Manic Monday Special Guest Ashlynne Laynne

Today I have a special guest on my blog. Ashlynne Laynne has agreed to come on and chat about her latest book coming out this week.

JET: Can you tell us about The Progeny?

Ashlynne: At its core, The Progeny is simply a story about a man and woman who fall in love. It started as research about the Salem witch trials, some rough sketches of a special family heirloom that my guys would wear and two names—Ascher and Shauna. In the beginning, of the book, Ascher is grumpy. Frankly, who could blame him? He’s engaged to seal to Ursula—a cold and careless vampire who wants nothing more than to get her hands on a bloodstone— and he feels conflicted about his existence. All of that changes when he meets Shawnette McCutchin. She’s beautiful, intriguing and possesses some of the most potent blood that he’s ever smelled. A war immediately begins inside Ascher. He craves her blood just as much as he craves her body and the closer they get the harder it is for him to control his urges. After Ascher calls off the sealing to Ursula, the trouble begins. The peaceful period essentially ends when Ursula’s army attacks the Rousseaus. Throw in a kidnapping and Wiccan rage and the plot is complete.

JET: What drew you to paranormal romance?

Ashlynne: I’ve always loved stories and movies about witches and I, admittedly, have a soft spot in my heart for vampires. I grew tired of the garlic fearing, sun loathing creatures of old. An avid horror movie fan, I tend to enjoy media and music that is of a younger, more eclectic nature. This was the catalyst for my writing The Progeny. The vampire/witch pairing is unique and different when most paranormal media pairs them with werewolves. The infinite possibilities, for such a wicked couple, intrigued me. I like to think of Ascher and Shauna as the damned version of Romeo and Juliet with supernatural gifts.



JET: What’s been your most challenging hurdle on the road to publication?

Ashlynne: Finding a publisher that I was comfortable with. I turned down one larger publisher and a smaller one because they didn’t feel good to me. The Progeny was my baby and you don’t just let anyone babysit your child. I wanted my baby to be in good and capable hands. I found those hands at NCP. My characters and ideas have been respected, nurtured and I’ve been encouraged throughout the process—all of the things I knew that my story deserved.

JET: What was your favorite moment in the journey?

Ashlynne: The moment that I got the email of acceptance from NCP. I really wanted to be a part of this publishing family. It just felt like the place that my baby belonged.

JET: Which authors had the most influence over you growing up?

Ashlynne: As a pre-teen, I adored Judy Blume books. Their personal approach spoke to me on a deep and profound level. As an older teen, I loved V.C. Andrews. I’m also a poet and have loved the insightful works of Maya Angelou. When I was sixteen, I discovered Danielle Steel novels (I now realize that I wasn’t the target age group for the books I was reading, but this spurred my love of romance novels). As an adult, I’m wild for anything Stephen King or Kresley Cole but I love a good vampire or witch story.

JET: When did you know you wanted to take the plunge into the writing world?

Ashlynne: I got serious about my writing career a year ago.

JET: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of book research? Most interesting fact you uncovered?

Ashlynne: I spent three hours researching gestation and mating habits of mice for part of The Progeny’s back story. I learned that they have a twenty day gestation. I doubt I’ll ever use that knowledge again but it was worth it for the two or three lines it generated.

JET: Of all the novels and stories you’ve written - which one is your favorite? Why?

Ashlynne: The Progeny, of course. For some reason, this story and the characters are very near and dear to my heart.

JET: Any advice for the novices out there?

Ashlynne: Don’t give up and write as often as possible.

JET: All right - now that I’ve hammered you with the big questions, let’s tackle my favorite (and geeky) quick ten…starting with…Paper or Plastic?

Ashlynne: paper

JET: Steak or Tofu?

Ashlynne: tofu

JET: Beach or Mountains?

Ashlynne: beach

JET: Country or Rock-n-Roll?

Ashlynne: rock-n-roll

JET: Leather or Lace?

Ashlynne: leather

JET: Angels or Demons?

Ashlynne: Both. Yin has to balance Yang.

JET: Paper or Digital?

Ashlynne: digital

JET: Silent Film Classics or Cheesy B Rated Horror?

Ashlynne: cheesy b rated horror

JET: Twilight or True Blood

Ashlynne: True Blood

JET: Coffee or Tea?

Ashlynne: Yuck…neither.

JET: Thank you for indulging me. Before we wrap this up, can you tell us what you're working on now? What's next?

Ashlynne: I’m currently working on the sequel to The Progeny that promises just as much steam and romance as the first with some very special parties you won’t want to miss.

JET: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat on my blog. Folks, you can find out more about Ashlynne Laynne and her work at the following places:

Twitter: @qlane

Facebook: ProgenyBook Page- http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Progeny-Series-by-author-Ashlynne-Laynne/129418917161599

Author Page- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Ashlynne-Laynne/118945981513261
Author Blog: http://authoraslane.blogspot.com/
Email: ashlynnelaynne@aol.com


Until Next time…

Ciao.

JET