Saturday, May 12, 2012

Sexy Cedric Interviews Alyssa from Soulstone by Katie Salidas/Giveaway


Today, my darlings, I have a very special guest! A female vampire, who has won my admiration with her feats of courage in her most recent adventure, Soulstone. Following the interview, there is a review by my authoress, Ms. Verrico.  We also have a giveaway of an ebook of Soulstone and this blog's monthly giveaway of an ebook of my latest adventure, Servant of the Goddess.  That's two vampire tale contest entries for one comment on this post! Winners will be chosen by random drawing.


Soulstone drawing ends 5/17/12 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Servant of the Goddess ends 5/31/12 11:59 p.m. EST






Welcome to Sexy Saturday with Cedric!  Today, I’m very pleased and may I say excited to have a female guest for a change of pace, but as a servant of a powerful Goddess, I do like strong, sexy women.  My darling, I do hope you’ll share a few spicy tidbits.  Settle into my hot seat of love.  Don’t worry--I never bite unless invited. 

Please introduce yourself to the readers.

Hey there Cedric, and of course all of the readers out there! I feel a little like a star right now. All eyes on me. A girl could get used to this! Well, let me start simply. I’m Alyssa, but my close friends call me Lyss. I’m a vampire and I love, love, love it. Of course, I didn’t always love it, but now I can’t remember what life was like before I became a creature of the night.


I see a most lovely vision before me, but why don’t you share a little about your vital statistics with the readers?  What makes you such a mouth-watering object of desire?

Oh Cedric, you are a naughty one aren’t you. Don’t let Lysander hear you talking to me like that, he might get jealous. On second thought, do. It’s fun to rile him up sometimes. But seriously, if I had to pick one thing that really mesmerizes the opposite sex, it’s my eyes. Now, when I was human they were green. Very pretty, but normal. Becoming a vamp though has turned them icy blue. Couple that with my dark auburn hair and you have a contrast that’s just too hard to resist. I dare you to try and avoid looking me in the eyes. 


We could be a matching set, of course my eyes remained green after the change, jade green, like this dragon talisman around my neck that Lord Liu gave me.  Tell me a little about yourself—don’t spare any juicy details.  How did a nice girl like you become such a femme fatale?

Pure accident, I assure you. It was one of those “right place at the wrong time” kind of things. Lysander saved me … and who wouldn’t want to be saved by that man? He’s like the statue of David come to life… What can I say? I’m head over heels for the old man. But you wanted to talk about me. So the story is, I was walking home late one night and (cringe) ran into some really bad guys. They pretty much beat the hell out of me and would have killed me. Then my knight in bloody armor showed up and gave them a taste of their own medicine and me a taste for blood. The rest is history.

You’re a vampire, like me.  Answer the all-important questions: Sparkling on non-sparkling?  Human blood or substitute?  Coffins?  Sunlight?  Special powers?

Sparkling… Uh, no! Not unless I douse myself in glitter. Ha ha. But that gives me an idea for later… Hmmmm.

Anyway, I’m an O positive kind of girl. It’s the real thing, or nothing for me. I tried animals once and it wasn’t for me. My preference, criminals. And the worse crimes they commit, the better they taste to me. Sorry, I hope that doesn’t offend your readers. I forget sometimes that humans get all squeamish when you discuss blood around them. *shrug* It’s my way of life though. Blood drinking comes with the curse (if you want to call it that.) that and the whole sunburn issue. I really hate sunlight, I mean really. It’s just too painful. But I’m sure you know what that’s like. We all have our issues.

I'm strictly a human blood kind of boy myself, but I generally take it bottled.  Too much trouble with the Feds otherwise.  What are some of the unique challenges that face you and your friends?  Do you have an arch enemy?

I can’t talk too much about them right now. I don’t want word getting out of our plans, but the Acta Sanctorum are on the hit list. Me, my clan, and our friends in the Olde Town pack are planning to hunt down and destroy that fanatical bunch of religious nutjobs. We’d have let bygones be bygones but they just keep trying to destroy us, so now they can have a taste of their own medicine.

Do you defer to authority, or are you a take-charge sort of girl?

Well, if I agree with the authority, I defer to them. Problem is I don’t always agree. I think sometimes the “authority” is too cautious. But if you ask anyone else in my clan they would probably tell you I’m just a troublemaker and love to go out of my way to cause problems. *shrug* I am who I am, that’s all I can say.

Yeah, they say the same thing about me sometimes, but someone has to get things done.  Are you a one-man woman or do you play the field a bit? 

Lysander is my man, now and forever. I’d go through hell for him.

What do you look for in your ideal partner?  I’ve had my share of tumultuous relationships, but I must admit, I prefer those that present a challenge.  Do you like someone who lets you take the lead, or do you like strong-minded lovers?  Does a naughty Scottish lad have a chance?

Sorry Cedric, you’re tempting, but I’m a one man kinda girl. Lysander is the mate I need. He challenges me, but also helps to balance me out as well. He’s not afraid to yank me down off of my high horse when I’m too full of myself, and he’s there to pick me up when I need a little help. He knows all of my faults and loves me for them, but also makes me want to be a better vampire and have less faults. He’s my soulmate.

Look at me getting all mushy over here. Yeah, I do love that man of mine!  

I admire your fidelity.  Not many pass on the chance to shag a celebrated adept of the ancient arts.  Your man is very lucky.  What is your idea of the perfect evening out?

This one time, Lysander and I took a stroll through the park in Boston. Winter was almost there. The air was crisp and cool. The stars were out; their twinkling reflected in the lake as we strolled around. It was just Lysander and I. We’d not had a single night alone since I’d been turned. The clan was always around. This night was just the two of us. We walked hand in hand, talked, and kissed under the moonlight. It was the most tender and romantic night we’d ever spent together. That was pure bliss.

