Happy Reading!
February 28, 2011
Darkness Dawns Blog Tour
A brief note: This one is more abrupt than the rest. I actually expanded it a little because the original didn’t include Sheldon, just the Hot Seat Questions I was asked to offer up to the characters.
SHELDON: Hi, Guys. Thanks for taking a few minutes to answer these questions. Let’s get started. Cats or dogs?
ROLAND: Who are you and why do you want to know?
SARAH: [sighs] Roland, sweetie, you know Seth wants you to do this for the network to… improve your image somewhat.
ROLAND: You mean so the network employees won’t tremble in fear whenever they encounter me.
SARAH: Yes.
ROLAND: Fine. Cats. Nietzsche may be crazy, but he has proven to be a good companion.
SARAH: I like both.
SHELDON: Beach or pool?
ROLAND: Beach. They’re usually deserted at night and I find them… soothing.
SARAH: Me, too. Beach.
SHELDON: Paperback or Hardback?
ROLAND: Hardback. They withstand the test of time better.
SARAH: Hardback. I reread favorites often and hardbacks fare better.
SHELDON: Coffee or tea?
ROLAND: Tea.
SARAH: Tea. I loathe the scent of coffee.
SHELDON: Triple threat—sing, dance, or act? Pick one.
ROLAND: None of the above.
SARAH: Sing. I’m a music professor and love music, though I wish I could do more than just stay on pitch.
ROLAND: You have a beautiful voice.
SARAH: [kisses his cheek] You’re biased, honey.
SHELDON: Make the call or send a text?
ROLAND: Who would I call?
SARAH: Make the call.
SHELDON: Cake or pie?
ROLAND: Pie.
SARAH: Both. I can put away a lot of food.
ROLAND: [laughs] Yes, you can.
SHELDON: Superstrength or superspeed?
ROLAND: I don’t have to choose. I have both.
SARAH: Superspeed. You can get so much more done every day with it.
SHELDON: Favorite sing-in-the-shower-song?
ROLAND: I don’t sing.
SARAH: Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On.”
SHELDON: Vamps or Shifters?
ROLAND: Since all the shifters I know of are immortals… shifters.
SARAH: There are immortals who can shape-shift?
SHELDON: Summer or winter?
ROLAND: Winter. I like the longer nights.
SARAH: Winter. I like the longer nights, too, and prefer the cooler weather.
SHELDON: Boxers or briefs?
ROLAND: Seriously? You’re asking me about my underwear?
SARAH: [whispers] Boxers.
SHELDON: High heels or flats?
ROLAND: Sarah looks beautiful in either.
SARAH: Flats… [grins] preferably Converse Chuck Taylor high tops.
SHELDON: All right. That’ll do it. Thanks again.
October 2011
Preceded the Night Reigns Blog Tour
SHELDON: Nice to see you again, sir.
ROLAND: Do I know you?
SARAH: He’s Richart’s Second, sweetie. [smiles at Sheldon] Aren’t you?
SHELDON: [straightens his shoulders and puffs out his chest] Yes, ma’am.
ROLAND: The one who screws up all the time?
SHELDON: [deflates] Yes.
SARAH: [elbows Roland] Be nice.
ROLAND: Why? We could be neck-deep in a bubble bath right now, licking water droplets off each other’s—
SARAH: [claps a hand over his mouth and blushes] Later.
ROLAND: [eyes flash brilliant amber] Promise?
SARAH: Yes. [clears throat] Now, if I’m remembering correctly, Sheldon, Chris Reordon sent you here to interview us.
ROLAND: For what?
SHELDON: There have been rumblings recently at the network. Some of the employees are… uneasy with regard to the new vampire situation. As head of the network, Chris thought it might ease their minds a bit if we provided them with a vampire handbook of sorts and squelched some of the more alarming rumors that are going around.
ROLAND: [grunts] What do you want to know?
SHELDON: First, what’s it like to be a vampire?
ROLAND: How the hell should I know? I’m an immortal.
SHELDON: Yes, but you hunt vampires every night and have encountered hundreds in your lifetime.
ROLAND: I’m almost a millennium old. I’ve encountered thousands.
SHELDON: So what can you tell me—and network employees—about them?
ROLAND: They’re insane.
SARAH: [nods sadly] They are.
SHELDON: Can you tell us why?
ROLAND: Is there really anyone at the network who doesn’t already know?
SHELDON: Reordon wants to revamp—no pun intended—the handbook for new recruits. Someone [cough] me [cough] told him the current explanation was too long-winded and included way too much medical mumbo-jumbo, so he wanted me to ask you immortals to tell it in your own words.
SARAH: [pats Roland’s knee] I’ll field this one. Immortals and vampires are both infected with the same virus, which lends them dramatically increased strength, speed, healing capabilities, and enhanced senses. Vampires are humans who have been infected, whereas immortals are gifted ones who have been infected. Gifted ones are men and women who were born with extremely advanced DNA that gives them special abilities, such as healing, telepathy, precognition, and the like. Vampires rapidly descend into madness when the virus damages their brains. Immortals don’t. Their advanced DNA protects them from that aspect of the virus.
SHELDON: Thank you. You just told me in one paragraph what that boring-ass manual spent three chapters explaining.
SARAH: I really feel sorry for the vampires. Some of them are nice guys before they’re transformed. And most of them don’t ask to become sociopaths who prey upon humans.
ROLAND: That doesn’t stop you from destroying them. You should see her in action, Sheldon. She kicks ass like the best of them. She has from the very beginning.
SARAH: [grins] You’re biased.
ROLAND: Damned straight.
SARAH: He loves strong women.
ROLAND: [wraps an arm around her and drops a kiss on her head] I love this strong woman.
SHELDON: Wow. Marcus was right. You two really can be kinda nauseating when you’re all lovey-dovey.
SARAH: [frowns] Marcus said that?
SHELDON: Yeah. But to be fair, I think he was ticked off at the time because Roland wouldn’t tell him where your new place is.
SARAH: Ro-land!
ROLAND: What?
SARAH: I thought you were going to try to be a little less antisocial.
ROLAND: [grumbles] I’m working on it.
SHELDON: Speaking of Marcus, have you heard the latest?
SARAH AND ROLAND: [shake their heads]
SHELDON: [leans forward and drops his voice to a dramatic whisper] Seth assigned him a new Second. A woman.
ROLAND: Why are you whispering?
SARAH: You mean Ami? Yes, we heard.
SHELDON: [disappointed] Oh.
ROLAND: We also heard she wants to kick your ass.
SHELDON: [frowns] Yeah, she can try.
ROLAND: [looks over Sheldon’s shoulder] You heard him, Ami. Have at ’im.
SHELDON: [leaps up with a deer-in-the-headlights expression and spins around only to find no one there] Dude! [wilts with relief] Uncool!
ROLAND: [offers him a dark smile] So she really is gunning for you.
SARAH: [trying not to laugh] Roland, you shouldn’t scare him like that.