Nominate "Razbunarea lui Tepes" for Wattys Awards

If you have a Twitter account, today you can nominate "Razbunarea lui Tepes" for Wattys Awards by tweeting:

Nominalizez Razbunarea lui Tepes https://www.wattpad.com/story/75800853-r%C4%83zbunarea-lui-%C8%9Bepe%C8%99-romanian #MyWattysChoice

Smashwords Summer Sale

All my books are discounted on Smashwords in July so don't miss them!

Human Instincts - 50% Off
Blue Moon Cafe Series: Where Shifters Meet for Drinks - Free
The Impaler's Revenge - 50% Off
Sweet Surrender - Free
A Victory that Counts - 50% Off
Casualties of War - Free
Order Restored - 50% Off
The Third Wheel - Free
The Impaler Legacy Omnibus - 25% Off
The Nightingale Circus - 50% Off
Broken People - 50% Off
Broken Hearts - 50% Off

Or just go to my Smashwords page and click on each book to see the discount.

Enjoy your summer!

The Wattys 2016 Awards and What to Read for Free

The Wattys 2016 awards are on, that is the awards given by the Wattpad.com writing community, and I have two stories entered. One is Broken People, which was serialized last winter on the site. It's still there so yes, you can read the full novel for free. I hope you'll find The Nightingale Circus' world just as fascinating as I do.

The other story is Razbunarea lui Tepes. This is the Romanian edition of The Impaler's Revenge. I'm serializing it right now as I'm going through the final draft of the translation, and it will compete in the WattysRo category. By the way, The Impaler's Revenge is still available to read for free on Wattpad.

With so many stories from all over the world entered in the competition, the goal here is not to win in one of the categories but to gain exposure. So if you read my stories already, please help spread the word. If you haven't, read them, comment, vote, and then spread the word. :) Thanks!

Writing Update - May 2016

Quite a few things happened since the last writing update back in February. My second Romanian short story collection, Secventa de zbor, was launched at Final Fantasy book fair. I had three short stories published, one in Argos, one in Revista de Suspans, and one in Stiinta si Tehnica. The Galaxis space opera anthology will be launched at Bookfest book fair in June. The second book in The Stolen Wings series and the second story in The Devil You Know series have been released as well. So it's been pretty busy on the publishing front.

The real work was done, however, on the writing front. I've finished translating The Impaler Legacy series and got it to the second draft. The final draft will have to wait until I finish writing The Chasm. I'm up to date with the daily writing quota, but the novel turned out to be longer than initially planned. I was aiming for 50k, I passed that mark, and I'm no way near the end. I suppose that's good news as it will be a bigger story, but it also means the release date gets delayed. I'm not sure when it will be ready. I'll have a better idea once the first draft is done. I still enjoy writing it so I'm not rushing it.

Yes, I know you're more invested in Broken People and The Stolen Wings series and can't wait for book 3, but there will come a time for those, too. My fingers are itching for another Law and Crucible adventure actually. And should I tell you meanwhile I'm having a lot of fun plotting a ghost story? No idea when I'll write that one. :)

Writing Update - February 2016

February was a busy month. I got The Strength of a Heart to the final draft and went through the first round of edits sent by my editor. The book is already available to pre-order on Amazon with a release date set to March 15.

I finally wrote the second story in The Devil You Know series. It will be released at the same date with The Strength of a Heart, on March 15.

I also wrote a commissioned short story for a Romanian magazine. It will be published in the upcoming issue, I think. More details then.

If you missed the story published in Argos magazine, it's here.

And last but not least, I translated The Impaler's Revenge into Romanian. It still needs a bit of polishing, but most of the work is done. The plan is to have all three novellas translated before the summer vacation, and then I'll start looking for a publisher.

In March, I'll start working on a new sci fi novel, The Chasm. Most of the plot is done so I don't expect any problems on the way. And maybe I'll write a short story for a Romanian anthology, too. Not sure, we'll see. 

Until then, watch this space next week for two cover reveals and a big announcement. :)

The Impaler's Revenge Reviews Wanted

Do you remember The Impaler Legacy series? It was released two years ago, and while I was busy promoting my two other series, Broken People and The Stolen Wings, I feel like I've been neglecting it lately.

The thing is, The Impaler Legacy is a tough sell. Yes, it's a book about vampires, but it's not erotica, YA, or paranormal romance. It's a political thriller with vampires. So the traditional vampire lovers are disappointed when they discover all the hot, steamy, sex scenes are missing (well, there is one, but it's not graphic and it doesn't involve a vampire, ha!), and the readers who despise vampires won't touch it even if they might enjoy it once they gave it a chance.

I've been running many giveaways on LibraryThing and BookLikes, but the review count seems to be stuck. My goal was to get The Impaler's Revenge, the first novella in The Impaler Legacy series, to 50 reviews on Amazon. There are 34 reviews right now, so close but not quite there yet.

If you're interested in reading such a book/series or know someone who it, contact me and I'll send you a free copy of The Impaler's Revenge. If after you're done reading, you want to read the rest of the series as well, send me the link to your Amazon review and I'll send you the omnibus edition, which includes the complete series, regardless of your rating or the content of your review.

You can read a sample here. And ask for those review copies! I'm curious how long this will take. :)

Edited to add: This offer is for ebooks, not print copies. Sorry!

Indie Pride Day

The lighting was wrong, the photographer was in a hurry, and it's really hard to edit photos with a bright window right in front of you so the colors are a little off, but ... here are my books! :)

The Impaler Legacy Omnibus 1 Year Anniversary Giveaway

It's been a year since The Impaler Legacy Omnibus was released. Since then, it's been part of a blog tour, received positive reviews, and it's been re-edited in January when my budget finally allowed it.

While the novellas and short stories included in the omnibus edition were first published separately, together they can be read as a stand alone novel. This was my first big self-published book, and after spending a whole year in the company of these characters, they will always hold a special place in my heart.

Yes, it's a book about vampires, but before you turn up your nose and move on know that there are no vampires in Romania, there's no Dracula, and the heroine doesn't fall in love with a vampire. This is not paranormal romance, YA, or erotica. It's a political thriller with vampires. Intrigued yet?

To celebrate the one year anniversary, I'm not dropping the price, but I'm offering you the chance to win free copies in a giveaway. Well, two giveaways actually. One is here on the blog, and you can enter it via the form below. The other one is taking place on BookLikes where you can find the book listed in the Paranormal/Fantasy/Action and Adventure categories. Both giveaways will be open until the end of March. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Impaler's Revenge is Free on NoiseTrade

Hi, all! Is it spring already where you are? I'm waiting for summer actually, but meanwhile I've got a pressie for you. :)

During the entire month of March, The Impaler's Revenge, the first novella in The Impaler Legacy series, will be available as a free download from NoiseTrade. Well, you can also leave a tip, but only if you want to. :)

So, what are you waiting for? Click on the link and download the ebook now. Enjoy the spring!

My Book Loving Valentine Multi-author Event

Hey, all! Ready for an extended Valentine weekend? Well, okay, I'm not really into Valentine's Day since this is an imported holiday in my country, but I know many people are so this weekend I'll be participating in a multi-author event on Facebook organized by Eyes on Books.

It will take place between February 13 - 15, and you can join it here. My time slot is on Sunday, 16 - 18 PM GMT. You're all invited to come and chat with me, and there will be some giveaways and nice surprises too.

Also, as a gift from me to you, The Impaler Legacy Omnibus will be discounted on Amazon to $2.99 (regular price $4.99). There's a nice love story in there, so hurry up and get it while you can.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The official description of the event is below:

My Book Loving Valentine –
Chat with Authors and Win Prizes in #Giveaways

What better way for a book lover to spend their Valentine’s weekend than with their favorite authors and the books they’ve written? 22 authors are taking part in Eyes on Books’ My Book Loving Valentine event on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/423499887808955/). On February 13, 14, and 15, you will have 13 hours of fun chats, games, contests, and new books to discover per day. 

The amazing authors you will hang out with, in order of appearance are: 

Day 1

Cheryl Headford, James Commissioner Gordon, Algenon Lusch, Karen Stivali, Layla Hagen, Teodora Kostova, Louise Lyons, Lily Velden

Day 2

Lisa Harris, Lily G. Blunt, Taylin Clavelli, Michael Thomas, Alina Popescu for Eyes on Books, Geoffrey Huda-Wakeling, J.T. Cheyanne, Author VL Moon, Lily Velden for Wayward Ink Publishing

Day 3

Algenon Lusch, Devika Fernando Author, LE Fitzpatrick, Ioana Visan, Aimee Brissay, Susan Mac Nicol, Kim Fielding, Alina Popescu

To make it even better, the Rafflecopter giveaways start early and end late! From now till end of day Tuesday (PST time), you have a chance to enter and win signed paperbacks, ebooks, swag and a lot of gift cards!

