Monday, December 10, 2012

Interview with Jennifer Malone Wright, author of 'The Vampire Hunter's Daughter', with 'Arcadia Falls' teaser!


Welcome to the blitz for 'The Vampire Hunter's Daughter' by my friend Jennifer Malone Wright! She was kind enough to take some time out of her crazy busy schedule to answer some questions for us fans. She also gave me a special sneak peek at the upcoming 'Arcadia Falls,' the sequel to TVHD! Thanks for stopping by!


1. What was the inspiration behind the Vampire Hunter's Daughter series?

I began writing a story about a woman who was a school teacher by day and a vampire hunter by night and realized that I needed a back story for this character. So, I wrote the first part of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter and it was then that I realized that this was its own story that needed to be told. I published the first two parts as shorts and then people loved Chloe so much, I had to keep writing it.

2. As we all know, the first installment (which is always free!), is the one that pulled me over to the dark side, a.k.a. paranormal genre. What are some of your favorite stories or reviews from this book?

Oh, man… this part has about 140 reviews only on Amazon. It is so hard to choose because there are so many positive ones. Let’s see…

Here are a few…

By M. Frank (Maggie)
“I loved this series because I was lucky enough to discover it 6 books in and it made me feel like I was living in a weekly HBO show without having to desperately wait a week in between each book/storyline.

The characters are great, the history and story of Chloe and her family issues is well told and her brewing relationships with Drew and Gavin make for fun drama. Must say that Trevor is really dark and evil ~ more so than I anticipated and that was a surprise, a good one!

Highly recommend this series and this author - it would appear that there is room for book 7 - I hope so!”


By Elmseeker
“Very well written, the author has a nice style and always leaves you wanting more. Each chapter of each of these books makes you want to continue reading to find out what happens the characters which she has obviously taken the time to think about and develop.”


By Chris LaParco
Was unsure what to think at first, another vampire slayer story? But upon reading this very intriguing and exciting short opening to a saga, I'm more than well pleased. It grabs you from the first page. The writing style is easy to read and very engaging. The characters are real and not cookie cutters. Also love how the story builds along the way. The excerpt from book 2 at the end really grabbed me with the incorporation of angels and gods. Can't wait to read more of this series. Jennifer Malone Wright is definitely an author to read!

3. Fans are anxiously awaiting the upcoming series, 'Arcadia Falls.' What can you tell us about it? Any idea when we will see it? 

I am *crosses fingers* shooting to finish the first draft this week and send it to editing. If we are lucky, we may see it before the new year depending on editing. And… here is an exclusive excerpt for you. It is the beginning, basically a recap. But we can expect new characters and lots of Chloe and Drew! Please remember that this excerpt is NOT edited, so please no bashing on the writing. lol

