I am excited to welcome author Elisabeth Staab, who is celebrating the release of her third Chronicles of Yavn novel, Hunter by Night.
She wants out
Party girl Alexia Blackburn is only hanging around the vampire compound until her best friend—the queen—has her baby. After that, nothing is going to stop Alexia from getting back to daylight, safety, and feeling like a normal human being. But leaving the vampire world has one big catch…He needs her to stay
Head of vampire security Lee Goram has hated and distrusted humans for centuries. Feeding on vampire blood has kept him strong…but now it’s killing him—and he’s horrified to discover that Alexia may hold the key to his cure. He’d rather die defending his king than admit his weakness, but time is running out for the great vampire warrior…
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Lee & Alexia’s Journey
You sort of never know with secondary characters. I mean, they’re supporting cast. Sometimes you put them on the page knowing you’ve got a path in mind for them, and sometimes they take matters into their own hands.
When I started the Chronicles of Yavn and its first book, King of Darkness, I started with a young king who was in over his head. A vampire who was a little bit alpha but a whole lot more beta, because I thought there were too many hulking alpha males in romance. I married a funny, sensitive, nerdy guy. Those guys really know how to take care of a woman.
Alphas were so done, right?
So we’re all allowed to be wrong once in awhile.
I didn’t so much plan on Lee, the king’s guard, being so very larger than life. I mean, he’s the king’s muscle so of course he’s gonna be big. Of course he’s gonna be confident and powerful. Still, Lee and Alexia—who would eventually be my hero and heroine of Hunter by Night—were fast and furious in their attraction. Lee got all rude and in your face with Alexia, and Alexia—all five-foot nothing of her—got all rude right back.
Nobody got rude with Lee.
After that, it was kinda “Game on.” For the duration of King of Darkness, and its sequel, Prince of Power, Lee and Alexia antagonized the bejeezus out of each other. She’d turn him on, he’d get angry at his lack of self-control and leave the room. He’d embarrass her, and she’d retaliate by kicking him in the balls.
I’m not sure why I didn’t envision them having such a bumpy ride—I should have. That’s literal as well as figurative, by the way. Lee and Alexia go through everything from car chases to tromping through the woods before they get their HEA. Still, it was a ride worth having, and a ride I think they honestly needed to go on, to get to where they ended up.
I didn’t plan on falling so in love with Lee and Alexia. I love all of my characters, to be sure, but I was nervous writing Lee’s story. Like I said up above, I love the beta male. The quiet guys, the stoic healers. I love those guys. Alpha males, you know? They can be tricky.
Still, I found so many lovable things inside Lee once I peeked beneath his crusty exterior. His pain, his fears, and even his need for his woman ran deeper than even I knew.
Turned out there was a deep well of emotion, also. And when an alpha male lets go, he gets in deep. It’s a beautiful thing.
Now I know. ;)
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Meet Elisabeth Staab!
Elisabeth Staab started hunting mutant hedgehogs back in 1842… Oops, wrong bio… Elisabeth Staab digs coffee, saucy stories, and sexy things that go bump in the night. Once, she ate dinner in a jail and liked it. She lives in the Washington DC area with her incredible family and does her best to juggle life while ignoring the laundry.
Contact Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | GoodReads | Amazon | Newsletter
Want to purchase Elisabeth’s novels?
Chronicles of Yavn
HaleStorm
Thanks so much for having me on Literary Escapism today!