Guest Blogger Kelly Whitley

Please welcome one of my Muse authors as well as my friend, Kelly Whitley! She's visiting here today to do two things - bravely answer my infamous Rick Reed questions, and talk about her fabulous vampire novel, Into the Red. Before we start, I'd just like to say that her book creates a very unique world of vampires, with an interesting take on them. Not to mention that she has one damn hot vampire as her hero too!  Okay, Kelly, I'll grab us some drinks, why don't you start with the questions?

Oh, I almost forgot. At the end of the post, you'll find a way to win a copy of Into The Red!

The Questions for Julie Lynn Hayes

1)      You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

Hmm…The item is a Kindle with wireless, because I have to have my books, and I could write on it if I wanted to.

The person is harder. I’d want someone who could provide sparkling conversation, excellent cooking, and “enjoyable” nights. Can’t say there’s a real person out there to fill the bill I have in mind.

2)      Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you? Lordy. My Fair Lady. I’d be Eliza Doolittle. : >D

3)      Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them:  copper, grammatical, print In the warehouse, the wet penny odor of blood mixed with the oily haze of diesel fumes and burnt metal. Cold, isolated, dark. No one had heard a thing. The copper pipe lay in the grit on the floor, three feet from a pair of broken glasses and the body of a hefty gentleman who no longer had the face to set them on. A note sat on his chest, plain copy paper with “YOLO, sucker” in crude print. Yeah, this killer wasn’t exactly a grammatical fanatic.

4)      You’ve just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you want. Who do you fuck first and why? Yeow. No idea.

   5)    What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other? Talking over coffee, clothing optional.

   6)    When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot? A plot idea—one sentence. But I can’t start until I get the main hero nailed down.

   

7)    If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you? Mmm…now that’s a bit of a dilemma. I’d like to say Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn, which’d make it a posthumous performance for either of them.

    8)    Who’s your favorite horror villain and why? Dracula. Because he’s the guy who triggered my interest in vampires so many years ago—the old black and white films. Bela Lugosi.

9)      Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it? I’d have to say Wyatt Earp. Nothing like an old time law man.

10)   Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it? Sure. But maybe the world will change before I’m too decrepit to pound computer keys.

Now, tell us a little about Into the Red, will you please, Kelly?

Genre: Paranormal romantic suspense

Buy links: Muse It Up Publishing   Amazon  

Blurb:

Human blood is an illicit and highly addictive drug--if you're a vampire. Known as Red, its side effects are insanity, and eventual death. A group of Red-addicted vampires known as Poisoners are killing women as part of an extortion plot involving a lost ancient vampiric tome, and they’re leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. The discovery of each new victim risks exposure of the entire vampire race to humans. Then one victim survives…

Dr. Evan Nichols, oncologist and vampire, lives a monk-like existence, by his own choice, focusing on patient care and research to benefit his vampire brethren. It’s been twenty-five years since his world turned upside down—the night he lost his fiancee and discovered his hidden vampire heritage. Now his government has ordered him to take a mate—or they’ll choose one for him. It’s a horrible prospect, and one that might push him over the edge—until Fate throws him together with a human female.

Wary of relationships, Tara West has poured her energies into work and inventing cutting edge climbing equipment. She doesn’t like the gorgeous Dr. Nichols, yet finds herself unaccountably drawn to him.

When a crazed vampire attacks and poisons Tara, Evan rescues her. With time running out, he has to create an antidote to the poison before he loses his chance at love.

In order to make the vaccine which might cure her, he has to find the bastards who poisoned her and take their venom—before they die of their addiction. If he doesn’t reach them in time, saving her will be impossible.

Thus the journey begins—into the Red!

website

Amazon Author Page

Excerpt:

The caged light above the emergency exit cast a pallid purple glow over the alley and the pair coupling against the brick wall. Barely twenty feet away he watched, hunkered down in the murk of the shadows, thinking about the merits of killing them both, or waiting for the girl to be alone.

The bar catered to the darker element; men who came to drink, drug, and fornicate. Dangerous men. Men who committed violent crimes as easily as they breathed. Few women frequented this establishment. Most of the females present worked there as waitresses with benefits for purchase, for the men with sex on their minds.

Management took a cut of everything—the liquor, the drugs, and the sex. He also knew the management dictated who did what to whom and when, so it had been just a matter of time before a pair left the bar for the privacy of the alley.

The guy from inside the bar was clean, well-dressed in something other than biker gear and blue jeans, and wasn’t drunk or high.

Which was better than usual.

Hidden, he watched while the man finished and then disappeared back inside. The girl stayed in the alley. A match flared as she lit a cigarette and walked in tight circles by the back door. Based on his observations, he knew she wanted to attract a customer who didn’t come from the bar.

A quickie.

She didn’t realize she’d just sealed her own fate. It would be a quickie. A hell of a quickie.

He separated from the shadows and approached her from the end of the alley. He wasn’t clean, well dressed, or sober.

Which was worse than usual.

But he did have fifty bucks. He bit back a laugh as he caught the expression on her face—half victory, half revulsion. She took his money, tucking it into her bra before turning to face the rough brick of the building.

He leaned into her, pressing her chest against the alley wall and inhaling the smell of her neck as he yanked up her skirt and entered her from behind. He ran his hands over her body, relishing the feel of her soft skin as he plunged into her, ignoring her little yips of pain.

As he slammed into her and finished, the leech of his addiction demanded satisfaction, and he snaked an arm around her throat. For a moment she didn’t react, then the fragrance of her relief gave way to the smoky scent of panic. She lashed out, connecting with the unforgiving brick wall. Her struggles kicked his anticipation into overdrive, and he sank his teeth into the exploding pulse of her fear.

Within a few seconds, her legs gave out, leaving her limp against the wall; he supported her around the waist. Anyone encountering the scene would assume they’d not yet concluded their transaction. The ache of withdrawal eased its way into euphoria as the Red hit his bloodstream.

With jerky movements, he laid the body out of sight behind the filthy packing boxes before grafting himself to the shadows.

Soon, another couple would exit the bar for an outdoor tryst.

And he’d be watching.

Now here's how you can win a copy of this amazing book. Leave a comment answering one of these questions:  What sort of a doctor is vampire Evan Nichols or What is the drug called Red made of? Don't forget to leave your email address!

Thank  you so much for stopping by, Kelly! I can't wait to read more of your vamps! What a fascinating world you've created! Please come back soon!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie