The Forbidden Bond Blog Tour is here!
On
July 31st, Cat Miller, author of Unbound, will introduce the second
book of her Forbidden Bond Series! Unforgiven will be available on Amazon,
Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords!
About Unforgiven:
Happily
ever after is interrupted and the vampire nation is turned on its ear. Brandi
Vaughn struggles to find herself in the shadow of her powerful vampire family
and her socialite twin sister. The search for her abducted half-sister,
Danielle, lands Brandi in an emotional tug of war between the light and the
dark, good and evil, a warrior and a rogue. Good people do bad things.
Sometimes the bad guys have a good reason. Could you forgive the unforgiven?
For the first time ever, Unbound is now available in print!
About Unbound:
Betrayal, passion, family secrets, murder, and vampires
... What else would one expect during their freshman year of college? Danielle
Vaughn is secreted away after her birth and hidden until she leaves her small
town in search of high education. She quickly finds herself maneuvering through
a maze of enemies and lovers who are all out to capture her at any cost.
Danielle’s life is turned upside down by the return if her father and the
society of vampires that shattered her human mother’s life. She must find a way
to survive in the new world she is thrust into by a power hungry rogue on the
hunt for gifted vampire youth. The hierarchy of the vampire nation is rocked by
the existence of a demi-vamp who challenges their narrow-minded views of the
human race.
About Cat Miller:
I was born and raised in Baltimore,
Maryland, and now I live not far from my birth place in Perry Hall, Maryland. I
have two teenage daughters and a man that keep me busy when I'm not working
full-time as a Certified Medical Coder. I'm an avid reader and I love all genre
of romantic fiction from historical to contemporary to paranormal. Sleeping has
always been a problem for me so most nights I can be found in the living room
reading or writing instead of in bed like the rest of the world. I don't watch
television. It's not a conscious decision, it just never occurs to me to turn
it on when I have books to read and writing to do. It can actually
be a hazard, because I never know what the weather will be until I look outside
and I have to rely on my kids and coworkers for local and world news. I love creating
the characters you love and love to hate. My characters remind me of people I
know and people I wish I had never known.
Cat Miller graciously agreed to allow me a sit-down with she and several of her yummiest characters! She remained, to ensure my safety (and to be sure that I didn't get too grabby with my love Cayden) Please, enjoy a glimpse into our fun night out.
Ms. Miller – The ‘Cats Meow’…
Tyra (BookSnobs): Cat, thank you so much for joining me today, and for bringing your dear friends along as well! I know that your time is valuable, so let’s skip the formalities and get right down to the nitty-gritty shall we?
Tyra: Who’s your favorite character to write for?
Cat: I have two favorites that I enjoyed writing for. First I
loved writing for Cayden. (Cayden smiles his special smile at Cat. The one that
says somebody could be getting a reward later. Cat blushes slightly and clears
her throat.) Cayden is the consummate wild child. He is the original bad boy
most girls don’t want to admit they are attracted to. Watching his growth as a
man throughout Unbound was an experience for me.
Also, I enjoyed writing for Vince. His way of speaking in
the third person is a hoot. (Just then Vince stuck his head in the door. He was
on guard duty during the interview. Danielle was at risk whenever she went out
in public and it made everyone a little edgy.)
“Did the Kitten call Vince?” He inquired while scanning the
room for danger.
“No, Sugar. I was just telling Tyra how much I enjoyed
writing for you.” Cat explained. She loved it when he called her Kitten. Vince
gave Tyra a heated once over before he addressed her directly.
“Tyra, princess, you just let Vince know if want a more…
private interview with him. Vince will do anything
Tyra likes.” He gave her one more head to toe perusal before ducking back out
into the hall. Tyra’s pink cheeks did not go unnoticed.
Tyra: Did you have the whole story mapped out in your head when
you began writing The Forbidden Bond Series? Or do you make it up as you go?
