Gabrielle Bisset

Monday, September 3, 2012

Author Marie Treanor Interview

It's my pleasure to have fellow paranormal romance author Marie Treanor here today talking about her writing, her new book Serafina and The Silent Vampire, and that deliciously sexy vampire of hers, Saloman, from her wonderful paranormal romance series, Awakened By Blood.I fell in love with the first book from the series, Blood On Silk, and from then on I was a fan of Marie's wonderful stories.

GB: Welcome Marie! Let's jump right in. What drew you to write paranormal romance and vampires?

MT: Well, they’re a long-standing obsession! When I was a kid, I loved to stay up late on a Friday night with my Dad watching old “horror” films with Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee etc, and that got me hooked. After reading Dracula, I devoured all the vampire stories I could find, and this has gone on ever since! It was inevitable that as a writer, I would one day find my way to the paranormal, and to vampires, and if I can mix them up with a bit of gothic type romance and a touch of modern spice, I’m even happier :).


GB: Which do you find more challenging to write: love/sex scenes or fight scenes?

MT: Fight scenes. They don’t come naturally to me because apart from childhood spats with my brother, I’ve never fought anyone in my life.  I’m a naturally peaceful person, but my characters frequently find themselves in situations they have to fight their way out of! It makes for an exciting story, of course, and I do find this side of people’s character fascinating, so I do like to have fighting in there and hope my enthusiasm carries the scene convincingly. :).

GB: Is the character of Saloman in your Awakened By Blood series based on someone from history or is he entirely of your own creation?

MT: He’s mostly my own creation, although I suppose I was inevitably influenced by the fact that Bram Stoker used Vlad the Impaler as his model for Count Dracula. I took the idea a stage further and made Saloman older than Christ, and hinted at him and his undead race influencing civilization for thousands of years. But the character of Saloman is complete imagination – and he was great fun. I loved imagining how someone would be if they’d existed so long and experienced so much. So I gave him a value for existence in general and yet a carelessness of individual lives which he’s quite happy to sacrifice to his own good or the good of the world as he sees it. Plus, he had to have coping mechanisms for the sheer boredom of having seen and done it all before, and being so much more powerful than anyone else; as well as a profound isolation that no one can touch.


GB: Why did you choose to make the Awakened By Blood series a trilogy?

MT: It just came to me that way. I wanted to write a series that followed the relationship of the same main characters through various adventures with a continuing theme, and three books seemed a good length to do that in without stringing things out too long or growing tired of the characters.
However, living in that world for so long, I suppose it was inevitable that I couldn’t quite leave the story alone! It kept moving forward in my head – what happens to Elizabeth and Saloman after BLOOD ETERNAL? And at the same time I began to worry increasingly about Elizabeth’s friends the vampire hunters. I wanted to delve deeper into their pasts and find them a bit of happiness if I could – which is why I began a new series, Blood Hunters, a sequel series to Awakened by Blood, but following different hunters in each book. BLOOD GUILT is the first of this new series – available now :).


GB: Your newest book, Blood Guilt, is independently published. What made you choose that route?

MT: Well, NAL who published Awakened by Blood, didn’t want to take the story forward, so instead of  looking at other publishers, my agent advised me to try self-publishing which has grown so rapidly in recent years. It has a lot of advantages so far, so I’m enjoying the experience – such an exciting time to be writing and publishing!


GB: What do you think makes your vampire books stand out from the others in the paranormal romance genre?

MT: Yikes, I’m probably not the best person to ask :) . I’ve been told my world-building is unique, and Saloman has been described as ‘the best vampire in the romance genre’, which was very flattering!  I try to write my vampires as inhuman, flawed characters with humour and odd vulnerabilities and powerful if well-hidden emotions, and from there I just go with my imagination. And I’m thrilled if that works for readers!

GB: What do you have planned for the future?

MT: Excitingly, I have three new series planned. We already talked about the Blood Hunters series, and BLOOD GUILT which was released in June. I’m hoping to do at least four and maybe five books in the series.
The next series is called Serafina’s, all about a psychic investigation agency based in Edinburgh. The first book, SERAFINA AND THE SILENT VAMPIRE, just came out on 28th August. Serafina MacBride is the psychic but not strictly honest owner of the agency, who doesn’t believe in vampires until she meets one biting her friend and assumes he’s muscling in on her scam. Then her client’s son dies with puncture wounds in his neck and she finds herself up to her neck in vampires, one of whom threatens her heart as well as her jugular J.  I’m writing the second book in the series now.

