Book Blog Tour: Dianne Duvall author interview, Night Reigns book review and Giveaway!

Peeps! Welcome to Dianne Duvall, the author of the Immortal Guardians series! YAY I'm super excited to be a part of her book blog tour! When I read the first book (Darkness Dawns) I found a great new series to read but I also discovered an awesome author! Since I'm a vampires book addict, I couldn't just past over Dianne Duvall latest release: Night Reigns (December 6th, 2011). In this post you'll have the chance to learn more about Dianne, her work and have a chance to win a copy of Night Reigns (Offered by Dianne Duvall, Thanks to you BTW for this gift!).

 

Now, the interview!

When did you find out that you wanted to be a writer?

I first discovered I liked to write when I was around thirteen and wrote my first romance.  I didn’t realize I wanted writing to be my chosen profession, however, until college.  I originally majored in journalism, but soon discovered two reasons that it wasn’t for me:  1) I’m shy, which tends to make interviewing complete strangers uncomfortable.  And 2) I found all of the rules just too constricting.  I wanted the freedom writing fiction allows and also craved those happily-ever-afters I enjoyed so much in the romance novels I read every chance I could get.  So I changed my major to English, studied creative writing, and gave my imagination free reign.  :-)

Where did you find the inspiration for your series:  Immortal Guardians?

Many places.  I once watched a documentary in which historians said they thought much of the vampire mythology resulted from a simple misunderstanding of such illnesses as porphyria.  This inspired me to make vampirism the result of a very rare virus, one that does not behave like any other.  It first conquers, then replaces the infected person’s immune system and uses blood to heal any and all damage -- no matter how minute -- the body incurs.  This provided me with an excellent catch 22:  Cure the virus and you kill the immune system.  So there is no way out for anyone infected.

Since both vampires and immortals in my series are infected with the vampiric virus, I needed a way to differentiate between the two.  Instead of being the good guys, my vamps are humans who have been infected by the virus and driven insane by the brain damage it causes.  (A biography of King George III inspired that one.)  So they don’t willingly become evil.  They have no choice in the matter.  I then expanded upon an idea begun in a previous manuscript I wrote in which some men and women, who called themselves gifted ones (another series I’m working on), were born with extremely advanced DNA that lent them special abilities.  In my Immortal Guardians series, immortals are gifted ones who have been infected with the vampiric virus, but their enhanced DNA protects them from the brain damage and the madness.

Tell us more about your book:

 

  Night Reigns.

Readers of Darkness Dawns frequently mentioned how much they enjoyed the humor Marcus brought to the story.  In Night Reigns, they will see a darker side of him.  They’ll see what he has been trying to hide from the others:  that, after losing the woman he loved for eight centuries, he now only feels alive when he is risking all in battle against the hordes of maddened vampires who prey upon humans.  When his actions spawn concern in Seth, the leader of the Immortal Guardians, Marcus is assigned a new Second (mortal assistant) -- Ami.  Though the last thing Marcus wants is a Second, he simply can’t deny Ami’s appeal, drawn by her wit, intelligence and beauty as well as her courage and ferocity in battle.

Ami has suffered greatly in recent years.  So much so that, at times, she questions her sanity.  When Seth assigns her to serve as Marcus’s Second, taking care of business for him during the day when he must shun the sun and backing him in battle when he needs it at night, she is shocked.  But she rises to the occasion.  Conquering the fear instilled in her by the monsters who tortured her, she fights valiantly by Marcus’s side . . . and swiftly loses her heart to him as the bonds of friendship they forge deepen into love.

Why did you choose to write Paranormal Romance?

It’s my favorite fiction genre.  I enjoy many of the other romance sub-genres, but paranormal tops the list because it combines everything I love about romance with everything I love about horror.  Danger.  Action-adventure.  Attraction.  Conflict.  Violence.  Tenderness.  Sacrifice.  Redemption.  Good and Evil.  Humor and tragedy.  It takes me out of this world and hurls me into a parallel one in which all of those creatures mentioned in campfire tales actually exist.  Pure entertainment.  :-)

If you weren’t an author, what kind of career would you have or would love to have?

I would pursue my day job more vigorously.  I currently work in the independent film industry and really enjoy it.  It’s fun and fascinating and exhausting and affords me yet another creative outlet.  But, in the film industry, I work with someone else’s ideas, instead of my own.  I edit films, which does allow me to be creative, but I still have to follow the script I’m given.  I supply special effects makeup, but -- again -- have to follow a script.  Creating my own stories is much more fun.  Very few limitations.  If I couldn’t be an author, perhaps I would try to become a producer so I could have total creative control.  :-)

Where did you find the inspiration for the name of some of your characters like Marcus, Amiriska and Seth?

With Amiriska any other character born within the past century or so, I was able to simply think up a name I thought would suit her.  Seth, David, Marcus, Roland, and the other immortals, however, required research.  With each character, I researched names that were commonly used during the time and in the country of their births.  For example, Roland and Marcus were both born during the Middle Ages in England, about a hundred years apart.  Some baby naming books will tell you when and where names were first used.  These I crosschecked with medieval history books that listed common names.  I even combed through passenger lists from ships that sailed from England around the time of their births.  Once I came up with a list of several appropriate names, I chose the ones I thought would fit each character the most.  :-)

Tell us something about you that we don’t know already.

