Help me welcome Felicity Heaton to the blog today!
Thanks so much for agreeing to be with us today, Felicity! What 5 things should readers know about you?
I’m British and I’ve been writing paranormal romance for the past ten years. I love to focus on vampires, but I’m slowly expanding that love into writing about angels, dark elves, and shifters of all kinds—big cats and dragons included. I mostly write series because I’m all about developing a huge world in which I can play freely and can bring to life for my readers. I write passionate, protective and possessive heroes, and sassy, strong heroines.
Sounds fantastic!
Tell us all about your main characters—who are they? What makes them tick? Most importantly, what one thing would they need to have with them if stranded on a desert isle? 😉
The main characters in my latest release, Her Sinful Angel, are the Devil himself and Nina, a mortal female thrown into his dark realm. There’s a lot that makes Lucifer tick, he’s pretty complicated, but I think the base drive he has that keeps him walking forwards is a lust for revenge. Nina is driven by the things in her past that she’s had to deal with and it keeps her distant from her new compelling and alluring companion at first.
If Lucifer was tossed onto a desert island, he might be in serious trouble since leaving Hell is a massive no-no for him. I think he’d be quick to get his backside down into Hell again via a portal, as his presence on our plane endangers us all. Nina would probably be at home on an island though, kicking back and enjoying the sun, sea and sand. She could probably find everything she needs on one specific island, which would be the one on which the Devil’s daughter lives with her family and friends, the previous heroes and heroines of the Her Angel series.
Hmmm, yes, Lucifer’s situation does complicate things. I guess he’s more of a “staycation” kind of guy, huh? 😉
Where did the inspiration for this book come from?
I’m never sure where my inspiration comes from. I get inspired by anything. From a song, to something on TV, to something I read, or even just taking a walk. I have a very hyperactive muse and he’s always throwing new story ideas at me and inviting new characters to wander into my head. I guess the inspiration for this book just came from writing the other books in the series and wanting to know more about the Devil, because he’s been growing throughout the Her Angel series.
Works for me!
How long have you been writing, and what (or who) inspired you to start?
I wrote a little in school when I was a teenager because we had to write the opening chapter of a gothic horror and it really got my mind working, and my teacher liked mine so much that she read it out to the class. I wrote more for it, had a whole plan for the story, but then schoolwork took over and it fell to the wayside.
I didn’t write until 2003 after that. I got really into writing fanfiction for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and was running my own fanfiction website for my stories. A friend who was writing the same genre as me convinced me to give writing something original with my own characters a go. I took a little convincing but I took the leap and really loved it. I began indie publishing my books back in 2006 after being with an e-publisher for a year. It was just something I came to naturally. I didn’t set out to be a writer. It just sort of evolved into my career. I was happy balancing a full-time job with writing in my spare time. I never really believed that I would make enough money each year to be only a writer. I was shocked when I found I could quit my day job back in 2010. I went full-time writer in 2011 and I still can’t believe this is my job!
That’s fantastic! I love that you have fanfiction roots, too—awesome!
What do you like best about being a writer? What is the most challenging part?
My biggest challenge is one all plotters face! Pulling together my outline for a book can be very challenging. I write to a full outline broken into rough chapters. Because I don’t write more than one book at a time, I have to scribble down ideas in a word document as they come to me. I’ll have a word document filled with ideas for one book and then I’ll have to take all those pieces and somehow make them into an outline I can follow when I’m writing the first draft. It can be quite challenging and frustrating, but it’s also quite fun. I love that moment when it all clicks and comes together and I realise that it’s ready for me to write it. It’s very exciting.
I think the biggest challenge in paranormal romance as a genre is giving readers an exciting read that is different to everything else they might have read and creating your own brand of character and story, something that makes readers want to come back for more. I love dreaming up big worlds though, and layering in details that make it seem real. It’s really rewarding when readers come back and say they could see it all in their mind, all of it playing out in front of them, and that they fell in love with the characters. It makes all the hard work worth it.
Great answers!
What are you working on right now? What can readers look for from you in the next year?
