For today’s October #supernatural blog visitor we meet #vampire Ethan Ross from #paranormalromance Deep Dream, who tells us when and who turned him @elodieparkes

 

Hello Ethan, thank you for visiting the romance writers’ blog today. 

Thank you for inviting me. It’s a good break from rehearsals with the band.

 

What’s the name of your band? How many band members are there?

 

The band’s name is Deep Dream. (Smiles.) I guess the book is named after the band. There’s Marcus, the bass guitarist, Jolene, the other singer, the twins, Alex and Luke more guitarists, and me, so five.

 

How did you come up with the name?

 

Well, you know we’re vampires. We can all put mortals into a deep dream … should we want to … I mean we don’t. We’re … benign.  There was once, though, where I had to compel sleep on someone. I did it for good reasons but I'm still a little ashamed of it, although the person in question long ago forgave me. (Sighs.)

 

Of course. Ethan can you tell readers who turned you?

 

Yes. It was a long time ago, 1922, but as vamps go, I’m quite young only nearly a hundred years old as a vamp but a hundred and twenty-five if you count my human existence, too. (He grins.)

In those days, living in New York, I frequented a Manhattan speakeasy. I was twenty-five, and I like to think, going places in music and baseball.

The woman who turned me came to the speakeasy one night. The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, I watched her glide through the crowds, drinking, smoking, and tapping a pretty foot as she listened to the jazz band playing. She noticed me, told me her name was Ruby and lured me into a relationship so sexually charged my head spun continually. 

(He shook his head and heaved a sigh before he continued with his story and I wait silently. Only a couple of questions into the interview and I've started to realize Ethan is no stereotypic vampire.)  

I wrote a song for her, followed her every night through New York, and when she said she loved me, I was hooked.

She brought me to New Orleans to meet her community telling me we’d be married there. I clung to her for the three nights she gave me after taking me to her French Quarter mansion—then she disappeared. (He shrugged.) I never saw her again. I left her place after months of waiting and hoping and made a life for myself without her.

 

Did the experience put you off love? I know in the book blurb it states you swore off love but then…

 

It made me wary. I decided never again to be hurt the way Ruby hurt me. I got away with that for close to a hundred years. Now, I’m a little ashamed to say, I was a bad boy during those years taking what I wanted from women, although I never hurt them…

 

I know you work in a mysterious nightclub can you tell us a little about it?

 

I have to be careful not to give away too many secrets. It’s a magical place. Many supernatural people hang out there. It’s safe for us there. The nightclub is owned by a warlock, Tate. He offers an extra thrill for select private members in the top bar of StarZ. We call the bar the clouds. (Ethan stops and stares at me. Clearly, he’s saying nothing else.)

 

Thank you. 

Tell the readers about the book, Deep Dream.

 

It’s paranormal romance, a sizzler, in fact, but the story of how I fall in love despite my vow not to. The reader will meet the band members, roadies, the warlock, Remy, who to my horror, I can tell you, goes after Anna.

 Anna Prideaux is the girl I fall for. (He smiles.) We do get together … there’s a happy ending. 

Oh, yeah and secrets about the private bar, the clouds, are revealed to the reader.

 

Describe Anna to me

 

She’s great. She’s a journalist for a music magazine. She’s intelligent, talented, and so pretty, in fact stunning. I notice her right away when she visits the nightclub before she interviews me, but I’m rude to her and dismissive. (He sighs.) Yeah, I’m a real asshole. Then things happen. I have to accept my feelings. It’s hard … to begin with.

 

You’ve mentioned Remy. Who is he?

 

Hmm. Remy is a silver-eyed, beautiful, charming sorcerer. He made a pass at Anna right under my nose. She was enchanted by him for a short time and honestly, I can’t fault her there. I, er ... I put paid to that. If I’m honest, it was seeing her with Remy that made me realize I was in love with her. I should thank him. (He laughs then.)

 

Ethan, name some facts about yourself you’d like readers to know

 

That’s hard. I’ll keep the answers low key. Sorry. (He grins, obviously not sorry.)

