"Ecstasy Unveiled," A Winner, and Answers

Author Larissa Ione was scheduled to guest blog here at Thoughts in Progress today, but due to unforeseen forces was unable to drop by.

However, I do have some information on Larissa’s newest book release, “Ecstasy Unveiled” and some background on her writing to share with you. First a short synopsis of her book, which is the fourth in the Demonica series:
     Lore is a Seminus half-breed demon who has been forced to act as his dark master's assassin. Now to earn his freedom and save his sister's life, he must complete one last kill. Powerful and ruthless, he'll stop at nothing to carry out this deadly mission.
     Idess is an earthbound angel with a wild side, sworn to protect the human Lore is targeting. She's determined to thwart her wickedly handsome adversary by any means necessary-even if that means risking her vow of eternal chastity. But what begins as a simple seduction soon turns into a passion that leaves both angel and demon craving complete surrender.
     Torn between duty and desire, Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again-one hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction.

Larissa explains how she developed the characters for her series:

When I originally came up with the concept for my Demonica series, which is set in and around an underworld hospital, the main characters were a no-brainer. I needed three brothers to be the focus, partly because I tend to write hero-centric stories, and partly because the bond between brothers fascinates me. Especially when said brothers are so very different.

See, the three brothers, Eidolon, Shade, and Wraith, all share the same incubus father, but they were raised not only by different mothers, but different species of mothers. Because of that, Eidolon, a doctor at Underworld General and the hero of the first book, Pleasure Unbound, is very intense, logical, and a stickler for rules - even if the rules don't make allowances for family.

Shade, a paramedic, is tormented by his own special gift, which allows him to sense dark needs in females…and which compels him to do whatever is necessary to release them from their inner torment.
 
Wraith, whose vampire mother tortured him as a child, is in a constant battle with his own inner demons, and he's at once more and less intense than his brothers. He hides his pain with a laid-back attitude and by causing trouble at every turn, the latter of which is in direct conflict with Eidolon's personality and principles.

Eidolon has his hands full in Pleasure Unbound, not only with the heroine and the threat to his hospital, but with his brothers, because all three of them are on the verge of a transformation that will change them—and their relationship—forever.
 
For all their differences—and regular fights—these brothers are very close, very protective, sharing a bond that is both mental and physical. They can feel each others' pain, they work together, and they play together. They even sport identical dermal markings that chronicle their paternity.

So when their heroines come into their lives, these women have not only one strong, alpha male to deal with, they have three to conquer. It's an uphill battle for the heroines, but for guys like this, whose loyalty and affection for each other proves that they can love hard and intensely, it's worth it!
 
These brothers are very close, but a wrench is thrown into their relationship when a mysterious half brother enters their lives. Especially because Lore brings with him a whole lot of trouble, and the brothers must use weapon at their disposal to ensure the safety of the hospital and their families.

When asked about how and when she began writing, Larissa replied:

I began writing the way so many writers do—the moment I learned to wield a pencil. But even as a child, I didn't write "kid" stories. I preferred something more dramatic. Something that didn't include Dick, Jane, and a dog named Spot. I wanted my characters to be named Dracula and my dogs to have names like White Fang or Cujo. I'll always have my parents to thank for that. They never censored my reading material (though I suspect that if they had truly known what was between the covers of some of the books, they'd have been a little more careful,) so when other girls my age were reading Laura Ingalls Wilder and Judy Blume, I was immersing myself in Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

Later, after I'd joined the Air Force and was in dire need of something to read between shifts at the weather station, I continued to read horror, but I'd branched out into fantasy, and then, finally, romance (though I admit I went kicking and screaming to the latter.)

Turned out that I loved romance! So I started writing it, but again, my style and voice leaned toward the dark, paranormal side. Fortunately for me, paranormal romance, as a sub-genre, was booming. I let my imagination fly, and soon I'd sold a series of dark, sexy paranormal romances to Grand Central Publishing.

I still read a lot of horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and in fact, one of my all time favorite books about writing is On Writing, by my favorite childhood horror author, Stephen King. If you're an author or a reader, I highly recommend this book for an insight into an author's mind—which can sometimes be a very scary place. 

For more information on Larissa and her books, visit her website at LarissaIone.com

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Karen K. of Monessen, PA., was the lucky winner of the copy of Terry Spear's latest release, "Legend of the White Wolf." Congratulations Karen, thanks for dropping by and come back often.

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Now for the answers to the truth and lies from yesterday. There was some truth to each of the answers. Only one came close to guessing the correct truth so here we go:
1. False - I do have horses (5 in fact) and love to ride, but only for pleasure. I've never run barrels.
2. False - I'm not a vegetarian, I love meat. I do try to eat healthy, though. I probably would become a vegetarian if I had to raise my own meat though.
3. False - There is a lake near my home, but unfortunately I don't walk around it. I know I should and from the number who guessed this was the truth, I really got to get started.
4. False - I didn't have an article published in the Chicago Tribune, but I did have some photographs that I had taken published in conjunction with an article one of their reporters did on a double murder. I had made the photos prior to the murders.
5. False - I am an animal lover and my pets do include dogs, cats, horses and we have had goldfish. But I've never had a pet turkey. I have, however, feed the wild turkeys that lives in the woods near my house.
6. True - My first helicopter ride was arranged for me in hopes of scaring me because the pilot had cut the ligaments in his hand a few days earlier. It was back when I was just starting out as a reporter on the police beat and the sheriff (who was a friend) thought he'd arrange it, scare me a little and have something to kid me about. Wrong - it backfired on him. I fell in love with flying and from then on he knew if the opportunity to fly was there, he had to let me know. Since then I've flown in a variety of crafts including an ultralight. If it flies, I'll most likely try it and helicopters are my favorite.


Thanks again to Cleo and the ladies Mystery Lover's Kitchen for this award. I enjoyed playing along. Hope everyone is having a safe and wonderful Sunday. With the terrible weather that has blanketed the country this weekend, here's wishing for sunny and warm temperatures soon!