Dawne Dominique Creating a Different Take on Vampire Lore...

Hello and welcome, Dawné, paranormal romance author of The First Series, a continuing saga of a different take on vampire lore. Looking forward to hearing all about these books in our interview, but before we move on to it let’s take a minute for an introduction to Dawné:

Dawné Dominique is a multi-published author of paranormal romance and fantasy. Weaving tales of intrigue that include riveting characters and spellbinding plots, she takes great pleasure in immersing an unsuspecting reader into the worlds she created, refusing to let them go until that last page is read.

She embraces life with one simple rule:

“Everything in life happens for a reason, be it good or bad, and it’s because of this we learn to never take anything for granted.”

I love that simple rule, Dawné…mine is something very close to yours. Okay…on with the questions…

Please tell us how the idea came to you for The First series. Please include all the fun details.

I wanted to create a different take on the vampire lore. You have to remember that when I began writing this series, it was in early 2000 before all the Twilights and True Bloods. The opportunity presented itself as a contest on my writing forum. The prompt was to write about a unique vampire in so many words.  Daniella Rolfe was born. She was (and still is) the bossiest muse I've ever experienced.

 

I have a thing for bossy muses also (LOL)…ya gotta let ‘em rule.

Is Eden's Hell included in a series? If so, what series and can you give us titles and a tagline for other books in this series?

Eden's Hell begins The First series. Dark Diary, which is book II, was originally the start of the tale, but I had to shelve the project for three years (it's a long, convoluted tale). So I began writing a stand-alone vampire novel about the very "first vampires" created and why they came to be, which was Eden's Hell. Halfway through the writing process, I realized it HAD to begin this series.  Everything in life happens for a reason, right?  *grins*

Here's a little bit about each book:

Eden's Hell, I: The First

In the beginning…

 

God created man and called him Adam, a fine specimen replicated in his own image. He then created woman to ease Adam’s loneliness and named her Lillith. Unfortunately, God realized his mistake too late in giving woman free will, for she would rule her domain—not man.

When Lillith left Adam, God created another for his first-born son and gave her the name Eve and a kingdom called Eden, but by then it was too late, for he’d unleashed Hell into the world of man.

Dark Diary, II: The First

Daniella Rolfe, a seven-century old First vampire is unwittingly drawn together with a City of Winnipeg detective, who happens to be investigating a string of some rather bizarre serial murders. It doesn’t take long for her to discover that this mere mortal man holds more power over her than any she’s ever known.

And Aiden…he’s only dreamed about women like Daniella.

Blood battles and broken vows are just the beginning of Daniella Rolfe’s woes.

Kindred Blood, III: The First

There is nothing thicker—or stronger—than kindred blood.

Being married in Scotland sounds like the perfect romantic getaway, doesn’t it? For Daniella Rolfe and Aiden Blackmore, the nightmare they’d left behind was just the beginning.  When Aiden is kidnapped, Daniella will go to any lengths to ensure he’s brought safely back to her, no matter the amount of blood to be shed. Together with Spencer Dalton, a private investigator she hired to help find Aiden, they begin to unravel more than they bargained for.

Broken vows are the least of Daniella’s worries now.

Crimson Cries, IV: The First

Release date tentative for Christmas 2012

Surrender: The Sins of the Father

 

Release date - TBA

Sounds like quite a compelling/intriguing series Dawné, beginning with Daniella…

Does Daniella Rolfe live by a hierarchy or some other code/laws of their kind? If so, can you give us a few of their rules?

This is the premise of the entire series. The first two vampires created (and you'll be surprised to learn who they were and why) were bound by a "bible" of sorts called the Alluminatae written in collaboration by both God and the Devil. It's the one true bible that every religion in the world is based upon, such as Christianity, Judaism, and Muslim. Religion is faith—believing in a higher power, and in every religion there's blood, sacrifice, death, immortality, etc.  I wanted to give readers an intellectual as well as fictional experience when reading this series.

Addison, who is one of the main characters in Eden's Hell, is your typical vampire, but his true identity and the events that occur are the shockers.

In Dark Diary, readers learn from the first chapter who and what Daniella Rolfe is. Yes, she kills, but she feeds differently than vampire kin. She was born a vampire and not veiled into the darkness like the others. Throughout the centuries, she's heard the many renditions about a so-called "vampire's bible", but she's a believer of facts, not hearsay. Little does she know that she's followed the same doctrines as what is scribed on those pages.

 

Which scene was your favorite to write? Can you share a little of it?

One of my favorite scenes is when Daniella goes to seek the help of Alleandros, a vampire who came to her as a child, a very old vampire, who is about to repay a debt he owes to her. He's secluded himself from the world under an old monastery:

The snow-covered tips of the Carpathian Mountains finally came into view, their slopes partly concealed behind swells of menacing clouds like a Picasso masterpiece painted across the sky.

Daniella rode the air currents, effortlessly floating between metaphysical forms. One minute she was a wisp of wind, the next a falcon. As she neared her destination, she solidified to human form and opened her mind. A creature of habit with staunch routines, approaching another vampire was always tricky business, even if they did owe you a debt.

