Paranormal Guest Author: Laura Kaye + Forever Freed Giveaway

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Laura Kaye!  Laura is the author of Hearts in Darkness and Forever Freed.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Laura:  I wrote my first stories as a child. I was an only child and alone a good bit, so I became very good at entertaining myself, and cultivating a vivid imagination was one part of that! The first story I remember writing, although I doubt it was my first, was a paranormal retelling of A Secret Garden. I have no idea whatever happened to the notebook in which I handwrote the story, but I can still see the book in my mind’s eye. In high school, I won a prize for a story called “Peter Save the Tsar,” which was a time travel tale about a modern-day kid who stopped the assassination of the Russian royal family in 1917.

That story also reveals my interest in history, which is where my writing became concentrated once I went to college and graduate school. As a professional historian, writing has been a part of my life for my entire career. But it wasn’t until three years ago that the fiction bug hit me—literally! I hit my head on July 4th and after several weeks of severe headaches and other “post-concussive” side effects, I found myself wanting to write fiction. At the end of August, I started writing the book that became Forever Freed, and the draft was done by November 1.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Laura:  Well, as my paranormal retelling of A Secret Garden shows, I’ve been interested in the paranormal since I was a small child. That interest stems from my family, all of whom believe in the supernatural. It was completely normal for my family to sit around my grandmother’s dinner table on a Friday night and tell stories about their houses being haunted, or the evil-eye curse my grandmother believed her mother-in-law placed on her, or the angel that came to my grandmother when she was pregnant with my mother. We all saw instances of odd, unexplainable things happen in some of our family’s houses, particularly my grandmother’s. The supernatural just was. The two authors I remember being totally hooked on the earliest were Anne Rice and Stephen King, so I’ve always been most interested in the paranormal genre. And it’s so totally cool to be writing in it, now!

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

Laura:  Teleporting. I would totally love to be able to move from one place to another instantaneously just by willing it. How cool would that be? Poof! And you’re gone. Need to check on someone? You can. Need to get somewhere quick? No problem.

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

Laura:  I would love to! Forever Freed is a paranormal romance about a reclusive, empathic vampire who falls in love with a woman he planned to kill and her young daughter, then fights his ancient guilt, bloodlust, lie by omission, and an old vampire rival who threatens everything he holds dear.

One thing I think is interesting and appealing about Forever Freed is that it is first person point of view from the vampire hero’s perspective. And Lucien Demarco is such an amazing, sympathetic, complicated character—his mind is an interesting place to be.

Another enjoyable part of the book is the heroine’s daughter, Olivia, who goes by “Ollie.” Ollie is as central to the plot and to Lucien’s character development as the heroine Samantha is, and Ollie’s often an incredible scene stealer. Not to mention how heart-melting it is to see Lucien and Ollie interact.

Readers will also enjoy the way the paranormal world in Forever Freed is meshed with the real world of contemporary Detroit, and the rationale for that is based on the true history of the city, which I think is pretty cool.

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

Laura:  Ooh! I love this question! For Lucien, it’s so easy too! Alex O’Loughlin was THE character in my head the whole time I was writing Forever Freed.

This picture perfectly captures Lucien’s mood and the general atmosphere of the book. And, ya know, IT’S ALEX O’LOUGHLIN!!! (LOL) I’ve always had a harder time picking just the right actress for Samantha Sutton—maybe Amanda Seyfried or Kate Hudson—they both have that pretty wholesomeness about their look that I associate with Samantha. Dakota Fanning when she was young would’ve made a great Ollie, but of course she’s all grown up now! Dakota always had that cute precociousness that is totally Ollie. Thinking about the book being made into a movie is so much fun!!!

 Forever Freed by Laura Kaye

A heart can break, even one that no longer beats.

I stalk my new neighbors, a single mother and her child, drawn by the irresistible scent of their joy and love. I crave their blood, starved for some healing respite from my ancient grief. Now to lure them into my grasp.

But they surprise me. Little Olivia accepts me without fear or reservation—talking, smiling, offering innocent affection that tugs at my long-lost humanity. Her mother, Samantha, seeks me out when she should stay away, offering sweet friendship, and calling to the forgotten man within me. They lure me instead.

Ah, Dio, Lucien, run and spare them while you can…


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

To learn more about Laura Kaye and her books, please visit her website.

**Forever Freed Giveaway**

We are giving away one ebook copy of Forever Freed by Laura Kaye to one lucky winner and two sets of Forever Freed romance trading cards to two runners up!

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email address (so we may contact you if you win).  You do not have to be a follower to enter (though I always appreciate a follow!).  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway ends August 30th midnight EST.