trueromance

Setting: Drawn into Darkness takes place primarily in San Jose, California with a few detours to exotic locales such as Death’s cathedral-like abode in the ice caves of Antarctica.
Subgenre: This is the first novel in my new paranormal romance series about Soul Gatherers—immortal warriors who gather and protect the souls of the dead.

Hero: Lachlan MacGregor is a Soul Gatherer serving a 500 year sentence with Death. Once a laird in seventeenth century Scotland, he now disguises himself as a priest, does his best to remain distant from the humans he walks among, and fends off hordes of vicious demons.
Heroine: Rachel Lewis is a divorced single mom struggling with a demanding job as a graphic artist and trying desperately to make sense of her teenage daughter’s increasingly dangerous behavior.

One sentence summary: When Soul Gatherer Lachlan MacGregor agrees to help artist Rachel Lewis free her daughter from the clutches of a powerful demon, he discovers the future of the world—and the fate of his heart—depends on his ability to save the young girl’s soul.

Scene you like most and would never cut: After Lachlan has a serious dust-up with the demonic villain, Rachel visits him in his apartment. She goes to check up on his health, but ends up learning a lot more about him than she wants to know—and a lot more about herself than she expected. It’s the first love scene between the couple, which makes it hot, but it’s also the first big step Rachel takes outside her safety zone.
Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Saying the words “No strings attached, down and dirty, wild crazy monkey sex” to a guy? Playing hooky at work? Having a heated argument with Death? Oh, wait. She does all those things in the book. Let’s go with robbing a bank. Her inability to stretch her paycheck to make ends meet makes that option very appealing, but she would balk at breaking the law.

Your hero, is he a boxer or brief kind of guy: Boxers. Except for when he’s wearing his kilt and then… Well, I’ll leave that to your imagination.
Ancillary character you had the most fun with: Lachlan works for Death. But Death is no ugly old man or cloaked wraith—she’s a beautiful white-haired goddess with lofty ambitions. She kills with little thought and tremendous ease, yet every stolen life is simply a job to her—she’s not in it for the excitement. Because she’s so complex, writing her character was—and is—one of the highlights of the series.
Your heroine’s favorite hobby: Rachel paints, but that’s really her passion, not her hobby. She loves to cook—which means she’d be heartily welcomed at my house. I have no trouble imagining her making a perfectly roasted turkey, maple grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes with champagne, and savory gravy. Hmmm. I wonder what she did on Thanksgiving?

Your hero’s favorite hobby: Anything that involves swords! Again, I’ll leave that to your imagination.

What you think readers will like best about this book: The Soul Gatherers. A group of slightly-tarnished, supremely-capable warriors who stand tall in defense of human souls, constantly battling to tip the balance between good and evil in our favor. What’s not to like?
The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: Readers have already expressed a lot of interest in Emily’s story. Especially if it includes the dark and moody Carlos Rodriguez. Emily is Rachel’s daughter, and she’s destined to play an instrumental role in the great showdown between good and evil. She needs some work to rise up to the level of capable heroine, but the potential is definitely there.

What’s next: The second book in the Soul Gatherer series, Bound by Darkness, releases in May. It’s story of suave-stockbroker-now-Soul-Gatherer Brian Webster and Lena Sharpe, a female Soul Gatherer who is also a thief. Both are hunting the infamous thirty pieces of silver known as the Judas coins, but for very different reasons. He has grandiose plans to save the world, while she wants … something a little more personal.

My heroes are all sinners—they did something in their past that prevented them from entering heaven immediately upon their deaths. Nothing inherently evil, obviously, or they would have gone to hell. They’re bad but redeemable—they’ve managed to hold onto the frayed edges of their honor. I think most of us can forgive inappropriate behavior under the right circumstances, but we all draw the line somewhere.

Question: Where do you personally draw the line between ‘bad boy’ and inexcusable? Have you ever surprised yourself by accepting something you originally thought unforgiveable, once you learned the circumstances—whether in fiction or real life?

I’ll be giving away two signed copies of Drawn into Darkness.

Question: What do you get when you cross sword and sorcery fantasy with a fairy tale romance?

Answer: The Tairen Soul series, by C.L. Wilson, an epic fantasy romance about shapeshifting Fey king, Rainier vel’En Daris, and his truemate Ellysetta Baristani as they set out to save their race from extinction, complete their truemate bond and defeat the overwhelming forces of the evil High Mage of Eld.

When I first set out to write the Tairen Soul series, I wanted to combine my two favorite genres – fantasy and romance – in a story that would be true to the tenets of both genres.  I wasn’t sure it could be done, but I was determined to try.

I knew that, in order to have a fighting chance at success from a structural standpoint, I needed a story in which the fantasy quest was combined so inextricably with the romance quest, that one could not be completed without the other. I knew I needed to draw in straight romance readers with an emotionally engaging love story—which contained enough obstacles and room for growth to span several books and still keep the romance plot fresh—and I needed fantasy world and quest detailed and complex enough to appeal to straight fantasy readers.

