Wednesday 1 February 2012

Interview and Contest: Tes Hilaire - Deliver me from Darkness

Please help me welcome Tes Hilaire to my blog today. There will also be a giveaway of her new book, Deliver me from Darkness.

Welcome!


1. Could you tell me a little about yourself?

TH: Of course you’d start off with the hardest question. Can I call a friend?  ;-)  Okay, I admit it, I’m one of those darn reclusive writers who doesn’t like to talk about herself. Now, if you were to ask my friends, I’d hope they’d tell you things like: She’s loyal and funny, creative and smart, but a real grizzly when it comes to protecting those she loves. Oh, and she’s a major bookworm. Give her a choice between a rainy day at home or a sunny day in a park and she doesn’t much care…as long as she can bring her book.


2. Your new book is called Deliver Me from Darkness? What is it about?
TH: The title, Deliver Me from Darkness, comes from one Paladin’s struggle for his humanity, and the one woman who can save him from the darkness he believes to be his eternal destiny.

Our hero, Roland, is a “fallen” Paladin. Ninety-four years ago he was turned vampire and has lived his life in exile and darkness since. Believing his soul lost, he doesn’t think himself worthy of the title Paladin anymore or of love; his only goal is to hold onto the last shreds of his humanity.  Until one day when Karissa—the woman meant to be his bond(soul)-mate is delivered to his door and all his vows of honor are challenged. 


3. What made you write a paranormal romance book?
TH: When I read, I go to one of two shelves in the books store: Romance or Fantasy. For me, Paranormal Romance is the perfect blend of these two genres.  With it I get both the gritty, fantasy world that I crave along with the romance that I desire. Who can beat that?


4. Now who are these paladins?
TH: Like many of the “eternal warrior” stories out there, the Paladins fight against an evil that most of humanity cannot see but are in grave danger of succumbing to. The difference is that though the Paladins are descendants from a group of twelve angels who took up arms after The One True God’s call for volunteers, they are, in fact mortal. The Paladin currently fighting the war, though originally of His realm, are not angels, but now merely enhanced humans infused with longevity and supernatural powers.  And they, as much as any human, must hold the line against evil, be it Lucifer’s evil hordes or their own destructive emotions, in order to reclaim their place in His realm.  


5.  Who is your inspiration behind Roland?
TH:  The one thing my hero Roland is, is honorable. Even though his brethren have turned their backs on him, he will not turn his back on them. Alone, he still fights Lucifer’s evil army and the evil seeping into our world. I wanted a character whose historical roots were similarly immersed in honor so when I stumbled across an 8th century literary work called The Song of Roland, I knew I’d found the line he was descendent from. One of the oldest works of surviving French literature, the song romances the battle of Roncevaux pass, where Roland (one of Charlemagne’s twelve Paladin in the song) is betrayed by Ganelon and has to hold the rearguard against an overwhelming force.  I decided that this Roland would become the grandfather of my own honorable warrior, giving him a legacy to live up to. 


6. What’s next up for you?
TH: I actually just turned in my second book of The Paladin Warriors this last month!  This novel, Deliver Me from Temptation, is Logan’s story. He is Roland’s best friend and the one Paladin who stood by Roland when the rest of the Paladin turned their backs on their fallen brethren. Logan lives for honor and duty, his emotions well hidden behind a hard-ass shell.  It takes a very special woman to crack through that shield, so when he falls—for a human no less—it forces him to release all his grand ideas of control as he succumbs to temptation.

7. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers out there?
TH: Keep writing. Keep developing your craft. And use a dispassionate eye when faced with criticism. When I look back on my very first manuscripts I see how much I’ve really learned.  That knowledge wasn’t without tears though. If I were to tell the honeymoon-stage aspiring author the comments that came along with some of bad contest scores I had, or of the rejections I received, or the many different ways that my critic partners would try to sugar-coat their suggestions (when really they just wanted to put my pages through the shredder) they’d probably turn in their pen now. But that’s not how a story gets written. Write. Learn. Edit. And if it’s not good enough, write another and repeat.

Thank you!

GIVEAWAY
2 copies, Deliver me from Darkness

1. Open to US and Canada
2. Ends Feb 9th
3. Just go ahead and enter... or ask a question, comment or (trying to think of something here....) How do these Paladins sound to you?




DELIVER ME FROM DARKNESS BY TES HILAIRE – IN STORES FEBRUARY 2012

A stranger in the night… 
He had once been a warrior of the Light, once of the revered Paladin. A protector. But now he live sin darkness, and the shadows are his sanctuary. Every day is a struggle to overcome the bloodlust. Especially the day Karissa shows up on his doorstep. 

Comes knocking on the door… 
She is light and bright everything beautiful—despite her scratches and torn clothes. Every creature of the night is after her. So is every male Paladin. Because Karissa is the last female of their kind. But she is his. He may not have a soul, but he can’t deny his heart. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daphne Award-winning author and former Tennessee native Tes Hilaire doesn’t remember how old she was when she wrote her first story, but she’s pretty sure it had something to do with a boy and a girl and a happily every after.  Displaced at an early age to “the north country,” her stories turned darker as she started creating whole new worlds to escape the harsh, upstate NY winters. Now back in the South, her stories remain edgy, exciting, and bring a hint of dark fantasy to paranormal romance. Best of all, no one ever has to shovel snow. For more, visit her website at www.teshilaire.com


35 comments:

  1. The book does sound good and I enjoyed this interview ladies :)
    I do enjoy romance set in a gritty fantasy world too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for stopping in Naida! And I hear you, I'm a sucker for those PNR's in dark and gritty settings or just as good, a UF with a little bit of a romantic twist. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love that his number one trait is loyalty! That is such a hard trait to have when everyone turns their back on you. Though Logan (book 2 right?) sounds like he stuck by him through thick and thin!