My Book Loving Valentine – Valentine’s Weekend Giveaway

~36 prizes~

(1) signed copy of a Michael P Thomas novel (winner's choice)

(1) ebook copy of either Conflicted (novel) or In Darkest Peru by Louise Lyons

(1) ebook copy of Tyrian's Mist, (1) of Love Life & Circumstance and (1) of Grand Slam from VL Moon and JT Cheyanne

(5) ebook copies of Broken People by Ioana Visan

(1) eBook of any Lily Velden title – winner’s choice

(2) $10 WIP gift cards

(1) Signed copy of Project X by Nephy Hart

(1) Ebook copy of Daring Adam (Taking Chances book 1) by Aimee Brissay

(10) Ebook copies of The Running Game by LE Fitzpatrick

(3) Taylin Clavelli Swag Pack inc 8 Gig USB Bullet, Hip Flask key ring, credit card mints, 3-in-1 Stylus pen

(1) ebook copy by Karen Stivali – winner’s choice (excluding anthologies or collections)

(1) Signed copy Pilgrimage by Kim Fielding

(3) kindle copies of Withering Hope by Layla Hagen

(3) ebook copies of The Edge of Hope (Bad Blood 1) by Alina Popescu

Giveaway link:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Book Loving Valentine – Book Buying Should Be Rewarded Giveaway

~16 prizes containing swag, signed books, and gift cards to buy more goodies~

(1) $20 Amazon gift card from Michel P. Thomas

(1) $10 Amazon gift card from Louise Lyons

(2) e-book sets of books 1 & 2 of the Crimson Nights Saga by VL Moon and JT Cheyanne

(1) Pack of any 2 Ioana Visan ebooks, winner’s choice

(1) ebook Kaleidoscope of Hopes by Devika Fernando

(1) Gift pack containing: novelty USB drive, pen, fridge magnet, bookmark, Dreamspinner gift card for any Lily Velden title (value $6.99)

(1) WIP Gift Pack containing: novelty USB drive, USB extension cord, 2 x pens, fridge magnet

(1) $5 Amazon Gift Card from Nephy Hart

(1) 1 ebook copy of Perfect Timing by Aimee Brissay

(1) Swag pack (including 2 signed books) from LE Fitzpatrick

(1) $10 Wayward Ink gift card

(1) Any backlist ebook OR a $5 Amazon gift card from Karen Stivali (anthologies excluded)

(1) Kim Fielding surprise swag

(3) kindle copies of Withering Hope by Layla Hagen

(1) $10 Amazon Gift Card from Alina Popescu

Books by these authors can be purchased from any reputable retailer – Amazon, AllRomanceEbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, WaywardInkPublishing.com, Dreamspinner Press, any other publisher of these authors.

List of authors to buy from to be eligible for this giveaway:

MichaelP. Thomas

Louise Lyons

VL Moon  and JT Cheyanne

Ioana Visan

Devika Fernando

Lily Velden

Wayward Ink Publishing

Nephy Hart

Aimee Brissay

LE Fitzpatrick

Taylin Clavelli

Karen Stivali

Kim Fielding

Layla Hagen

Alina Popescu

Giveaway link:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Impaler's Revenge (full) on Wattpad

Well, the serialization of The Impaler's Revenge novella on Wattpad is complete. Thank you all who read it so far. The next short story in the series, Sweet Surrender, is free on Amazon. Dunno why but it gets downloaded a lot, so you might want to give it a try. You'll get more of Liana and Jesse, and while I wouldn't call it exactly hot, things do get interesting. :)

And talking about interesting things, I have an offer for you. If you write a review of The Impaler's Revenge on Amazon and/or Goodreads and send me the link, I will send you a free copy of A Victory that Counts, the second novella in The Impaler Legacy series. How does that sound? Interested? I'm waiting for your links. The Impaler's Revenge will only be available on Wattpad until the end of January so hurry up!

If you don't feel like waiting, the entire The Impaler Legacy series is available as an omnibus edition on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and Kobo.

