Never Date A Vampire by Marilyn Vix

Give a warm welcome to Marilyn Vix, author of Never Date A Vampire.

 

Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Marilyn and Never Date A Vampire!   

Marilyn, hat defines you as an author? As a person? Are they one in the same?

Marilyn Vix: I think writing is a part of me. I discovered the secret to writing when I was ten. I was given a journal and writing assignments by my fifth grade teacher. I had to write reports or short stories, and I discovered this power I had to create an entire “world” where everything could happen as I wanted. Or not. I was like a demigod at ten. This is a fearsome power to understand and start to weld at such a young age. Of course, I had a long way to go on writing craft, but over the last few decades, it did improve, especially since I became a teacher myself. I actually became a teacher, not only for the needed health insurance, but because I felt it would help my need to write. I had to get better at it if I taught it.

Writing has always been at the core of my very being. It drives often what I choose to do in life. So defining myself as an author since I was ten has driven me to become an educational professional and full time romance author. Another secret, I also write children’s middle grade fantasy books.

What makes you laugh out loud?

Marilyn Vix: This is probably the most interesting question I’ve had in an interview, ever. The simplest thing could make me laugh, like my cat doing a cute turn on her back and waving her paws at me. To something one of the students that I tutor may say. But I have a teacher’s humor. I don’t like the “Three Stooges”. I’ve never liked slapstick. But I love comedians like Kathy Griffin, Eddie Izzard or the Monty Pythons. I enjoy smart humor more than physical, silly comedy.

Did you tell friends and family that you were writing a book? Or did it take a while to come out and tell friends and family you were a writer?

Marilyn Vix: I had written children’s books and my family knew about it. But I did keep it secret that I was writing romance novellas from my family for awhile. I guess it’s because I was afraid of ridicule, which is so often heaped upon readers and writers in the romance genre. But as I saw readers enjoying it, reaching out to me, and letting me know how much they enjoyed my stories, I opened up more with my family.

Though my husband never will read my books because he said wisely it is not his preferred genre, I have gotten my mother to start reading romance suspense and paranormal romances. Unlike other romance readers, I was a late starter, with my mother mostly reading fantasy and mysteries. So, I’ve actually introduced her into the paranormal romances I learned to enjoy when I fell into the genre as a reader and later writer.

Do you see yourself in your characters?

Marilyn Vix: All the time. A large secret in writing is that the main character is often the author themselves, and I often will use a friend to base a character on as well. The main characters have many aspects of myself in them. Not all of course. I do put in a variety of differences, but in essence, I put myself into them.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Marilyn Vix: I perform at Renaissance Fairs around Northern California. I play the Gaelic Harp, and perform in a parade group called Danse Macabre. I wear all black and a skull mask while playing renaissance era tunes over five hundred years old. Is it a surprise that I enjoy writing paranormal romances? And of course, I find inspiration at Renaissance Fairs for stories. I may have to write a romance that takes place at Ren Fair some day.

You’ve got a time machine, a cloak of invisibility, and one hour. Where would you go, and what eavesdropping would you do?

Marilyn Vix: This is a delicious question. I couldn’t resist it, especially since I’ve written a time travel romance. I suppose I’d take the opportunity to go back to the Golden Age of Hollywood for a half hour and spy on some of my favorite stars from the 1930s. If I could sneak around and watch Jimmy Stewart at work, I’d be a happy author. And I would spend the second half hour jumping to 1952 to watch the filming of Gentleman Perform Blondes. I’d want to be an extra and just watch Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe do their thing. I’d consider it research for my sequel to “Everything For Love”, my time travel romance novel. I’m considering she will just have to pop into Hollywood and that will get her in all sorts of trouble.

SPEED ROUND FOR A LITTLE ADDED FUN:

Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>

Favorite movie: Anything by John Hughs
Favorite book:  Interview with a Vampire
Last book read:  Cleo: The Cat That Mended A Family by Helen Brown
Favorite color: Red
Stilettos or flipflops: Stilettos
Coffee or tea: Coffee and then tea rest of day
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: Ebook
Pencil or pen: Pen

Favorite song: Too many, just too many

Streak or not: A long time ago. That time has passed.

