I know it has been a little while since my last post, but some health issues got in the way of both this and my writing so I do apologize to all my faithful readers who have been here from the beginning. I had propositioned my fellow authors for interviews and guest spots on my little piece of the internet here and this is one I have been really looking forward to writing. And what am I writing about? Dun dun dun.....VAMPIRES!
The legacy begins in the sands of Egypt in a time when an
ancient city called Tentyris flourished. Its secretive people, ruled by the
Council of the Zodiac, lived peacefully alongside humanity. That time was 53
B.C. More than two millennia later, the power of the Tentyrian people has been
all but forgotten. The remnants of memory that live on have been turned into
twisted folklore about vampires and astrology.
One girl on the cusp of womanhood is about to discover just
how real that folklore is.
With telepathic powers that made her parents send her to a
mental institution, Arianna Parker always knew she was different—but she never
thought a job interview would lead to the discovery of her being a prophesied
descendent of an ancient Egyptian vampire race. Nor for that matter did she
think she would fall in love with Maximos Vasilliadis, a 2,225 year old
vampire. Maximos is the creator of the Tentyrian Brotherhood—a secret order of
warriors, pledged to prevent a catastrophic event predicted to wipe out Earth.
Maximos believes Arianna is a descendent of his kind—the
Tentyrian vampires—and she has been destined to lead their cause in saving the
world. With her 25th birthday approaching, an event that will change her
forever, Arianna finds herself caught in the middle of warring vampires—some of
whom intend to use her and her power of telepathy for evil.
From the manicured lawns of Connecticut, to the streets of
New York City and an exotic island in the Ionian Sea, Arianna must learn to
trust Maximos and her heart if she is to save the world, herself, and the
Tentyrian legacy.
Now I'm sure that grabbed your interest. Elise Walters has completely re-imagined the vampire and instead of being blood thirsty, animalistic, and sadistic beasts of Hell, they are respectful, mindful of their place in the world, and have totally kick ass powers. I have it in my mind, for anyone whose interest the synopsis hasn't grabbed, to try to talk you into giving this wonderful and very well written book a chance, but I think I'll let Elise do that for me. Below is the interview I had the distinct pleasure of doing with her and I have to say it was so much fun.
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1 Can you tell us a little about yourself and your
background?
I currently live in Pound Ridge, NY but I grew up in New
Canaan, CT (a focal point in my book). I graduated from Wake Forest University
with a B.A. in English and afterwards I moved to New York City and began a
career in advertising and marketing. My
career took me from advertising birth control to working in marketing for
financial services. This past spring I decided not to return to my “corporate”
job and instead I take care of my son (who is 8 months old) and I write from
home full time. I feel like my life has completely turned 180° since not
working outside of the home but honestly I couldn’t be happier! Now I get to
truly do what I love, which is writing and being a mom.
2
How did you come to create the Tentyrian
society?
It all started with a carving. The carving is called the
Dendera Zodiac and it is housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
Originally pulled from the ceiling of the ancient Hathor temple found in
Dendera, Egypt the zodiac portrays within a circle the 12 zodiac symbols we
associate with modern astrology: Aries, Taurus,
Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and
Pisces. The zodiac carving of Dendera also portrays 4 Egyptian maidens who
appear holding up the circle. It was from these symbols that I was inspired to
create the structure of Tentyrian society that is governed by 12 vampire covens
named after the zodiac symbols as well as 4 princesses called “Luminaries” and
Queen Hathor. As you’ll come to see,
there are a lot of historical references throughout the book that tie into
Egyptian and Greek mythology surrounding the zodiac.
3
What draws you to this genre?
I’ve always loved all things paranormal and most things
romance so for me the paranormal romance genre is like nirvana in a book. As a
tween I was obsessed with books by Catherine Coulter and Anne Rice and I’d say
that love never stopped. For me, reading and writing books is an escape and a
way to relax—vampires books with romance tossed in is the perfect vehicle for
that (for me)!