Self-Publishing in 2014

This was my third year as an indie writer. I had two big releases in 2014, The Impaler Legacy Omnibus in March, and Broken People in November, followed shortly by The Nightingale Circus in December. Let’s study each case separately.

The Impaler Legacy Omnibus included all three novellas and two short stories in the series, plus one bonus short story, The Third Wheel, which was also released as a free short story for those who had already bought the series.

To promote the release, Alina organized a blog tour for the omnibus edition. I’m afraid I drove her crazy with my control freak tendencies and need to know everything every single day. The blog tour took place over one week in April and included 40 blog stops on various book blogs, featuring reviews, interviews, character interviews, guest posts, and spotlight posts. I was hoping for more reviews, considering the amount of work we put into it, but the ones I got were favorable ones. Still, I didn’t see the spike in sales such tour would make you expect. Instead of the omnibus suddenly becoming my best-seller, the other installments in the series sold more than usual.

For the omnibus, I also released a print edition via CreateSpace. It took a while to figure out the interior layout and the cover requirements, and after that it took even longer for the proof copy to get here, but once it arrived, it looked good and only required some minor tweaking to finalize it. The good part was that I gained confidence in my skills and started offering book formatting services to other indie writers.

I probably should have promoted the omnibus more, but I was already working on a new novel and kind of skipped that part. The sales spiked again in October when I announced the price would go up from $3.99 to $4.99. The novellas kept selling all through the summer, and some people even bought the $0.99 short stories that were free everywhere but on Amazon.

When nothing else sold, Blue Moon Café Series still did despite being a short story collection and me doing no promotion at all. I should write more paranormal; unfortunately, it’s not exactly my thing. However, I took pity on the little book and invested in a professional cover. It wasn’t something planned, I just happened to run into it on a design site, liked it and bought it.

In October, my critique partners finished critiquing the novel Broken People and the companion short story collection The Nightingale Circus, and the final drafts were quickly done. I hired an editor for the novel and a proofreader for the short story collection. The editing process went smoothly and didn’t take overly long. The cover art, however, was a different story. Both illustrations took several extra weeks to be completed, which forced me to delay my plans, and what should have been a double release turned into two separate releases more than a month apart. If I didn’t like the results, I would still be ranting about it. I paid for all this with the earnings made from formatting books all summer.

This time, I didn’t organize a blog tour. I sent to my newsletter subscribers one of the short stories from The Nightingale Circus collection and asked them who wanted an ARC. I also offered ARCs to reviewers who enjoyed my other books. Reviews started to trickle in. For the cover reveal of Broken People, I created a Goodreads event and invited my Goodreads friends. Then I used a Thunderclap campaign to spread the word about the new release. I can’t honestly say either of them were overly helpful.

Another new thing I tried was making Broken People exclusive to Kindle via KDP Select and also have it included in the Kindle Unlimited program, which makes it free for the Kindle Unlimited subscribers. So far, I don’t see any downloads via KU, but it’s still early.

While waiting for The Nightingale Circus to be ready, I started serializing The Impaler's Revenge on Wattpad. A new chapter is posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It didn't get many comments, but it did get read since it entered top 200 in Vampire category. Wattpad is full of vampire stories, so it's not too bad.

The Nightingale Circus was a quiet release, only announced on my blog and social media and accompanied by the usual LibraryThing giveaway. I guess the reviewers were relieved to finally have a cover to associate to the review and a place where to post it other than Goodreads.

It was time for another email blast sent to the newsletter subscribers, announcing the new releases and the upcoming KDP Select free days on Amazon. On a really short notice, I scheduled them for December 25 and 26. I have nothing to compare the results to, but Broken People reached #2 in Cyberpunk category in Amazon Free Top 100 in US, entered top 10 in multiple categories in all of the other countries, and it was #600 in Free Kindle Store. At the end of the two days, there were 800 downloads, including some in the countries where I had few or no sales before that, and The Nightingale Circus sold too.

Bottom of line, it was a good year. The sales doubled each year compared to the previous one, so I must be doing something right. For now, enjoy reading the Broken People series. I’ll start working on a new installment in the series soon.