They don’t all have to be sweet and simple nights like this, but with how hectic life is for me, sometimes that’s all it takes to find perfection. It’s the simple things.

I agree.  I do love the simple things as well: an elegant wardrobe, a silver Lamborghini and a discreet offshore bank account.  We don't want to be too ostentatious, do we?  Supposing the plan is to stay in.  All great lovers have their trade secrets.  How you create the perfect romantic atmosphere?  Don’t be afraid to spill a few juicy tidbits.

Now for a “nice” night inside, I’d have to start off with some sexy lingerie. I do love to dress for my man. There is something about the way his eyes sparkle when he sees me in something revealing. I think it has to do with the “old” man in him. He really appreciates a well packaged present. So, I like to dress for the occasion. Next, as I said before, we always have the clan around. So I need to separate us from them. As you’re well aware, our hearing is too good at times. So closing the bedroom door doesn’t always cut it. I like to drown out the extra noise with a little mood music. That helps to at least make it feel like we are alone. Once we’re alone… well, that’s between me and Lysander.


Anything else you’d like to share? 

You should come by the row house some time. I think I’ve got a friend for you. Zuri. She’s single and on the prowl, and if I do say so myself, she’s hot!

I’ll leave her number before I go.

But before I do that, I just wanted to say thanks for having me, and to your readers, I hope you’ll take a look at my stories. See for yourself if I’m really the troublemaker everyone says I am.

I will, but don't limit me to Zuri.  If you have any unattached male friends, I'm always game for that as well.  I rather fancy the looks of that Nicholas fellow.  Thanks for joining me today, Alyssa, and if you ever quarrel with Lysander and want to make him jealous, you know where to find me.

My darling readers, please take a look at the review and all the intriguing info my guest has provided, then read her delicious tales penned by the lovely Katie Salidas.


Love and Dark Kisses,


Cedric MacKinnon


Your Host with the Most!




Author Katie Salidas

Review of Soulstone

Denise Verrico

Katie Salidas has another winner in Soulstone, Immortalis #4.  I've been following the series since the beginning and have enjoyed seeing the heroine, Alyssa, grow from a somewhat naive girl into a strong and confident woman.  

In the previous book, Pandora's Box, the Peregrinus Clan had won a victory, but suffered some devastating losses.  Alyssa's lover and progenitor, Lysander, is left lying in a state between life and death, his soul imprisoned in a mysterious stone.  Being the spunky and faithful gal she is, Alyssa can't bear not to do something to help her man. With the aid of a witch, a former agent of her arch enemy Acta Santorum and a reluctant pack of werewolves, Alyssa and her clan set out to free Lysander's soul.  

The book is fast paced with healthy doses of humor and interesting action sequences, and I was excited to see Alyssa taking charge of the situation, despite her companions' trepidation.  An enjoyable read for vampire and urban fantasy fans!

Immortalis Series Book Trailer:

The Immortalis Series:

Becoming a vampire is easy. Living with the condition... that's the hard part. Join Alyssa as she stumbles through the world of the "Unnatural."

Book 1: Immortalis Carpe Noctem  - Rescued from a brutal mugging on the college campus of UNLV, 25 year old Alyssa is initiated into a frightening, eternally dark world she never knew existed. The world of the vampire. Stricken with cravings of blood, and forced leave behind all she knew, Alyssa struggles with the change. And Lysander, her sexy but aloof sire, is the only one who can help guide her. There's no turning back now. It's either, Carpe Noctem, or final death.

Book 2: Hunters & Prey -  Rule number one: humans and vampires don't co-exist. One is the hunter and one is the prey. Simple, right? Not for newly-turned vampire Alyssa. A surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum's most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the human friend she's missed more than anything. Now she has some explaining to do. However, that will have to wait. With the Acta Sanctorum hot on their heels, staying alive is more important than educating a human on the finer points of bloodlust.

Book 3: Pandora's Box -  After a few months as a vampire, Alyssa thought she'd learned all she needed to know about the supernatural world. But her confidence is shattered by the delivery of a mysterious package - a Pandora's Box. Seemingly innocuous, the box is in reality an ancient prison, generated by a magic more powerful than anyone in her clan has ever known. But what manner of evil could need such force to contain it? When the box is opened, the sinister creature within is released, and only supernatural blood will satiate its thirst. The clan soon learns how it feels when the hunter becomes the hunted.

Book 4: Soulstone -  It’s a desperate time for rookie vampire Alyssa, and her sanity is hanging by a slender thread. Her clan is still reeling from the monumental battle with Aniketos; a battle that claimed the body of Lysander, her sire and lover, and trapped his spirit in a mysterious crystal. A Soulstone. Unfortunately, no amount of magic has been able to release Lysander’s spirit, and the stone is starting to fade. Weeks of effort have proved futile. Her clan, the Peregrinus, have all but given up hope. Only Alyssa still believes her lover can be released. In despair, Alyssa begs the help of the local witch coven, and unwittingly exposes the supernaturals of Boston to unwanted attention from the Acta Sanctorum. The Saints converge on the city and begin their cleansing crusade to rid the world of all things “Unnatural.” In the middle of an all-out war, but no closer to a solution to the dying stone, Alyssa is left with an unenviable choice: save her mate, or save her clan.

All books are available online at:

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Rising Sign Books – Publisher

4 comments:

Cedric MacKinnon said...

My darling Alyssa, thanks for sharing with my readers today!

Katie Salidas said...

Let me tell you, Alyssa just loved the questions. Great interview Cedric and Denise!


Katie

bn100 said...

Very fun interview. I enjoyed learning more about the character.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

Denise Verrico said...

Thanks bn!