Please welcome today’s guest author, Ashlynne Laynne to the blog. Ashlynne has an interesting post on what defines the new, modern variety of vampire hero.
Ashlynne Laynne’s New Breed of Vampire
Why write about vampires?
I’ve been obsessed with horror movies since I was very young. My grandmother took me to see Creepshow at the dollar movie when I was young. The dollar movie is now a distant memory, but that day spurred my love of the horror genre.
I’m a horror fanatic. I’ll watch anything—slasher, cheesy b rated, zombie, vampire, witches. You name it; I will or have already seen it. My movie library is more than half horror.
My Progeny Series is about a family of vampires and one within their family who is different, yet the same. Ascher is a half-bloodling (half-human and half vampire). His skin possesses the warmth of a human’s yet he lives off blood and is immortal like his family.
New wave authors are bringing forth a new breed of vampire. The days of the cold-blooded, garlic fearing, cross-avoiding fiends of old are slowly giving way to a new type of warrior. The new blood is tougher, meaner, more human-like and fall deeper in love than any of their predecessors. These guys have the gentle touch of a feather but can tear an enemy apart with the same hands. They’re as passionate about their clan ties as they are about the women who stir their blood.
They’re bold, sexy warriors with hearts of gold and wills of steel. Their bodies are lean, sculpted immortal vessels of paranormal strength and ability. They’re devoted brothers, enemy slayers and erotic lovers capable of completely satisfying their chosen mate.
An author’s imagination dictates a character’s world and we empower ourselves to freely interpret our mythical beings—even if it goes against the grain of traditional vampire roles. For me, creating feeling and intense vampires that are outside the typical vampire box is important. My vampires love passionately, have a strong sense of brotherhood and feel the full gamut of human emotions.
While I’m not one to conform, I subscribe to the fact that vampires are pale and blood drinkers. I, however, don’t have mine running around draining the life out of poor, unsuspecting victims. I’m a purist in believing that they are cold-skinned and burn in sunlight, but I’m not one to believe that vampires are emotionless, evil fiends who sleep in coffins and plan the demise of us warm-blooded humans.
The humanization of the “undead” makes for more interesting and intense love stories with the ability to suck the reader in, while fueling the imagination.
And really…why is it so hard to believe that a vampire might have the emotional capacity to love as much as a human? They typically were human once and surely felt the full range of emotions during that time. So, why wouldn’t that carry over into immortality?
With the Twilight craze, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries (all of which I find fabulous) vampires have taken on a sexy, new persona becoming objects of longing and lust for young and older women alike. And who could blame us? I mean…if a vampire that looked like Ian Somerhalder wanted to bite me, I wouldn’t say no.
He wouldn’t need his vampire mind control for me to comply.
The Progeny Blurb (The Progeny Series #1)
“No fate other than the one I choose.”
The timeless creed, and tattoo, bore by the Rousseau’s— a vampire clan with the purest bloodline of any vampire family. Out of this clandestine group came one who was different, yet the same: Ascher-a half-bloodling— half- human, half vampire.
Ascher questions the purpose for his existence and which world he truly belongs to: the human world or the vampire world. Two months from sealing to Ursula— a prearranged union to a woman he abhors — he’s at his wit’s end. He knows if he calls off the sealing, the Romanian clan will strike with deadly force, but he cannot see eternity with a cold empty shell of a woman like Ursula.
Just when he thought life was complicated enough, he meets Shauna— a beautiful, bi-racial human Wiccan — and immediately develops an unshakable attraction to her. She makes him feel alive and vital despite his origins and Ascher makes a decision that turns his immortal world upside down.
Blood Bonds Blurb (The Progeny Series #2)
“Forever. For always. For eternity.”
The ties that bind two hearts are powerful. For Ascher Rousseau and Shauna McCutchin, it’s more than just a blood bond. Their union is that of vampire legend. Their love is a predestined prophecy foretold centuries ago.
It’s a week before Ascher and Shauna’s sealing and the couple is making final preparations for their eternity, but Ascher’s ex has other plans. Ursula is hell-bent on revenge—revenge fueled by lover’s scorn and her father’s death—and she begins breeding a fresh army of newborn darklings to do her bidding.
When Ursula finds a new weapon—an ally with the capability to dismantle the Rousseau clan— Ascher and Shauna’s bond is tested and they must stand together against Ursula or lose each other for eternity.
About Ashlynne:
Ashlynne Laynne has always had a soft spot in her heart for vampires but grew tired of the garlic fearing, sun-loathing creatures of old. An avid horror movie fan, she tends to enjoy media and music that is of a younger, more eclectic nature. This was the catalyst for her writing The Progeny. The vampire/witch pairing is unique and different when most books pair vampires with werewolves.
Ashlynne loves writing on the edge and teetering between the erotica and romance genres, and thinks of Ascher and Shauna as the wicked, damned version of Romeo and Juliet. She is currently working on books three and four of her Progeny Series, book one of her upcoming Rocker Series, and an untitled novella WIP. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with her family. She juggles the hats of wife, mother, full time employee and part-time writer, hoping to write full time one day soon.