Cat: When I began writing Unbound I hadn’t planned for it to be a
series. I had the main bullet points all mapped out and was prepared to fill in
the meat of the story as I went along. So, basically I had a story board but as
I wrote and characters took shape I knew I had to expand to a series. My
characters had too much to say far a stand-alone novel to tell the story effectively. (Sounds of agreement went around the room and
Cat smiled at Dani, Chase, and Cayden.)
Tyra: With so many, how do you keep all the characters and
their separate storylines straight in your head?
Cat: For me, my characters are like friends and family members.
It’s hard to explain, but I will try. (Cat crossed her legs and began to tap
her chin in thought. Her eye suddenly brightened, as if a light had popped on
in her head.)
When you go to your family reunion and you look around at
the people you instantly remember who is married to whom; who had a baby this
year and why Cousin Ed isn’t speaking to Uncle Jake. When you go out with your
friends you know who your best friend is and which one you don’t really trust
with the big stuff. It’s like that for me. I created these people so I know all
of the history that made them who they are. It’s just there in the back of my
mind when I start to type.
Tyra: Which of your characters do you think your readers are
most opinionated about?
Cat: My readers are most opinionated about Danielle. She isn’t
your typical heroine. In a standard love story boy meets girl and that is that,
but I didn’t write her that way. I have created fictional characters that live
through real life relationship situations. Danielle behaves like a real person
would at her age. If our first love was our only love I fear this would be a
very lonely world. We live and learn. When we fall off the horse we climb back
on.
Some readers do not enjoy this real life aspect of Unbound.
While others love it because Danielle makes mistakes and pick herself back up.
When she is betrayed she pushes through the only way she can, by moving on.
Some readers who enjoy more fiction and less real life in their romance don’t
enjoy her character.
Tyra: Vampires… a long-standing passion or just for THIS
particular series? Do you plan any other avenues in your writing future?
Cat: Vampires are indeed a long-standing passion for me. I have
loved vampires since the movie Interview with a Vampire came out in 1994 but I
read kinds of romantic fiction. I think at some point I would like to write a
contemporary romance. (Cayden coughed into his arm and it sounded strangely
like the word “boring” was being forced from his lungs repeatedly. Tyra
laughed. Dani smacked Cayden’s arm. He smiled, not looking at all apologetic.
Apparently he didn’t care for contemporary romance.)
Tyra: On the “sensual romance” … How did you come to the
decision to steam it up to an adult level, but remain light enough as not to
garnish the ‘erotica’ label?
* Dani spoke up, “May I answer this one for you, Cat?”
Cat quirked and eyebrow but smiled indulgently, “Go head.”
Dani turned to Tyra, and as many people do when first faced
with the full force of Dani’s diamond-eyed gaze Tyra seemed a bit hypnotized.
She cleared her throat and blinked a few times.
“Cat is like a mother and a friend to all of us characters.
You know from reading Unbound that most of the characters are between the ages
of eighteen and twenty-two. Cat has a daughter that is my age. We are college
students and young adults, but not in the YA fiction definition of that
statement.
There needs to be a new classification of romantic fiction
for young adults that are old enough and mature enough to handle adult content.
As much as all parents want to think that people in this age group aren’t
sexually active it just isn’t the reality of the world today. From the
perspective of a college student there isn’t much fiction out there that is
meant for our enjoyment, particularly in paranormal fiction. You find the
traditional YA novels that may skirt the line of adult content but not cross it
or you get the “erotica” that is mostly geared toward people in their late
twenties and older.
Our age group is totally neglected. Cat made the choice to
fill in the gap left by those that aren’t comfortable writing sexuality for my
age group.” Dani looked to Cat for confirmation of her thoughts, “Is that close
to your feeling, Cat?” Cat nodded and smiled.
“You know me very well. You can find a lot of romance that
uses less graphic language and more descriptive terms but they tend to be
contemporary and written for a much older audience. It was important to me to
write this series with an eye toward portraying a realistic view of a college
age person without being so graphic that I wouldn’t want my own college age
daughter to read it.”
Tyra: Said “sensual romance” must limit your reading audience.
