Interview:
1) First, tell us about yourself – where you live, your family, and those sorts of details.
Hi, I’m Katie. (I always feel like I’m at an AA meeting when I say that.) I’m a vegas native, paranormal author, wife, and mom to 2 (soon to be 3). Actually due to pop out my third baby any time now!
2) How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Short stories, poems, etc… It was an outlet for me. I loved making up stories and seeing how I could twist scenarios into interesting stories.
3) Do you have a favorite place to write?
Anywhere my laptop can go. And anywhere that has some peace and quiet. I am so ADD that simple noises can distract me. I need a specific kind of quiet. Usually involving music. I use it to set my mood.
4) Why did you decide to write Immortalis?
It wasn’t a conscious decision. I did not sit down and say, “I’m going to write a vampire story.” It just came to me. I sit down and listen to what my muse is saying and just go from there. Usually it begins with a scene. I see it in my head and then I take it from there.
5) Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
Alyssa. Seeing her grow up through all 6 books in this series has been so much fun. She started out so immature, and now, she is a full-fledged and capable vampire.
6) How about your least favorite character? What makes them less appealing to you?
I don’t have a least favorite. They all tend to get killed off. I’m evil that way. If a character has it coming, I have no problem killing them off. Not all characters who die though are hated characters. Some I have had to kill for the emotional impact, but most of the ones that die, truly need it.
7) Do you proofread/edit your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?
Never proof your own book. You can’t do it. No matter how many English degrees you have, you as an author, are always too close to the story to see the errors. I use beta readers to make sure the plots are good, and then once I am done revising based on my beta readers suggestions, I send it off to an editor for the final clean up.
8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Read, watch TV, hang out with my amazing kids! You know, the fun stuff!
9) Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
Patricia Briggs, Anne Rice, Sherrilyn Kenyon. The list could go on and on. Basically, if it is paranormal, I read it!
10) What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has? Write it out here, then answer it.
That’s a really tough one. I’m not sure I can actually ask/answer that. I’ve had people ask me all kinds of questions about the series. Some obscure and some obvious. The big thing is, it is readers who are truly interested asking their questions. Me as an author, I could talk for days about my books. I want to know what interests my readers. What makes them interested. What “more” do they want from this series. Asking myself doesn’t feel right. I want you to ask me.
Title: Immortalis Carpe Noctem
Author: Katie Salidas
Series: Immortalis (Book 1)
Genre: Paranormal Romance /Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Rising Sign Books
Release Date: January 2010
Blurb/Synopsis:
Explore the emotional upheaval that is the transformation from human to vampire. Bleeding to death after brutal mugging on the campus of UNLV, Twenty-five year old Alyssa, is rescued by the cold and aloof, vampire, Lysander. Taking pity on her, he shares the gift-and curse-of immortality. She awakens as a vampire and is soon devastated by harsh realities of her new way of life: An unyielding thirst for blood as well as the loss of her friends, her independence, and her humanity. As if having her humanity stripped away was not enough to make life interesting, Alyssa finds out her "turning," did not go unnoticed by the rest of undead society. Old enemies; an ancient sect of vampire hunters, known as the Acta Sanctorum, as well as a powerful Vampire mistress, each set plans in motion to destroy both Alyssa and Lysander. Only by accepting her new-found immortality, seizing the night, will Alyssa hope to survive. She and Lysander must fight together against two sets of enemies bent on destroying them both.
Book Links
Excerpt:
“You are a vampire.”
“A what?” I shrieked.
“You are a vampire, Alyssa,” he said slowly. “An immortal.”
“No! That’s not possible.” I shook my head in disbelief. “Vampires aren’t real. They’re fiction; nothing but stories and myths.”
One of his dark eyebrows rose slightly. He cocked his head to the side. He smirked as his eyes trailed down from my face. “Did you not notice the mark on your neck? Do you not remember drinking my blood?” His fangs showed as he spoke: pure white, sharp little daggers, just a slight bit longer than the rest of his teeth. His voice carried that same arrogance I remembered from when he talked with my attackers.
My mouth hung open. No, this isn’t possible.
Things were still fuzzy in my head, but I did remember the blood, the liquid fire, I had been forced to drink. I’d hoped it had just been some drug-induced dream.
Oh, my God, it was true. I drank his blood. “I’m…a … vampire?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “Our kind are very real. And now, Alyssa, you are one of us.”
I slumped backwards into the cushions of the couch. His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I stared wide-eyed at the distant wall. This was like some terrible nightmare. I didn’t want to believe what he was telling me, but I knew he was right. There was no other way to explain what had happened to me. No amount of hallucinogenic drugs could have explained how I had survived the attack, why I had these markings, or the sharpness of my own new set of fangs.