 

I like vodka, although it doesn’t have much of an effect on me except to settle me down somewhat when I’m upset.

 

I generally wear black jeans because I like them. In fact, I wear a lot of black.

 

I still live in the French Quarter. I have a house a short distance from the nightclub.

 

I play the guitar when I do sole performances, but I sing in the band.

 

I have blue eyes, naturally. My mother gave them to me. They didn’t change when I was turned.

 

 

Thank you for that. Will you choose an excerpt from the book for our readers?

 

I think I’d like to show my softer, more emotional side in the excerpt. I choose the passage where I realize I’m in love with Anna. She’s at my place where I’ve taken her to make up for my horrible actions in the clouds. I’ve told her she fainted, although it was me who compelled her to sleep. (His expression holds sadness.)

 

Read Ethan’s chosen excerpt:

 

Ethan finally admitted to himself that here was a woman he would love forever … if he let himself … if she still wanted him … He yearned to stroke the tendrils of her hair from her lovely skin and kiss her all over. Ethan dragged his thoughts away from sex.

Anna is brave and smart, too. He’d enjoyed her questions in the interview about his band, if he was honest and not putting up a barrier against her. He sighed at his own foolishness and sat beside her. “I’ve been a little offhand with you. I’m sorry about that.”

She turned to face him, pressing her purse onto her thighs to keep her dress down.

“Try more than a little offhand, Ethan.” She looked into his eyes, her expression sincere and took a deep breath. “I wish you’d be more honest with me about StarZ. It seems to me now that you might have been hoping to put me off coming to the club with your manner. Tell me about Remy. Did he just leave me fainted on the floor?” Her eyes searched his face.

Ethan didn’t know what to say. “Remy wasn’t there when it happened. He’d gone off somewhere. He did tell me he likes you very much, but I don’t want you seeing him. He’s …”

Frowning, she interrupted. “You don’t want me seeing him. Who are you, my father? That’s a bizarre thing to say. I’ll see who I want.”

Ethan leaned forward to make sure she saw the honesty in his eyes. “It’s because I like you very much. I wish … I want …”

Anna gazed into his eyes. “Do you?” Her tone held surprise.

Ethan looked away from her face. The truth was he wanted to kiss her so much there was an unfamiliar knot of pain in his stomach. Desperation rose up. “Yes, and it worried me, because I promised myself not to—” He stopped abruptly, aware he was about to say, fall in love. He couldn’t go that far … yet.

Anna nodded slowly. “You have to know I like you, too. I have from the moment we met. Remy is very tempting, but there’s something dangerous about him. I felt drugged by it when he first kissed me. I’m lonely, sort of. I wanted what he offered. That doesn’t make me bad. You were always pushing me away, and I thought you didn’t want to know me. Now it seems as if you’re the only person around here who’s normal. Does Remy practice magic? Is the owner, Tate, a warlock? Is the whole place a cover for some satanic cult?” Her voice fell to a whisper.

Ethan was reeling from her idea he was normal and then when she asked the direct questions he had no idea if he should tell her or not. It occurred to him for the first time that he didn’t know if any ordinary humans knew anything at all of what really went on in the StarZ private bar or if they all believed it was just an elaborate show. I can’t tell her. The truth is unbelievable, but if she believed it she might be horrified, and who might she then tell? Better to let her think its rumor to enhance the club’s appeal.

She took his hand as he sat silently.

It thrilled him and he soaked up the satin feel of her skin as her thumb touched his palm.

She spoke gently. “I really need the truth.”

Tentatively Ethan placed his other hand over hers.

She looked down, but left her hand enclosed in his.

He forced himself to speak as desire and worry vied for first place in his mind.

“It’s not a satanic cult, but there are people there who believe in magic.” He simply couldn’t tell her the truth. His lies discomforted him, but he told himself it was to save Anna from being afraid. “People spread rumors when things seem mysterious. Remy probably hypnotized you to begin with, but he thinks you wanted his kisses tonight. Did you?”