So I took a handsome, tormented, immortal shapeshifter, the Fey king who had once scorched the world in grief-stricken madness over the death of his beloved, and I set him in the path of the only person who could make him love that deeply again, Ellysetta Baristani,  Rain’s truemate his soul’s other half.   It sounds lovely—a preordained love that will last for all eternity.  The problem is the truemate bond isn’t a given.  It’s a bond of absolute trust—because in order to bond, the two lovers must literally bare every corner of their mind, heart, and soul to the other—and that includes all the bad things as well as all the good—and accept what they find without reservation.  If you think about it, being that utterly naked— that vulnerable—to  another person is an extremely daunting prospect.  Not only do you have to face and accept everything in the other person—you have to face and accept everything in yourself as well—including the things you fear or hate the most.    Of course, I couldn’t leave it there.  I had to set a ticking clock.  So the Fey warriors, once they find their truemate, are inescapably tied to their mate from the outset, and they must win their mate’s bond or die before the incomplete bond drives them insane.

To complicate matters, I gave Ellysetta very real reasons to fear herself and her magic, and I threw Rain and Ellie into a world where the forces of Light and Dark are rushing towards a cataclysmic battle, and their only chance of success is to complete their bond and unleash the power of their united souls.  And nothing less than the fate of their world hangs in the balance.

On October 27th, 2009, my publisher, Dorchester – Leisure Books, releases QUEEN OF SONG AND SOULS, the fourth book of what is now the Tairen Soul quintet.  QUEEN picks up where KING OF SWORD AND SKY, book 3 in the series, left off.  War has begun, and all the long-standing plans of the evil High Mage of Eld are coming to fruition.  Outcast from their kingdom for weaving the forbidden magic Azrahn, Rain and Ellysetta race to rally the ancient allies before the Mage’s massing armies can strike.

Scene you like most and would never cut:

I have to say, the scene where Ellysetta finally discovers the truth about her birth parents has to be my favorite in this book.  I adore Shan and Elfeya, Ellysetta’s parents, and I’m so glad that Ellysetta finally learns who her parents are.  I’m also very partial to a couple of sexy swimming scenes—the first because one of my favorite secondary characters, the ferocious and funny fire-breathing feline, Steli, steals the show, and the second because…well, you’ll have to wait and see.  But my editor said if we could bottle and sell the waters from a particular Elvish river, we’d both be rich J

Ancillary character you had the most fun with: I’ve already confessed the tairen Steli is among my favorites. (For anyone who hasn’t read the books, tairen are basically dragon-sized, fire-breathing panthers with wings.)  She’s utterly feline, playful and prideful, funny and ferocious.  I always get a giggle out of the things she does and says.

And, of course, I have to also acknowledge Gaelen vel Serranis, my uncrowned king of the bad boys.  He’s arrogant (he would say “Confident” or just “Always Right” LOL) and he does not dissemble.  He loves to taunt his fellow Fey, just to see if he can get a rise out of them. (which he usually can).  He’s probably the most gifted living warrior of the Fey—in part because he doesn’t shy away from unconventional methods.  But part of what I love about him (besides how he loves to tease all the other warriors) is how he’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect the people he loves—no matter the cost to himself. Of course, he could use a little something to shake up his complacency, and I know just the woman to do it!

What you think readers will like best about this book:

I get quite a few letters asking about Ellysetta’s parents, Shan and Elfeya.  We’ll see more of them, but I think what readers will enjoy most is Rain and Ellysetta’s trip to Elvia and their meeting with Galad Hawksheart, the Elf king.  I thoroughly enjoyed fleshing out the Elvish culture and getting to know them and their ways better.  I hope readers will too.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:

Gaelen vel Serranis wins, hands down.  Belliard vel Jelani, my noble knight, comes a close second.  I’m very pleased to say Dorchester has contracted me to write both of their stories, and I’m really looking forward to getting to it J

What’s next: I’m currently writing TAIREN SOUL, book 5 of the Tairen Soul quintet and the conclusion to Rain and Ellysetta’s story.  It’s a fast-paced, super-charged roller coaster  ride that takes off on page one and roars its way to the end.  I can’t wait to get to the final battle.  Writing that scene is the carrot I’ve been dangling in front of myself since LORD and LADY first hit the stands.

Question of the Day?  One of the themes in the book deals with the healing power of love.  I’d be thrilled if readers would be willing to share examples of how love has changed their lives: how someone’s love has encouraged them to face a fear, given them the confidence to try something new, healed a wound.    Or, if if they could give one gift to someone they loved, what would that gift be? (and I’m not talking about diamond tiara’s here ) C.L. Wilson ~ www.clwilson.com