The Impaler's Revenge Wattpad Serial

A year ago, the last novella in The Impaler Legacy series, Order Restored, was being released. To celebrate this and bring more attention to the series, I'm starting a new experiment. I'm going to serialize the first novella, The Impaler's Revenge, on Wattpad. So, yes, you will be able to read it for free, provided you have enough patience to wait for each installment. New chapters will be posted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The goal is to get more readers interested in the series, especially those who aren't so sure they want to read yet another story about vampires. But this story is different. It's a political thriller with vampires, no YA, no erotica, no paranormal romance. So give it a try.

If you don't like to wait, The Impaler's Revenge is available on Amazon for only $0.99. Or you can get the omnibus edition, which includes the entire The Impaler Legacy series. Your call.

Either way, start reading here.

The Impaler Legacy Series Book Trailer

The Impaler Legacy Omnibus Links

Kobo finally caught up with Smashwords and listed all of my titles. It only took four months. :P

You probably are aware of the links, but let's do a recap of the latest releases:

The Impaler Legacy Omnibus
Ebook: Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Scribd
Paperback: CreateSpace, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookdepository

The Third Wheel (The Impaler Legacy #3)
Ebook: Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Scribd
The Third Wheel is free everywhere except on Amazon. 

Free Book Day!

Because I want you to have a good day like I'm having, today only you can download The Impaler Legacy Omnibus for free from Smashwords using the coupon code WG62W.

I hope you'll enjoy my vampire saga, and once you read it, I'd be extremely grateful if you wrote a review on Amazon, Goodreads, etc.

Now, where's that party? :)

The Impaler Legacy Q & A - Gabriel Trotuş

Transcript of the Academy graduation interview

Interviewer: Please state your name, age, and hometown.

Trotuş: Gabriel Trotuş, twenty-four years old, Bac ău.

How many years did you train at the Academy? 

Five years, three for the regular course, and two for the extended course.

You didn’t do the mandatory six-month training period? 

No, I applied for the full course from the start, and when I finished the regular course, I was accepted to continue based on my results.

What made you choose this path? 

My parents are factory workers. They couldn’t have afforded to send me to college for any number of years. Keeping me in high school was hard enough after my father was injured in an accident and could only work part time. It was tough all around. I wanted to get a job, but I was still a minor so I couldn’t. And after graduation, high school alone wouldn’t have gotten me anywhere. I still needed an education.

How did you get in? 

I had good grades, and I did okay at the physical tests.

Just okay? 

I’ve never been extra strong, but I compensate with my speed.

And is that enough? 

I doubted it in the beginning, but it turned out it is. I did well during all of our trips abroad. Not one scratch.

Yes, I see that in your file. The only injuries recorded happened during the training with our own people. How did you achieve that? 

A healthy dose of fear, sir.

I see. I’m glad it works for you. It’s hard to properly fear something you rarely meet in person. Still, why the extended course? You could have stopped after the first three years. It would have given you a decent social position and removed the burden from your family. 

If I’m going to do something, then I’ll do it right, sir. I could only achieve that by going all the way.

This qualifies you for offering protection to the Little Council. Are you sure you’re ready for such a big responsibility? 

I believe I am, sir.

This seems to be the opinion of the person who recommended you too. 

May I ask who that was, sir?

A certain Andrei Spânu. I believe you know him? 

Yes, sir, I do. We participated to missions abroad together. Twice. He was two years ahead of me and the leader of my squad.

Well, he received a promotion for a well done job in Syria, and when asked if he had any preference for a partner, he suggested your name. 

I’ll make sure to thank him for this opportunity, sir.

Yeah, well … Anyway, make sure to report to the Cantacuzino residence on Monday morning. 

Cantacuzino, sir? Miss Liana Cantacuzino?

Yes, she’s due a change of guards soon. Is this going to be a problem? 

No, sir. It’s just that … I wasn’t expecting to be assigned to protect a woman. I imagined she’d prefer female guards.

Did you see many female pandurs at the Academy? 

Not that many, sir.

Let me assure you that if Miss Cantacuzino wanted female guards under her orders, she would have changed the law by now and there would be an entire platoon waiting to fill in that position. 

I understand, sir.

I’m not sure you do. Do not underestimate Miss Cantacuzino. I trained her myself. 

I won’t, sir.

Good. She travels abroad quite often on diplomatic missions, so there won’t be time to get bored … or lazy. 

Never lazy, sir.

You better remember that. It hasn’t happened in a while, but you will still face charges of high treason if you lose a Little Council member who happens to be in your charge.

Yes, sir.

So, are you still willing to accept the position? 