“Does that mean I’m… undead?”
“You are immortal,” Lysander said with a casual wave of his hand. “Undead is a silly term mortals use to explain the supernatural things they cannot possibly understand. You are no more dead than you were when you woke up this morning. You are just, for lack of a better word, changed.”
Lysander gave me another toothy grin. His fangs were frightening to look at. The memory of him biting me played over and over in my mind like a video stuck on repeat.
“But you drank my blood.” My hand shot back up to cover the wound on my neck.
“Only enough to allow the transformation.”
He reached out, grabbed my hand, and pulled it from my neck.
“Don’t touch me.” I flinched, annoyed and afraid at his sudden gesture. I tried to pull my hand out of his grip, but he was so much stronger than I was. He pushed my hand to my chest, forcing me to feel the erratic thumping of my heart.
“You see,” he said calmly. “Your heart still beats.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. “But…how?” I relaxed my hand relaxed under his grip.
“Unlike some of your other organs, your heart is still necessary to keep blood flowing through your body.” Lysander let go of me. “For now, while your body is in transition, it will beat in an accelerated rhythm, but it will eventually slow itself to a more normal pace.”
I was speechless. My mind raced, recalling books and movies, everything I knew about vampire mythology. Bats, stakes, and garlic immediately popped into my mind.
“I must mention that your generation’s ideas of vampires are a bit off.” Lysander spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice. “Many of the popular books and movies about our kind are no more real than children’s fairytales.”
Is he reading my mind? I wondered how he seemed to say just the right thing as I was thinking it. “So, none of the stories are true?”
“Most of the new stories you are probably familiar with are filled with complete nonsense.”
“What about the old ones, like Dracula?”
Lysander sighed. His shoulders slumped. “Dracula is not what I would consider an old story, but yes, a few are based on some truth, however little it may be. There is much that is added to make us seem easier to deal with.” His lip curled into a crooked grin. “Mortals like to think they can hurt us. It helps them sleep at night.”
“So, you’re not afraid of crosses, then?”
Lysander shook his head. “Crosses and other holy relics are nothing more than symbols and decorations. I hardly see why an ornamental cross would stop me from doing anything. Furthermore, I think it’s time for the Christians to come up with a better symbol. One that is a little less… gloomy.”
I chuckled. “Okay, what about garlic?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “What about it?”
“Isn’t garlic bad for vampires?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Why would it be? We don’t eat, so how would it harm us?”
I nodded. “Okay… umm… stakes?”
His head tilted to the side as the corner of his lip rose up into a teasing grin. “You can try to stab me with a piece of wood, but I doubt it will do much more than aggravate me. We heal quite fast. Perhaps a blade would work better.”
I shuddered, seeing his teeth again as he spoke. Is that how I look now?
“So, knives and swords are bad?”
“Yes. It is much harder to regenerate a severed limb. And if we are separated from our heads, it would be safe to say we would cease to exist.”
I smiled, noting the sarcasm in Lysander’s voice. I could tell he’d had this conversation before. He seemed to be enjoying my round of silly questions.
“Holy water?” I blurted out.
Lysander let out a hearty laugh. “No, you won’t melt into a pile of goo. You can throw most of that nonsense out of the window, Alyssa.”
I giggled, realizing how silly it sounded: melting into a pile of goo after being splashed with water. Maybe this won’t be so bad.
“You see, we immortals are not as ridiculous as Hollywood likes to portray us. Though one thing is true... we do survive off the blood of the living.”
Katie Salidas is a Super Woman! Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, She can get the munchkins off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. She can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, she still finds the time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). She can do all of this and still have time to write.
And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…
Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.
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Immortalis Carpe Noctem by Katie Salidas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First, I would like to thank the author Katie Salidas for giving me this book for an honest reveiw. This book is awesome, the characters are well developed and you can easily feel for them. Katie takes an interesting take by giving us a feel for Alyssa and her struggles having to deal with the blood and hunt after she is turned into a vampire. Lysander is a vampire that you can feel his betrayal as you learn his history. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
View all my reviews
My Review: September 2013 ~ Review Copies ~
Immortalis Carpe Noctem by Katie SalidasMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
First, I would like to thank the author Katie Salidas for giving me this book for an honest reveiw. This book is awesome, the characters are well developed and you can easily feel for them. Katie takes an interesting take by giving us a feel for Alyssa and her struggles having to deal with the blood and hunt after she is turned into a vampire. Lysander is a vampire that you can feel his betrayal as you learn his history. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
View all my reviews
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