Sometimes, when the sun goes down, I stare out the window of our little house and wonder how much of the city beyond our little community is being ravaged by vampires. How many people will die, and how many will become newborn vampires.
I know that I am not strong enough to kill them all…but, that won’t stop me from trying.
The next chapter in my life has begun, I will get to that, but to understand who I am and why I am doing what I do, the first part of the story must be recalled.
I never thought there was anything special about me, actually, I still don’t, but apparently if you are the distant offspring of angels and demi-gods, there is a little something in the DNA that creates what I truly am, a vampire hunter. Yes, I know, a vampire hunter, from angels and demi-gods? Well, long story short, a long time ago there was a warrior angel who was sent down to rid the world of vampires. This warrior angel, during his time on earth, found love with a warrior woman. The warrior woman was a killer too, a hunter. She was the daughter of Artemis, goddess of the hunt.
Yes, again, I know? Artemis? Like…from mythology?
It’s true, I am a distant decedent of Artemis, more clearly, her daughter Sostrate. I know this because I’ve met Sostrate, she has come to see me on more than one occasion. I can’t say that I look forward to her visits all that much, since the last time she appeared she told us a war was looming between the hunters and the vampires, and that we all needed to train up even harder.
Sheesh.
Oh well. Anyhow, it gets better. Not only am I carrying on the bloodlines of angels and gods, but I just so happen to be a dhampir too!
What is a dhampir? Oh goodness, this is the best of them all. Remember when I said I was a vampire hunter? Well, that part of me is from my mother’s side, she fell in love with one of those that we are supposed to hate the most, a vampire.
Out of that lovely relationship, I was born.
My father’s name was Trevor. My mother apparently loved him more than she loved killing vampires, because they had me. Here is where the story gets really strange.
My mother was born in this community, which is properly named, Arcadia Falls. This community is unlike any other gated community anyone has ever heard of. This is a vampire hunter community. Here the hunters are born, here they train to kill, pretty much from the day they learn to walk. Only in Arcadia Falls can you find people strolling down the street with loaded guns and crossbows strapped to their backs. This community is what Arcadia literally means, a peaceful, mountainous place. It is our safety from the demons on the outside.
I love Arcadia Falls. I love our house, where I live with my grandfather. I love sleeping in my mother’s childhood room and I love that I am surrounded by others who cannot claim to be normal.
On the inside of the protective wall which surrounds us, is our little town, just like any other town that you may come across. We have a grocery store, a video store, even a bakery and coffee shop. Homes of the hunters cover the expanse of forested hills which Arcadia Falls consist of and the hunters rarely need to leave unless on mission.
I know my mother loved this place, for she was one of the most renowned hunters among them. She was a woman who lived simply to kill.
Trevor claimed, even after he met his final death, that he loved my mother. But, that love did not guarantee that he would love me. I only know this story as it passed Trevor’s lips, but I can see how it would be true. He fell in love with my mother who left the community to go live with him and soon became pregnant with me. Apparently, he was ecstatic over the announcement of my birth. My mother must have been relieved but, she ran from him before I was born because of a reason I didn’t know of until I was fifteen.
Why would a woman leave a man whom she was having a child with? If he was that bad why not kill him? Who knows, all I know is that she found out his original reason for choosing her as his mate. Love, it seemed, ended up being a bonus in his case.
He bred me.
It was his plan from the very beginning, for years and years before he met her. Apparently I was some kind of main ingredient in his make the vampire become a day walker, recipe. The story goes, that a vampire must drink the blood of a dhampir who also carries the bloodlines of a vampire hunter, on the day of their sixteenth birthday and they will forever be able to walk in the sunlight.
Okay.
I know right!
I had no idea, none of us did.
My mother, she knew, though. She found out his plan and ran from him with me in her womb. It wasn’t as simple as it sounds though. She hid me away for years and years. I never knew any family, I never had many friends because we moved so much, and I never knew the truth…until that horrible day.
The day Trevor had her murdered while trying to get to me.
That day is branded into my memory like a hot iron burning into my skin. Trevors goons broke in and murdered her. They tried to take me away, but I was rescued by the vampire hunters. My grandfather sensed what pain his daughter was going through and sent the rescue team. If it wasn’t for them, I would have been taken and never known who I truly am. I would have been dead already.
Drew led them, I remember him lifting me into his arms and telling me he was taking me someplace safe. They brought me home, to Arcadia falls, where I found out my hunter heritage, where I found my true gifts. Yes, I have gifts. My element is fire, I can make flames appear right in my hand whenever I want. Although, it wasn’t always this easy, it took me a long time to learn to control. I am still learning to control the fire within me.
So my father attacked us, I decided I didn’t want to lose anyone else to his vampires and went with him willingly, but ignorant to what his true plans were. I lived there for a year and shortly before my sixteenth birthday, I found out exactly why he wanted me so badly, why he had killed my mother for me. He wanted to be a day walker.
I tried to run, but ended up more of a prisoner.
We escaped only because of Alice, the housekeeper who had been my friend, betrayed her precious Trevor and let us out. Drew was a prisoner with me and as we escaped, we found Oscar, my tutor… who just so happens to be a siren, bitten almost to the point of death, so we grabbed him and escaped, only to fight a vicious battle in the end.
We were saved by Gavin, my almost boyfriend who just so happens to be Drew’s secret brother and Christina, who is Drew’s ex girlfriend and probably one of the meanest girls I know, helped us. It was a pretty nasty fight.
But, we are all alive, so it’s pretty obvious how that turned out.

So, the question still remains, who is Chloe now? The story told is more than enough information to figure that out, but what is comes down to is this…
On the day of my sixteenth birthday, Sostrate came to us and told us all to prepare for war, that we all needed to train hard because we were on the brink of war with the vampires, a big war.
It was that moment I realized that this was never going to be over. Just as my angel grandfather was sent down to rid the world of vampires, I vowed to do the same.
I am Chloe Kallistrate and come hell or high water I was going to turn myself into the vampire killing angel of death.

4. Your first novel, 'The Birth of Jaiden,' ended with great potential to be continued. Can we expect more from that?

'The Birth of Jaiden' is currently in a major re edit. There will be minor story changes, but for the most part we needed to make Alex speak more… well… older. I had a few comments that he sounded like a valley girl and they were right. Anyhoo. Yes, as soon as the edit is done and it’s out we will see more. I am almost half way done with the second one in that series.

5. You are part of a tightly knit group of authors, who promote each other and use street teams for even more word of mouth. What are the best parts of those groups?

The best part of this is the friendship. I love my friends so much! I think, the fact that we all have different strengths in different areas, that helps us more than anything. We are still building our street teams and trying to organize how that works because a lot of the same people are on each team. Lol But, all in all, the best parts are being able to help each other and the fact that the three people on my team of authors have become more than friends… they are family.

6. Who are your favorite contemporary authors who need to be read by your fans?

I absolutely love Cassandra Clare and Julie Kagawa, they totally rock. Then there are a few authors I have read recently that I love, namely Lisa Morgan and the Phoenix Rising series, LA Freed and her books and of course my team and their wonderful books, K.B Miller, Willow Cross and JH Glaze. I encourage you to check all these authors out!