Ashlynne lives in North Carolina with her husband and teenage son.
About The Progeny Series
At its core, The Progeny is simply a story about a man and woman who fall in love, and the fact that he’s a half-blood (half-human, half vampire) and she’s a Wiccan human are secondary factors. When we meet Ascher, he’s grumpy. Frankly, who could blame him? He’s engaged to seal to Ursula—a cold and careless vampire who wants nothing more than to get her hands on a bloodstone— and he feels conflicted about his existence.
All of that changes when he meets Shawnette McCutchin. She’s beautiful, intriguing and possesses some of the most potent blood that he’s ever smelled. A war immediately begins inside Ascher. He craves Shauna’s blood just as much as he craves her body and the closer they get, the harder it is for him to control his urges. After Ascher calls off the sealing to Ursula, the trouble begins. His family’s peaceful period ends when Ursula’s army attacks the Rousseaus.
This series is about a family of which we’ve never seen before. They share a common mortal and immortal bloodline but loyalty is the thread that holds this clan together. Once you become a part of this family, the others will risk their lives to protect you. We see examples of this throughout the journey. There is no shortage of romance, steam and surprises in The Progeny Series but these books are for adults and contain adult sensuality, language and themes.
Book one of the Progeny Series—The Progeny—re-released on May 7, 2012. The “revamp” is a second edition full of extended scenes, new details and tighter editing. Book two—Blood Bonds—will release summer of 2012.
Connect with Ashlynne Online:
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Vampires were my first foray into the paranormal and still have my heart. I love seeing new and different versions of vampires as well as the old ones. Thanks for sharing your books I have added them to my tbr list.
Thanks for coming by, Gabrielle (love your name, by the way, so beautiful). Vampires and witches are my two paranormal loves and I’m having a lot of fun creating this series. I’ve loved horror since I was very young and Interview With the Vampire began my love of movie vampires (Brad Pitt was so yummy in that movie). I’ve never been one to conform to traditional beliefs and my guys reflect that. I love being different and thinking outside of the box.
I recently made the change to more erotic type writing. The Progeny and its sequel are different because I go deeper into the raw, physical part of the couple’s sex life. But my main concern is always my characters’ feelings. The emotion is what drives my love story. I have a link to a sexy post if the readers are interested. This excerpt is from Blood Bonds. http://ashlynnelaynne.blogspot.com/2012/07/sexy-excerpt-from-blood-bondsthe-storms.html
In your bio you said that you grew tired of old style vampires and that growing tired of them was an impetus for writing Progeny. Was there a specific moment when you realized you were tired of the old style vampires and were ready for something else? What spurred that moment?
I’ve loved vampire since I saw Interview With the Vampire. I consider Anne Rice the grandmother of the modern day vampire. I think for me, and I’m sure a lot of writers, Twilight was what did it for me. Stephenie Meyer brought an absolutely new take on the lore of the vampire. The thing I took from it was the whole walking around in the daytime aspect of her guys. This actually was one of the first things I ironed out. I had to have a reason why my guys walked around in the daytime. This is where their amulets came from.
One of the fun things in some vampire romances IS the way that the author chooses to deal with some of the “myths” about old style vampires. Sometimes the myths are just that – myths and the vampire finds them slightly funny. I usually enjoy this approach.
One of the things I like about paranormal in general is that an author can play with their paranormal world and the rules that govern that world. Each author brings their own creativity to the limitations of old style vampires to either create lives for their vampires within the limitations or to create worlds where the limitations aren’t there. I find it fun to ride along with an author, to see how they handle it.
Welcome to the blog Ashlynne. I hope you enjoy your time with us.
I enjoyed reading about your perception of old style vs. modern vampires…and how you play with the vampire myths to arrive at your modern day vampire heroes.
Why do you think it is that most vampires are paired with werewolves as opposed to witches – or other pairings?
What particularly speaks to you about the pairing between your vampire hero and witch heroine? Was there a reason she needed to be a witch?
From what I understand, vampires and werewolves are supposed to be natural enemies. After I tied my story to the Salem witch trials, it seemed natural to have this half-blood’s love be a witch. Wiccan and vampire relationships are discouraged by the vampire covenants that govern my vampires’ lives. Ascher and Shauna’s forbidden love gives their story a whole Romeo and Juliet type feel. I jokingly call them the damned and supernatural version of Romeo and Juliet.
Yes, that was my understanding too…that vampires and werewolves are kind of natural enemies. It’s always fun to work with characters who begin the story with plenty of baggage between them…which is probably why pairings between vampires and werewolves are popular.
It is fun to see different pairings. Again…creativity…seeing an author take a different direction…do something not everyone else is doing…is fun.
Fantastic post.
I’m so excited for B.B!
Thanks for dropping in, Brenda. I’m excited for it, as well. I’ve actually been heavily writing in book three today. So many more surprises coming.