Blurb:
Rhiannon Donovan, daughter to the vampire Queen, would rather die than be made a bride to a demon Lord. Aijyn, courtesan to the undead Daimyo of Kansai, can think of nothing more horrifying than his promise of eternal life. In the halls of the Blood Lotus Temple, the two women struggle against the chains of their fate, and find a solace in each other that could mean freedom for them both... or might cost each of them their lives.
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Excerpt
"Rhiannon-sama," she began again, well aware she might be broaching a subject Rhiannon would easily wish to avoid, even to the point of sending her attendant violently away.
"Hm?" the vampire murmured.
"Your bodyguard...she likes to see you in pain."
Rhiannon waited a long time before she answered.
"Perhaps I like pain, mortal."
Aijyn did not argue...but she had seen the expression on Rhiannon’s face when Sölva had tormented her.
"You must hide the scars from the daimyo," she chided gently. "And you cannot allow her to leave any more marks on you, if you do not wish to anger him."
"And if I do wish to anger him?"
"Do not be petulant," Aijyn scolded.
"Does he believe his bride will be untouched? That his kin-born bastard bride will not have experienced acts of the flesh? I am over half a century a living birth-child. Does he realize how most kin-born are meant to earn their keep in demon houses?"
"He expects you will be untouched for him," Aijyn said. "Whatever has gone before, now you are his. And Gohachiro is not a man to share his treasures."
"Doesn’t he like to use pain?" Rhiannon asked. She rolled over under Aijyn’s hands, lying on her side and reaching out to touch the scar she herself had left on the courtesan’s wrist. At the light caress of her finger, a delicious tingle of pleasure ignited under the skin, making Aijyn shiver as the vampire had a moment ago.
Rhiannon pulled Aijyn closer, and lowered herself over the wound to kiss it a second time. The warm arousal intensified, and Aijyn caught her breath as her body awoke to the sensation, nipples stiffening under the soft silk of her kimono.
"Here," Rhiannon whispered, reaching up to brush the dark strands of hair from Aijyn’s shoulder, revealing the tiny, neat scars of bites past. Scars that would never heal the way the vampire’s did, white little lines and half-moons, memories of Gohachiro’s affections.
"Doesn’t he give you pain…" Rhiannon said, following their contours with light but deliberate pressure.
"…so he may turn it into pleasure?"
"Rhiannon-sama…" Aijyn murmured vaguely. One hand had dropped into her lap; the other rested on the vampire’s warm, lean arm. Strange awareness filled her: the touch stirred up the first bloom of eagerness in her loins and the pit of her belly.
"Pain is what we are, courtesan. Pain, hunger, pleasure, death. We are the undead. I am just over half a century old, more than twice your age, and I have been Sölva’s for longer than you have been alive. There are scars you will never see, all over my body: the marks of her fangs, of her whip, the cut of her blade, the pierce of steel needles. And every one of them sings when she touches me, screams when she hurts me...and it is ecstasy."
"Rhiannon-sama…"
Aijyn realized with some dread she had made a mistake. The vampire’s touch brushed against her, terribly light, terribly fleeting, but her voice...soft, beautiful, rich, like strong liquor.
Rhiannon’s hand came to rest on the back of Aijyn’s neck. She gently pulled the courtesan closer, resting forehead-to-forehead and searching deep into Aijyn’s wide, dark eyes.
"You do this for him, too?" she whispered. "You...perform anma for him? You touch his body with such delicate affection?"
"Yes," Aijyn whispered.
"And does it make him want to fuck?"
Before she could think better of it, Aijyn lifted up a hand and slapped her.
The strike was not a hard one. At least, to Rhiannon it would not have been hard. Aijyn’s palm stung as though she had struck it against solid rock, and she quickly pressed it in her other hand, hissing with pain.
Rhiannon did not strike back. She remained perfectly still, her expression unchanging. After a moment, once Aijyn had collected herself, the vampire leaned closer and pressed her mouth against Aijyn’s own.
"It makes me want to fuck," she said. Then she stood, one smooth, languid motion, and retreated to her coffin to at last submit to her daytime sleep.
Bio:
When she isn't visiting the worlds of immortals, demons, dragons and goblins, Brantwijn fills her time with artistic endeavors: sketching, painting, customizing My Little Ponies and sewing plushies for friends. She can't handle coffee unless there's enough cream and sugar to make it a milkshake, but try and sweeten her tea and she will never forgive you. She moonlights as a futon for four lazy cats, loves tabletop role-play games, and can spend hours watching Futurama, Claymore or Buffy the Vampire Slayer while she writes or draws.
Brantwijn has published three full-length erotic novels: Lotus Petals, Goblin Fires, and His Cemetery Doll. In addition to these, Brantwijn has had several other stories published by Breathless Press, including contributions to the 2013 Crimson Anthology and 2014 Ravaged Anthology. She's also had a short story published in the Cleiss Press Big Book of Orgasm and the anthology Coming Together Through The Storm. She has author pages on GoodReads and Amazon, and loves to see reader comments on her work. Her short stories and audio readings occasionally pop up at Foreplay and Fangs, her blog at http://brantwijn.blogspot.com.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
The Books of Blood and Fire are a romantic adventure series and first and foremost, I hope my readers can enjoy these tales of Rhiannon Donovan for the simple, sexy pleasure of it. For those who are interested, though, there’s a deeper search into the nature of evil, the question of the soul, and, ultimately, redemption. These things inspire me as a write the tales; I’d love to know if they touch the readers, as well.
