Crimson Groves by Ashley Robertson

Abigail Tate was a normal human girl. Until the day Bronx the vampire barges into her life and turns her against her will. Held captive while forced to deal with never ending cravings for blood, Abby prays for a way to escape. Only when an opportunity arises, it’s with the aid of an innocent human named Tyler–except vampires are forbidden to interact with the unbitten. But Abby quickly learns this human has secrets of his own…secrets that can either help her or get her killed. Only Abby discovers that she was the one with the biggest secret of them all.

 

**June 2012 Extras added to the e-book version only (including the first chapter of the sequel Crimson Flames (book #2 of The Crimson Series)

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Ashley Robertson resides in sunny Orlando, Florida and loves reading and writing about everything urban fantasy and paranormal romance. When she isn’t writing you’ll find her spending time with family and friends, training in her home gym, traveling and exploring new places, drinking fine red wines, and making gourmet coffees with her Nespresso machine.

 

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Interview

Tell us a little bit about your book, and have you published before? Crimson Groves was my very first published urban fantasy and it’s about: Bronx the vampire barges into Abigail Tate’s life and forcibly turns her, then holds her captive. When a chance to escape arises, it’s with the aid of an innocent human—except vampires are forbidden to interact with the unbitten. But Abby learns this human has secrets of his own…secrets that can help or get her killed. Only soon Abby discovers that she was the one with the biggest secret of all.

Since CG, I’ve published UnGuarded (a mature YA/paranormal romance) about a guardian angel torn between her duties and her heart. Selene was close to becoming an archangel—until she fell in love with a vampire. Now her dark lover has been kidnapped and the only way to save him is by abandoning her human charge. But her choice to save him doesn’t come without a price. Selene must push her diminishing angel abilities to where she risks becoming fallen, praying she can save the ones she loves before her fate is sealed.

 

Are you currently working on anything else? Yes. I’m working on Crimson Flames, the sequel to CG, which will pick up right where we left Abby and her quest to learn more about the sorceress powers that were awakened inside her when she was turned into a vampire—making her a whole new hybrid species. There’s a group of rogue vamps banding together and forming a Resistance against the vampire governing body, The Head Council, and Abby’s newly discovered powers are the key to the Council’s victory. Now the Resistance will do anything possible to remove the hybrid threat, and with no other options, Abby is forced to rely on the aid of the Council, yet can she trust the very vampires that hunt for her human lover? And even worse, can she fight the unwelcome attraction that’s growing between her and one of those ancient vampire rulers?

 

Do you have any advice for authors wanting to publish? (Why did you choose to go indie [if this applies]? If not why traditional?) After receiving countless rejection letters from literary agencies (most of the personal ones were because no one wanted to touch anything vampire related thanks to the Twilight books), I finally came to the grueling decision of self-publishing. And let me tell you, I respect every other indie author out there that’s pushing their book daily and making sales. When publishing yourself, there are extra fees and expenses that you eat up front with hopes of making back in book revenue. Indie authors are on their own with hiring a professional editor, which I highly recommend (mine is Stephen Delaney with Close Reader Editing), getting a dramatic book cover created (I use Claudia with PhatpuppyArt)—and trust me, a lot of people judge a book by its cover—policing the publishing company since they seem to screw up your manuscript during their ‘formatting’ procedure, and then waiting patiently for the finals to arrive. And that’s just the beginning. Once your book is ready, it’s time to spread the word, market it everywhere, seek wonderful book bloggers to review it, and host interviews and giveaways, all the while praying they’ll love it and give it a good rating. Honestly, it’s a full-time job just working on that, plus you’ve got to keep writing your next best seller too. (smiles)

 

What is your favorite writing snack? Raw nuts and cottage cheese.

 

What gets you in the mood to write? An overcast sky, and when it rains, my creativeness seems to just flow.

 

Who is your favorite character and why? My favorite character written by another author is Cat from Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series. I love how strong she is on the outside, and yet on the inside, she’s vulnerable and needy, but she only shows that soft side to Bones (her vampire soul mate). And currently my fave character that I’ve written is Abby from Crimson Groves and Crimson Flames. She’s stronger now that she’s embraced the fact that she’s a vampire hybrid and she isn’t taking any more crap from anyone. She’s made some tough decisions that could end up getting her killed, but she doesn’t let her fear stand in the way of doing what’s right. I’m very proud of how Abby has become more confident in herself and her powers, and she’s gotten a lot feistier too.

 

Favorite book of all time? Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost.

 

I think breakfast says a lot about a person; what is your perfect breakfast? Lately, I’ve been keeping it short and simple by making a fruit and protein smoothie with ground flax and chia seeds. Blueberries have been in season, so I’ve been using a bunch of those with a scoop of vanilla whey protein. On my “Cheat Day” I tear up some warm, flaky cinnamon rolls with extra frosting.

 

Do you have a favorite period of time that you like to write about or would like to live in? I always like to keep moving forward, never really been the type of person to dwell on the past. Some history fascinates me, but I don’t really see me incorporating it into my books. Current times seem to be my comfort writing zone for sure.

 

Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book! Because it’s a unique twist on the sought-after undead we just can’t seem to get enough of.

Thank you so much for visiting with us today Ashley!

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