And in November, comes SMOKE AND MIRRORS, the first release in my third series – The Gifted – which features a sexy criminal with a rare if useful gift with fire.

Thanks so much for interviewing me, Gabrielle! It’s been fun.

Thanks so much, Marie!

Here are buy links for Blood on Silk, Blood Guilt, and Serafina and The Silent Vampire:


Serafina and The Silent Vampire: http://www.amazon.com/Serafina-Silent-Vampire-Serafinas-ebook/dp/B0092UD3GM/


GIVEAWAY: Marie is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner. To enter, leave a comment with your email address and do as many of the Rafflecopter options as you like. Contest is open internationally and will run through September 10. One winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

42 comments:

Forget the Housework, I'm Reading... said...

The books look and sound amazing! Definitely going on my wish list!

Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
tobihelton at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

marie is a new author to me. these books look like an exciting read. love vampires of all sorts. i wish marie the best of luck

laurie said...

i also haven't read Marie's books before but they look really interesting and i did enjoy the interview!

parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

These sound like wonderful books! I definetly need to add them to my list. Thanks for interviewing her, Gabrielle! Best of luck to you, Marie!

Unknown said...


What a great interview!!

I haven't read any of Marie's books either, but love PN and Vamps. Will definitely be checking out the books for my ever expanding TBR.

Gayle

Gloria Esau said...

Great to meet you Marie! Your books have now peaked my interest! I will now buy the first and look forward to reading your series! Thank you Gabrielle for a great interview!

Anonymous said...

Nice to meet you Marie. I'm going to have to check your books out. They sound great!

Unknown said...

I love those covers and the books sound great and have me interested...school is cramping my reading lately lol.

ericka102207(@)hotmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

forgot my email lol

swgaddict72 at hotmail dot com

Thanks gabrielle and marie!

Anonymous said...

It was nice to read about your books Marie. They sound very interesting. Especially. The book youare working on now Smoke and Mirrors. Can't wait to read one of your books.

Anonymous said...

It was nice to read about your books Marie. They sound very interesting. Especially. The book youare working on now Smoke and Mirrors. Can't wait to read one of your books.

Unknown said...

Great interview! Your books sound fun and exciting :) I will def be putting them on my TBR list for sure

DawnSullivan88@verizon.net

Cassandra said...

Thanks for the awesome giveaway :)
cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

Jo said...

I love the cover artwork on Blood on Silk and Blood Guilt.

jochibi AT yahoo DOT com

kazza16 said...

I have all Marie's books, now I just have to get started reading them!

Marie Treanor said...

Hello, Gabrielle and everyone! I've been trying to drop in all day, but we just discovered the visitors we were expecting on Thursday were coming today instead - for a week! - and I've been tearing around hoovering and cleaning and washing and making beds and trying to be sociable at the same time - while not letting on that I wasn't expecting them for days :).

Anyway, thanks for interviewing me, Gabrielle, and thanks everyone for the kind words! Lovely to meet you all!

Ericka, I hate it too when life gets in the way of fiction reading :).

Nicole, SMOKE AND MIRRORS should be out in November, provisionally 6th Nov, but I've still to have it confirmed. Glad it got your attention!

Jo, I agree these covers are gorgeous. I thought it was particularly clever of Kimberly Killion, who did the cover for BLOOD GUILT, to suit the style of it so well to the prequel series, and yet make it new and different. Wish I had such talent!

Marie

Beckey said...

Thanks for meeting
Love blog hops for that reason (meeting new to me authors)
BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom

Laurie said...

Marie is a new author for me, but the books sound amazing and I'm looking forward to reading them! Thanks for the interview and giveway!
lfacchini(at)tampabay(dot)rr(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Thanks for participating in the Blog Hop. I am meetin so many great authors. I watch psychic investigation on tv and they never find the person alive. Makes me sad. Your books sounds awesome. On my TBR list.

roya-clan@sbcglobal.net Mary

Cindy McCune said...