I’m working on Marked by an Assassin, the next book in my Eternal Mates series. It has been wonderful stepping back into that world. I have so many characters in it that I love and it was interesting to write some scenes that were in the previous book, Taken by a Dragon, from a different perspective in this one.
Once this book comes out on October 31st, I’ll be working on getting the next book in the series written and ready for release. I’m focusing on the Eternal Mates series, Angels of the Apocalypse series which is a spin-off from my Her Angel series, and hoping to start releasing books in the Guardians of Hades series next year.
Wow—you’ll be busy! So much for us to look forward to 🙂
What authors and/or books have inspired you?
I’m not inspired by other authors. I’m inspired by my readers and my love of writing. I am happiest when I’m writing and creating new adventures for my beloved characters. It’s my passion for it that keeps me inspired, and my wonderful readers. They really inspire me to keep writing new books, but sometimes they leave me a little daunted too. The expectations can be so high but I have to remind myself that I have to write the story my way, and I can’t please everyone.
Very true!
What are you currently reading? What are your thoughts about it so far?
I’m not reading anything right now as I’m working on a book and I never read anything when I’m working on one of my stories. I don’t want whatever I’m reading to influence my work. I’ve been too busy to read this year but I’m hoping to find the time during my upcoming vacation to get lost in a book.
I can see how that would be a challenge. Have a great vacation, and I hope you can find time to read!
If you had to “sell” this book in a single Tweet, what would you say?
A powerful fallen angel. An enchanting mortal female. Is Nina playing bait for Lucifer or is she an innocent pawn in an eternal game?
Perfect! Thanks so much 🙂
About Felicity Heaton:
Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.
If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Her Angel series.
If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:
Website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
Blog: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton
Her Sinful Angel, book eight in New York Times best-seller Felicity Heaton’s hot paranormal romance series, Her Angel, is now available in ebook and paperback.
Here’s more about Her Sinful Angel, including an excerpt from this paranormal romance novel.
Her Sinful Angel (Her Angel Romance Series Book 8)
Felicity Heaton
Cast out of Heaven and now the king of Hell, Lucifer is a powerful fallen angel warrior with a heart as cold as ice and soul as black as the bottomless pit. For millennia, he has ruled his realm with an iron fist as he plots the demise of his ancient enemies. When one of those enemies dumps an unconscious mortal female in the courtyard of his fortress and leaves her there, Lucifer finds himself entranced by the beguiling beauty and tempted beyond all reason. But is the enchanting Nina an innocent pawn in the eternal game or part of a plot against him?
Her Sinful Angel is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/her-sinful-angel-romance-book.php
Her Sinful Angel – Excerpt
Lucifer stood in his study in front of the middle of the three towering windows, his gaze fixed on the distant plateau. White light broke the darkness there, a sign that angels were travelling between his realm and the mortal one.
A world he hadn’t set foot in for millennia.
His golden gaze slid off to his left and downwards, towards the room where he had left the mortal female.
Her world.
He clasped his hands behind his back and studied the black stone floor. His black suit jacket stretched tight across his chest as he breathed slowly but steadily, his mind churning over everything he had learned about the woman in his custody.
He still didn’t know why Mihail had brought her to him, and he couldn’t help thinking that it was a trap. It was possible that the woman had been given instructions, orders that were buried so deep in her mind that she wouldn’t remember receiving them. Some angels possessed the power to manipulate weaker creatures in such a manner, and everything she had told him yesterday had made it clear that Mihail or another angel had tampered with her memories.
If she had been given orders, then he had to wait for the right event to trigger them before he could discover why Mihail had sent her.
Lucifer narrowed his gaze on the floor, his focus on the woman.
He didn’t think she was anything other than mortal, but it was entirely possible he was wrong about that. Some species could masquerade as mortals. Shifters in particular. It had been a very long time since he had encountered one from that species, long enough that he might not recognise them.
She could be a witch too.
But she didn’t feel powerful to him. Her strength was barely a drop in the ocean of his.
Was she using a spell to mask her power and muddle his ability to detect lies on her?
He shook his head at that.
