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Today I have a fun interview that my guest Ashlynne Laynne conducted with two of her characters from Blood Bewitched, Ascher and Shauna Rousseau. Enjoy!
In the cover of
nightfall, I enter the double door entrance of Ascher and Shauna Rousseau’s new
home, Promesse, escorted by two soldier-types in what appear to be United
States Army fatigues. They guide me down a long, white-walled corridor to a
room simply furnished with a piano, black leather loveseat and a matching
recliner.
The immortal couple sits
in an intimate pose, Ascher’s arm lovingly swathing the back of the sofa. A
tiny bundle lies in each of their arms. Upon closer inspection, I realize that
both babies are fast asleep.
“Ashlynne.” Ascher
stands, his massive, six foot four frame dressed in a gray long-sleeved tee
shirt and straight-legged True Religions that drape black boots. He gives me a wide smile, the blue in his irises flaring with
amusement. “So glad you could make it out to Langley to see us.” He motions for
me to sit in the lone recliner.
“Did you enjoy your
trip up?” Shauna asks from her place on the loveseat, rocking both babies in
her arms.
I settle into my seat,
noticing the tray of goodies on a glass table beside my chair. Placing my purse
at my feet and my tablet on my lap, I rip into a pack of gummy bears and shove
a couple into my mouth.
“You remembered,” I say,
getting a sugar rush from the mouthful of candy.
“Of course we did,”
Shauna says, looking casual and cute in a pair of jeans and a pink cashmere
sweater.
“So,” Ascher starts,
shifting his purple cocoon into the other arm, “who are we interviewing for today?”
“Hmmm.” I glance at my
tablet and tap it a couple of times until my schedule appears. “This one is for
Marsha Moore at the Illusions of Intimacy blog.” I take a sip of water and set
my phone on vibrate. “I’m ready whenever you guys are.”
Both Ascher and Shauna
nod.
“I think the first
thing readers will want to know is how you met.”
Ascher smirks. “My
brother, Gabe, hired Shauna to tend the bar at Rousseau’s.”
“I really needed a
job,” Shauna continued. “I was in college and struggling to make ends meet. I
was a D away from losing my grant and being homeless.”
Ascher shifts his
position, obviously uncomfortable with remembering how dire his wife’s
situation had been. He rakes a hand through raven locks that are streaked with
strands of gray. “I fell in love with her instantly.”
I giggle. “Love at
first sight. I understand that.”
Ascher raises a brow at
me. “And how is your husband and son?”
“Jerome is in his last
year of school and Mark.” I blush. “Mark is Mark—loving, supportive.” I pause, realizing
that he’s somehow turned the tables, seizing the reins of control. “Hey,” I
scold. “I’m supposed to be asking the questions here!” I clear my throat,
changing the direction of my inquiries. “So, tell me about the twins.”
The new parents beam at
one another.
Shauna’s eyes sparkle
with a mother’s pride. “Aschlee loves to channel. She is quite the little mental
chatterbox.” Shauna lifts the pink bundle, unwrapping it like a precious gift
to give me a better look.
Aschlee is the spitting
image of Ascher, with her pale complexion and obsidian locks ornamented in a
tiny pink bow—undoubtedly her father’s daughter. Dressed in a precious pink and
white gingham dress and matching ruffled socks, Aschlee Rousseau resembles an
immortal baby doll. The infant startles, drops her lower lip, and then
whimpers.
“There, there now,
sweet girl,” Shauna soothes, swaddling her daughter again, placing her flush
against her chest.
After a moment, Aschlee
lets out a satisfied coo and falls back asleep.
“AJ here,” Ascher
starts, “he doesn’t channel. He prefers blood to formula and has a cry that
could wake the dead.” Ascher repeats Shauna’s actions, exposing his bundle for
me to take a peek.
AJ is bigger than his
sister and has Shauna’s golden complexion. A head full of wavy, red locks adorn
his head. His fist under his chin, their son appears to be contemplating much
in his repose.
“Your son will be more
of a strong, silent type,” I surmise. “He’ll take after his mother in that
respect.” Bracing myself, I ask the one question I’m dying to know. “What do
the tests say about their gifts?”
Tension blankets the
room, becoming a palpable pulsing that punches me like a fist. I shudder from
the emotional onslaught, taking a deep breath while I await an answer from
either of them.
Minutes go by and
neither of them speaks a word. The couple’s gazes flit between one another’s
and then to me.
Ascher’s eyes darken,
morphing into a hardened, sapphire blue that stuns me. “We can’t talk about
that on the record. We’ll have to conclude the interview first.”
I clutch my chest, fear
snaking through me. “Is it bad?”
“Not bad,” Shauna
assures me. “We’d just like to keep the results within the family until we
figure out what we should do.”
“What’s there to figure
out?”
Ascher takes Aschlee
from Shauna and flashes up the stairs with both babies. Before he’s even
missed, he returns alone. “If you really want to know,” he directs at me,
“we’ll take you up to the main house to the lab—let you see the results for
yourself.”
My heart pounds a
hurried beat, joining the butterflies in my stomach.
