Guest Author Interview: Syrie James

Please welcome today's guest author Syrie James!  Syrie is the author of Dracula My Love, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte, and Nocturne.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Syrie:   I read voraciously as a child. My writing epiphany came in sixth grade, when my teacher required my class to adapt a YA novel into a play. The act of turning that prose into a script and performing the play for the entire school was a thrilling experience. I knew at that moment that I wanted to be a writer.  I asked for a typewriter, and my grandparents gave me a used one for my birthday. I immediately started writing my first book (which I never finished—probably just as well) but I was hooked. In the years that followed, I wrote every single class skit or play that was required in school, and my university thesis was a novel.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Syrie:   I became interested in vampires years ago, when my son Ryan asked me to co-author a screenplay featuring vampires. What drew me to the project was that he wanted to write about “good vampires,” creatures with a soul and a conscience, who didn’t want to hurt anyone. Before that, I had always thought of vampires as evil, murderous beings. It’s very compelling to write about characters who were good-hearted when they were human, and who remain good after they are changed—but because of the vampire blood running in their veins, they wage a constant battle every day to restrain their dark inner desires. That’s fascinating to me.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Syrie:  No contest; I’d love to be a vampire. They have everything we want. They're good-looking, fast, strong, eternally youthful, and best of all, immortal. Just imagine the possibilities if you could live forever!  I’d love to have all the time in the world to educate and better myself, to read all the books that have ever been written, and to become good at … everything. I’d want to be a vampire in Bram Stoker’s world, though, because his vampires (i.e. Dracula) can walk in sunlight. And I’m only interested if I can be a good vampire!

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Syrie:  I’m excited about my new book, Nocturne, a haunting story of forbidden love. When Nicole Whitcomb’s car runs off the road on a Colorado mountain during a blizzard, she’s snowbound for days with a gorgeous, reclusive, fascinating man. There’s a good reason why Michael Tyler lives alone in such a secluded spot and shuns society, a good reason why he was reluctant to bring Nicole into his sanctuary. In the days that follow, the two fall deeply in love, a profoundly meaningful experience that is destined to change them both forever. But there are puzzling oddities about Michael and his lifestyle, and soon Nicole discovers the one thing Michael has spent years hiding, the one dark secret that could result in her death. I think you can guess what it is! And for fans of my other books, there’s a subtle reference in Nocturne to my novel Dracula, My Love. See if you can find it!

I’m thrilled by the book’s advance reviews. Enduring Romance called Nocturne “the most realistic vampire love story I've ever read." A Simple Love of Reading said, “Each incredible revelation kept me turning pages long into the night." All Things Urban Fantasy described Nocturne as "The perfect novel to read on a cold winter night. Just beautiful," and Merry Genre Go Round Reviews
said, "Readers will relish this strong, romantic suspense thriller." I really hope you and your readers agree, because Nocturne and Michael and Nicole are very dear to my heart!

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Syrie:  Michael is the world’s sexiest Englishman. He’s very intelligent, accomplished, well-read, romantic, athletic, and haunted by his past. I’d cast either Rupert Penry-Jones, Gerard Butler, Sean Bean, Daniel Craig, Colin Firth, Clive Owen, or Christian Bale.

Nicole is young, smart, sensitive, thoughtful, well-read, adventurous, loving, athletic, and kind, and has a great sense of humor. She's also traumatized by a mistake that’s kept her from moving forward in her life. I’d cast Amanda Seyfried, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johannson, Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, or Kate Winslet.

 Nocturne by Syrie James.

When Nicole Whitcomb’s car runs off a Colorado mountain road during a blinding snowstorm, she is saved from death by a handsome, fascinating, and enigmatic stranger.  Snowbound with him for days in his beautiful home high in the Rockies, she finds herself powerfully attracted to him and soon comes to realize that the feeling is mutual. But there are things about him that mystify her, filling her with apprehension—and Nicole can’t shake the feeling that he doesn’t want her there.  Who is Michael Tyler? Why does he live alone in such a secluded spot and guard his private life so carefully? What secret—or secrets—is he hiding?  Nicole has secrets of her own and a past she is running from—but Michael understands her better than anyone she has ever known. Soon, she is falling as deeply in love with him as he is with her.  But as the sexual tension between them builds, the clues mount up. When Nicole learns the terrifying truth—that her host is an ages-old vampire who is torn between his love for her and his desire for her blood—there’s nowhere for her to run but into the blizzard raging outside, and he’s the only one who can save her life.


Thank you Syrie for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Syrie James and her books, please visit her website.