She hadn’t lied to him when he had asked whether she could remember what had happened to her, but she had lied when she had told him that she couldn’t think of a reason why anyone would want to harm her or have her kidnapped. If she possessed the ability to conceal her lies, she would have hidden that one from him.
There had been a haunted edge to her bright peridot eyes as she had uttered that lie and a spike in her heart rate that had warned him that she had walked the same path as he had millennia ago—a path of pain and suffering.
Of betrayal.
A path he still walked now.
He didn’t know what had happened to her, and he didn’t want to know.
She wasn’t here so he could learn about her. She was here so he could discover Mihail’s plan and take the angel down once and for all.
Lucifer dragged his focus away from her and fixed it back on the plateau.
Mihail was up to something and he had to concentrate on discovering what that was.
His focus slipped, his acute senses drifting to pinpoint the woman again.
Who had betrayed her?
The first stirrings of anger warmed his heart, warning him to pull his thoughts away from not her but the betrayal she had suffered before it was too late and his mood degenerated.
All of Hell would suffer if it slipped his grasp and his temper flared, but even the knowledge of what he might do in a fit of rage wasn’t enough to stop him treading the dark path of his memories to a place he had tried to forget.
A time when he had trusted someone and they had betrayed him.
A time when he had been given no choice and had been powerless to stop his fall.
Lucifer curled his hands into fists, his emerging black claws cutting into his palms. He glared at the plateau as another white streak of light appeared and growled through his short fangs, the desire to teleport there and tear into the angels almost overwhelming him and shattering his fragile hold on his control.
He wanted to rip their wings from them just as his had been torn from him.
He wanted them to suffer the torture that he had, the agony of being cast from their home, slung into a bottomless and dark pit where only endless pain awaited them.
He wanted them to know how it felt to do all that their master asked of them, to carry out every terrible act and horrific crime regardless of how it had made them feel, only to have that same master betray them.
Lucifer snarled and slammed his left fist into the black wall beside the window. The stone shattered under the blow but he didn’t feel the pain that ricocheted up his arm. He felt only the burning rage that lived in his heart, the pain of a thousand times of having his wings torn from his back, a hundred thousand lashings that had peeled the flesh from his bones, and a million hours of wondering what he had done wrong.
Followed by a million more contemplating his revenge.
He hadn’t realised it at the time he had served Heaven, a loyal dog for his master, but he had been set on the path towards his fall from the moment he had been created. It had all been part of a plan to create balance between the three realms.
His master had shaped him, giving him duties and missions with little information and stating that he trusted him to interpret the missions and carry out the duties therein without aid. Lucifer had felt he had owned a position of power, a place at his master’s side, but in reality he had been given as little information as possible in order to drive him into committing sins.
He had wanted to please his master, and he had ended up breaking unknown rule after rule, committing sin after sin.
When he had felt something stirring inside him, a darkness that had been destroying the light, he had wanted to stop.
It was then that his master had dealt the final blow.
He had been exiled from Heaven and thrown into the pit.
At the time, the pit had been a place of nightmares, filled with vile creatures bent on destroying angels, drawn to their light by a ravenous hunger to extinguish it.
Centuries into his torture, Lucifer had realised the reason the pit had been created. It had been designed as a place of punishment for angels. That had given him false hope that he could escape the pit if he served his time.
He had survived the torture his captors had dealt, the abuse they had inflicted upon him, using him against his will. He had wallowed, tormented by every sin he had committed in his life serving his beloved master. He had writhed in agony as he had tried to fight and claw his way out of the darkness to stand on his feet again. He had wanted to repent so he would be welcomed back into the fold.
He had wanted to return home.
But it had become too much for him, and the darkness had been too strong.
After what had felt like an eternity of fighting, he had surrendered to it, allowing it to fill him and vanquish his softer feelings in order to end his suffering and stop the pain. His thoughts had turned from repenting to revenge.
When he had eventually seized control of the realm through brute and relentless force, he had ended up changing it without really thinking about what he had been doing.