Amongst the curtain of snow beginning to swirl through the air like a tickertape parade, she forced away the uncertainty of her actions. Another emotion she wasn’t accustomed to dealing with. Never had she doubted her decisions; never did she have to care for another.

Why now?

She immediately locked that section of her mind into a place that even Alleandros couldn't breach.

A faint scent of something reticent caught her awareness. Then he began showing her the way.

At the base of the mountains, she touched onto the frozen ground. Circumventing the crumbling cobbled walkway of the deserted cloister, she stopped beneath the arched entranceway. The Cistercian workmanship dated to at least the early 1200s. She’d forgotten Alleandros’ love for antiquation, so like her own.

A sonorous voice wove its way through the gale of winds. “Be welcome, child.”

The quiescent invitation lingered in her mind far longer than it should have. She sensed him watching. He too was wary. She stopped beneath the abraded archway and waited. This was his domain. She would be respectful and adhere to the old, respectable ways.

Toppled beams of wood long since splintered and decayed by weather and time, blocked the main pathway. Where oval stained-glass windows had once reflected colored sunlight, piles of rubble lay strewn from corner to corner.

Instead of weaving her way through the debris, she hovered in the air like some ghostly waif and floated down the main aisle of what had once been a beautiful chapel. Bitter mountain winds blew down into the roofless artifact to create intermittent whirlwinds of snow to dance across her path.

His essence beckoned.

 

Please share anything else about this story you’d like ~ maybe a difficult scene or character ~ someone or something not cooperating…

I have a few nasty villains that people really enjoy hating...yet they love them too. I found their characters extremely challenging to write because they are evil at its finest—you actually feel for them. There's always a reason behind characters like that, and it's those indelible marks I want leave on readers.

 

What are you working on now?

I'm currently in edits with Crimson Cries, so there's little time to work on my new project. How I wish there were more hours in a day. ☺ I'm trying my best to write Hellhound Bound. It's about a paralegal who gets caught up in a murder trial she's assigned to handle. Hanna travels to a small town to interview an important witness in the case, who in turn tries to kill her. A hellhound shows up to take his target to hell, which coincidentally turns out to be this witness. When Hanna sees the monster, she realizes that the nightmares she'd suffered as a child were real.

Rhune has the worst job ever. He lives at his outdated gas station 30 miles from anywhere during the day, but at night he delivers souls to hell. He's seen Hanna for years in her dreams...then she disappeared. Now he finds her all grown up and witnessing him devouring a human.

 

Where can we find you? List all of your links.

Oh, I love visitors!  You can find me at:

www.purplesword.com

www.dawnedominique.com

www.dusktildawndesigns.com

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000501135339

Quickie Quiz

          Getting to know Dawné Dominique…

2 Things you do to relax:

Create Cover Art; and

Curl up on the couch with hubby, a glass of Merlot, and a good movie.

Favorite sport to watch:

I confess I have two:  Football & Hockey

Favorite places to write:

My dungeon.

***giveaway***

Dawné is offering a signed copy of Eden's Hell to one lucky commenter  ☺ (signed print copy open to US and Canada ~ she lives in Canada).  Drawing will be tomorrow (3-28) after noon EST and will be announced in the comment area here. Winner will be contacted via email, so please leave an email address where we can reach you.  

Good luck!!

Click Cover for Buy Link

Eden's Hell, I: The First

 

In the beginning…

 

God created man and called him Adam, a fine specimen replicated in his own image. He then created woman to ease Adam’s loneliness and named her Lillith. Unfortunately, God realized his mistake too late in giving woman free will, for she would rule her domain—not man.

 

When Lillith left Adam, God created another for his first-born son and gave her the name Eve and a kingdom called Eden, but by then it was too late, for he’d unleashed Hell into the world of man.

 

Publisher Print Kindle

Click Cover for Buy Link

Dark Diary, II: The First

 

Daniella Rolfe, a seven-century old First vampire is unwittingly drawn together with a City of Winnipeg detective, who happens to be investigating a string of some rather bizarre serial murders. It doesn’t take long for her to discover that this mere mortal man holds more power over her than any she's ever known.

 

And Aiden…he's only dreamed about women like Daniella.

Blood battles and broken vows are just the beginning of Daniella Rolfe’s woes.

Publisher Print Kindle

Click on Cover for Buy Link

Kindred Blood, III: The First

There is nothing thicker—or stronger—than kindred blood.

Being married in Scotland sounds like the perfect romantic getaway, doesn't it? For Daniella Rolfe and Aiden Blackmore, the nightmare they'd left behind was just the beginning. When Aiden is kidnapped, Daniella will go to any lengths to ensure he's brought safely back to her, no matter the amount of blood to be shed. Together with Spencer Dalton, a private investigator she hired to help find Aiden, they begin to unravel more than they bargained for.

Broken vows are the least of Daniella's worries now.

Publisher Print Kindle

Thank you so much for having me here today, Kay Dee. It's been a blast!  Good luck to one lucky commenter.

Dawné, thank you for making my place one of your Bewitching Book Tours stops. Congratulations on your Firsts Series, and I wish you many, many more successes.

Thank you everyone for stopping in and visiting with Dawné. Don’t forget to leave her a comment for your chance to win a signed copy of Eden’s Hell.

Until Next Time…Warm Hearts & Hugs,

Kay Dee

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