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.

Questions for Tamara:

Why did you join the Brotherhood of the Blood Moon?

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.”

Did you know you loved Nicholas before joining? Wasn’t it difficult being his partner and being in love with him?

“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.”

Did you ever suspect Nicholas might have feelings for you?

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.

Do you ever think the consequences for admitting your love for Nicholas would be worth it?

“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.”

What went through your mind when Jacqueline zapped Nicholas with that powerful bolt of power?

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.”

Questions for Nicholas:

How long have you known you loved Tamara? Was it love at first sight?

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.”

She told us about the difficulties of being your partner and also loving you. Can you give us some insight what that was like for you?

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.”

Can you share how you felt when you saw her fighting the werewolf…and losing to him?

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.”

When did you realize you were under a spell, and your passion for Tamara could kill her?

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.

How is the emotional impact of killing a human different than killing a supernatural creature?

“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.”

Question for both:

Now that you’ve admitted your love for each other, what’s next for you?

Tamara and Nicholas share a smile that lights up both of their faces. It’s Tamara who speaks first. “What’s next? We go about business as usual. Being in love is forbidden you know. The Brotherhood’s ruling is pretty strict about it.” As she talks she fingers a small silver band on her ring finger.

Nicholas leans over and covers her hand with his in a gesture of support. “We keep doing our jobs, but we also have moved on…together.” His eyes meet hers and a spark passes between them.

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

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

Lauren Smith is in the Blue Rose Writing Room today 2

Tamara wants nothing more than to protect the world from deadly paranormal creatures. Well, maybe she wants a little more than that. But the man she craves—Nicholas Rubin—is strictly off limits.

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

“Tamara!” A low, anxious shout drew her head up.

Relief flooded her when she caught sight of the man emerging from the shadows by the bar’s back door.

“Where the hell were you, Nicholas? We said we’d meet at the bar at seven,” Tamara snapped.

Her partner, Nicholas Rubin, rushed over and knelt at her side. His face sported a small cut across his high cheekbone, and his clothes were spotted with blood.

“Oh, God, are you okay?” She reached for his cheek, and he flinched, jerking away at her attempt to touch him.

“I got waylaid. Apparently, our furry friend had some goons with him who tried to stop me from following. They knew what we came here for. By the time I got inside, you were already gone. You couldn’t have waited? Damnit Tamara…” His eyes assessed her injuries, his brow furrowing as he concentrated on her. “Come on, let’s get you home and patch you up.” Nicholas held out a hand. Tamara winced when he pulled her to her feet.

“Huh, some tracker you are,” she muttered.

She fingered the crystal on the leather band around her wrist, the one he’d made for her. Even though it had a purpose for her job, she wore it the way a woman would a piece of jewelry from her boyfriend. Here was the man she wanted, the chocolate haired, cinnamon-brown eyed god she craved. He was her closest friend, her partner, and completely off-limits. The ache to touch him, to reassure herself he was okay, was ever present.

Every single minute she was with him, she covered her feelings for him with sarcasm or offhanded remarks. Anything to keep distance between them. But not tonight. She had to feel him, comfort him, even if he wasn’t hurt.

Nicholas’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she reached up to stroke his face. He didn’t pull away, and her heart jumped wildly in her chest. Her hand lingered against his warm skin for a moment longer than it should have. A tiny thrill rushed through her body when he didn’t step away to avoid her.

“You’re the hunter. It’s my job to lead you to the beasts. You have to kill them, remember?” He flashed a wise-ass grin and retrieved her purse and jacket from the ground.

He helped her slide it over her arms, his hands tightening on her shoulders ever so slightly before he let go. The heat of his touch sent her pulse skittering. She had to diffuse the sudden throbbing of desire for Nicholas. It was a battle she fought every hour of every day. Each time she pushed away that hunger for him, it made it harder to work with him. She couldn’t fight off werewolves when she was busy thinking about jumping Nicholas’s bones.

“You are so buying me a beer later,” Tamara snapped, her bravado masking her trembling hands and the lancing pain in her leg.

“Sure. Oh, you might want to fix your jeans…they’re uh…open.” Even in the moonlight, the ruddy stain of a flush on his cheeks was unmistakable. For a brief instant, Tamara thought she saw anger flicker in his eyes.

“Damn.” She fixed her pants and looked determinedly away.

Did he get jealous thinking of her being with other men, of her luring vamps and weres using her body as the carrot on the stick? Or did he not think about her at all? She thought of him every time; with every kiss, every touch, she envisioned him doing those things to her. What would he think if he knew it was him she fantasized about? About the tender yet heated way they’d come together, and how they’d lie still and quiet, hearts beating in time as they slept afterwards.

“Better call it in,” she reminded him, teeth gritted, her head tilted toward the alley and the dead werewolf.