Do you think this hinders or helps you in anyway?
Cat: I think my brand of sensual romance has limited me at times.
I have had people read the first couple of chapters and put it down because
they believe it is too soft and leans too far toward YA fiction. It’s too bad
they didn’t keep reading, because just like any real person, Dani’s experiences
get hotter as she grows into her sexuality. I have also had readers that are
into the more adult fiction praise the story but express a need for more steamy
sexuality. All I can do is hope that I have written a storyline that will
captivate the readers no matter their preferences. I know people who read Harry
Potter one day and Fifty Shades of Grey the next. If the story is good the
readers will come. At least that’s what I hope will be true.
(Dani was now blushing fiercely. All this talk of her sexual
experiences had her flustered. Chase tugged her into his lap and stroked her
back. She tucked her face into the expensive silk of his shirt. Cayden looks
away, uncomfortable.)
“Don’t be embarrassed, Lovely. You are way more than just
your sexuality,” Chase kissed the top of her head. “You are an intelligent and
brave woman who is loved.”
(Cayden growled in the back of his throat. Tyra’s eyes
widened when his eyes bled from hazel-green to obsidian black in a matter of
seconds. Doing his best to conceal the fangs that pressed into his lower lip
Cayden excuses himself from the room, slamming the door on his way out. Seeing
Chase handle Dani was more than he could take without an outward display of
emotion. Dani crawled off of Chase’s lap and went back to her chair to compose
herself. Chase seemed not at all phased by Cayden’s reaction. Cat shook her
head and stared sadly at the door Cayden had disappeared through. In an effort
to dispel the tension in the room Tyra asked the next question.)
Tyra: Your vampires aren’t like any I’ve ever read about
before. Where did you come up with such a unique spin on such a long-told
concept?
Cat: I wanted to write vampires in a way that would have you
looking around at the people in their life and wondering if maybe things aren’t
as they seem. I realize that it’s odd for a paranormal writer but I wanted to
have a solid reason for all of the things vampires can do that we humans can’t.
So I wrote my vamps in a very humanizing way. The day after you read Unbound
and get ready to move on to Unforgiven I want you to think about your neighbor,
you doctor, and your best friend and wonder if maybe, just maybe, they could be
a vampire.
(Cayden reenters the room looking much calmer.)
“I apologize for that interruption. I had…something urgent
to take care of…outside,” he explained without looking at anyone in particular.
Be bent to kiss Cat on the cheek and shot Tyra a questioning glance, “What did
I miss?” Cayden looked like nothing was amiss. Dani fidgeted in her seat. Chase
examined his nails.
Tyra: Not everyone can have a happily ever after… When the
series wraps with the final book, any plans for a spin-off to follow up with
our favorite NON-main characters??
Cat: I have four full length novels and a prequel novella planned
for the Forbidden Bond Series. So I’m at least a year away from my nest
project. I do have a plan to spin off of this series. My hope is that folks
will want to see more the vampire nation and its varying social classes outside
of the upper hierarchy. The next series I have planned will be dedicated to the
warrior class. I want to explore the inner workings and social structure of the
warriors and Wrath teams. The next series may be a bit more adult. In order to
get into the nuts and bolt of a military man and his world I will need to
adjust to the reality of his life. There are several members of the Wrath teams
that may come back to visit you in the future and bring some new friends with
them.
There is also a character that is close to my heart but too
young to play a huge role in the Forbidden Bond Series. I want to come back in
the future and revisit JR Vaughn. I believe growing up in the life and time of
the Forbidden Bond is going to make him a very interesting man.
CHARACTER QUESTIONS
Dani –
Tyra: The whole world witnessed some very intimate exchanges in
your personal life. Does it bother you being so exposed to all of our prying
eyes?
Dani blushes and squirms uncomfortably in her seat. She is
very well away Cat’s readership, including Tyra, has very personal knowledge of
her love life.
“I honestly try not to think about it. My life is like a
reality television show. Only for me the viewer isn’t banned from the more
private exchanges. Nothing is cut or edited out. It’s hard to sit across the
table from a person that witnessed your loss of innocence.”