Anna’s eyes widened with a swift flame of anger that Ethan knew his lies had ignited, and then she gave a quick sigh and moved her hand away from his. “Hypnotized—apart from that being outrageous, I did want his kiss, at first, when I arrived at the club tonight.”

A huge dip of disappointment replaced the knot of pain in Ethan’s stomach.

“I told him you didn’t. Sorry, I told him you wouldn’t choose him. He asked to hear it from you.” Ethan stood and walked away to a window at the other end of the room where he stared out at the dark night, and still seeing everything out there, he watched a black cat slink across the tiny manicured lawn.

The sound of Anna putting on her shoes and standing made him turn toward her.

She walked to him.

“Choose him. That sounds as if you told him I was choosing between him and someone else. Who would that be? I want to go home now. I need to call a cab.”

One of the shoestring straps of her dress fell from her shoulder down her upper arm. She was bedraggled and her expression held uncertainty tinged with fear.

Ethan reached out and gently pulled the strap up. Her silken skin under his fingers filled him with an aching need to hold her close. He held himself back from kissing her. The scent of her blood filled his head, but he didn’t want to drink from her, only to make love to her. “I’ll drive you.” He wanted to take care of her and keep her safe. He suddenly, desperately, wanted her love, but just as suddenly, the thought came into his head. She’ll never love a vampire. He gazed into her eyes, his fingers still on her shoulder, and he caressed there softly.

Anna’s eyes filled with emotion.

He recognized it. She’d looked at him like that before in the bar and he’d flicked her off with his sarcasm, now he drifted in the longing clear in her gaze. He bent his head slowly to hers. He rested his forehead against hers waiting for her to spook and withdraw, but she leaned against him with a soft sigh.

The sigh vibrated with pleasure. “It’s you isn’t it? I choose between him and you.”

Ethan closed his eyes and kissed her. The kiss devastated him. He held her head to keep her mouth on his. His hunger for her kisses astounded him, drove him to murmur low sounds and linger against her lips even when he felt her search for a breath. He broke away a fraction to let her breathe.

Copyright Elodie Parkes, Hot Ink Press, a division of Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing

Thank you for visiting the blog today, and thank you for the excerpt.

I enjoyed being here. Thank you.

(He stands and with a soft smile, he leaves. I don’t even see him go so he must have turned on the vampire speed.)

 

If you would like to buy Deep Dream, it’s available on all Amazon sites and to read free if you’re with Kindle Unlimited. See below for links.

 

Here’s the blurb

 

Gorgeous Ethan Ross believes he’s immune to love. He’s a lead member of, Deep Dream, a rock band that often plays at StarZ, an up-market, mysterious, New Orleans rock club and he’s never short of romantic offers, so, he reasons, why bring love into the equation? He also works in StarZ as a bartender, which is great cover for what he really is and gives the ladies the opportunity to flock to him. He’s seen some strange things there, but Ethan isn’t easily shocked, after all, he’s supernatural.

When music magazine journalist, Anna Prideaux visits StarZ to interview his band, she’s drawn to Ethan in a way she’s never experienced before. As she returns to the club time and again in the hope he will ask her out, she slowly becomes aware that the club holds a mystery ... what really happens in the private upstairs bar, for instance?

Anna is ready to give up the idea of ever gaining Ethan’s attention when gorgeous Remy Dubois hits on her.

Sparks start to fly as Ethan feels...what...not a twinge of jealousy, surely?

Who will win Anna’s heart and how low will the two men stoop to do it?

 

(Please note that this story was written before the author knew there was an entertainment broadcasting company with the name Starz. NO infringement is intended. The story and nightclub in the story is entirely fictitious and has no relationship with this entertainment company.)

 

Buy Links.

Deep Dream. Late night, the supernatural people come out to play.

https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Dream-Elodie-Parkes-ebook/dp/B01BLO58YQ

https://www.amazon.ca/Deep-Dream-Elodie-Parkes-ebook/dp/B01BLO58YQ

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deep-Dream-Elodie-Parkes-ebook/dp/B01BLO58YQ

Search ASIN B01BL058YQ on any other Amazon site