Friday, July 13, 2012

Author Guest Post: Erin Kellison with International Giveaway!


I ask… How bad is bad? 

First of all, thank you to Melissa and Books n’ Things for having me. I’m having a blast on my Fire Kissed blog tour and I knew I had to stop here. As a thank you to readers, I’m giving away a copy of Fire Kissed (book #1 in my Shadow Kissed series). All you have to do is tell me who your favorite bad guy is. Could be books, movies, tv—it’s all good. And tell me why if you can.

I love heroes and heroines, but to be completely honest, the bad guys are the most interesting characters for me to both read and write. Actually, I build my baddies the same way that I build my good guys, but when push comes to shove, they choose the dark course. Okay, some of my heroes and heroines do that too, but hopefully they redeem themselves by the end of the book.

Ferrol Grey is the villain in Fire Kissed, says so right on the back blurb. But the tenets he lives by make sense for him and his world. He’s reasonable and organized, and could be likeable, if he wasn’t so dang bad. But then, he’s striving to be a leader, and sometimes leaders have to make terrible choices. At what point does a terrible choice make a bad man?

And then there’s a kind of nature/nurture question. Ferrol Grey is a mage, which means he’s got magic in his blood. It’s hereditary and so he was born for the life he lives. His kind of magic (every mage family is different) allows him to take a little (or a lot of) magic from other mages. Sometimes he uses his power for the safety of his people. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. And sometimes he uses his power to keep his own… there again, it’s kind of understandable when there is so much danger coming from every direction. Someone needs to maintain order. But this power, which hails from iron, by its very nature takes from others. Was he doomed from birth?

Here’s an exclusive excerpt featuring Ferrol ( aka “Ferro”). The setup: He’s throwing a reception in honor of heroine Kaye Brand, who he intends to romance, but only if she’s not hiding anything. To discern truth from lie, he needs a bit of another mage’s power…

     Ferro descended the great hall’s sweeping staircase while surveying the space below. Decorations were in place—candles and sconces everywhere, as yet unlit. Shadow roiled on the floor and gathered in the corners, whispering. At the turn, he caught sight of Alistair Verity, ankle deep in magic. Alistair was frowning into his jowls like a bulldog, his head thrust forward as if he were already refusing. The collar of his tuxedo shirt must have been strangling him.
     Ferro checked the clasps of his cuff links; he’d dressed for the formal reception quickly. But no, he was ready, just nervous, a welcome jittery feeling in his belly. A little excitement for once. Kaye.
     “You summoned me?” Alistair growled.
     Alistair Verity didn’t have the luxury of refusing. Ferro had a need; Alistair would meet it. And so it would be until Alistair’s son took head of House, at which time Ferro would come to terms with him too. How else did they think they got the Florida panhandle? And how did they think to keep it? The arrangement was very reasonable.
     Ferro came to the landing and approached, his hand out to seal the bargain.
     Alistair got red in the face. “You’ll leave me defenseless.”
     “That’s not true.” Ferro pulled back his hand, soured. “I am your defense.”
     “Too much and you’ll kill me.”
     “I’m careful.”
     Alistair spoke through gritted teeth. “You’re a vampire.”
     Ferro went as cold as his House iron. He’d been called many things behind his back, all foul, but this—he breathed through his sudden anger—this he was going to like. If only he had that one vampire characteristic that eluded him. He’d regained his youth, yes, but immortality still escaped him. Vampire. There were worse names; he could own this one.
     Besides, these days everyone loved vampires. Especially old ones wrapped in young bodies.
     “That’s why we’re such good friends, Alistair,” Ferro said, the rest of his ire evaporating.
     “You’re all about the truth, while the rest of us stick to the Shadows.”
     It was a House Verity trait.
     “This is against my will.” Alistair Verity did not, could not, deceive.
     “You’ll of course be excused from the party tonight.” Ferro made a beckoning gesture to hurry things along. “Your hand? Or would you like a fresh spot?”
     He had to know if Kaye’s intentions, however ambitious, were true.
     Alistair’s hand came up, an old circular scar at the center of his palm. Ferro moved quickly; she’d be here soon. He touched the Shadow setting in his iron ring on the spot and closed his eyes to conceal the eye-flickering rapture of Verity Shadow entering his being. Did it make him bisexual to enjoy Alistair so?
     Bisexual was popular too.
     Ferro opened his eyes, his gaze inadvertently on the man’s jowls. No.
     Alistair fell, gasping, to one knee, his hand smearing the floor with a streak of blood as he tried to catch himself from falling all the way. His resting position was not unlike the deep bow of a knight before his liege. Their relationship was not much different.
     “Sir Verity?”
     Alistair drew a shuddering breath. He seemed beyond humor just now.
     “Do you want help leaving?”
     “I want to kill you,” he said.
     A bright echo, like harmonics climbing a major scale, sounded within Alistair’s words, and Ferro knew—knew—that what he said was true.
     That was the power of Verity Shadow.
For excerpts and more information, please come find me at: 

Erin’s website: www.ErinKellison.com

Giveaway!!
Fae Fire
It is Kaye Brand's power to wield. But outcast from her kind, she's been selling herself to the highest bidder - money for her survival in exchange for a magic glimpse into the flames of the future.
Angel Ice
One of the angelic Order, Jack Bastian has no use for a female like Kaye, as provocative and unexpected as her blazing beauty. Yet he has no choice but to hire her to uncover the secrets of his sworn enemy and her former fiance, Ferrol Grey.
Magekind
War is inevitable between the defenders of the Order and the mage Houses who threaten to engulf the world in Shadow. For Jack, mage-born Kaye is off limits, no matter how hot the impossible attraction between them. But in the coming darkness, beset by danger and desire, everything is about to change...
Thanks SO much for making this a stop on the blog tour! I agree... a evil character is essential in my favorite books. They usually become the catalyst for the hero or heroine in the story. Oh and Ferrol Grey is VERY bad! I can't wait to see what everyone lists as their faves.