4
What inspired your view of the vampire?
My vampires—called Tentyrians—are not animalistic. Rather
they view themselves as evolved humans with superior strength, intelligence,
health, and supernatural powers. Tentyrian society is rooted in a strict code
of morals and a sense of responsibility towards the human race as they believe
in a symbiotic relationship with them (at least until the Dark Coven comes to
believe otherwise). I’d say it was my desire to convey elements of humanity in
my vampires that inspired my portrayal of them. I didn’t want them to be
monsters and instead I wanted them to be heroes and models of what humanity
should appreciate. After all, it is the Tentyrian descendants who are destined
to save the world in my book.
How much research did you do for this work?
As I mentioned, the concept for the book was based off of
the Dendera Zodiac, which was something I had seen on a trip to the Louvre
museum. That concept brewed within me for several years so that when I started
writing Tentyrian Legacy I knew where
I wanted to go with the story. As a result, I didn’t set aside months let’s say
to conduct research—I did it as I went. A lot of the places and scenes from the
book are based on real life experiences so that helped cut back on the need for
a lot of research. I write about what I know and love which makes the process
feel very natural. And when I need some 3rd party insight, Google is
always there for me!
6
What caused you to choose for vampires to
infiltrate big business to meet their own means?
My vampires strive to blend into human society for a couple
of reasons. First, they are outnumbered and in the minority. Second, they don’t
want to be discovered. And third, they see using humans as a means to an end.
Naturally, I thought it would make sense for them to infiltrate big business
(finance and pharmaceuticals, for example) to garner the resources they need to
obtain power and money. Power and money are the keys for modern day Tentyrians
to bring about the demise of the human race, or alternatively, protect it.
7
How would you define your writing style? If you
had to compare it to another author, who would you choose?
Oh geez, that’s really tough. I put some of my writing once
through one of those statistical analyzer tools and I was told I write like Dan
Brown. Hey, if I could sell as many books as he has I’m good with that! I can
tell you though that in an ideal world I would love to emulate the writing
style of Jane Austen and Karen Essex—but my writing just comes out as it does
and I’m sure it’s a far cry from theirs.
8
How long would you say it takes you to finish
writing just one of your novels?
Ummm, years? I’m not a prolific writer and when I wrote Tentyrian Legacy it was just a pet
project that I truly never thought would be published. I would let it sit for
months at a time, so in total I spent about two years writing it. Now that I’m
focusing on my writing full time (as much as I can with an infant at home) I’m
giving myself 9-12 months to finish the next book in the Tentyrian series
called Tentyrian Thirst.
9
How many books are planned for the series?
Four in total. Tentyrian
Legacy was the first and focuses on the story of Arianna Parker (the first
Luminary descendant). The other three books in the series will focus on the
remaining Luminary descendants.
1
How
would you describe your experience working with Permuted Press?
Great! As I mentioned, I had no expectation of getting Tentyrian Legacy published so I’m truly
grateful that they believe in my work enough to print it and help me market it.
1
What
would you say is the most challenging part about being a writer? What is the
most rewarding?
The most challenging is finding
the time. Life gets in the way—raising kids and focusing on jobs needed to pay
the mortgage are a HUGE time suck. Damn you mortgage! The most rewarding is
when someone reaches out to you and says they love what you’ve written. I’m still
in disbelief when someone says that to me.
1
What
are your future plans as a writer?
Finish the Tentyrian Legacy series! I can’t even imagine what other writing
projects I’ll tackle after that since I feel like I live and breathe all things
Tentyrian at the moment.
1
Do
you have appearances for conventions or signings planned?
I do. In 2014 they are mostly in
my local area (Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County, CT). In the
immediate future I will be doing a book signing at Elm St. Books located in New
Canaan, CT on October 25th from 12-2:30 and giving a talk at the New
Canaan Library on October 28th at 7pm. Formal conventions are still in the works but
my website www.tentyrianlegacy.com
will be updated shortly with this information!
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