Author Ambush with Keri Arthur

Keri Arthur Intro:

Hello everyone! LITERAL ADDICTION and Book Monster Reviews are very happy to welcome the incredibly talented Keri Arthur back to our sites today!

Keri is a born and bred Australia girl and grew up sharing her life with dragons, elves, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, and the occasional talking horse. This, of course, worried her family to no end. Though now that she’s successfully making her living dealing with those same type of creatures, they don’t think it’s so crazy anymore.

She’s a New York Times bestselling author, and has now written more than 25 books. She’s also received several nominations in the Best Contemporary Paranormal category of the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Awards, and recently won RT’s Career Achievement Award for Urban Fantasy.

Keri is the proud creator of the RILEY JENSON, GUARDIAN, MYTH AND MAGIC, NIKKI AND MICHAEL, RIPPLE CREEK WEREWOLF, SPOOK SQUAD and DAMASK CIRCLE series, as well as the newly established RILEY JENSON spin-off series, DARK ANGELS.

The RILEY JENSON, GUARDIAN series has 9 books - “Full Moon Rising”, “Kissing Sin”, “Tempting Evil”, “Dangerous Games”, “Embraced by Darkness”, “The Darkest Kiss”, “Deadly Desire”, “Bound to Shadows” and “Moon Sworn”.

The MYTH AND MAGIC series has 2 books – “Destiny Kills”, and “Mercy Burns”.

The NIKKI AND MICHAEL series has 4 installments – “Dancing with the Devil”, “Hearts in Darkness”, “Chasing the Shadows”, and “Kiss the Night Goodbye”.

Her RIPPLE CREEK WEREWOLF series has 2 books like the MYTH AND MAGIC series – “Beneath a Rising Moon” and “Beneath a Darkening Moon”.

SPOOK SQUAD is comprised of 3 titles – “Memory Zero”, “Generation 18”, and “Penumbra”.

DAMASK CIRCLE is made up of “Circle of Fire”, “Circle of Death” and “Circle of Desire”.

Her latest series, DARK ANGELS, is a spin-off of RILEY JENSON, GUARDIAN, and has a new release, “Darkness Devours”, which was just released TODAY (6/26/12!). The previous releases, "Darkness Unbound" and "Darkness Rising" have been getting rave reviews.  Book #4, "Darkness Hunts" is set to be released 11/6/12.

 

ALL of Keri’s books are incredible, and we highly recommend you check them all out (HERE)! They’re full of intrigue, steamy romance, action and amazing storyline… But for the sake of this intro, we figured we’d give any new readers the synopses for the books in the DARK ANGELS series, since that's what we're here to help Keri promote and celebrate today!

“Darkness Unbound”, Book #1:

Risa Jones is as extraordinary as her heritage. Born from a lab-enhanced clone mother and an Aedh father, she can not only talk to the souls of the dying and the dead, but she can see the reapers and walk the gray fields that divide this world from the next.

They are skill she rarely uses, however, preferring to concentrate on the business she shares with her two best friends. But when her mother asks her to help the parents of a little girl locked in a coma, she reluctantly agrees. What she discovers scares the hell out of her. Because the little girl’s soul no longer resides in her body, and it wasn’t death and the reapers that took her.

Someone had ripped her soul from her flesh.

As it turns out, a creature consuming the souls of the innocent–and not so innocent–is the least of her problems.
Because someone wants to rip open the gates that divided hell from earth, and Risa is a key component in their plans.
And the only person standing between her and disaster is a reaper who isn’t exactly on her side.

“Darkness Rising”, Book #2:

Risa will go to any lengths to avenge her mother’s murder—even if it means making a pact with the most evil vampire she’s ever met. Lethal and powerful, Madeline Hunter is leader of the vampire council, and will put her resources behind finding the killer—for a price. The venerable vampire requires the assistance of Risa’s psychic powers. Quid pro quo.

Someone—or something—is targeting the elders of the local council, cursing the immortal vampires to rapidly age, sink into madness, and die. Risa must track down the vengeful being responsible. But Risa’s father, a rogue Aedh priest, also enlists her in a dangerous mission. And not even the great Madeline Hunter may be able to protect her from the shadowy forces that desire nothing less than Risa’s destruction.

“Darkness Devours”, Book #3:

Just released 6/26/12!

Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones can enter the realm between life and death, and she can see the Reapers who collect the souls of the dead. Now, she is using her gifts—and the investigative know-how of a man who broke her heart—to find a cabal searching for the power to control time, reality, and fate. And this is besides her work for the Vampire Council, half of whom want her dead.

But for now the Council needs her alive. Someone is killing blood-whore addicted vampires, and Risa must find the guilty party. If she succeeds, she may finally convince the council to lift the execution order on her life. But before she succeeds, she must first survive…

Do we have you all hooked?  Good, you should be, these books are absolutely fantastic and you really need to add them to your TBR and scope them out from your favorite bookseller ASAP.

