Seventh Circle - F.E. Heaton

Please welcome my special guest today, Felicity Heaton, who writes paranormal romance for Alinar Publishing

Dark, sensual and fast-paced, Seventh Circle is a story of forbidden love so strong that it will save the world.

Born with strange powers similar to a vampire's, Lilith has spent her life hunting demons for Section Seven. Now, on the very same night that she watches a vampire kill her best friend, she's faced with her worse nightmare.

A client who is not only attractive, but a vampire.

Lincoln, a powerful pure blood vampire, has a problem. The prophecy he's caught up in is coming to pass and his only chance of survival is relying on those he hates most–vampire hunters. It has been foretold that one will save him, a female hunter, and when he meets her, the attraction he feels is both instantaneous and forbidden.

Their mutual attraction becomes difficult to deny as they work to unravel the mystery of a contract between Lincoln's lord and the Devil. The barriers around their hearts fall, but is there only pain ahead of them? With Lincoln's life on the line, can Lilith find the strength to protect him and embrace a side of herself that she wished didn't exist? Can Lincoln overcome his fear in order to save Lilith even if it means parting from her forever? What price will they pay to be together?

Please tell us a little about yourself, Felicity!

I write romance ebooks in various genres as Felicity Heaton, including paranormal romance, romantic suspense, historical pirate romance, historical western romance, and contemporary romance. As F E Heaton, I write the Vampires Realm novels--vampire romance / dark urban fantasy ebooks. A writer of emotion and life, I always strive to touch a chord of familiarity in my readers and give them characters they can love and a read to remember.

Can you tell us a little about your book?

Seventh Circle is a story about Lincoln, the Chosen Son of the Vehemens bloodline whose Lord has made a pact with the Devil. Since this pact involves Lincoln's death, he's not about to let it happen. Told by three witches that a woman will save him, he goes in search of her. His only problem? It turns out that she's working for Section Seven, an elite vampire hunter organisation. Lilith can't believe her terrible luck when her first paying client turns out to be not only a vampire, but incredibly attractive. It's bad enough that she has to work with him, let alone the fact that no matter how much she tries, she can't deny the way he makes her feel. Both fighting their feelings for different reasons, they work together to unravel the mystery of the contract and find a way to stop the dreadful prophecy from coming to pass. If the Devil captures him, not only will Lincoln die, but all Hell will be unleashed unto the Earth! Lilith enters Lincoln's world when the realisation of her heritage and that those she loved have lied to her shatter her own world. As they fight the forces of Hell itself, Lilith fights to be strong enough to save Lincoln, the man who she has come to love.

How did the idea for the plot come about?

I'm never sure where the plots come from, but this one was influenced in a way by Dante's Inferno. I liked the idea of the circles of Hell, and the landscape, as well as the idea of angels gone bad, and the Devil being involved. I also wanted to explore the idea that a vampire might perhaps have a healthy fear of death and that it's only made worse because he's an immortal demon and knows that he's going to Hell when he dies. He's basically had a long time to think about death, and the longer he lives, the worse he fears it. I also like the idea of coupling a hero and heroine at odds. Lilith is headstrong, fiesty, and unlikely to let her moral code slip. Lincoln fights his feelings as much as she does, but he just can't help himself. The whole thing is made worse when he accidentally bonds with her!

I love sale stories (ok I am just nosy!!) so can you tell us about your road to publication - and your call story?

I've sold a few ebooks before, and normally it's an email that pops into your inbox and a momentary feeling of madness. It's always exciting when you sell a book. I'm yet to sell a book to a traditional publishing house though. That one is still to come. Right now I'm working on stories for sending out to agents... I'll keep you posted! I'm hoping for a juicy call story too.

We are all about the love here, so please share your fave books, movies, TV shows or current fantasy squeeze (it's all in the line of research!)

I grew up reading classic romance and gothic horror, and watching Hammer House of Horror movies. My favourite books are Jane Eyre, Persuasion, and North & South. Movie-wise, I love films and can't think of one single or even just a couple that I could call my favourite. It really depends on my mood. I enjoyed the Underworld films, the Nightwatch, X-men movies, and a slew of romantic comedies. I'm a sucker for them! TV shows I'm into right now are Heroes, as well as anime such as Ga-Rei Zero, Macross Frontier, Kuroshitsuji and Bleach. I love reading manga too, and playing my PS3, on which I'm playing Assassin's Creed and Devil May Cry 4 (I love Dante! Can I have his babies?). In terms of my fantasy squeezes, with so many heroes in my head it's hard to decide. It's got to be one of them, I'm afraid. Actually two. At the moment I'm planning two novels and I love the heroes in them--Julian and Taig. They're such different characters, but both incredibly strong and devoted to the woman they love.

What are you working on now?

A lot of editing! I've managed to accumulate a queue of books that need editing/second drafts. Mostly I'm working on a werewolf romance short called Embracing the Wolf, and the next Vampires Realm story, Winter's Kiss. I can't wait for Winter's Kiss to come out. It's such a contrast to Seventh Circle. Seventh Circle has a lot of twisting, dark plot working alongside the romance. Winter's Kiss is different because it's more romance driven. It's about the characters more than the plot. I think people will enjoy the change.

How can readers keep up with your writing and books?

Well, that's easy. They can check out my books at my websites -

http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk and http://www.vampiresrealm.com

As for keeping up with me, they can do that at my blog and Myspace I'm always there posting about something, whether it's what I've been writing or a teaser for a new book, or a cover, or just what I've been up to recently.