Dani pauses and blushes again when Chase and Cayden both
grumble under their breath. It’s a very sensitive subject. Cat shoots both men
a look full of censure and disapproval. Neither of them was Dani’s first.
Dani continues, “Like I said, it’s harder than I could ever
explain.”
Tyra Many have criticized your for your “Playing the field”
ways. What do you have to say to those critics?
“I say get real. This may be fiction but it’s not a
fairytale. I challenge you to find a person that never dated or actually ended
up spending a life time with their first love. I know it happens and the people
it happens to are blessed. All of us change as people as we age and our experiences
alter us in unforeseen ways. Sometimes the person you change into doesn’t fit
with the person your lover becomes. I am not ashamed to have lived and learned
and love on the way to finding one true mate.
Tyra: After all your struggles, you seem to have finally found
your “Happily Ever After” with Chase. Any plans for the future?
“We plan to be mated very soon.” Dani smiles at Chase when
he reaches over to take her hand. “After that the future is unclear. We have
the threat of the Rogue to deal with before we can think too far ahead.”
Tyra: Man calories... you seem to be on a Chase only diet these
days, but how did you deal with having all that luscious man meat available to
sink your teeth into?
Dani clears her throat but smiles broadly.
“I did my best to stick to a diet plan but… Damn! Sometimes
you just gotta splurge!” She giggled, “I’m just joking.”
Chase didn’t find the humor in it at all. Cat laughed out
loud.
“Let’s just say it
was fun while it lasted but too much of a good thing gets old quickly.”
Chase –
Tyra: I’ve got to admit
that your playboy ways had me scared that Danielle’s heart wasn’t safe in your
hands. What was it about her that turned the tides for you?
Chase looked at Danielle and connection between the couple
hummed through the room. He stared into her eyes while he answered Tyra’s
question.
It started with that delicious scent and a heavy dose of
physical attraction. She is a beautiful woman. But it quickly turned into a
binding love for the brave soul that would give up everything she knew, even
her identity, to protect the ones she loves. She is strong, compassionate,
fearless, and sexy as all hell, but more than any of that she is mine. From the
night I met her she became my Lovely.”
Chase finally looked over at Tyra, “Trying to explain why I
love her is like trying to explain why my heart beats. It just is. In the end
she was literally worth more than the world to me.”
Tyra: Having a girl come between you and your best friend must
have been tough. Did you ever fear that you’d lost either of them for good?
“I was sure that I had lost my Lovely when I my life
suddenly came down to a choice between my duty to my family and the vampire
nation, and the woman I wanted but knew I couldn’t have. I knew when she
started dating Cayden that I would never be able to watch them grow as couple
and be happy for them. I am selfish bastard. I wanted my Lovely for as long as
could be with her and I wanted my best friend to go along with the plan. Losing
them both at once was crushing. Yes. I was afraid.” Chase looked uncomfortable
admitting for weakness. Dani moved closer and stroked his arm. “Can we move on
the next question, please?
Tyra: When you finally stood up to your family, I think the
heavens opened up and the angels sang! What took you so long to come to the
decision to follow your heart?
I loved her but it wasn’t about our love. It was about the
future of my generation. My people are being hunted and murdered. My family and
the council were convinced my union to a daughter from the House of Vaughn was
the key to saving us all and destroying the threat to our species. How do walk
away from an obligation that tremendous for the sake of your own heart?
Honestly, it was another selfish move when a turned my back on my family, but
fate had a hand in it the whole time. I ended up where I belong. I will make no
excuses for my tardy turn around. I was an idiot.
Tyra: So, the question begs to be asked… Samantha – what the
hell were you thinking with nightmare barbie?
Danielle perked up. She wanted to hear this answer as well.
Samantha was not the shrew we all know when she was younger.
Or at least I was too blinded by her beauty to see her flaws. I was young and
dumb. She was every young man’s dream. She was there for what I needed,” Chase
glanced at Dani for her reaction but she was stone faced, “And when it was over
she was gone,” He shrugged. “I didn’t expect to bond to her forever.”