In celebration of the release of "Darkness Devours", we have a very special treat for you today!  We have the transcript of our Interview with the leading heroine of the DARK ANGELS series, Risa Jones, with a special appearance by Azriel. Go and check it out!

Please enjoy the transcript of our amazing meet and greet with

the legendary Risa Jones (& friend)…

Yeah, we admit it. We’re spoiled!  J  We get these incredible opportunities to meet and talk with some of our most beloved heroes, heroines and sidekicks, and can call it “all in a days work” (though admittedly with one heck of a smile!).  And while you’ve all been witness to some of the incredible folks we’ve been able to chat with, this just might be one of our most exciting.  Why?  Because we got to go Down Under!

Packing WAY too much and hopping a plane to Australia was the easy part.  Waiting to get there, battling down our excitement, and getting that damn Men at Work song out of our heads, however… not so much.  And while it probably cost us less to ship ourselves than a box full of goodies and books (stupid tariffs!) we couldn’t find it in ourselves to think of any of that - or ANYTHING really - aside from the fact that we were headed to friggin’ Australia to meet Risa Jones (and if we were lucky, maybe even Azriel).

Arriving in Aussie, jet lagged and buzzing with fangirl fever, we grabbed a taxi to our hotel and settled in.  We were supposed to meet up with Risa at RYT’s, the restaurant that she runs with her best friends.  When the time finally arrived to leave, we couldn’t keep the smiles off of our faces and headed out. 

RYT’s was fabulous. Perfectly sized, not too posh, a comfortable mix of clientele, and brimming with positive energy.  We introduced ourselves to the hostess and were led to a private table in a semi-quiet corner.  After placing our drink orders we settled in to wait. 

CARLA:  (glancing around)  Nice place huh?

CHELLE:  Great place! I wish we had some place like this back home.  

CARLA:  (looking over)  So, what do you think she’ll be like? 

CHELLE:  (grinning like a fool)  Amazing.  She’s bad ass.  I just hope we get a peak at that sexy Reaper!    

[Glasses clink for luck and as a show of solidarity.  As laughs are heard a beautiful young woman approaches the table]

CHELLE:  (glancing up)  Risa!  (standing up so fast the chair almost goes flying and shoving out a hand)  Hi, I’m Michelle from LITERAL ADDICTION.  You can call me Chelle though.  And this… (gesturing to the right)

CARLA:  (shaking hands as well and chuckling)  Hi, I’m Carla from Book Monster Reviews.

RISA: It's a pleasure to meet you both. I have to say, you look as if you've pulled up extremely well from the long flight. Every time I've had to  do it, I've been dead on my feet for days.

CHELLE:  (gesturing to the empty seat)  Please, join us.  And thank you so much for inviting us and taking time out of your incredibly busy schedule. (sits)

RISA [takes a seat, laughs] Trust me, it's been kinda insane around here lately, so I'm thankful for any excuse to just sit and chat for a while.

CARLA:  (sitting as well)  Yes, we really appreciate it.  We know our readers will be ecstatic to read all about our visit when we get home. 

[waitress is called over. Refills are ordered for Chelle and Carla, as well as a large glass of Coke for Risa]

RISA   You've come a long way to do this interview, so I hope they appreciate your effort!

CHELLE:  So, I don’t mean to just jump right in, but we have so many questions.  How are things going with your mission for Hunter? 

RISA (gives a unladylike snort): That's one hell of a question to start with. And really, what can I say? I hate working for the bitch and she needs to die  [hesitates, glances over shoulders, then says, in softer tones] I'm afraid I can't say too much, because she's having me followed twenty-four-seven.  She doesn't trust me to tell her everything when it comes to the keys. And rightly so, I might add.

CARLA:  We know you’re only working for her and the Council for one reason, though.  Any new leads about your mom? 

RISA [grimaces] Not yet. Whoever killed her left absolutely no clues and it's damn frustrating. But I will eventually get the murderer, you can bank on that.

CHELLE:  How are Tao and Ilianna?  What are they up to these days?

[Waitress brings drinks for everyone]

RISA: Ilianna's up to her neck in stallion problems—did you know her parents are trying to hook her up? You'd think they'd catch a clue that she's gay after all these years of going out with women rather than men, but no.  As for Tao...[sighs] we have our fingers crossed. He's getting the best of care, but not even Kiandra—the head witch over at the Brindle--has ever heard of someone consuming a fire elemental before. He's still in a coma, and we just don't know what's going to happen. But he's a strong man, and we're hopeful.

CARLA:  I have to ask after the family.  (smiles)  How are Riley, Quinn, Rhoan and the rest of the crazy crew?

RISA: They're all fine. Riley's keeping busy with her photography and shoe designing  [hesitates, lifts one leg to reveal a rather stunning purple shoes with sparkly silver stiletto spike] this is one of her latest. The heel is wooden, of course. Riley insists on them—one can never be too careful, according to her. [pauses, grins] Of course, if she had her way, she'd have us all wrapped in cotton wool and never let us out of her sight. She's a tad over protective when it comes to her family.