Favorite dessert: White Chocolate Cheesecake

Favorite junk food: Pizza (Hawaiian)

Favorite thing to do to relax: Watch YouTube Video Playlists or binge Kdramas

Champagne or gin: Slow Gin

Paranormal or Historical: Paranormal

Wonder Woman or Top Model: Wonder Woman

Favorite TV show: Currently, Young Sheldon

Hot or cold: Hot

POV: Mine, always

I’d die if I don’t have: Chocolate. Death by chocolate would be my dream way to go.

Okay, thanks for playing along and answering all my questions. Now lets talk about:

Never Date A Vampire – Beware of Vampires – Book 1

Tagline: What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay there. But date a vampire, and you may never leave. Cass finds herself in a mess. Can a vampire save her?

A trip to Las Vegas can be the most fun of your life.
But what if you know witches? Warlocks?
What other creatures could there be in the Las Vegas paranormal underground?
Cassandra Sanders has witnessed a messy witch divorce. Things have blown apart behind her as her friends fought with a warlock. She rides to the Stratosphere with her witch and warlock friends thinking that the worst is behind her. Throw in an Elvis impersonator, and you already have a good time ahead. But she wonders, what about her? She’s all-alone in Las Vegas. What could go wrong if she played some blackjack?
The meeting of a mysterious stranger doesn’t alarm Cass. After a casual drink, she seems to start to lose her will. Is she losing her mind? Drawn to him, she knows that maybe, this was too good to be true. He was too perfect. But in the world of the paranormal underground, where witches and warlocks played, what else should she be afraid of? Will she find out when she reaches his hotel room?
Experience what Cass finds out about the Las Vegas paranormal underground in this new series by Marilyn Vix, a sequel to the Beware of Warlocks series.
Sneak peek from Chapter 1: Never Date A Vampire
Before I had more time to dwell on his charm, he asked, “Well, have you eaten yet?”
I nodded. “I already ate upstairs.”
“At the Top of the World?” I nodded again as he continued, fascinated by his voice and the accent I still couldn’t place. He was saying something about the view or the lights, but it was hard to follow when I couldn’t take my eyes off his mouth. His lips. His voice was a strong rhythm mesmerizing my brain. He stopped talking and I watched as a slow smile formed. I blinked and looked into his amazing eyes. “We could get out of here and explore the Strip.”
I shook my head, mumbling, “Sure.”
“Let’s go, then.” He finished the rest of his martini. I just left the rest of my drink. We moved out of the seating area. He stopped at the bar, dropping a bill onto the counter. It must have been a big bill, because the guy gave him a big thank you. My Bond-like date waved at him.
As I walked next to him, I realized I still didn’t know his name. As if he read my mind, he answered, “By the way, my name is Dante.”
“I’m Cassandra. Cassie for short.”
“Glad to know you, Cassie.”
He put his arm around my waist and guided me up the stairs to the front doors. I felt the pressure of his hand on my back. All of a sudden, I wanted him. I felt the pounding of my heart. My legs were moving almost as if I had no will over them, and all I wanted was to be with Dante. We walked out the door, and he gave a ticket to the valet.
He turned to me, saying, “Now my dear, we’ll take in the best sight in Vegas: my hotel room.” He kissed me, slowly, deliciously, and all I wanted to do was be with him. My brain focused on nothing else. I even didn’t mind the cheesy line of being taken to his hotel room. The valet pulled up in his black Lamborghini, and he helped me get in. I leaned back in the leather seats, shaking my head for a minute as he broke contact with my arm. But it only lasted for a minute, because I felt his hand caressing my hand after he got into the driver’s seat. “Lean back and relax Cassie. It’s not a long drive.”
That’s when I felt my eyes starting to close slowly. Outside the car, someone was calling my name, but I didn’t see who because everything went dark.
My Review on Never Date A Vampire.