Cayden –
Tyra: Hey baby, how’s it goin?
“I’m sorry, Sugar. I can’t hear you.”
Cayden gets up and strolls to the seat next to Tyra. He
turns the chair to face Tyra and sits down but doesn’t lean back in his chair. He
has positioned himself so his long muscled legs are bracketing her chair, his
leg resting against her knee. He crowds her and gets all up in her personal
space.
“There. I’m doing much better now, “he grins at Tyra.
Tyra: I’m just going to put it out there. I was team Chase when
it came to Dani, but only because I wanted you for myself. (That’s not really a
question is it?)
“Your honesty is refreshing. I love a woman who speaks her
mind. Cat tells me always say what you mean and take no prisoners.” Cayden runs
one long finger down Tyra’s arm.
Tyra: Right, back to the interview… I just KNOW that when you
turned away from Danielle at your bonding ceremony, after learning the truth,
the world really had daggers for you. Do you ever regret that decision?
Now Cayden sits back in his chair. Tyra hit a nerve. He was
playful and teasing before, but his expression turns solemn when he looks at
Dani sitting next to her future mate, his best friend.
“I will regret that night for the rest of my life. I was a
kiss away from forever, but I let fear of the unknown make me coward. I was
already regretting when Mason carried Dani from the room. I still have the
ring. But that’s all I have, just a ring and a few memories.”
Dani couldn’t look at Cayden while he stared at her with
regret and sorrow in his beautiful hazel green eyes.
Tyra: Are you still
looking for your happily ever after? (Because I can think of a good place to
start)
I think for the time being I’m just looking for “happy for
the night.”
Tyra: It was suggested that you often lived in Chase’s shadow,
under his thumb so to speak. Was this an accurate reflection of your
relationship with your best friend?
Chase is a future Councilman from the House of Deidrick. I
know that our society is hard for the modern day human to understand but it is
what it is. My father and the warrior class, as well as the rest of the vampire
nation defer to the laws and wishes of Council. I was trained to follow his
lead as my father follows his father. He is also my friend and a man who has
had my back man times. It was hard to separate our friendship from our uneven social
stations. Am I under his thumb? No, not
any more.
Tyra: So, what are you doing later???
**And Cat calls the
interview to a close….
Cayden looks intrigued
by Tyra’s offer of an evening of entertainment when the door flies open.
(Vince enters the room swiftly and begins to herd Dani
toward the door.)
“Vince thinks we may have a security breach. He feels twitchy.
It’s time to go.” He barked.
(Cayden and Chase both block his path.)
“Where are you going with my Lovely?” Chase hissed through
his fangs and glared at Vince with narrowed, blackened eyes. Cayden stood at
Chase’s back baring his fangs as well.
“Do want to stand here beating your
chest and wait to see if Vince is wrong? Or do you want to ensure the little
lovely’s safety?” Vince rolled his eyes, so sick of dealing with the young
future councilman and his warrior buddy.
(Dani leaned around the tangle of men to find Cat, who
seemed to be protecting Tyra from the fight brewing in the room.)
“I will be with you for the release of Unforgiven on the
31st. We have to go now.” Fear shone in her eyes but she pulled it together to
address Tyra.
“Thank you for allowing us to visit, Tyra. And thank you for
supporting us from the very beginning. It has meant the world to me and Cat.”
Before she could say another word Dani was hoisted over
Vince’s shoulder and carries from the room. Tyra and Cat watched Chase and Cayden
followed hot on Vince’s heels while Dani struggled and complained that she
could walk just fine until they all disappeared down the hall.
Cat slumped into a chair looking exhausted by all the drama.
“That was crazy.” Tyra still stared down the hall.
“Yeah. It’s how we roll.” Cat grinned at Tyra, “Let’s go get
a drink, or ten.”
Check out my review of Unbound, Book 1 in The Forbidden Bond Series HERE.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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