Lauren Smith is in the Blue Rose Writing Room today

What a pleasure it is to have Lauren Smith, author of Blood Moon on the Rise, in the Blue Rose Writing room today.

Welcome Lauren!

We have a special treat for our readers today. A character interview! I love character interviews. So, let’s get to it then.

Tamara tries to hide a smile. “Join? I didn’t exactly join. Sure…Uh some people do. I was born into though. Parents, grandparents, great parents. It’s a family thing.” She leans back in her chair and thinks quietly. “I would have joined though, if I hadn’t been already a legacy. What we do is important. We protect humans from supernatural threats. It’s a noble cause.”

“I was just a kid, fifteen, when I first met him. He was fifteen too. I’d known him only five minutes before they paired me up with him. I didn’t love him. Hell, I actually kinda hated the guy. He pushed me to my limits, never let me have an easy day off when we trained.” Tamara turns her gaze to something in the distance, a blush warming her cheeks. “I have hated and loved every day and every hour of being his partner.”

Tamara laughs softly. “Suspect? No. Hoped? Yes. I used to dream about him and being together with him, but I hid my feelings pretty well. He did too, much better than me. I was always trying to touch him, to get close to him, even though I knew we shouldn’t and he was always moving back from me.” Her eyes darken with sadness at the admission.

“Are the consequences worth it?” Tamara considered the question thoughtfully. “I guess you have to weigh being in love with honor and duty. It depends. What matters more to you? Love and happiness or agreeing to do the job you signed up for. You can’t always have it both ways. I honestly don’t know if risking my heart and declaring my love would be the best thing. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? There’s every chance we get split up as partners if someone like Damien, our boss, found out how I felt.”

A shudder wracks Tamara and it takes a minute for her to answer. “I felt fear…panic…rage…and despair. I didn’t know if it would kill him, if it would wound him. But we’re trained to react fast. I saw him go down and I just acted the way I’d been born to do. Attack. Of course, that sorceress never stood a chance. I was pissed as  hell and that might have made me just a little more effective than usual when it came to fighting.”

Nicholas sits forward in his chair and reveals a small smile. “I didn’t love her at first sight. I was just fifteen. But…she was so damned cute. She had this long black hair…I was obsessed with it, kept making excuse to fist my hand in it during training. She used to get so mad. I finally said I was trying to teach her hair could be used against her and she’d get us both killed.” His cheeks reddened. “I didn’t actually mean it. But she took me at my word and actually went and chopped it off to her chin in this little bob cut. I think that’s when I knew I loved her.”

Nicholas rakes a hand through his hair and leans back in his chair, momentarily lost in memories before he speaks. “I think…deep down I knew it was only a matter of time before I caved in. A man is only so strong. She is the hardest temptation to resist and I live with her, in the same apartment. Talk about testing a man’s restraints. I knew she was interested in me and wanted to sleep with me, but I was afraid to hope she wanted more, because if she admitted it, then there was little stopping me from doing the same. Then we’d both be in a world of hurt.”

Nicholas blows out a slow breath. “Yeah. That was not one of my better moments. I got attacked on the way to the bar where we were supposed to meet and she started the hunt without me. If I’d only been there a few seconds later, things could have ended so differently. In my line of work, you can’t stop and contemplate the “what ifs” they only slow you down and make you doubt yourself. I never want to ask myself what if I lost her, the only woman I ever loved. Those questions can drive a man mad.”

A frown creases Nicholas’s brow. “I knew I was enchanted with a fatal spell the second I saw her start to fade. I could feel her energy, her life force being pulled into me the more we touched and kissed. I was killing her and realizing that was the worst moment of my entire life.

“Death is part of the job.” Nicholas glances over at Tamara and she nods at him. “We have to weigh the danger and risk against innocent lives. I killed Jacqueline. She was a human, but her death weighs on me as much as the supernatural creatures. They are creatures of the earth with a place and a purpose. But when those purposes are turned into something dark and dangerous, we have to act to save innocent people. It’s not fun, it’s not easy. There’s no glory. Only death and a silent prayer that we’re forgiven for doing what we have to do.”

Wow, Lauren…books should fly off the shelf after that!

Okay readers, here’s the blurb for Blood Moon on the Rise

For years, Nicholas has been her loyal partner, helping to defeat murderous werewolves and take down unruly vampires.  Nicholas has always given Tamara his protection, friendship, and support. The only thing he hasn’t given her is his love. A relationship between Tamara and Nicholas is forbidden by ancient law, and the consequences could be deadly.

But when a powerful Sorceress threatens both their lives, Tamara has a choice to make: Give into her feelings for Nicholas, and risk her life. Or take a chance on Nicholas, and receive his love—at a price.


 

 Here’s an excerpt from Blood Moon on the Rise

 

Lauren’s Contact links:

Book trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEBFaKleL0s