CHELLE: Speaking of family, how are her kids? Do you see them much these days?

RISA: Unfortunately, no. I mean, Liana and Ronan are still in training to become cops—much to Riley's continuing horror--Darci's in uni, and Kian and Nika are off traveling through Europe at the moment. I'm sorta glad, actually, because I'd hate for them to get involved in my mess. It's bad enough that I've dragged in Riley, Rhoan, and Quinn as much as I have.

CHELLE:  Any more clue as to what needs to be done about the gate keys?  Any more word from your dad?

RISA [takes large gulp of Coke] I rather not hear from him after the last time! I can do without another round of damn bruises, thank you very much. As for the gate keys... [shrugs]  the damn book that held the clues to their location got burned when we were all fighting the fire elementals, so we've basically got nothing until my father does front up again.

CARLA:  So… we have to ask. (grinning)  Where is that sexy Reaper?

CHELLE:  (smiling broadly) Yes!  Where is Azriel?  Any chance we might get to say ‘hi’?

RISA: He's always close, trust me on that ….

CHELLE:  (frowning slightly and semi-interrupting)  Did it just get really warm in here?

CARLA:  (notices hairs on arms standing on end)  I was thinking more electric…

RISA (looking amused):  He can have that effect on you.

[Azriel pops into existence without anyone outside of our table being the wiser]

CHELLE:  (flinching slightly)  Whoa.  Hi! 

CARLA [eyes wide]:   You can say that again!

AZRIEL [bows slightly]: It is a pleasure to meet you both.

CHELLE:  (leaning over to whisper in Carla’s ear as Risa and Azriel chat)  So, what or who does he look like to you?

CARLA:   (leaning in to whisper back)  Oddly enough he looks just like Colin Farrell.

CHELLE:  (laughing out loud)  O.K, it’s not just me then. (smirking)  Good.  Because while I knew it was Azriel, ‘Jensen Ackles’ just sat down in front of us. 

[The two laugh and shake their heads at the craziness of Azriel appearing to everyone as something/someone different]

CHELLE:  So Azriel, how are things going with your mission?

[Azriel glances at Risa. His expression is hard to define.] My task here would be easier if certain people would learn to heed advice.]

Risa [with another unladylike snort] I'm always open to sensible advice. It's the irrational stuff I won't listen to.

AZRIEL: Reapers do not get irrational-

RISA: Then tell me why you hate Lucian so much?

AZRIEL [no change in expression, but the air is decidedly frostier] You trust the Aedh too much-

RISA: Because he has done nothing wrong.

AZRIEL: Yet.

CARLA [clears throat gently]:   We know that Reapers aren’t meant for this much time amongst humanity.  How are you holding up?

RISA: [looks contrite] Uh, sorry. I'm sure you didn't come all this way to listen to us argue.

AZRIEL: Holding flesh any length of time can get dangerous, as reapers are not used to contending with human emotion or desires.  It is … [glances at Risa again] challenging.

CHELLE :  So,what’s next for the two of you?

RISA [shrugs]: The bitch otherwise known as Hunter has given us another job, so we have to deal with that.  And, of course, we still have to try and locate the next key—although personally, I'd rather the damn things remain lost.

AZRIEL: Leaving the keys unfound is hardly the answer.

RISA: let's argue about this later.

AZRIEL: A joy I look forward to

RISA: Sarcasm does not become you, reaper

CARLA:   I’m sure you two are incredibly busy.  We should probably let you get back to it.  Thanks so much again for talking with us Risa.  We really appreciate it.  And Azriel, it was wonderful meeting you.  Thanks for dropping by.

AZRIEL: It was a pleasure. [winks out of existence]

CHELLE:  [blinks]. Doesn't say much, does he?

RISA [smiles] No—not unless he's arguing with me or we're talking about Lucian.  Then he has entirely too much to say.

CARLA:  Our readers are going to be so excited.  We wish you all the best and we’d absolutely love to come back and talk with you again someday.  Maybe you can tell us the story of how you ultimately saved the world.  (smiles)

RISA: If I manage to save the world and come it all through alive, it'll be my great pleasure.

CHELLE:  (sniffing)  Hey Risa, who's in the kitchen this afternoon?  That smells absolutely heavenly!  I am suddenly starving.  Would you mind if Carla and I stayed for dinner? 

RISA: Oh please, yes, stay for dinner—my treat! Rachel's in the kitchen tonight, and while her burgers are almost as good as Tao's, I highly recommend you try her chocolate chip and cashew nut pavlova—it's almost better than sex!  [winks, then stands up] Depending, of course, on who your partner is. Speaking of which, I must go find mine....   Enjoy the rest of your stay, ladies!

Keri is offering up a signed copy of "Darkness Devours" to a winner from Book Monster and another winner over at the LITERAL ADDICTION website.

Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

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