a violent secret. She is unsure of whom to trust, who to believe, and where she belongs. Is Anton really in love with Tyra and out for revenge on his father? Or is he only pretending to love her so that he can kill her and steal her powers?

 

A signed copy of KING OF DARKNESS, or a T-shirt (winner gets to pick), goes to a follower that leaves a comment or question for Elisabeth in the giveaway. Remember to leave your email address.
WooHoo!!! This is open internationally.