*~*~*
Title:Blood
Bewitched (The Progeny Series #5)
Author:
AshlynneLaynne
Genre:
Paranormal Romance
“Nothing
in life is a coincidence.”
Forces
are aligning in Shauna Rousseau’s life. A gifted Wiccan warrior and unique true
half-blooded vampire, she is fate personified with an incredible destiny to
fulfill. The ultimate war between good and evil is brewing, a revolution that
will change our world forever.
Sides
are being chosen, but Shauna has some unfinished family business. With her
siblings and husband by her side, the pregnant newborn travels to Louisiana to
shake her family tree. Lies are uncovered that will irrevocably damage the
siblings’ lives.
Everyone
has a past. It’s time for Shauna Rousseau to face hers.
Author Bio
Ashlynne Layne is an award winning songwriter, poet, and
author of erotic paranormal and contemporary romance. She’s always had a soft
spot in her heart for vampires but grew tired of the garlic fearing,
sun-loathing night stalkers of old. An avid horror movie fan, she tends to
enjoy media and music of a younger, more eclectic nature. This was the catalyst
for her writing The Progeny.
Ashlynne loves
writing on the edge—combining the erotica and romance genres—and thinks of
Ascher and Shauna as the wicked, damned version of Romeo and Juliet. She is
currently working on books six and seven of her Progeny Series, book one of her
upcoming AlteritySeries, and a novella spin off. In her spare time, she enjoys
cooking, reading, and spending time with her family. She juggles the hats of
wife, mother, full time employee and part-time writer, hoping to write
exclusively one day soon.
She lives in the Carolinas with her husband and son.
More about Ashlynne
Zodiac: Leo
Favorite Music Genres: Alt Rock, 90’s Grunge, Pop
Favorite Musical Acts: Maroon 5, Rihanna, Lil Wayne,
Bruno Mars, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Imagine Dragons, Florida Georgia Line, Adele, Rob
Zombie, Robin Thicke, Kings of Leon, Coldplay, Drake, Justin Timberlake
Favorite Movie Genre: Horror
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Authors: Stephen King, Anne Rice
Foods: Yogurt, Chocolate Milk, Chicken Alfredo
About The Progeny Series
At its core, The
Progeny Series is simply about a man and woman who fall in love. The fact that
he’s a half-blood (half-human, half vampire) and she’s a Wiccan human are
secondary factors. This series encompasses a family dynamic of which we’ve
never seen.
The Rousseaus share
a common mortal and immortal bloodline, but loyalty is the thread binding this
vampire clan. Shauna and Ascher’s dissuaded love only strengthens the family
bonds. Their unique union transcends bloodlines and completes the prophecy,
defying the beliefs of centuries old covenants while shattering the wall
between the Wiccan and vampire worlds that have existed for ages.
This series is
erotic paranormal romance intended for adults and contains strong sexual
content, adult sensuality, language and themes.
Follow Ashlynne Online
Ashlynne on FB *The Progeny Series on FB * Twitter * GR *AshlynneLaynne.com * Reader Email *Amazon Author Page * Ascher and Shauna's FB Page * Blog * Q-Rotic Press on FB Page * Q-Rotic
Press.com
Buy the Series
Book Excerpt
One look
into Ascher’s eyes and Shauna’s simmering blood cooled. She was lost. So
grateful to have him in her life. Immersed in a deep, blue ocean and awash in
the depth of love she felt for this man she was so proud to call her own. With
everything going wrong in their world, this was one of the things that was
right. There was no denying the fact that they were made for one another.
“Thank you
for the bracelet and—” Shauna gestured her hands to encompass the room colorfully
decorated with balloons and fragrant with roses meant to celebrate the day of
her birth. “—well, for everything.”
“No,
sweetheart. I’m the one who should be thanking you for saving me.” His
fingertips slipped along the line of her jaw as he lifted her head to meet his
eyes. “Because of you, I’m a whole man…a living, breathing, feeling individual
for the first time in my existence. You make me feel so much, Shauna. You
brought me outside of myself and showed me the wonders of this world. Because
of you, I realize how precious life is…that there is so much to fight for.”
The
surrender in his eyes was so at odds with the wild man that had just screwed
her into submission, but she loved that about him. He was many things.
Human.Vampire.Warrior and worrier.Loving husband and loyal brother.Ascher was
her shaded, sexy lover and a protector ready to risk himself to prevent anyone
from doing her harm. He was possessive, handsome, and unyielding when it came
to her safety. But most of all, he was simply hers. Looking into his eyes was like seeing them for the first
time, all the adoration, passion and promise shining from their gorgeous
depths.
She had no
choice but to whisper, “I love you.”
He cupped
her face in his palms. “Forever.” His lips then turned up into the smirk he
usually reserved for teasing her. “Thank you for the player, too.”
While she
should have had enough, it wasn’t. Shauna would never get her fill of this sexy
man who somehow desired and loved her just as much. So, she rolled him beneath
her.
*~*~*
2 comments:
Thank you for having the series on your blog today.
You're very welcome! :-)
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