I’m looking forward to it, sir.

In that case … congratulations, Mr. Trotuş, and may God have mercy on your soul. 

Thank you very much, Captain Nour.

(Scheduled to be published during The Impaler Legacy Omnibus blog tour, but it wasn't because of technical reasons, so this is a world premiere.)

The Impaler Legacy Omnibus is available on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes. 

The Impaler Legacy Q & A - Dr. Jesse Carver

Interviewer: Hello, Dr. Carver. Thank you for joining us today.

Dr. Jesse Carver: Please, call me Jesse.

Jesse. How were the snacks? Did Max leave any, or did he eat them all?
Oh, Hess is very fussy when it comes to food. I’m not. And I love Romanian cuisine.

Really? What do you like best?

I like traditional Christmas and Easter food. Stuffed cabbage rolls, pork sausages, boeuf salad…

Easter sponge cake?

No, I’m afraid I’m not a big fan of the sponge cake. I’ll take a chocolate cake any day.

Me too. So, do you feel at home in Romania?

Yes, I got accustomed with the life here rather fast. It’s not much different when you spend most of the time working in the hospital. The patients are the same everywhere.

Except there’s no vampire blood in our hospitals.

One can’t have it all, but it’s manageable.

Let’s stop talking about work for a moment. What do you do for fun?

It’s been so long since I’ve had a day off that I can barely remember … sleeping comes to mind.

I was thinking about something more active. Did you get to visit the country a bit since moving to Romania?

Some. I didn’t have much time, and I’ve been traveling a lot lately. Liana promised we’d go sightseeing when she takes a vacation. Of course, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Do you think she works too much?

Do you have to ask? I try to make her slow down but … even Hess can’t so…

Well, she has a lot of responsibilities.

She doesn’t have to carry the whole world’s weight on her shoulders if you ask me. That’s what the Little Council is for.

Maybe she likes a more hands on approach.

You would too if you were left alone to defend the world from the new breeds.

Does she feel there’s no one she can rely on?
I wouldn’t go that far. And she isn’t alone anymore.

She has you now.

And Hess. And her friends, too.

Can you give us an update on her friends?

Ştefan won the elections. He’s the youngest President Romania ever had. They dug Radu up from under the rocks. He’s fine. Rodica is still recovering. She got it worse than I with the new breed venom, but the prognosis is good.

What about you? You’ve been through quite an ordeal too. How’s the health?

I’m fine. It sure helps that there are no more new breeds around to make my life difficult. I’m glad it’s over.

I’m glad to hear that. So, what’s the plan next?

I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Liana. She doesn’t share work secrets with me.

I doubt that, but okay. People are asking about Bella. What happened to her?

She’s at home. We sort of kidnapped her.

And Liana agreed to this?

She didn’t have much choice. We were discussing our travel plans upon leaving New Zealand, and out of the blue, Bella started growling. It turned out she’s bilingual. Liana blames me for spoiling her, but it was already done. You can’t say no to a dog trained to kill vampires once she sets her mind to do something. So she got it her way.

That’s a cute story, especially about Bella being bilingual. We know you’re speaking Romanian too. Before you go, tell us something in Romanian.

Oh, that’s a tough one. Did you know Bella completely destroyed my dictionary? It happened one day when we returned home late. Anyway, what do you want me to say? Hmm … Mi-a f ă cut plăcere şi sper să ne mai vedem. It was nice to meet you and I hope we can do this again. I know, the accent is terrible!

No, it’s fine. No need to be so modest. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions today. I know keeping a high profile is not on top of your list.

That’s true, I enjoy being a nobody, but this was fun. So count on me if you ever need some inside information. Maybe for a future book? No one likes to disappear into nothingness.

I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Jesse. Enjoy the opera!

Oh, God, I forgot about that!

(Previously published on Fantasy World during The Impaler Legacy Omnibus blog tour.)

The Impaler Legacy Omnibus is available on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes. 

The Impaler Legacy Omnibus Print Edition

The Impaler Legacy Omnibus print edition is here, and it looks great! It feels good to hold in your hands the result of a whole year of work.

You can order it on CreateSpace and Amazon. In a few weeks, more distribution channels will pick it up too.

I prefer you buy it from CreateSpace because I get higher royalties there, but if you're more comfortable with Amazon, that's all right.

