Book Spotlight : Servant of the Goddess & Free e-book

Happy Saturday fellow readers!


In celebration of her online launch party for her new book Servant of the Goddess (Immortyl Revolution #4), Denise Verrico stops by for a Q&A with Cedric, one of her characters in the series. She's even sharing some exciting goodies with us.



Can an Immortyl society survive in a modern world? From the ashes of the first battle of the Immortyl Revolution, vampires Mia Disantini and Kurt Eisen set out to build a new Immortyl society. Trouble arrives in the person of Cedric MacKinnon, a runaway adept of the ancient arts, who brings tidings of upheaval at the chief elder’s court that threatens everything Mia and Kurt have accomplished. Mia finds it hard to resist when Cedric pledges his service and tempts her with the legendary skills he learned as an Immortyl courtesan. Facing opposition from both within and out, Mia begins to doubt Kurt is up to the task of leading their followers to his vision of an Immortyl Utopia. Torn between her loyalty to Kurt and Cedric’s insistence that she is the earthly manifestation of the Goddess Durga and destined to lead, Mia confronts the greatest challenge of her life.






Without further ado, please give a warm welcome to Denise and Cedric!

Who was your favorite character to write in this novel?

Denise: I’d have to say Cedric.  Cedric was the hero of book three, My Fearful Symmetry,  and I put him through hell.  He arrives in New York emotionally raw after a horrible event, and he’s seething with a desire to take revenge on those who caused his suffering.  However, this makes him somewhat of a loose cannon and Kurt urges Mia to take the boy in hand and keep him out of trouble.  The emotional turmoil Cedric’s been through causes him to act in self-destructive ways, and Mia becomes a mentor and steadying influence on him—well, and a bit more, but I won’t spoil that.

How is this novel different from other vampire novels?

Denise: Well, I do have a bit of a science fiction slant to the books, but not in a hard way.  My vamps are biological mutations rather than the undead.  There isn’t any magic—or is there?  That’s the question I’ve been exploring these past two books.  Cedric is a devotee of the Goddess Kali, and at first he’s skeptical, but later, he’s not so sure that the Goddess isn’t speaking to him directly and acting through him.

At first, I’d imagined this book to be a bit more about the inner turmoil within Mia and Kurt’s revolutionary force, which is still a major theme, but it became more and more about Mia and her unique relationship with Cedric.  The working title was changed to the final one, Servant of the Goddess, to reflect this. 

What writers have influenced you most?

Denise: Gosh, there are so many, but I’d have to say for my vampire books that Anne Rice is the one who influenced me the most.  Our writing styles and take on vampirism are vastly different, but I enjoy the Gothic feel and sensuality of her stories.  I love the idea of a secret world that operates under the noses of mortals.  You could say that Cedric is a hero in the Lestat tradition.  Both are extremely beautiful, have a feline grace in movement and are attractive to both men and women.  Both are bisexual.  Both take outrageous risks and are hedonistic.  But Cedric never quite revels in his decadence to the point Lestat does.  Cedric’s agenda is driven by religious zeal.

I’ve asked Cedric to join me today, so I’ll let him answer a few questions about himself. 

(Enter a very tall, young man with a dancer’s body.  He’s dressed in clothes that might suit a pirate of bygone days, long coat and high boots, shirt half-open.  A wicked grin slides up the left side of his face.  His eyes narrow to jade slits.  He takes a seat, as if it was a throne, and shakes back a mane of auburn hair.)

Cedric: Hello, my darling creator.  What steamy scenes do you have in mind for me today?

Denise: Behave, Mr. MacKinnon, or I’ll send you to a monastery to lead a life of celibacy in your next adventure.

Cedric:  You’d never do that to me.  You enjoy my naughtiness too much. 

Denise:  Tell the readers a little about your favorite subject--yourself.