Hi Marie...I LOVED your Silk novels. Thanks for hosting the giveaway!

Unknown said...

How exciting I've found a new novelist to read and recommended from an author I love!!! Sweet!!!!
Now I truly will go broke :-D

Sherry said...

Sounds like a great read. Thanks for the giveaway.
sstrode at scrtc dot com

DANIELA said...

Hi Marie
Great, more vampo books (i¿m always looking for new authors). I've added some of the books to my TBR list.
And I must say that I loved the cover for Blood on Silk.
Thanks for sharing with us today.

dany7578 at hotmail dot com

Raonaid Luckwell said...

Gotta say Marie has been blessed with beautiful poignant covers. They really draw the eyes.

* Laughs * Sick of seeing me yet? I know I was there at BBB. LOL!

Raonaid at gmail dot com

Marie Treanor said...

Many thanks to everyone who's added my books to their lists! Music to my ears :).

Beckey, I love this too for meeting new readers, which is always a pleasure!

Hi Mary - yes that is sad. It's nice to have more scope for a happier with fictional psychics! Although Sera does specialize in talking to the dead...

Hi Cindy! Thank you! And lovely to meet you here :)

Sorry, Jane! Reading is such an expensive habit :).

Daniella, glad you like the cover for Blood on Silk - I love it too; also the one for the first sequel Blood Sin.

Gabrielle, thanks so much for having me here! I've had a lovely time meeting your readers :)

Marie

June M. said...

Hi! I too have a huge obsession with vampire & paranormal. I am def adding your Awakened by Blood series to my TBR list.
Thanks so much for the interview & giveaway.
June
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

Megan@Riverina Romantics said...

Great interview ladies!

Marie, I want to wish you good luck with your foray into the indie world. A lot of people are finding great success with going that route.

JessS said...

Thanks for the giveaway!! Serafin and the Silent Vampire sounds good.

rubyswan said...

Hello Ms. Bisset,
I just read a awesome review by Lady Raven on goodreads about ur bk.Blood Avenged (Sons of Navarus #1) OOOOH Wowwwww it's Onnnnnnnn...I'm going 2 purchase a copy I soon as I can!! thanQQQ! U R new 2 me
redz041@yahoo.com

Beckey said...

Thanks for the snippet about the book...
looks interesting

BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom

Elizabeth H. said...

I have never heard of this author before but it sounds like this series is now on my to-read list! Thanks for the interview and awesome giveaway!
ehaney578 at AOL dot com

Lauren B said...

Loved the Awakened by Blood series and can't wait to get my hands on Blood Guilt.

Thanks for the great giveaway.

Marie Treanor said...

Raonaid, of course I'm not sick of seeing you - always a pleasure :). Especially when you say nice things about my covers. And I agree with you, I'm lucky enough to have had some absolute beauties!

Megan, thank you! I'm still feeling my way, but encouraged by others' successes!

Thank you, Lauren! Glad you enjoyed them :).

Marie

ldd6853 said...

This book looks really good. I can't wait to read it. :)

loriafenn@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Very exciting anew author tome loved interview. Look forward to reading Marie's work.awesome interview Gabrielle

Harrison.luna.tina@ gmail.com

donnas said...

Congrats on the new release! I really enjoyed it.

sienny said...

hi marie! congrats for the new book, and i can't wait to try one of yours :)

smile_1773 at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

Great Interview.

Picked up 'Loving the Wolf' from Changeling Press, Marie...anxious to read it.

Gayle
gayle2b74@gmail.com

Marie Treanor said...

Thank you for all the congrats - much appreciated!

Hi Donna - thanks for reading it and I'm delighted you enjoyed it!

Gayle, thanks for buying Loving the Wolf! That was the first story I wrote for Changeling Press, so I have a soft spot for it :).

Marie

Booklover Sue said...

Great interview and I am looking forward to reading your books!

susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com

Shadow said...

This sounds great!! Id love to read it! Thanks for sharing and for the great giveaway!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Marie you're a new author for me. Added your books to my TBR pile on Goodreads. Thanks you for the interview :)

Debi01760@hotmail.com