January 27, 2017

Brenda Sparks - Character Date - Alpha Lover



Welcome to my new feature to support my fellow authors from The Wild Rose Press! I will be featuring one author for each letter of the alphabet. I also created a few new guest post options, which I hope you'll enjoy. For this one, I ask authors to envision they are going out on a date with one of their characters. ;)

Please help me to welcome the author for B . . . Brenda Sparks!



Thank you so much for having me on your blog to share a little about my latest story, Alpha Lover. When you invited me to pretend to go on a date with one of my characters, the choice was easy—the hero from Alpha Lover.


Pre-Date Questions:

1. Which character are you going out on a date with?

If I could pick any of my characters to date it would be Nicholai Peterhof. He is so romantic and sweet. He’s my favorite male character.

2. Where are you going? 

We will be taking a horse-drawn sleigh out to the frozen pond on his property to do a little ice skating.


THE DATE:

I settle into the leather seat, snuggling under the red quilt against the handsome man sitting beside me. The cool air kisses my cheeks; my vision clouds with unshed tears from the stinging air as it flows around my face. My lashes bind together, creating a rainbow effect that adds an ethereal beauty to the winter wonderland.
Nicholai draws me snuggly against his side. His warmth surrounds me, taking the chill from my body. It is heavenly, toasty warm. I want to remain like this forever.
“How much longer?” I ask, secretly hoping the answer would be ‘eternity’.
“Why, my dear woman? Tired of my company already?”
I pull away and my brows furrow in consternation. He’s misunderstood! “No! No! I didn’t mean it that way.”
A smile pulls at the corner of Nicholai’s lips. When a deep chuckle pulsates from his muscular chest, I realize I’ve been had, so I playfully ruffle his raven hair.
Laughter shows in Nicholai’s hazel eyes as pulls me back against his side. “I know what you meant. We are almost there. It’s just over this next rise.”
When the sleigh crests the rise, the scene greeting us reminds me of a Thomas Kinkaid painting. At the bottom of the hill, a frozen pond sparkles in the moonlight with rainbow prisms dancing on the ice. Bare trees, their branches heavy with snow, line the pond. Candles hang from the bowing branches, and their dancing flames makes the snow glitter with the ambient light. Tiny frozen crystals bid us a lustrous welcome.
Nicholai reins the horse to a stop. Kedar prances in the snow, making his bells jingle and turns to look at us from over his muscular shoulder as if to say, “We’re here.”
As the tinkling bells quiet, Nicholai reaches under the seat and pulls out a pair of ice skates. “Tell me, Brenda, do you skate?”
Child-like glee widens my smile. “Oh yes, I love to ice skate. I took lessons when we were children.”
Anticipation of his strong arms around me, guiding me over the ice with his front pressing against my back, makes my heart race.


Blurb:

Starved for blood, vampire, Nicholai Peterhof is greatly relieved when two tourists, in Russia for the Christmas holiday, decide to grace his restaurant, but one sip from the pretty brunette and his world is forever turned upside down. Juliette Staint-John is everything he could have asked for in a heartmate; pretty, smart, built with curves in all the right places…and totally unavailable.

Juliette doesn’t want anything to do with the handsome, young-looking Nicholai. As if their differences aren’t enough, the acute grief over the loss of loved ones keeps her heart guarded. He may be her fantasy, but that’s all he can ever be.

To get past Juliette’s defenses and in order to keep her safe, Nicholai must prove himself worthy of her love and trust. Unbeknownst to the couple, her personal demons are not the only ones threatening their relationship. Hiding virtually unseen by the vampires, Demon Royalty plots to destroy not only the couple but the entire vampire breed. Luckily, Nicholai will do anything for Juliette—even if it means sacrificing himself.

BUY LINKS:

Bio:

Born in Virginia, Brenda Sparks now resides in the Sunshine State.  Balancing her professional commitment to the local school district with her writing is challenging at times, but writing suspenseful paranormal romances is a passion that won’t be denied. Her idea of a perfect day is one spent in front of a computer with a hot cup of coffee, her fingers flying over the keys to send her characters off on their latest adventure.  Brenda loves to connect with readers.  Please visit her online or stop by her website to say hi.

AUTHOR LINKS:


Thanks for sharing that lovely date with us, Brenda!


Please leave a comment for Brenda. :)


16 comments:

  1. What a great idea for a series! You always come up with such good ones, Chrys.
    Nice to meet you, Brenda! Now I want to go on a date with Nicholai too. :)

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  2. An ice skating date sounds so romantic, especially after reading about Nicholai :-)

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  3. After such a date, warming up later shall be fun.

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  4. Wxcellent write Chrys, You sure have a winner with this idea of yours for your blog.

    Have a wonderful week-end.
    Yvonne.

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    1. Thanks, Yvonne. Brenda wrote the post. I just came up with the prompt. :)

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  5. What an interesting and original concept for a feature. Love it! (And I had a good laugh at the idea of being on a date with any of my characters. Or just my characters on a date at all.)

    Hope you and Brenda both have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. I'm glad you like this feature, MJ! I guess I imagine going out on dates with my characters too much. ;)

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  6. You always come up with the funnest posts. Dating your own character...sweet idea!

    (If I started a date ice skating, it would probably end in the ER!)

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    1. Thanks, Elizabeth! I try to make it fun for my guests. :)

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  7. Ice skating would be fun. It's been years since I was on the ice.

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  8. Thank you, Chrys, for featuring me on your wonderful blog! Going on the pretend date was fun. :)
    I'm so glad your readers are enjoying the date as well. I hope everyone has a terrific weekend! With luck, maybe we can all have a wintry date with someone special.

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    1. You're very welcome, Brenda! Sorry I was able to check in on the comments sooner.

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  9. Dark raven hair and a killer body....enter drool. He wouldn't have a chance to get away from my cougar grip:) Hey, my hubby has black hair and raven eyes and he is strong except he has a little chocolate belly on his trim build. Congrats on being showcased here

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  10. What a fun date that would be. Congratulations, Brenda, on your book. Nice "meeting" you. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend too.

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  11. I could use a date like that right now :)

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