Guest Post with J.K. Beck & Giveaway!

WHEN BLOOD CALLS by J.K. Beck

Sara Constantine is one of the country’s most tenacious prosecuting attorneys—and she’s just secured a well-earned promotion. At first she’s thrilled. Then she finds out her new job involves prosecuting vampires and werewolves. And nothing prepares Sara for the shock she receives when she meets the first defendant she’ll be trying to put away: Lucius Dragos, the sexy stranger with whom she recently shared an explosive night of ecstasy.

When Lucius Dragos kisses the beautiful woman sitting next to him at the bar, he’s only hoping to blend into the crowd and avoid the perceptive gaze of the man he’s following…and planning to kill. But what starts as a simple kiss to secure his cover ignites into a fierce hunger that leads to an all-consuming passion. Charged with murder, Luke knows Sara will do whatever it takes to see him locked away—unless he can convince her that he’s not the monster she thinks he is. And that might mean making the greatest sacrifice a vampire can make.

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Hi Everyone! Please help me welcome J.K. Beck to the blog as she interviews her lucious vampire hero, Lucius Dragos, of the newly released WHEN BLOOD CALLS.

Guest Post:

INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE

Thanks to Lovin’ Me Some Romance for having me here today. I didn’t want to come alone, so I brought Lucius Dragos with me, the hero from When Blood Calls, to help me introduce his book and the series.

Lucius, can you tell us a bit about the Alliance and the PEC?

The Alliance is a bit like the Executive Branch of the United States government. It’s an ancient governing body. The Alliance has a representative from all of the primary shadow species, though I personally tend to pay the most attention to the vampires, therians (shapeshifters) and para-daemons. The vampiric representative to the Alliance is Tiberius, and most humans would consider him my boss. Certainly it is him that I report to when undertaking certain...missions. The PEC, the Preternatural Enforcement Coalition, is roughly equivalent to the human judicial system, and in our world, it includes both an investigative arm and a judicial arm. The system works well as a rule, keeping in check those shadow creatures who are unable to control themselves--a vampire who cannot control his daemon, for example. When the system fails, however...well, there are also forces at work behind the scenes.

Wow. There was a lot of subtext in that little speech. I’m not really sure where to begin. Let’s start with the “missions” you mentioned.

I would prefer that we didn’t.

You said you’d be forthcoming during this interview.

There is a difference between forthcoming and foolish.

Fine. Whatever. Okay, forget the missions. You said that some would call Tiberius your boss. What did you mean by that?

I see you’re not going to abandon this line of questions. Fine, but it will be your neck if things that should remain secret get out into the human world. I am a member of the kyne, a brotherhood. A secret group of warriors in the service of an Alliance member, charged with ensuring that justice is served, even when the trappings of justice fail.

You’re a vigilante?

I’m going to leave it to you to draw your own conclusions.

Dangerous man....okay, so shifting gears. What’s with the hematite?

In pop culture terms, hematite is a vampire’s kryptonite. It weakens us. It destroys our ability to transform into mist. It is, in a word, a problem. Of course, no problem is insurmountable...

I understand you have a history with agent Ryan Doyle, a para-daemon who has you under investigation. Care to elaborate?

No.

Right. Recalcitrant much? Okay, let’s shift gears again. Tell me about Sara--come on, I can see the way your face lights up just at the mention of her name.

Sara Constantine is a brilliant attorney, and a woman I both respect and desire. Unfortunately, if she does her job right, I’ll soon be dead, as she is the prosecutor currently trying me for murder.

And did you kill? ... Don’t smile at me, answer the question.

I admitted to as much on the record.

You mentioned that sometimes a vampire might not be able to control his daemon. What does that mean?

There are rumors in the human world that when a vampire is created, the human soul moves out and a demon moves in, a creature unrelated to the man who has died. But that’s not true. When a vampire is created, his own daemon--the dark part of his soul, if you will--is able to burst free. To run rampant within the man. To take over without remorse or conscience, and with a lust to kill. Some are able to fight the daemon back--there is a ritual that helps us--but it is hard, and some fail utterly.

And if they fail?

Then they are rogue, and the PEC will hunt them down.

The PEC hunted you--and it caught you. What about your daemon?

I fought. I won. And yet it remains a constant struggle. That is one thing that she...

She?

I shouldn’t say anything. Not under the circumstances.

Sara, you mean?

She calms the daemon within me. She is...special.

How is she--

I think this interview is at an end.

Oh. Right. Sure. Well, thanks for answering the questions. I won’t say you were entirely open, but you were definitely intriguing. Any last words?

I thank your readers for their attention, but I also want to warn them that here are things that hide in the shadows that humans believe live only in nightmares. They are real and they are dangerous and they walk the earth. But there are those of us who will fight them back, pursuing justice even when all hope seems lost.

Lucius Dragos was born in the year 122, and over the years has seen many things.

J.K. Beck (aka Julie Kenner) is the author of the Shadow Keepers series, which includes WHEN BLOOD CALLS, WHEN PLEASURE RULES, and WHEN WICKED CRAVES. You can read learn more about the books, sign up for a newsletter, request swag, and read an excerpt from BLOOD or PLEASURE at her website, http://www.theshadowkeepers.com/. And don’t forget to check J.K.’s blog at http://www.jkbeck.com/.




Giveaway Details:

J.K. Beck is giving away one bound galley of WHEN PLEASURE RULES, Book Two in the Shadow Keeper series. Here's how to enter:


*Comment with a Valid Email Address (Entrants that do not leave an email address will be disqualified)*

**Contest Open to ALL**

***Must be 18 or Older to Enter***

****Contest Closes Thursday, September 9th at Midnight U.S. Pacific Standard Time and the Winner will be Chosen Randomly and Announced Friday, September 10th****