The Cities Below – Book Tour and Giveaway

What inspired you to write this book?

Night Stalker is book 6 in The Cities Below series and it’s not that I’m tying up loose ends, but everything inside me needed to know where each of the orphaned children from In the Dark landed in life (hint dropped for future books). Dulcina is a strong, independent woman, and for the most part, she’s already sorted herself out. She’s good. She did it all on her own without me. I just need to see her happy, too. I have closure knowing Dulcina is now cared for and loved.

What can we expect from you in the future?

More books! This series keeps going. I know for certain Jovan’s book is next, and I thought I knew who was after his, but there is a man I didn’t even know existed until recently, and he is shouting in my ear to be heard. He may get his way. I do have a dragon trilogy I’m playing with, and in a perfect world those would be nearly finished, but sadly, I have a day job.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Night Stalker?

Dulcina is a wild, willful, and completely uncontrollable woman. She’s had a lot thrown at her in her short life. A demon attack, the loss of her parents, stopping a man from killing her foster mother, helping to raise her foster siblings, saving her foster sister, learning life as a Stalker, changing her views on demons, learning to let go of her vengeful goal…and then I dump Jake in her lap. Not literally, but close enough.

Jake. That man is something else. He’s originally from Kentucky and still retains a fair bit of his accent, and all of his fearlessness. He was a police officer in Kentucky, and after his mother passed and his fiance stepped out on him, he moved to Florida and joined their SWAT unit. He is absolutely confident in who he is and what he wants. Dulcina needs that I her life, and Jake is just the ticket.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?

Little known fact, but it hurt to write In the Dark. I knew the city of Balinese would shift from a peaceful, well-oiled machine in the beginning, then fall into absolute chaos and sorrow at the end. I saw it coming, how it would effect each of them, and it was painful. In the Dark changed so many lives, made leaders of men, gave strength to women, but most importantly it set up five little orphaned souls to fall under the care of the only woman who could make them thrive after the tragedy. Our Dulcina is the second oldest of these children.

Jake, on the other hand, is likely a product of my time spent in Kentucky as a child with my mother’s family. My cousin, Kevin, was carefree and confidant. Rough and tumble. A boy who ran through the hills and hollers, but wouldn’t allow me to do the same, as it was far too dangerous. A hillbilly when called for, and always a protective young gentleman. It took staying with his family for all of three weeks to come home with a Kentucky accent. It lives in me still.

Where did you come up with the names in the story?

I’m likely a different breed when it comes to name picking. I tend to start with a vivid scene in my mind’s eye. Once I write that scene down, whether it’s two paragraphs or two pages, I can’t keep going without names. Names are part of a personality, and if it doesn’t fit, I can’t ‘see’ the character. The name Dulcina literally means sweet. On the surface, she’s not at all sweet. She fights being feminine at every turn, and while she is not at all fluff and pastels, at her core Dulcina is caring, compassionate, and a very sultry female. Feminine and sweet are absolutely a part of her, and she guards herself, but has a way of bringing that side out in her.

Jake Martin. I had his last name before his first name, which is wild because it’s not used much. I could hear Officer Martin in my head. For his first name I needed something short, to the point, with a hint of a joking personality. Jake. Only a Jake would be able to roll with the punches and handle Dulcina because, well, she punches.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

The surprises! Every time I push forward and write the next book in this series, I’m surprised. Either by how the hero/heroine respond to pressure and each other, or the shock of something unexpected being thrown into the plot line. In Night Stalker I found a demon who, at least as far as I can tell, is a good guy. It feels weird. I like it.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?

When it comes down to it, both Dulcina and Jake were originally driven by seeking vengeance for the loss of someone they loved. Demons killed Dulcina’s family. She left her home and ventured above ground, feeling the need to kill demons before hey had a chance to kill others. As often happens when you leave the nest and take on life by yourself, you’re hit with reality, and your perspective is altered. Though we don’t see it first hand, Dulcina has already been through her crucible. Her views on demons have shifted. What we do see, are the changes in her compared to previous books.

Jake is hunting the man who killed his best friend on the SWAT unit. The pain of her loss is new and raw, and when he sees the possibility of justice slipping away, he takes matters into his own hands. He had nothing left to lose, and going after a killer who skipped the country seemed like the right decision at the time.

How did you come up with the title of your first novel?

My first… In the Dark is a beautiful piece of groundwork set for the rest of the series. Vampires, being the creatures they are, can only survive in the dark of night. Therefore, they live underground in vast cities they’ve built and expanded over the centuries far away from the sunlight. When a human enters their underground city, she realizes she’s been ‘in the dark’ about the existence of this species. Then the vampires discover they’ve been ‘in the dark’ about an enemy thought long defeated, living among them, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Who designed your book covers?

My Hubby! Now that I have the rights back to the first four books, I’m doing a huge series relaunch. That includes revamped (pun intended) covers! Hubby is also my beta-reader, so he knows these characters and the vibe you feel when immersed in these stories.

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?

I learn something new with each book. Each drives the next to an extent, and sudden epiphanies about certain characters, cities, or events come to light the deeper I dive into this series. In Night Stalker I learned a demon Enforcer is hiding among vampires in Paris!

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

I think a young Mark Wahlberg could pull off playing Jake. I can’t think of anyone else who could be a fully capable SWAT member, and absolutely adorable the instant the crisis is over.

Dulcina? Nope. I truly can’t think of a known female actress capable of pulling off her amazing and talented physical capabilities and no nonsense attitude. But then, I don’t watch movies like I did once upon a time. There may be someone out there who fits the part perfectly. Any suggestions?

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Book 7 will be Jovan. Jovan doesn’t like to cooperate, he does everything his way without remorse, and he’s got a lot of explaining to do. He’s been wayward for far too long, and it’s time he found focus, a cause worthy of his abilities. Love.

How did you come up with name of this book?

This is the only book, of the many future works in progress, that I had ever considered changing the title. From the first scene in my head for this book, I called the story Night Stalker. The more I wrote, chapter by chapter, the better the title fit. This book is the first leap into the Stalker world, the rules, the limitations, the other Stalkers, the body guy. By the time I reached the end of the book, my placeholder title became extremely relevant. Dulcina is a Stalker, only able to function as such above ground at night, and she is dedicated to her profession.

What is your favorite part of this book and why?

I absolutely love that these two fight over Jake wanting to rub her feet. In his admission of being stir crazy and needing something to do with himself, Dulcina realizes how alike they are, and she truly doesn’t know what to do other than give in. It’s a fantastic scene, and I love seeing their underlying similarities laid bare.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?

I like working off an image, so whether it’s an actor or picture from a random magazine, there is a face to the character. Their personalities, while I might steal quirks or speech patterns from real people, are completely created from my imagination.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

It’s a total hijack, and that’s fair. It’s their story. Every once in a while I have to give them a gentle nudge. I might need something specific to happen in one book to accommodate a necessary event in the next book, but getting to that point is usually all up the character. So far, they have not disappointed.

Have you written any other books that are not published?

Several. The next five in the series are mapped out very well, but they are not yet compete. Their time will come. I also have a few other stories lurking in the back of my mind that hope to see the light of day.

What did you edit out of this book?

Surprisingly, not a tragic amount of content. What did get cut were memory flashes of Jake and Rita’s relationship on their SWAT unit. They live in my head, but the scenes did not have a logical place in the story. Just know they had each other’s back, Rita was tough as nails, and Jake typically spoke with a sucker in his mouth.