Book Tour: Omega by Susannah Sandlin Interview & Giveaway

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Date of Publication: February 5, 2013

ISBN: 978-1612183596

ASIN: B0073XV3L2

Number of pages: 328

Word Count: approx. 88,000

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Book Description:

The bloody war between the Vampire Tribunal and the defiant scathe of Penton, Alabama, rages on, forcing its residents and their bonded humans to retreat into the underground fortress of last resort: Omega. There, Will Ludlam is charged with the care of Penton's humans, though he longs to fight alongside his vampire brethren. He knows the risks: as the renegade son of the Tribunal's vicious leader, Will's capture could doom the resistance.

Yet he is determined to prove his worth to his adopted scathe, to his vengeful father and to former US Army officer Randa Thomas, his beautiful, reluctant partner. Randa has little faith that a former member of the vampire elite has what it takes to fight a war. But as their enemies descend upon Omega, Will's polished charm and Randa's guarded heart finally give way to the warrior within.

Fans of Susannah Sandlin's Penton Legacy are sure to devour this long-awaited third installment of the steamy paranormal series.         

ABSOLUTION:

Release date: October 9, 2012

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Book Description:

With the vampire world on the brink of civil war over the scarcity of untainted human blood, battle lines are being drawn between the once peaceful vampire and human enclave of Penton, Alabama, and the powerful Vampire Tribunal.

A Scottish gallowglass warrior turned vampire in the early 17th century, Mirren Kincaid once served the Tribunal as its most creative and ruthless executioner—a time when he was known as the Slayer. But when assigned a killing he found questionable, Mirren abandoned the Tribunal’s political machinations and disappeared—only to resurface two centuries later as the protector and second-in-command of Penton. Now the Tribunal wants him back on their side—or dead.

To break their rogue agent, they capture Glory Cummings, the descendant of a shaman, and send her to restore Mirren’s bloodthirsty nature. But instead of a monster, Glory sees a man burdened by the weight of his past. Could her magic touch—meant by the tribunal to bring out a violent killer—actually help Mirren break his bonds and discover the love he doesn’t believe he deserves?

It’s a town under siege, a powerful warrior in a battle with his past, and one woman who can make the earth move—literally—as the Penton Legacy continues.

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REDEMPTION:

Following a worldwide pandemic whose vaccine left human blood deadly to vampires, the vampire community is on the verge of starvation and panic. Some have fanned into rural areas, where the vaccine was less prevalent, and are taking unsuspecting humans as blood slaves. Others are simply starving, which for a vampire is worse than death—a raging hunger in a creature too weak to feed.

Immune to these struggles—at first—is Penton, a tiny community in rural Chambers County, Alabama, an abandoned cotton mill town that has been repopulated by charismatic vampire Aidan Murphy, his scathe of 50 vampires, and their willingly bonded humans. Aidan has recruited his people carefully, believing in a peaceful community where the humans are respected and the vampires retain a bit of their humanity.

But an unresolved family feud and the paranoia of the Vampire Tribunal descend on Penton in the form of Aidan’s brother, Owen Murphy. Owen has been issued a death warrant that can only be commuted if he destroys Penton—and Aidan, against whom he’s held a grudge since both were turned vampire in 17th-century Ireland.  Owen begins a systematic attack on the town, first killing its doctor, then attacking one of Aidan’s own human familiars

To protect his people, Aidan is forced to go against his principles and kidnap an unvaccinated human doctor—and finds himself falling in love for the first time since the death of his wife in Ireland centuries ago. 

Dr. Krystal Harris, forced into a world she never knew existed, must face up to her own abusive past to learn if the feelings she’s developing for her kidnapper are real—or just a warped, supernatural kind of Stockholm Syndrome in which she’s allowing herself to become a victim yet again.

Susannah Sandlin’s REDEMPTION is the first in the Penton Legacy series. Book two, ABSOLUTION, will be out September 18, and book three, OMEGA, on December 18.