    Awesome interview B!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This sounds like a great series emerging, from a special writer!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds like a fantastic series, I can't wait to read them! You should be very proud, T!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Tes, thanks for the interview. I do have a question, your warriors are called Paladins. How did you find that name? Because I am already reading and loving a series by Alexis Morgan called the Paladins of Darkness. Also warriors fighting evil.

    ReplyDelete
  7. PNR is the perfect blend of romance and fantasy and that is why I'm so addicted to reading it.

    Thank you so much for the interview and giveaway!

    missie at theunreadreader.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the sound of the Paladins. Will have to watch out for them! :)

    Great interview!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Felicia - Honor and loyalty are definitely a big part of being a Paladin, and since Roland was born one? Well, that's something that is hard to beat out of a guy! Thanks for stopping in!

    Mel- Thanks so much for stopping in! You're the best. :-)

    Aurian - I actually just did a blog about creating my mythos! You can check out my new facebook author page facebook.com/TesHilaireAuthor for the link if you want all the deets (one of the first posts). Long story short is I was looking for some meat for the "warrior" aspect of the series and went a researching in the history vaults. That’s when I stumbled upon The Song of Roland. One of the oldest surviving major works of French literature, the song romanticizes the 8th century Battle of Roncevaux Pass in which Roland, commanding the rear guard of Charlemagne's army, is betrayed by Ganelon and ambushed by their enemies. The song is also the first literary work to mention the twelve Paladins, twelve religious warriors: a number representative of King Author’s round table, and the number of disciples in Christian scripture. Obviously there is a lot more to it than that, but that's the quick version.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Missie - I'm also a die hard UF fan... specially if there is some romance involved ;-) Thanks for saying hi!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for the interview Tes :)
    I am glad to hear that Logan is getting the next book since I really liked him.

    How many more books will there be?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sassy - Thanks! And glad you stopped by :-)

    Blodeuedd - I hope many more! I've been outlining the next few in the series so we'll have to see :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. sounds great!!

    (not an entry-too much to read!!)

    ReplyDelete
  14. good luck all
    bummr not int
    gr8 intrview

    ReplyDelete
  15. A nice interview, thank you both, the author and the blogger!

    Do you know that the historical Roland was a very un-romantic guy?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great interview and this sounds like a good read for me since I'm a fan of Paranormal Romances :)

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Carrie, roro, and winnie - thanks for stopping in!

    Anachronist - LOL, yes I did, but shhhh, that can be our little secret, okay? Actually, that's the beauty of fiction, especialy PNR, you can take the bits and pieces of legends like this, meld them them with other ideas/legends, stir and... viola! Mythos created. Oh, and there is also the point that the Roland of the song is my hero's grandfather, not my actual hero. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm a sucker for those "eternal warrior" tales, they're always such noble, brave characters. I'm looking forward to reading Deliver Me From Darkness, it sounds fantastic.

    Barbed1951 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great interview! I loved reading this.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great interview and thank you for the tips on aspiring authors. :) Sounds like a great read.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Barbara, Yvonne, and Melissa - I'm glad you enjoyed the interview! Thanks for stopping in :-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. The book sounds really good. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. It always interests me whenever a book is based on an obscure (to me), earlier work. However did you find The Song of Roland?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anachronist - LOL, yes I did, but shhhh, that can be our little secret, okay? Actually, that's the beauty of fiction, especialy PNR, you can take the bits and pieces of legends like this, meld them them with other ideas/legends, stir and... viola! Mythos created. Oh, and there is also the point that the Roland of the song is my hero's grandfather, not my actual hero. ;-)

    LOL ok, my lips are sealed. And of course a grandson is bound to be a tad different than his granddaddy...

    ReplyDelete
  25. Tore - entered!

    Stephenie D - It was an internet stumble at first. I was concentrating on the crusades which eventually led me to stumble on it. After that I dug a bit further in other sources like my old college history book and the library. In the end, I knew more than I wanted and scrapped back down to the basics and took what I wanted to make my mythos. Ah, gotta love fiction ;-)

    Anachronist - Thank you :-)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Great interview. I don't think anyone likes to talk about themselves. Can't wait to read Deliver Me From Darkness.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thank you all for stopping by yesterday :D

    ReplyDelete
  28. sounds like an interesting concept/world you have built. Great interview ladies :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. aw! I thought for sure the next book would be about Valin! Oh well, it will be interesting to see the dynamic between Logan and his father.

    I really enjoyed this book and I think any lover of fated mates and tortured alpha warriors will love it too! Roland is the perfect balance of alpha and mushyman
    Don't enter me, I have a copy :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Twitted about your giveaway at: https://twitter.com/#!/cherrymischivus/status/165909603253628928

    Shared at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherrymischievous/posts/380961051919150

    Goodluck to everybody entering!! :)

    Cherry Mischievous
    (non-US/Can - not an entry)

    ReplyDelete
  31. this looks awesome!! sounds a bit more UF.. ive read another series with ones that call themselves paladins..alexis morgan.. cant wait to see how different the ones in this book are!!

    alainala AT hotmail DOT ca

    ReplyDelete
  32. Great interview! This book sounds amazing.

    Tes: I love that you've been inspired by The Song of Roland. It's one of my favourite bits of history. :)

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Great Interview...I look forward to reading it

    ReplyDelete
  34. They sound great! I am really looking forward to reading more.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

    ReplyDelete

Contributors

Copyright © 2008-2020 Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell All Rights Reserved. Proudly powered by Blogger

  © Blogger template Starry by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008 Modified by Lea

Back to TOP