Did you know that paranormal creatures walk among us? Well, Cassandra Sanders does. Her best friend is a witch. What she doesn’t know is there are other creatures roaming the Las Vegas paranormal underground?  A trip and partying with a group of witch’s in Las Vegas can be the most fun of your life, or can be a death wish.  She wanders away from her friends and finds out exactly what can go wrong in Las Vegas.

This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Vixs. While the story is somewhat predictable, it doesn’t  take away from the great characters and indepth descriptions, which I love! If you’re  looking for a short entertaining paranoramal read, I highly recommend Never Date A Vampire.

4.5  stars

About the Author:
Marilyn is a paranormal romance novelist. She enjoys the characters that just don’t fit in. From witches to time traveling researchers, she is letting her imagination soar to explore new worlds and write all the details down. Marilyn has traveled to Paris, London, Sydney, Munich and Las Vegas. She loves to include these settings as much as possible. Best of all is letting her reader enjoy them through the perspective of a character. She currently lives in Northern California with her husband and cat. The cat, of course, is the center of attention.
Website/Blog: http://marilynvix.com

 

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It was wonderful having you with us today.  Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Never Date A Vampire!

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Ever Been on A Road Trip From Hell?

I never had such a road trip until the last two weeks.  The first day out, we made it to Gallup, New Mexico relatively unscathed.  The next day, sustained 55 mph winds with 75-86 mph gusts derailed our plans, nearly derailed our fifth wheel, and  put us a day behind, not to mention destroying  a window in the trailer. After a pickup truck and trailer were flipped over ahead of us by the wind, we pulled off in Flagstaff, the wind was way to scary to continue.

The next day we made it to Las Vegas where hubby attended  ConEx, a construction conference.  At the trailer, I did a final check on A Warlock’s Secrets and sent it back to my editor.  Should have a release date soon. A reveal of the swoon worthy cover and exciting blurb are on the horizon!  I can’t wait for you to read it!  We played  tourist with friends, local to Las Vegas, visiting the dancing fountains of the Bellagio and attending a performance of the Cirque Du Soleil show KA. Fantastic show! After we finished up in Vegas, it was on to California and disaster struck again.

As we headed down the highway, passing through Bakersfield,  a trucker pulled along side us and waved —  pointing to our trailer.  We pulled off at the next exit to find smoke rolling out from behind the right front wheel of our trailer. Thank God for truckers.  Upon further examination the bearing had failed and melted to the axle.  Now these bearings had less than five-hundred miles on them.  It was  Friday at 5:00 p.m., all the parts places were closed, so we limped our trailer on three wheels to A Country RV Park approximately 2.8 miles away.  What luck to find one so close! We couldn’t have asked for a better place.  The staff were friendly and very helpful!

Saturday morning bright and early hubby started calling RV Parts places. He learned that an axle needed to be ordered and would take a few days to arrive, since the warehouses wouldn’t open until Monday.  Being a glass half full type of guy, hubby went outside and re-inspected the damage, made a couple of phone calls and yanked out the trusty tools he always packs on our travels. After a visit to an RV parts place and several hundred dollars, he had the parts to fix the damage. Yea!!

Nope that was not all.  As my hubby began work on the axel, I received a phone call informing us a good friend had a heart attack and was being rushed to the hospital. My heart sank.  Back to the mechanical situation – a few bouts of expletives from hubby and four hours later we were on our way again.

Finally we arrived at our destination in California, visited a few days with relatives, and traveled on to Riverton, WY to meet up with friends, then home to Colorado without further complications.  The daffodils, crocus, hyacinth  and tulips in our yard are bravely poking their sprouts  above ground.  Spring is here along with it a lot more camping adventures (as soon as we get a new window). FYI, our friend survived her heart attack and is on the road to recovery! So as they say, (never figured out who they are… but…) all’s well that ends well. Thankfully! Have you ever had a road trip like this?

 

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