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Interview:

1. Where did you get the idea for the novel?

I had been reading a lot of dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction and had come up with an idea for a paranormal romance series with vampires, so I decided to turn things on its head a bit. The vampires are having a post-apocalyptic crisis (a human virus pandemic has changed human blood chemistry enough to make it poisonous to vamps), while the humans are going on with life as usual. The humans are killing off the vampires without even knowing the vampires exist. Only the vampires aren’t quite ready to become extinct. (But it is a romance—really!)

2.  Your title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?

I’ve titled all my books (so far). With this Penton Legacy series I wanted one-word titles using powerful words that summed up the theme of the book. So in Redemption, that is what the hero, Aidan, is seeking. In the second book, Mirren is looking for Absolution. And in the new book, Will has to make the last stand for his people from their shelter of last resort—Omega.

3. Which came first, the title or the novel? 

I usually come up with the titles first, or as I’m outlining. Surprisingly, so far at least, I haven’t changed any titles.

4. Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?

The first time I walked into a bookstore and saw my first book on the shelf. Actually, that’s still pretty exciting! Someone sent me a photo yesterday of one of my books in the “Best Bets” display at her local library, and that was just too cool. But a close second was when my agent called me and said she’d received an author on that first series.

5. What book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?

I recently finished Kim Harrison’s newest Hollows novel, Ever After. It’s one of my favorite series. I’m on a tight deadline for my next project, so I’m not reading anything currently.

6. What was your first book that you ever wrote (very first one you wrote, not published)?

Actually, I’m very blessed to have found an agent and publisher for my first-ever book. It’s called Royal Street, and is written under the name Suzanne Johnson. It’s the first in an urban fantasy series set in New Orleans around the time of Hurricane Katrina (where I was living at the time), and is published by Tor Books.

7. What is your writing process?

I’m a plotter. Before I start writing, I need to have my overarching plot idea, my worldbuilding basics (i.e., in this series, what can my vampires do and what can they not do?), and my hero and heroine’s characters and motivations and flaws and quirks. My outlines usually run up to 10,000 words in length. I don’t know everything that’s going to happen—I like to leave enough hanging so my characters can still surprise me. But I have a full-time day job and a full-time writing career so I can’t afford the time it takes to be a “pantser.”

8. Who are your favorite authors of all time?

Stephen King—I grew up on his books, and I still read about everything he writes. He’s great at character development and suspense. I also grew up reading these massive, multi-generational books by Susan Howatch and James Michener, and pop history stuff by John Jakes. It’s a wonder I’m not more warped than I am!

9. At a book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do you come up with stuff to say? 

I try to write something besides my name—it’s usually something short that plays on the topic of the book unless I know the person I’m signing for. I’ve seen authors who are able to doodle or draw little illustrations when they sign, but I’m not that talented!

10. What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

I can’t swim. I have this mental block about, oh, I don’t know, drowning. I gave this trait to the heroine of my urban fantasy series, so people might not be that surprised, now that I think about it.

11. How do you react to a bad review?

I used to get hurt by them, and would let one ruin my whole week. Some of them still sting, but after a while you develop a tougher skin. People have a right to their opinion; sometimes I wish they’d express their opinion without being mean or spiteful, but that’s out of my control. I’m not one of those people who never reads her reviews—if enough people say the same thing I pay attention to it. But I don’t pore over reviews the way I used to.

12. How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?

I went home and fed my dogs—LOL. The celebration came on the release of the first book, when some awesome friends from around the country all came together in New Orleans for the launch. We all went to dinner at Commander’s Palace and drank champagne. One of the truly wonderful moments of my life.

Thanks for having me here today, Alisia!

About the Author:

Susannah Sandlin is the author of paranormal romance set in the Deep South, where there are always things that go bump in the night. A journalist by day, Susannah grew up in Alabama reading the gothic novels of Susan Howatch and the horror fantasy of Stephen King. (Um…it is fantasy, right?) The combination of Howatch and King probably explains a lot. Currently a resident of Auburn, Alabama, Susannah has also lived in Illinois, Texas, California, and Louisiana.

Website: http://www.susannahsandlin.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susannahsandlin

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susannahsandlin

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5828129.Susannah_Sandlin

Indie Bound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781612183541

Giveaway:

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