Cedric: I was born in Scotland and lost my parents at an early age.  I grew up in a children’s home and ran away to London when I was fifteen with dreams of becoming a rock star.  Needless to say, that wasn’t a great idea.  I made my living on the streets selling the only thing I could.  To make a long story short, rent boys in London have a 33% HIV infection rate, and I became a statistic.  I turned to playing my guitar in the Underground to supplement the support I got from the government, and one night I encountered this lovely Indian gentleman--or so I thought. 

Denise: What is your passion?

Cedric: Music is my true passion. I’m play the guitar as well as Indian instruments.  No one does a blues riff on a sitar like me, but my prized possession is a vintage Stratocaster.  I love all kinds of rock music.  My favorite artist of all time is the great David Bowie. 

Denise:  What are your weaknesses?

Cedric: Flashy clothes, fast cars and the latest electronic gadgets are my weakness—and beautiful lovers.  I believe in spreading the wealth, so to speak.

Denise: Hmm…I’d say your vanity is definitely up there as well.  Talk a little about your former line of work.

Cedric:  Must you always bring it up?  I’m an adept of the ancient arts, which is an Immortyl temple artist in service to the Goddess Kali, but adepts are used as courtesans in political intrigues by the Chief Elder, Kalidasa.  It was usually a drag, except for the singing and dancing.  Too many uncongenial lovers, too many beds, too little rest.  Lord Liu was the exception.  He’s a gentleman and knows how to treat a boy right.  My official duty was to serve the Goddess Kali and bestow Shakti’s blessings through an elaborate tantric ritual. I’m in a new line of work now.  Mia tells all about my exploits in this new book.

Denise:  You’ve discovered a new talent.  You want to talk a little about this?

Cedric:   My dance training makes me very fast and agile, so I’m a great hand at weapons.  I take heads now instead of give—well, you get the drift.  I’ve have excellent teachers in New York.  Mia is quite the swordswoman.  Philip and Shieh are experts in the martial arts.   They call me a living weapon.  I rather like that. 

I’d like to mention, boys and girls, that you can follow yours truly on Facebook and Twitter. 

https://www.facebook.com/#!/cedricvampire

https://twitter.com/#!/CedricMacKinnon

Come by and chat anytime.  I’m a busy lad, but I always check back and answer questions or comment.  I love when my darlings leave me funny pictures, awesome music links and virtual gifts. 

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Excerpt Servant of the Goddess

Sudden shouts battled against the sound of the wind. I peered down the block. Teen-formed Immortyls, sewer rats, closed a circle around a tall male, who held his hands high above his head. From the direction of the wind, I couldn’t yet ascertain this stranger as mortal or Immortyl. Best to investigate. I ran toward the disturbance, wrapping my fingers around the Glock strapped to my hip.

A shrill whistle split the air. Two of the sewer rats lunged for the stranger. He crouched and pirouetted on one leg, letting loose a rapid succession of kicks that knocked his attackers sprawling onto the sidewalk. A rat named Tommy growled and launched himself at the stranger. To my amazement, the stranger leapt high into the air and hovered there for a moment like a falcon before lashing out with both feet. Tommy’s head snapped backward, and he flattened against the pavement. The remaining rats hung back.

The slender figure of a boy maybe eighteen or nineteen touched down and crouched again, poised to strike. No mortal could perform such maneuvers with this speed and agility, not to mention almost ballet-like grace. The Immortyl’s face betrayed raw emotion, indicating he was new to the blood, probably not much older than his form suggested. Eamon, the rat pack leader, drew and aimed a pistol at him. The stranger raised his hands above his head once more.

I gave a sharp whistle for Eamon to stand down. “What’s going on here?”

Eamon lowered the gun and spit on the ground. His forever-twelve-year-old face scrunched up. “We found this one skulking about,” he said. Even after a century and half in New York his speech still gave away his Dublin origins. “Says he’s come from the chief elder’s house.”

The wind kicked up harder. Long, auburn hair whipped about the newcomer’s face. He shivered, hugging an Indian-styled shirt around him. Traces of black kohl and sienna rouge clung to his eyes and mouth, as if he’d scrubbed the paint off in a hurry. The make-up and impractical clothing pointed to origins more exotic than the russet hair and milky complexion suggested. His story sounded plausible. However, the odds that this kid had escaped the chief elder’s compound near Calcutta and made it all the way to New York on his own were unlikely. No slave had ever left there of his own accord.

