Eternal Ever After
Ever After Series Book 1
A.C. James
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Wandering Impulse Press
Date of Publication: 11/23/13
E-Book: 978-0-9911485-0-9
Print: 978-0-9911485-1-6
ASIN:
Number of pages: 307
Word Count: 88K
Book Description:
His past holds a secret…
Arie Cush has a secret that he thought he’d left behind. When his past follows him to Chicago he must protect someone that reminds him of all the painful memories he’s tried so hard to forget. But when every touch from her sets his heart and body on fire—he finds it hard to maintain his aloof façade.
That becomes her nightmare.
Holly Ellis has secrets of her own. An encounter with the handsome stranger who frequents her coffee shop reveals a vampire with baggage. Even though it might be more than she bargained for, she can’t resist the one person who understands her. But her life is in danger and a supernatural threat could reveal the underground world of vampires to humankind in this Gothic Cinderella re-telling.
Inside Scoop: This story contains bondage, anal play, a M/F primary romance with mild F/F situations.
Warning: This book is fictitious. The bdsm portrayed in this story does not portray the lifestyle. Vampires will be vampires. They don’t exactly stop to discuss a scene, pain thresholds, and there is no aftercare involved. Trust is an intrinsic part of the lifestyle. Use due diligence and research before deciding to make fiction into reality.
Heat Level: This book is a steamy romance. It’s the development of a romantic relationship that contains more explicit language and sex. The sex is not an inherent part of the story, character growth, or relationship development, and if removed you still have an amazing plot.
Research
for Writing Makes it Feel Authentic
One
of my favorite things about writing is doing research. In order to create
compelling and accurate scenes with veracity, we research diligently. In fact,
it’s easy to get sucked into research so much that it keeps you from writing ;)
I have notes that I probably don’t need but I enjoy the dirty old gossip that
is history so much that I don’t care if I don’t get to use it.
I’ll
be doing some research on the BDSM lifestyle at Paddles next year when I attend the BDSM for Writer’s Con. I’ve decided to adopt the motto: what happens in New
York—stays in New York ;) My research is to better understand the psychology
and the power exchange so when I write my next series I can write with more
authenticity. I really want to kick it up a notch and take it to the next
level.
What
I loved about writing Eternal Ever After was researching
vampires. I discovered that vampires have a folklore history based on natural
explanations. Certain diseases that were not understood, particularly ones
associated with extreme psychological and behavioral changes, could explain
unusual events to the primitive. Schizophrenia, tuberculosis, and chiefly
rabies have been suggested as the diseases that influenced vampire folklore
along with a misunderstanding regarding decomposition.
Perhaps
rabies explains the shape-shifting abilities, the ability to change into bat or
wolf form most commonly, that vampires are sometimes linked with in folklore.
Primitive people often identified witchcraft and occult forces with animals, blurring
the line between humans and animals in a fear based on the fact that humans are
animals. We’re mammals and we all know the story of evolution.
My
research also took me down a more disturbing path—cannibalistic and criminal
stories that sometimes stemmed from psychological disorders and resembled
vampire mythology. This history seemed scarier to me than the folklore because
it was based in reality. After all, the Governor from the Walking Dead seemed a lot scarier to me than the zombies. Despite
how realistic the television series is and my suspended disbelief, zombies
aren’t real—sociopaths are very real and thus far scarier than the flesh eating
undead. IMHO.
This
bit of research really helped me get into the villain’s headspace and I had a
lot of fun writing a particular unreliable narrator scene in Eternal Ever After where you get a
glimpse into the villain’s point of view. I counted on Holly taking me into
that headspace due to her clairvoyance and I’ve never read a book that did that
in first person. It’s true that you can do almost anything in first person that
you can do in third, but it’s sometimes a bit of a challenge. I hope that I rose
to the occasion and that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it
;)
Excerpt:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.”
–Holy Bible: King James Version
PREFACE
I never guessed that I could die with a sea of faces surrounding me, all cheering for my death. A woman wearing a jacket dress made of brocade only laughed louder when blood splattered the low square neckline. Where is Arie? I scanned the crowded club but all I could see were pale faces, some half covered by masks.
My time had come and I prayed she would finish me off quickly. The warm trickle of blood ran down my neck and chest, saturating the corset bustier of my gown. It seemed like a shame to ruin such a pretty dress. Strangely, I felt relieved the bodice was black and not a light color that would show a stain.
The fear of dying or more accurately, the fear of not existing, scared me stiff. Perhaps if I had satisfied this existential anxiety with faith I wouldn’t jump from panic to ambivalence. I should be angry at everyone who simply watched. They must think the gruesome display is part of the entertainment for tonight. After the bloody burlesque show I could hardly blame them.
Holly, I gave you the chance to leave. The telepathic transference hardly seemed relevant at this point. I knew if I’d never gone to the Hellfire Club, I wouldn’t be facing death now. Still, if my death meant the killings would stop it seemed justifiable.
“No!” I could barely hear Arie scream above the cheering voices clamoring for attention. The constant drone defies my effort to form coherent thoughts. I looked up and could see him on the balcony. When I blinked he had disappeared into the throng. I could feel the blood continue to trickle down my neck as she drained me. Dizziness threatened to pull me under. The audience applauded her brutality. I crumpled at her feet, looking up at her smile as thin as paper.
Blood. So much blood. My blood.
I didn’t want this to be the story of my death but this part is only a fragment of a narrative as old as time. Its voices fill the shadows with whispers of legend. We are told that the damned cease to exist and those absolved from sin are given eternal life. The damned can never be saved. They walk the earth in an eternal hell. I fear it will be my curse if death doesn’t claim me instead.
Available for purchase:
About the Author:
A.C. James—author of erotic paranormal romance and erotica featuring bdsm. Wife, mother, sushi lover, and storyteller extraordinaire. She resides in northeast Pennsylvania drinking large vats of coffee while taming two toddlers by day and writing by night.
Learn more about A.C. James:
Goodreads
Tour giveaway details
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