7. What is the most influential book you ever read?

I think that The Stand by Stephen King is a book I read very young and has influenced a lot of my writing, my reading and general love of the written word.

8. What are you reading right now?

I just finished Phoenix Burning by Lisa Morgan, I am starting Creatura by Nely Cab and am in the middle of a few other books. lol

9. If The Vampire Hunter's Daughter was made into a movie or TV series, who would you pick to play the various roles?

Ok! I have to say that I’ve contemplated this a lot and never can find who I want. But, I think Lucy Hale from Pretty Little Liars would make a great Chloe. I still haven’t found my other characters yet.

10. Vampire Diaries or True Blood?

Ohhhh, no you didn’t! How do I choose! I like them both for so many different reasons. I love the storyline in The Vampire Diaries so much more than True Blood. I like that I can watch TVD with my family, as opposed to having to wait till my kids go to bed to watch True Blood. I admit, I like the things about True Blood that make me have to wait to watch it though, the sex, cussing, and gore. Lol Yes, I cant choose between them, I love them both.

 

Author Bio:

Jennifer Malone Wright resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from fourteen all the way down to six months, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction.

When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel “The Birth of Jaiden.” 
 
In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last ten years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long.

Jennifer is also the author of The Birth of Jaiden, a paranormal novel filled with action, suspense, and even a love story.







The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: The Complete Collection
By Jennifer Malone Wright

Genre:YA paranormal
ISBN: 978-0615650081
ASIN: B008ASVXR8

Number of pages: 217 paperback
Word Count: 78,734

Book Description:

This special edition of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter contains parts I-VI, the complete collection. Fourteen-year-old Chloe witnesses her mother’s murder at the hands of a vampire. Before the vampire can kidnap her, there is an unexpected rescue by a group of vampire hunters.

Overwhelmed by the feeling of safety, Chloe passes out and they whisk her away to their small community. When Chloe wakes, she comes face to face with the only other living relative, besides her mother, whom she has ever met: her grandfather. Chloe’s mother kept her hidden from the family; now, Chloe tries to unveil the family secrets.

Through her grandfather, she learns her mother was a vampire hunter. In fact, her entire family is descended from the powerful bloodlines of vampire hunters. Chloe agrees to join the family she has never known for one reason only: Chloe vows to kill the vampire responsible for her mother’s murder. With vengeance in her soul, Chloe is even more determined to follow through on her vow when she discovers the true identity of her enemy and how he is connected to her.

Experience the world of vampires hunter’s, vampires and mythology with Chloe in this exciting series.

Read an excerpt:

I took the first book off the stack and examined the cover. It was titled Vampires throughout History. The cover was leather and so old it was stiff and cracked in spots. The pages showed signs of age too, yellowing and stiff to the touch. There was no table of contents, so it looked like I was going to have to scan the entire book for what I was wanting. I flipped the pages carefully, so as not to tear any of them.

After an hour of scanning and about half way through the book, I found something referring to vampire children.
~~~

Although extremely rare, the natural-born offspring of vampires exist throughout the world. These rare beings are called the dhampir. Dhampir are usually the product of a vampire and mortal. The most common of these unions is a male vampire impregnating a mortal woman. Vampires, both male and female, are seductive in nature and some mortals came willingly to these unions. However, the majority of dhampir born were produced through an act of rape.

Solitary by nature, it is uncommon for a vampire to settle with any one mate for long. The children of vampires, the dhampir, more often than not exhibit all the characteristics of their vampire parent. The strength, speed and agility are the usual hereditary traits that the children develop. They are not always born with these traits but develop them as they grow into adulthood.

The dhampir are day walkers. Some of these children are sensitive to the sunlight but will not perish in the direct rays. Most have no sensitivity at all. Drinking the fresh blood of mortals is also not usually required of the dhampir; however, some have a liking for it. Very few actually need it to survive.

Most dhampir are rejected by the vampire species because of their mortality and weaknesses. Mortals often reject the dhampir, as well, due to their vampirism, so they frequently remain outcast.

Dhampir are known for becoming vampire killers. Their closeness to the vampires and their vampire characteristics make them powerful vampire hunters. The unique ability to track and kill vampires is specific to only the dhampir and the mythological race of vampire hunters.

Historically, dhampir became vampire hunters as a trade. Towns and villages became plagued by vampires who were terrorizing their homes and killing their people. The dhampir accepted contracts in exchange for monetary payment and used their likeness to their vampire counterparts to exterminate the vampires.

~~~

Holy crap, that was a lot to process. The more I read the passages, the more I understood that my being a hunter was more than my heritage; it was my history and my future. Everything about my bloodlines had hunters involved.


Part 1 is always free on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

Buy links for Complete Collection: Amazon \ Kindle \ Barnes & Noble
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