Kurt had stood trial at the chief elder’s court for inciting rebellion. He’d told me that the chief, Kalidasa, employed state-of-the-art security, as well as vampire-eating tigers. The place was a veritable fortress. Still, there was always a first time, and this newcomer had held his own against Eamon’s band.

I had to admire the kid for standing up to Eamon and his thugs.

The pack leader and I didn’t care much for one another, but he’d fought for Kurt in our recent war with a rival elder. For political reasons, I forced myself to take a civil tone with him. “Did you bother to ask his business before you ordered an attack?” I called to the newcomer, “You--come here.”

The boy lowered his hands and slinked forward. I’d never seen a man move quite like this, with delicacy just brushing the feminine, yet suggesting coiled up, sinewy strength like a jungle cat. Instinct prompted my hand to reach for the Glock concealed on my hip. The kid had danger scrawled all over him in big garish letters.

“Is this true?” I asked.

“I ran away from court,” the boy replied, his speech tinged with a Scottish burr. “I’m seeking refuge here.”

The plaintive tone struck a chord in me. I sized him up again. His winsome looks didn’t belong to the usual brand of vampire assassin, but to a household slave chosen for his decorative value. Still, his swift feet could kill if given the chance. Wouldn’t it be just like Giulietta to send death in such an appealing guise?

“Kurt’s counselor, Chase Powers, can vouch for me,” he continued. “Take me to him.”

“You know Chase?”

“We met in India during Kurt’s trial. He said I’d be welcome here. Please Miss. You have to believe me. I’ve come such a long way and got nowhere else to go.” Desperation filled the spooky, green eyes. They almost glowed, more like a cat’s than a man’s. “There’s probably a bounty offered for my return by now.”

“What did you do?”

“It’s not what I did. It’s what I am.” He held out his hands. Henna tattoos snaked around the wrists and tops, elaborate whirls and spirals. “The marks of my order. I’m an adept of the ancient arts.”

He was an adept? I’d always imagined these temple devotees and de facto courtesans as Indian in origin. I gave the boy a closer look. His clothing had seen better days, but the sinuous way he moved made them a fashion statement. You couldn’t deny the perfection of feature and figure required of his order. He stood out from Eamon’s mangy lot like an emerald in a box of Cracker Jacks.

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I can't wait to find out more about Henna. He sounds very intriguing! You can expect a review in the near future!

If you're interested in the Immortyl Revolution series or you want to find out more about the author visit these websites :

Website: http://bit.ly/JhW2sw

Blog: http://www.immortylrevolution.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/KIxyt2

Twitter: http://bit.ly/Mywg8f

Cedric:

https://www.facebook.com/cedricvampire 

@cedricmackinnon

Servant of the Goddess Excerpt: http://deniseverricowriter.webs.com/excerptbookfour.htm

Trailer: http://deniseverricowriter.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/12715998-immortyl-revolution-trailer

Amazon:

Amazon Page: http://amzn.to/K3NhVS

Servant of the Goddess Trade PB: http://amzn.to/K8uwPb

Servant of the Goddess Kindle: http://amzn.to/J0R2Id

Barnes and Noble:

Servant of the Goddess Trade PB and Nook: http://bit.ly/IIz7ru

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FREE COPY

 

Denise Verrico is giving away an e-copy of her new anthology of vampire short stories to every commenter on this post.  No, you're eyes aren't playing tricks on you! You read it right : EVERY COMMENTER will get Annals of the Immortyls pictured above.

All you need to do is leave a comment for Denise Verrico about the interview and/or excerpt and you will get a copy of the book.  Don't forget to leave your email address! You don't have to be a follower but it would be appreciated!

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After you leave your comment on this post, head on over to this blog to see the other stops. Denise  is giving away a grand prize basket. Don't miss your chance to win some great goodies!