So excited to have with us the fabulous Grey Francis! Let's give her a big Naughty Authors Chicks welcome!
Southern Smiles,
Casey Crow
Author
Grey Francis Releases Bound to a Vampire, First in the Into the Dark Woods Paranormal Romance Series
This is first erotic
paranormal romance novel in the Into the
Dark Woods series featuring the vampire trio Cassandra Monteclaire, Killian
Monteclaire, and Alastair St. Germaine. A
psychologically compelling and literary erotic novel, Bound to a Vampire combines the themes of sexual awakening with
paranormal adventure and creates an admirable heroine in Cassandra, who must
find her inner strength to combat demons from her past and her future.
Set
in modern-day New York, Bound to a
Vampire tells the story of Cassandra, a three-hundred-and-sixty-year-old
vampire with healing powers. Her human life ends three centuries earlier when,
condemned as a witch, she is rescued and turned by the sexually dominant and
emotionally enthralling Master Vampire, Killian. Bonded in an erotic trio with
their Protector, the brooding and ardent Alastair, the three live an exciting
and dangerous life full of love, decadence, and dark passion. But when Killian
suddenly vanishes, Cassandra and Alastair face an ever-changing and threatening
world, where they struggle with the loss of their mate while trying to protect
the vampire empire from destruction by human armies called Torians. Centuries
later, when a close friend of Cassandra’s discovers that Killian is alive and executing
members of the allied Sentient organization, Killian becomes a target for
elimination. Cassandra vows to find him before time runs out, but she must
first journey into her torrid past and face her own demons before she can save
Killian and reunite the vampire triad.
Filled
with erotic passion, great tragedy, and dark mystery, Bound to a Vampire is a turbulent thriller that delves into the
history of vampires and the dramatic events that shaped them into the complex
and powerful beings they have become. For fans of paranormal vampire series
such as The Vampire Queen by Joey
Hill and Black Dagger Brotherhood by
JR Ward, Francis creates a vibrant world where secrets abound and the dominant
and submissive power exchange between mates is as essential to their survival
as the blood they drink.
Want to know more about Bound to a Vampire???????
1. Bound to a Vampire is an erotic paranormal romance that takes place
in both modern-day New York and 17th century Europe. What inspired
you to write a vampire novel set in those times and places?
I wanted to set my novel in the present and in the 17th
century, going back in forth through memories, in order to show how the past
shapes a vampire after centuries of living. This time-shifting allowed me to
show vampires not only living, but being hunted, having love affairs and experiencing
great tragedy. I also wanted to take my
readers deeper into my characters’ histories, exploring how they became
vampires, how they found each other, how they lived, and ultimately how they
lost one another. Since the 17th century is one of my favorite time
periods, and a dramatic contrast to the times we currently live in, setting the
book during that time allows us to understand the past, so we can sympathize
with a particular vampire’s motivations and desires.
2. Bound to a Vampire features the female healer, Cassandra, who
is turned into a vampire by the mysterious and powerful Master Vampire, Killian,
and who becomes the member of a sexual triad that includes the dark and
brooding Protector, Alastair. What’s special about Cassandra and how did you
come to choose her as the main character for your first Into the Dark Woods novel?
This genre is dominated by male vampire protagonists. What I
wanted to see was a strong female vampire, who is driven by ambition, passion
and romance and willing to fight for those she loves. As a 17th
century human midwife, Cassandra’s talents were misunderstood and feared, and
ultimately she is persecuted as a witch. As a vampire, her former talents are
transformed, giving her ability to heal and create life, making her very
powerful. She goes from a simple peasant to vampire royalty. Flame haired with
an exquisite kind of delicate beauty, Cassandra is spirited, strong-willed, and
nurturing. She quickly finds herself in a passionate love triangle with her
Sire and her Protector. Cassandra is the perfect compliment to each of them,
but her true gift is her ability to bridge the gap between these two powerful
males, whose love for one another is dark, tangled and complicated.
3. There are strong erotic elements,
including passages that describe submission and bondage, in Bound to a
Vampire. What made you decide to pursue these thematic issues in your Into
the Dark Woods series and in this new novel?
When I envisioned my vampires, I saw them as highly sexual
creatures. But I didn’t think that vampires would express their sexuality the
way most typical humans do. BDSM and the power exchange between a dominant and
a submissive rang true to me in terms of the vampires’ natures and their
ability to attain nourishment from that exchange. I also think there is a
connection between pain and pleasure with vampires. The vampire bite, at least
in my books, is both painful and euphoric. The pain some submissives crave, as Alastair
does, is a component of that particular crossover. There is also a strong psychological
component to BDSM that parallels the emotional bonds within my vampire world.
Some vampires, like Killian, are Masters and demand ultimate trust and
surrender from their mates. In return, their submissive mates feel protected
and ultimately loved. This dynamic felt
so organic to me, I believe it was the perfect way to structure the sexual relationships
of my vampires.
4. What do you find the most
fascinating about the paranormal romance genre?
There are interesting fluctuations in what creatures are
capturing the interests of readers. Recently, I’ve seen a popular rise in books
about shape shifters, dragons, sexy demons and angelic warriors. A few years
ago, the Fae world was popular. Before
that, it was witches. Many writers have been combining a number of different
supernatural creatures in their books for years, creating very developed and complex
worlds where vampires, shifters, Fae, and others creatures, co-existed to
varying degrees of animosity and peace. I find many of them fascinating, and I
faithfully follow a number of writers. And yet, I see vampire stories enduring, being
recreated, the rules of their worlds ever changing and expanding. For me, the
vampire remains as intriguing and sexually charged as he was 30 years ago when
I picked up Interview with a Vampire.
5. What would you like
readers to remember most about you and your books?
The characters. They get under our skin and we can’t shake
them. What I would like people to
remember are the emotional layers that exist between my characters as they
develop and evolve. All three main characters go through transformations, be it
with through love, sex, power, loss, or reconciliation. Their pain haunts us. Their
love grips us. It is these emotional resonances that I hope stay with my
readers.
6. Are you working on a new Into the Dark Woods novel and, if so,
what can you tell us about it?
Yes. The second book in the Into the Dark Woods series is called A King in Chains, and it focuses on Alastair and his dynamic yet
tumultuous history with Killian. The story also explores Alastair’s present day
struggle to move forward as king without Killian by his side, while battling a
powerful and malevolent vampire from his past who threatens everything he holds
dear. In order to save his kingdom, Alastair must make the ultimate sacrifice
for those he loves. That’s all I can say for now!
Grey Francis, a native of Los Angeles, has been writing since she was a teen, penning stories about ghosts, witches and vampires, among other denizens of the night. After graduating with a B.A. in Journalism from San Diego State University, Grey was employed in the New York publishing world before relocating back to Los Angeles to work in the film industry. She later explored her fascination with the paranormal as a screenwriter, but it wasn’t until the birth of her series, Into the Dark Woods, that she found her voice as an erotic novelist. When Grey isn’t writing her next book, she is busy full-time mother of two children.
For more information on Grey Francis or Bound to a Vampire, please visit: www.greyfrancis.com or www.amazon.com.
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