Was there an Author who inspired you to write?
So many! Topping the list, though, must be Stephen King, Joss Whedon, Jennifer Roberson and Jim Butcher.
How did you come up with the characters in your books?
Most of them originate out of music that speaks to me. Rhiannon, alas, has been with me so long I can’t remember exactly which song first introduced me to her. There are two that personify her to me these days: Carnival, by Natalie Merchant, and Question of Honor, as performed by Sarah Brightman. As for Aijyn, she was inspired by While Your Lips are still Red, by Nightwish.
What are your current projects?
Again, so many! The sequel to Lotus Petals is already on the way, and I’ll be working on the sequel to Goblin Fires soon. I have new BDSM erotic series I’m trying to get off the ground called Lady in Chains, and my non-erotic fantasy series, The Pact, will be making the rounds in submissions soon!
Do you see writing as a career?
I do. Though I have a day job and that’s the job that pays my bills, I consider myself an author first and foremost. This is who I am.
Do you ever picture yourself and one of your heroines? If so, which one?
I tend to picture myself as my heroines. It’s part of “getting into their headspace”. But to speak a bit to the romantic fantasy of it all, I find myself in Rhiannon’s head, loving Aijyn, very easily. There’s a gentleness and peace in her, to soothe the savage beast so to speak. Being that I, like Rhiannon, can be very fiery and sometimes too big for my britches, I find that gentleness attractive.
Do you have a favorite heroine/hero from one of your books? If so, who?
I think Rhiannon is probably the one I’m most endeared to. I can’t put my finger on why but Rhiannon is my girl.
What kind of research do you do for your books?
I do lots of research through many, many channels, and I usually find myself intrigued enough to do more research than I need for the project. Wikipedia tends to be my starting point these days, just because it’s such a great place to find the first nugget of information, and further research on other websites, cultural forums, hard-copy books, and so on.
What is the hardest part of writing your book?
I have trouble with “Point B” scenes—as in the ones that get the character from Point A to Point C. Little scenes with little action and little emotional charge…I have trouble working through them. At the same time, though, I get very frustrated with authors who skip over these slower-paced scenes, leaving their books with an unequal balance of action and rest. So I make myself write through these slower parts…and usually they end up being scenes I love. I also have trouble with fight scenes, but I make myself write through them until they feel full and balanced as well.
If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?
Read, write and be merry!
What is your favorite Genre and why?
I enjoy most genres, but if I have to name a favorite I think it would have to be urban fantasy. I enjoy the different ways authors of urban fantasy can incorporate and re-imagine classic folklore, myth, and legend.
Do you prefer to write alone or do you like to collaborate with other authors?
I’m not sure I’d know how to write a collaboration! Though I think I’d like to give it a try one day. However, I tend to prefer to write alone, on my own time, and at my own pace.
Do you ever get writer’s block? If so, how do you get through it?
I get writer’s block all the time. At times, I can overcome it by switching to another project temporarily, or taking a chance to break for some silent meditation on my own. One fairly good way to jog my mind is to put on some inspirational music and go for a long walk with my dog.
When you are reading a book, who is your favorite author?
I have a lot of favorites, usually favorites for different reasons. I think my all-around favorite is JK Rowling, however. I think her talent for storytelling is amazing on many, many levels, and in fact I’m not sure she gets quite as much credit as she deserves. Other favorites are Stephen King, Jim Butcher, and lately Sarah Waters.
Do you come up with the cover or does someone else do it?
The cover for Lotus Petals was done by Victoria Miller, who is an amazing artist and I hope to have her work on future titles as well. For my self-published works, however, I’ve created my own covers.
If you could change anything in your writing what would that be?
It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what I would like to change, though I can identify it in my mind easily enough. Sometimes I feel my voice is not as “just right” as some of the writers (especially erotic authors) I admire, like Remittance Girl or Sarah Waters. Their stories move almost seamlessly for me, in terms of prose. I feel I’m not at that level, and I would love to be.
What book if any would you want to be made into a movie?
Most of the books I want to see as movies are already made into movies. There’s one I hope they never make into a movie (though there’s already been talk of it), and that’s The Dark Tower series. I love The Dark Tower, don’t get me wrong. But there’s so much about the books that, in my opinion, would never transfer to the screen very well. I think it would cause more people to dislike the series, rather than win it new fans. I just think there’s no reason to try and force it into a film format.
Everyone uses computers, tablets, phones and no one uses handwritten form or typewriters, what do you prefer to use?
I actually do write by hand. At least in my earliest forms. Since I work 40 hours a week at my day job and I can’t use the computers there for writing smut, I collect notebooks and do a lot of hand-written first drafts. I do quite enjoy this, actually… it’s very versatile.
Is there a ritual you do before you begin your book?
It’s always a quest to find the perfect title, and the perfect opening quote. Before that’s done, I can’t write a thing.
What do you do when you finish your book and turn it in to the editor?
Begin the waiting game.
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