Oh and anyone who reads my reviews knows that I love this series! That includes this book and I even made a certain angel an official member of the man harem! ;)

Okay, I know... the giveaway! Oh Erin rocks hard and made this one INTERNATIONAL! Just fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

38 comments:

  1. My favorite bad guy is the one from The Lost Symbol. I forget how to spell his name but he was so well written and was truly evil.

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  2. I would have to say my favorite bad guy would probably have to be Mr Gold aka Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon a Time. I think deep down he wants to be good but is just to greedy. He adds a certain element to the show that makes him the guy every one love to hate. I truly think I truly found myself tuning in every Sunday night just to see what he would do next. I will continue to watch him as soon as the season starts.

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  3. Spike is my all time favorite Bad Guy, =) no one can top that. We who followed Buffy had season after season with this bad ass evil guy and then he turns out to have a heart of gold and sacrifices himself for the greater good? *happy sigh*
    Happy Friday the 13th! =)
    //Linda

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  4. Such an interesting and informative post and a great giveaway to boot.

    My favourite baddie?

    Nurse Ratched in one Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Evil to begin with, the fact that she takes her anger and frustration out on vulnerable people makes her even more so.

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  5. My favorite bad guy is Patch from the Hush Hush series. Oh! And also Damon from TVD is so hot!

    Ruty
    Reading...Dreaming

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  6. I do love a good bad guy. Yeah, oxymoron right there. I'm a huge HP fan, so I'd have to say that I've always loved Draco Malfoy, even though I never saw him as a TRUE bad guy.

    -Lauren

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  7. My favorite bad guy is Jennifer Armintrout's Cyrus. I have a prefect love to hate relationship with him ;)

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  8. My favorite bad guy is Damon on Vampire Diaries... those eyes... oh those eyes... but the character is bad but... down inside there is some good and you see it now and again...

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  9. Stryker from The Dark-Hunter series!

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  10. Wow favorite bad guy tough..I would have to say Sauron from Lord of the Rings so scary, then Voldemort from Harry Potter and Dracula, These guys are so dark and depraved and bad ass that they scare the pants off you!

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  11. I would go with clause...from VD.

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  12. well the book i read a bad and good guy his name ws luk but turn good at the end i love to read

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  13. I love Damon from VD. I was routing for him from book one and the TV show is even more fantastic because Ian is just dreamy. *sigh*

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  14. My favorite bad "guy" is actually a woman. She's Mab Monroe from Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin series - she was a formidable adversary for Gin Blanco so it was very sweet when she was defeated.

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  15. My favorite bad guy, by far is Mr. Gold AKA Rumplestiltskin on the show Once Upon A Time. I love that man. I think he is my favorite because as bad as he may be, he also has good in his heart, buried deep. He is also funny. He is amazing!

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  16. Dunno who my fav baddie is really. I like the baddest of the bad, and I also like the sexy baddies. Like Baal from SG1, cos he was hot ;)

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  17. Hmm I can't access the rafflecopter. My favourite bad guy? Dr. Whitney from the Ghostwalkers by Christine Feehan. He is truly the evil scientist, disguised as a patriot.

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  18. I know Severus Snape turned out to be good after all, but I think he is an incredible bad guy to read & watch.

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  19. Hannibal Lector would be my favorite because he is so calm and yet completely evil.

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  20. My favorite is Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  21. Barrons! He is unapologetically bad. In fact, he is a beast!

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  22. Bad guy, mmm
    Eric from True Blood and Damon from TVD. Both of them hotties!

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  23. Currently it is on television - Game of Thrones.. and the baddie is Tyrian Lannister..
    In the books he is far more manipulative and devious, the show he has a touch of "nice guy" and Peter Dinklage plays him beautifully

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  24. Favorite bad guy is Hannibal Lecter! Suave, intelligent...wild!!!

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  25. Bad guys? Eric Northman comes to mind :)

    Cherry Mischievous

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  26. I have to agree with Linda that Spike is my favorite bad guy! I loved watching Buffy and seeing how he changed from being awesomely bad to being awesomely sweet!

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  27. My favorite bad guy is either Siler from Heros or Eric from True Blood. julierupert@gmail.com

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  28. My favorite bad guy has to be Dr. Frank N Furter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I realize I am dating myself but seriously, Tim Curry was absolutely AWEsome in that role ~ oh the antici....pation! ;) ~ deliciously bad!!!

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  29. Mine is Sylar from Heroes, he was really twisted and scary.

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  30. I think Eric from True Blood. He is so complicated.

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  31. Voldemort. He struck such terror in the hearts of people that they were afraid to speak his name. Now that's a bad guy!

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  32. Bill Sikes from Oliver Twist - robber, child abuser, murderer, beater of dogs - an all-round rotter.

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  33. Um favourite bad guy. Cripes that's actually hard. I don't normally like bad guys. I'm going to dredge something up from being a teenager and watching the odd horror movie. Cujo the dog because he should be a nice loveable Saint Bernard but instead is this totally believeable vicious dog. Scared the bejesuses out of me/

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  34. My favourite bad guy is Harley Quinn from Batman. Okay, so she's a girl, but she's still bad! She's super funny & comes up with some crazy things =) x

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  35. My two favorite bad boys are Eric Northman from The Sookie Stackhouse Series (aka True Blood) and Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. I like them both because even though they can be scary and do things that are pretty bad, they both have the ability to love. It also helps that there are both positively yummy!

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Thanks for commenting! I ❤ comments!