Regardless of where you buy it from, once you read it, please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Oh, and if you're a new reader, keep in mind The Impaler Legacy Omnibus isn't YA, and it isn't erotica either. It's a political thriller with vampires, so a lot of action, little romance, and no love for the fanged ones. You've been warned.

Thank you and enjoy!

The Impaler Legacy Q & A - Maximilien Hess

Interviewer: Hello, everyone! We have the honor of being in Maximilien Hess’s company today, a one-thousand-year-old vampire. May I call you Max?

Maximilien Hess: I prefer Maximilien if you don’t mind.

Very well. How is life treating you these days, Maximilien?

Same old, same old.

You’re over a thousand years old. Can life still surprise you?
It can, and it does.

Are those good or bad surprises?

The new breeds were an unfortunate surprise. The collaboration with Miss Cantacuzino, however, fell in the opposite category.

I take it you are contented with the way things turned out?

It could have been better, many lives were lost, but it could have been much worse, too. We learn as we live.

Even you?

Even me.

I’m sorry if it looks like I’m staring. I’m just thinking about what to ask you next. Interviewing people is not exactly my area of expertise.

You’re a writer. How hard can it be?

You’re obviously not one. Things don’t work that way. We’re used to making things up, not dragging information out of people … And I know exactly what you’re doing. You’re trying to switch the focus of the conversation on me rather than talk about you. Smart.

Thank you. It usually works. People love to talk about themselves, and I’m genuinely interested in listening. It’s a win-win situation.

Only that writers are used to talking about other people. Even when they talk about themselves, they make things up more often than not. That would be of no use to you.

So I’m stuck with this interview. Very well. It won’t hurt more than a new breed bite.

You make it sound so tedious. How do you know what a new breed bite feels like?

I was there when the new breeds attacked and then at the lab. I fought along our joined armies. Of course I know what a new breed bite feels like.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just that, given the way they talk about you, it sounds as if you walk on water or something. The enemies drop dead just by looking at you.
I wish it were that easy! Unfortunately, it’s not. I fought along their side, and of course I got injured not just once. It hurts like hell, but other than that … What most people don’t get is that it’s not about being invincible. It’s about survival. You should be able to understand the concept.

I’m sure many of us do. But how important is one’s survival?

It ranks as high as protecting the ones you love. Or it should.

Not higher?

Ideally not.

Still, there must be a balance. There must be a limit.

Like saving the world? We achieved that, didn’t we?

Like a side effect? Is that how it’s supposed to work?

Does it matter the reason behind it as long as it gets you the desired result?

The problem with that logic is that there are a lot of paths on the way from A to Z. Lots of things can go wrong. There can be many unexpected casualties.

You sound like Liana.

Thank you, though I’m not sure it’s a compliment.

She survived the war, didn’t she?

So she’s a survivor.

And a fine leader too.

You sound impressed. Were you surprised to discover she’s a good leader?

When I came to Romania, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I was flying in blind so to speak. I hate doing that.

Because it’s not safe?

Safety and Romania don’t belong in the same sentence when it comes to vampires. I’ve had pandurs assigned to protect me from their own people. That was all kinds of messed up.

But you survived.

Lucky for me, there’s corruption everywhere. But I must admit there were several moments when I wished I were anywhere else.

Like that episode in Sibiu?

The worst blood I’ve ever tasted! It nearly did me in.

I don’t buy that.

Maybe not, but you would believe it rather than accept the idea that I could be lying to you. Humans tend to dismiss threats too big for them to control.

And vampires don’t?

We’re more proactive than that. We did take action as soon as the first signs of new breeds appeared.

I suppose we should thank you for alerting us about the threat. And fighting next to us.
It was a big risk, but it was worth taking. It affected us too so the sooner we put an end to the threat the better.

Why are you smiling?

You got me talking.

Not about specifics…

It’s still more than others have succeeded doing.

Then I’m not that bad at this after all. I’d pat myself on the back, but I reckon it’s better if I wait until we’re done here.

Yes, you do that… I’m sorry I have to cut our meeting short, but we have tickets to the opera this evening. You’re welcome to give it another try next time.

Is that a challenge?

Take it any way you like

Thank you for your time, Maximilien.

The pleasure was all mine, Miss V.

(Previously published on  Diane's Book Blog during The Impaler Legacy Omnibus blog tour.)

The Impaler Legacy Omnibus is available on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.