Friday, February 21, 2014

Timeless Night: A Visit with Torie James


If you could live forever, what would you choose to live for? I chose love...

A silent guardian, Alexander has walked the corridors of time in pursuit of an end to a haunting prophecy. Sabrina has lived a life surrounded by modern magic, unaware that the greatest and deadliest of powers reside within her own soul. If it only takes the light of love to ignite the stars, what of the decadent seduction of darkness? All roads don’t lead home and some myths only grow into legend.


Excerpt:

"Did you do that?"
"Do what? Screw up a perfectly good cake? Yes, yes I did."
He moved to her side. "No. I mean, did you make the fire go out?"
"What? I don’t know. No. Yes. Maybe. Why?" She slid her eyes up to his and he was taken aback by the venom in that gaze.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"You want the whole list or just the Cliff Notes?" She frowned back down at the pan and snorted in disgust at the blackened lump and shook her head. "Sorry about your oven. And pan. Cooking was never a strong point." She evaded answering his question.
"Then why did you start it?" He watched her agitated actions as she tried to dump out the "cake", shoving it down the garbage disposal with a wooden spoon. She was upset about something but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what.
"My Huntress, what’s wrong?"
"Stop that! Just stop that!" She threw the switch on the disposal, keeping her face from him.
"Stop what?" He was genuinely confused.
"That whole "my huntress" bit. I’m not yours." Killing the switch, she mindlessly cleaned up her mess, stepping around him, still not making eye contact then she switched topics. "What are you doing home already anyway? Thought you’d be out for hours or whatever. You know, hunting." The way she curled her lip on the last word wasn’t lost on him.
"Sabrina, it’s necessary I make sure there are no more loose rogues running through the city, I told you that. The last thing we need is an army sneaking up on us. We need to fo—"
"Focus. Yep. I know." She made to go around him again as she grabbed at some dusty measuring cups, but he snaked out a hand and pulled her closer.
"What is wrong with you? And don’t bother ly—"
She cut him off curtly. "Lying? Because you’ll know? Does that line work on all women or do you just save it for me?" Her angry, bright eyes met his again, her tone derisive as she forged on, not letting him answer. "Fine, want to know what’s wrong? You. You’re what’s wrong. You come blowing into my life looking like yummy wrapped up in delish, turn me into a vampire...excuse me...a guardian...my bad. Then you make me live in this freaking palace with you. One minute you’re either chastising me or you’re turning me on, and then pushing me away. And all the while, feeding me some mythical crap story about how I’m your dead wife and then leave me here, alone, while you go off and fang fuck God knows how many women and I have to..."
Alex was close to losing it, half torn between laughing at her obvious jealousy and growling with displeasure at how she wasn’t seeing the larger picture at all. He yanked her even closer.
Again, bad idea.
Her unfettered, sweetly rounded breasts crushed against his hard chest, causing her to squeak and him to moan, whispering low. "Are you truly being obtuse or do you just enjoy torturing me?"
"Torture you? Torture You? What about me? I go my whole damn life wondering when or if, I’ll ever know what it feels like to desire anything other than work and there you are. But you can’t stand touching me. I’m repulsive."
He wanted to shake her, throttle some sense into the stubborn package that was Sabrina. "So, the concerns of a thousand years mean nothing to you? Or the fact that I’m trying desperately to figure out how we keep the past from repeating itself and all you’re concerned with is having sex?"
"Oh, way to trivialize my feelings. Thanks."
"They are trivial compared to everything else, yes. You think I’m not touching you because I find you revolting?" He pushed her back against the counter, a devil on his shoulder as he slowly ground his hips into her, letting her feel the steely bulge of his erection. "Does that feel like I’m disgusted by you?"
"Then why? Why won’t you...?" She bit off her own low growl, shoulders slumping in defeat even as her arms slid around his waist unconsciously, keeping them together. "Why won’t you make love to me?"
"Did you ever think for a moment in your lovely, outraged sense of dramatics that perhaps I don’t want to do anything that will harm you more than help?" He couldn’t be this close to her without his heart hitching painfully, his instincts keening as the sleeping beast struggled to take over. The fact remained it was becoming harder and harder to resist her, to resist the passion that was clearly there between them. It was much stronger this time around. Much.
"Alex." Her voice was husky, sincere. "I read your other journal. I know you think that making love will somehow make me more vulnerable. That you felt you had diminished Vivianne’s power somehow. But, I don’t think that’s it at all."
"You read that?" A low growl rumbled deep in his chest. "Break into my things, did you?"
"Recon work. That’s my story." She snaked a hand up his back to curl around his neck. "Alex. You didn’t do anything wrong. Neither did Vivianne. Why do you think it made her vulnerable?"
He set his face mulishly. "Merlyn once said that her power lay in her purity. She died the day after I made her mine." His haunted tone was thick. "Merlyn also said he thought she was invulnerable to mortal weapons and yet Mordred ran her through and pierced her heart. Tell me how that was not my fault? I’m not willing to risk you like that. Do you understand me? I won’t sit by and watch you die. Not again."
He lowered his head even as he spoke, unable to stop the scorching, needy kiss that had her clutching at his back and him lifting her slightly onto the counter. She wrapped her legs around him tightly, body arching under the contact. He was going up in flames, and knew she was melting into a puddle of need and arousal, he felt it for one hot moment.


