Q+A with Temple West (Velvet)

Please welcome today's guest author, Temple West.  Temple is the author of the YA paranormal romance novel VELVET.

Q+A with Temple West

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Temple:  As early as humanly possible.  My first memory of writing a complete story was for my 4th grade Young Authors event.  We got hard-cover blank books to write and illustrate our stories and mine was called The Princess Who Learned to Laugh.  It was awful, but had a fairly concrete narrative structure.  My favorite was an unfinished story from 3rd grade, though, about evil candies in space.  I think the villains were Red Hots.  I still have that in a box somewhere in my dad's garage.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Temple:  My brother and my dad are to blame for that one.  Every night before bed, my dad used to read me The Chronicles of Narnia.  My brother was also hugely into fantasy and I would steal his Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind books when he was done with them.  As a teenage girl, I wanted fantasy with a little more romance in it, so paranormal seemed like a good genre compromise.

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

Temple:  Well, if we're talking straight-up superpowers, I would choose the power of flight.  I used to dream regularly about being able to fly like Peter Pan or Superman, no wings or rocket packs, just the ability to fly anywhere I wanted by the power of my own will.  I think flight represents the idea of freedom, of liberation, of being boundless, and that really appeals to me on both a personal and narrative level.  If I had to be a paranormal creature, however, I'd probably choose some sort of fairy or elf creature.  I like their elusiveness, mystery, and forest habitat.

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

Temple:  Because the mythology is different.  Also, there's tons of banter. It's a serious story, but it's also got quite a bit of humor.  While book 1 really sets up the world and characters and hints at the greater mystery and mythology, books 2 and 3 will really dive into new territory, especially as it concerns vampire lore.

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

Temple:  I know she's technically too old, since she's now playing a college-age student on The Vampire Diaries, but I absolutely love Kat Graham.  She's got an intensity and seriousness to her that I adore, but she can also be light and funny, which I think is a perfect combination for the role of Caitlin Holte.  For Adrian, I've actually got about half a dozen options, but I love Logan Lerman for the exact same reasons.  Range and emotional depth are key.

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

Velvet (Velvet Trilogy #1) by Temple West.

First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.

After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.

Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart?

Release Date:  May 12, 2015
Genre:  Young Adult, Paranormal Romance
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To learn more about Temple West and her books, please visit her website.