He had hunted and destroyed most of the original inhabitants of Hell and sent the rest fleeing to the far corners of Hell, allowing the weaker breeds of demons to emerge from the shadows and take their place.
Demons who had worshipped him as their master.
Lucifer hadn’t realised the power he possessed as the ruler of Hell until Heaven had chosen to create a new race of angels to serve it. He had tainted the soul of the first angel during its creation, a mere drop of darkness that had spread through it and corrupted it.
He had seen the extent of his power in that moment and he had embraced it.
He had thought of nothing but revenge since then. Every act he had undertaken had been done with the intent of dealing a blow to Heaven as they had dealt a blow to him. He had begun to grow an army, welcoming the fallen angels into his fold and giving them power so they could destroy any of the remaining demons who sought to punish them for their sins and could carry out his orders in the mortal realm. He had shaped the weaker demons and sent them forth to corrupt the humans. He had done it all to strike a blow that would shake Heaven to its foundations.
Wars had followed, a struggle for power that was endless and beautiful.
Lucifer smiled grimly at the pleasing memories as power coursed through him, darkness that bled from his skin like smoke and writhed as shadows around his arms.
He pulled his fist from the wall and turned his palm towards him, splaying his fingers as he watched the black ribbons fluttering around them.
He had lived shrouded in darkness. A king in his realm. He had passed millennia without feeling a thing.
No trace of light left inside him.
Until Erin.
The day he had learned of his daughter’s existence, he had been filled with a new purpose.
A desire to use her to finally achieve his dream of bringing down Heaven.
And the day he had first set eyes on her, something else had happened to him, something he had been fighting to hide ever since.
A tiny spark of light had burst to life in the dark cold pit of his soul.
Lucifer pressed his hand to his chest, the soft fabric of his black jacket, tie and shirt cushioning his palm. He curled his fingers, digging the tips into the material as he felt that light inside him, tormenting him, growing despite his attempts to squash it out of existence. It refused to die though, kept spreading tiny tendrils through him, reaching ever outwards and gaining ground against the inky dark.
As it grew, it restored parts of him that were better off dead, softer emotions that had no place existing inside him or in his realm. Emotions that were dangerous to possess in Hell. There were still creatures here drawn to the light in angels.
If his legions learned of the light waging war inside him, if the demons learned of it, a battle for his throne would erupt.
Every creature with power in his realm would seek his head.
He growled from between clenched teeth and vowed that none would ever know of it. He made sure that his men never witnessed his moments with his daughter and grandson, and those were the only times he felt powerless against the light, unable to contain and control it.
He would find a way to expel that light from his soul again, because he would do anything to protect his position. He might not have asked for his role in this realm, but it was his to play now and he had come to like his life in Hell. This realm was his home, his everything, and no one would take that from him.
His golden gaze dropped back to the floor.
No one.
Any threat to his throne would be dealt with.
Painfully.
He had given the mortal female time to become accustomed to her situation, but now that time was up.
Now he would use the small sliver of trust she felt towards him and her attraction to him to his advantage.
The trick Mihail had used on her to scrub her memories would be wearing off. While she wouldn’t remember that she had been taken by an angel, she might remember if Mihail had said anything to her or taken her anywhere before bringing her to Lucifer’s fortress.
And now that Mihail’s power was fading, Lucifer could employ his own abilities to sift through her memories as she tried to recall the events that had brought her to him.
If he discovered that she wasn’t in on Mihail’s plan, he would set in motion his own one.
He would implant orders into her head, ones that Mihail would unwittingly trigger if he returned for her.
The little mortal would become the instrument of the angel’s fall.
And Lucifer would be waiting for him with open arms.
Her Sinful Angel is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback.
Find all the links, and a fantastic 5 chapter downloadable sample of the book at her website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/her-sinful-angel-romance-book.php
Buy Links:
Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon DE Amazon CA Amazon AU
iBooks US iBooks UK iBooks AU iBooks CA iBooks NZ
Books in the Her Angel paranormal romance series:
Book 1: Her Dark Angel – FREE in ebook at selected retailers
Thanks for hosting Felicity on your blog today! 🙂
Happy to!