1. How did you start writing erotic romance? I’d tried several genres before I returned to what I loved most which is erotic romance. Nothing immerses me more in fantasy or makes me feel more magical than the world of romance. That’s not to say I won’t attempt to tackle other genres at some point, but for now, if it ain’t broke, no need to fix it.

2. Plotter or pantster? Both! It’s a sickness from which I’m afraid there is no cure. I have the best of intentions at the beginning of each book but usually two to four pages in, all my meticulous planning sails right out the window and I’m pantsering it big time!

3. What are three things you have on your writing desk? My Harry Potter Wand, the framed copyright to Timeless Night and my big ol’ Owl decorated sippy cup.

4. Favorite food? Taco pie! My mum makes the best!

5. Tell us a little about your new release. What character in the book really spoke to you? Timeless Night is the first book in my New Camelot series. I took all the worn out, done to death, tales of Camelot, Merlin, Arthur and Excalibur and refashioned them, retooled them. What if Excalibur hadn’t been a mystical, mythical sword? What if it was more? What if all that legendary power was actually embodied in a person? And what if decisions made a thousand years ago were still being played out today? Of all my characters in this book, I’d have to say the character who haunted me most was Alexander, the Knight formerly known as Lancelot. To love like that? To have that kind devotion and soul? To carry the burden he has since one rainy day in Wales...well, he and I had many heart to heart chats. I like to think I helped to heal him as much as Sabrina, my heroine, did.

6. I write because ____...its unbearable to NOT write.

7. What is your favorite type of character to write about? Women with massive flaws. Imperfect and a bit loony in their ways, yet strong and independent.

8. What is the sexiest scene you ever wrote? Mmm! The first sex scene with Alex and Sabrina in Timeless Night. Dark, heated, a bit of the kink thrown in for their public display of affection. *winks*

9. What advice would you give new authors in the erotica/romance field? Don’t give up. Ever. It will be hard, you will want to quit and you will find yourself wondering if it’s ever going to be worth it. It is. Trust me.

10. What is next on your writerly horizon? Book 2 of New Camelot, Timeless Desire, will be available on March 21st, through the fab peeps at Breathless Press. I’m so excited! And I’ve submitted the beginning of what I hope turns out to be a new series called The Cloie Chronicles. That’s about the Greek Goddess of Fate, Clotho. Torn between two men who want her and the secret they all share. And...I’ve already begun working on Book 3 of New Camelot, Timeless Seduction. 


About the author:

Torie James lives in Southern California physically but spends more time inside her head where the voices are real, the dreams are bright and the stories keep unfolding. Co-Author of “Whispers in the Dark”, an epic poetry book along Stacy Moran and Ashley Nemer, Ms. James’ debut novel, “Timeless Night” hits the public in September 2013. If you want to follow along on the bumpy Whirl-a-gig that is her life, you can follow along at https://www.facebook.com/TorieNJames.







1 comment:

Thanks for commenting!