I can’t sing . . . which anyone who has ever heard me warble along with a favorite song will confirm with either a laugh or a grimace.  :-)    

                             

If you could be any heroine of any book you’ve read which one would it be and why?

I don’t think I can pick just one.  I have too many favorites.  :-)

What is your favorite winter activity?

Waiting for it.  In the region of Texas in which I live, winter never comes.  :-)

If you were a villain from Disney, which one would it be and why?

Captain Hook.  It’s a pirate thing.  ;-)

If you were left alone on an island, which book would you like to have with you?

Stephen King’s Under the Dome.  I’m a huge Stephen King fan and have been beyond frustrated because I haven’t had time to finish it.  (I love what I’ve read so far, though.)

What is on your TBR pile or what is your next to-be read book?

Under the Dome by Stephen King is what I’m currently trying to find time to read, but there are many, many more on my TBR pile (which is as tall as I am), including books by Alexandra Ivy, Gena Showalter, and Kresley Cole.

If you could have a paranormal power, which one would it be and why?

I would love to be able to heal with my hands the way Seth, David, and Roland can in my series.  It would mean so much to be able to eliminate a loved one’s pain or eradicate their illness and do the same for others who suffered.

Which actor would you choose to play the role of your hero should “Immortal Guardians Series” ever be turned into a movie? (Can you tell me for Marcus, Roland, Sarah, Ami, Bastien, and Seth)

Roland:  Hugh Jackman

Sarah:  Michelle Monaghan

Marcus:  Johnny Depp

Ami:  Milla Jovovich

Bastien:  Jason Statham (with long hair)

Seth:  Alexander Skarsgård

I even find a Pirate Marcus!

Quickies:

Cat or dog?  Cat

Cake or Cookies?  Cookies

Highlands or South America?  Highlands

Vampires or Werewolves?  Vampires (even when they're insane)

Dark, Brown or White Chocolate?  Brown

Veggie or Meat?  Both

Pool or Beach?  Beach

Pyjamas or Jeans?  Pyjamas

Want to know more about the author

Dianne Duvall

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Darkness Dawns infos

 

You can find the book here:

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Night Reigns (Immortal Guardians #2)

By

Dianne Duvall

Paperback, 393 pages

Published December 6th 2011 by Zebra (first published December 1st 2011)

Ami isn't much for trusting strangers. She has a hard time trusting anyone. But she's no coward, and she's no pushover in the protection department either. So when she comes across a mysterious warrior taking on eight deranged vampires on his own, she doesn't hesitate to save his bacon. Of course, that was before she realized what one little rescue would get her into . . .

Marcus Grayden has been an immortal protector of humanity for eight hundred years, and at the moment he's not interested in backup. From the moment Ami arrives in his life, he can't deny that she's strong, smart, and extremely skilled at watching his back. But she's also destroying his protective solitude and stirring desires he can't bear to awaken. After all, whatever her secrets — how can she defeat death itself?

My rating:

5/5

I've been waiting for Night Reigns since I finish Darkness Dawns! I really enjoy the first book of this series and I was eager to find out what Ami is! Wow I never thought about this one! (I won't tell you what she is, but I want to!) This will be hard to make a good review without telling you this little secret! I was glad that the author didn't start her book with this revelation. She really made a good move by including this huge part of this story later. The readers have the time to appreciate the building relation between Marcus and Ami. Since Marcus is still in love with a women he can’t ever have, the relationship between Ami and Marcus can't have a quick start! Dianne Duvall really understands that part and that need. She offered the readers a great love story in Night Reigns.

The general plot is the same as the first book: vampires against immortals. Since Bastien is no longer the vampire’s leader, a new insane vampire has taken the lead. The new leader wants to take down Rolland and Sarah and the vampires mistaking them with Marcus and Ami. Seth think to help both Marcus and Ami by joining them as Immortal and second (Ami is the new second of Marcus). I think that was a great idea at first, but after reading a couple of pages with them together, that was the best idea!

Ami is naturally a gentle, devoted and caring person. Even after everything she's been through and endures, she's willing to help others (with at least a bit of concern and fear, until she can finally make trust to Marcus) She also can kick your ass off so she's the perfect second for Marcus.  I really enjoy that Seth was so overprotective with her. These parts were funny but also, really meaningful.

Marcus is one of my fav male characters. I like how he deals with every situation. I like his supernatural power and the fact that he doesn't know how to take advantage of it. (I would have loved to read a bit more about this part of him). He seems to be super sexy, (as Rolland and the rest of the Immortals) and he will fall for the beautiful Ami. I liked how he wanted to curb his feelings for her (this prolongs the pleasure to finally see them together).

Dianne Duvall is a great author who knows his subject and knows how to prolong the suspense. I really liked the no-stop action aspect of Darkness Dawns and the author does not disappoint me in the second book. Many actions, many new elements both vampires, but also in terms of immortals. I think Night Reigns is the ultimate book of revelations! It's not just hiding information Ami! Dianne Duvall has created a fascinating world that includes many supernatural creatures and I think this series will go far!

I recommend this book, but more specifically the series! The first book Darkness Dawns is essential reading Night Reigns. There are too many important elements in the first book. I understand that only the third book come out this fall: (I cannot wait!)

If you liked vampire stories (even if they are the bad guys), you must get this series!

As for this awesome giveaway, Dianne has generously offered one copy of Night Reigns to one of you! And it's internnational!  To enter, just follow these few steps on the Rafflecopter widget! Good luck all!

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