Interviewer: Thanks for joining us today, Zachariah! Let’s get to know you a little better. Do you have any siblings? If you do, what are/were they like?
Zachariah: Adam, my older brother, and I could not be any more different. When our small village held dances beneath a new moon, he would either brood or paint in the corner while I danced every dance. It’s not easy getting him to smile, but even during hard times, I find things to smile about.
Interviewer: I’ve heard of the fierce blood hunter. I can’t imagine much would get him to smile. Where do you live now, and with whom?
Zachariah: When I came out of my feral state, Adam asked me to come live with him and Willow in the country. But living with a newly wedded couple would be awkward. Especially with my enhanced vampire hearing. Didn’t want to be around that, to be sure. I decided to stay with Dracula in Ichor Knell. After being locked underground for ten years, I wanted to be among my own kind for a change.
Interviewer: Do you work in Ichor Knell? What is your occupation?
Zachariah: I only recently started apprenticing with physicians Enache and Rosetti in the palace infirmary. I am both intrigued and nauseated by the fact that very little can kill a vampire.
Interviewer: Dare I even ask what you are referring to? So you live with Dracula, yet you work as a physician. To which social class do you belong?
Zachariah: As Dracula’s kin, I am awarded certain privileges in elite vampire society. But instead of taking advantage of my position in society, I prefer to earn my own way. If I have to start at the bottom as an apprentice, then I would gladly do it.
Interviewer: A worthy and honest goal! On that note, are there occasions when you lie?
Zachariah: I can’t lie to save my life! There hasn’t been a time when I haven’t gotten caught in a lie.
Interviewer: Do you have any annoying habits, quirks, strange mannerisms, or other defining characteristics?
Zachariah: I am often self-conscious about the fact that I have never killed a human before, which is strange for a vampire. Especially for a vampire that used to be feral. I call myself a scavenger. When I hunt for my food, I make sure the human is already dead before I feed on their cold, stale blood. It’s not entirely satisfying, but it gets the job done. I refuse to kill others just so I can survive.
Interviewer: That is definitely strange for a vampire, especially considering how long you were feral and locked underground. I’m curious about how much schooling you’ve had if you were locked away for half your life?
Zachariah: Very little. I grew up in a small, pastoral village, and what little I learned, I learned from my mother. I am very embarrassed that I don’t know how to read, but my new tutor, Laurel Covaci, says I’m making good progress.
Interviewer: What did you want to be when you grew up?
Zachariah: Definitely a soldier. I wanted to serve in the emperor’s army and make something of myself. Unfortunately, I have found that I don’t have the stomach for killing. I would have made an awful soldier.
Interviewer: What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you so far?
Zachariah: I painstakingly pressed flowers in a book and gave them to Laurel Covaci. She dumped the entire basket out the window in front of not only a group of nobles, but Dracula as well! My face burns every time I remember the incident.
Interviewer: Speaking of burning faces… When did you have your first kiss, and who with?
Zachariah: Margaret Hurst during the new moon dance back home. It was only days before our village was attacked by vampires and every last person beside me and my brother was killed.
Interviewer: That’s awful. You two are fortunate to have survived. Last question. Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love?
Zachariah: The moment I laid eyes on Laurel for the first time, I fell headfirst into love. I believe she’s my soul mate. It’s a shame she doesn’t feel the same way.
Interviewer: That is a shame! I bet you will catch her eye yet. Don’t give up. And that’s it! Thanks for joining us today, Zach. It’s been a pleasure.
Blurb:
Zachariah Degore spent ten years locked under ground as a feral vampire. Now he has to redefine what it means to be healthy and whole. With his human life behind him, he starts anew in the vampire city of Ichor Knell with the vampire shah as his kin. He must prove he is worthy of his place in this new world.
Laurel Covaci is vampire elite, she would never court a feral vampire. After two hundred years she has yet to find a mate who meets with her satisfaction. She hides the pain of past hurt and abandonment behind a cold façade. Zach is confident that Laurel is the vampire for him, but can he break through her icy walls and convince her he's the mate she's been waiting for?
Excerpt:
She stared at him. And stared. Until it became uncomfortable.
So he stood and started to pack up his things, but she glared at him and pointed to his seat.
“Sit.” He did. Who could disobey a tone like that? “You can’t kill?” she asked incredulously. “You only recently came out of being feral, correct?” He nodded. “And you can’t kill? Human blood doesn’t send you into a rage. You refused to drink from the goblet at the service.”
“Have you been spying on me?”
She ignored his comment, and her mouth puckered slightly as if in deep concentration. He couldn’t help but stare. He’d never seen her do it before. Another endearing quality he added to the lengthy list of what made Laurel Covaci absolutely perfect.
“I have searched high and low, but I simply cannot find any answers to this particular conundrum,” she finally said. Heat rose to his ears. She’d been thinking about him?
He grinned. “Well, well, Lady Covaci. I didn’t realize I was filling up your thoughts.”
She blushed prettily, and he almost expected her to get up from the table and leave, regretting she even sat down in the first place. But she stayed put. In fact, she stared right back as if challenging him. He enjoyed the eye contact. Her eyes were so blue. So beautiful. They took him back to green fields of his childhood, of staring back at the blue sky as clouds lazily drifted past.
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvqlfMc19Is
Buy Links: Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Applebooks
Author Bio:
Sydney Winward was born with an artistic brain and a love of discovery for new talents. From drawing to sewing to music, she has loved to explore every opportunity that comes her way. At a young age, Sydney discovered her love of writing, and she hasn’t been able to stop writing since. Her active imagination and artistic mind take her away to different worlds and time periods, making every new story a fantastic adventure. When she is not writing (or fawning over animals in the neighborhood) she spends time with her husband and children at home in Utah.
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Thanks for being my guest today, Sydney!
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