Meet Torie James and find out what she lives next to!!!!

If you could live forever, what would you choose to live for? I chose love...

A silent guardian, Alexander has walked the corridors of time in pursuit of an end to a haunting prophecy. Sabrina has lived a life surrounded by modern magic, unaware that the greatest and deadliest of powers reside within her own soul. If it only takes the light of love to ignite the stars, what of the decadent seduction of darkness? All roads don’t lead home and some myths only grow into legend.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. Please tell us a little about yourself. I love chocolate more than any one person should, I still get choked up watching old black and whites on the A & E channel and I firmly, with all of my heart believe in Narnia, Hogwarts, Wonderland, Neverland and the TARDIS.

2. How did you come up with the idea for your book? Completely by accident. The book I began to write was not the one I ended up with! I had ideas about master vampires and potty mouthed, chocolate loving women with absolutely NO Arthurian overtones. It had merit, THAT book. But then one night, I fell asleep after watching Highlander and Harry Potter. I was in a foggy forest and suddenly there it was! An anicent boulder, covered in cobwebs, sitting in a shaft of radiant sunlight. Sticking out of it was the fabled sword known as Excalibur. It was my dream, and as we all know, dreams don’t need to make sense. That’s what reality is for. I marched right up and pulled that bad boy free. Then it shimmered and burst into glittery dust, disappearing from my grip. That’s when Merlyn appeared. Not the knock kneed, stick thin, old sorcerer of myth. My Merlyn looked more like Adrian Paul (I was watching Highland, remember!). He spoke and what he said threw me for a loop. And here we are...

3. When did the characters first pop into your head? Alexander and Sabrina both came to life a good month before I actually sat down and got to work. Sabrina was easy to flesh out, she’s me, just a bit more restrained. And that’s saying something since she’s a bit odd! 

 

4. Without giving away any spoilers, was the story always straight forward for you to write, or did it pop up any surprises along the way? Surprises the whole way! The conversations I was having in my head among my characters was like to land me in a lovely padded room with my own huggy jacket!

5. Where do you like to write? In bed. My window faces the street and I literally live next door to Disneyland. I can see Sleeping Beauty’s castle from the bed and have my own personal fireworks show every night. 

 

6. Do you read a lot? *twitches* Why? What have you heard? I can quit anytime I want!7. Who are some of your favourite authors? Anne Rice, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Stephen King, Charlaine Harris, Maggie Shayne, Johann Lindsey and Phillipa Gregory.

8. And last but not least, have you any words of wisdom for aspiring writers out there? If you’re in this gig to make money and be famous, get out. Now. Spare yourself that pain of ego crushing. If you’re writing because it’s as vital to you as breathing, because you have worlds to share and because you want to leave behind a far better legacy than money ever could, hop aboard. This isn’t a field for the faint hearted. Be strong, be brave and never let anyone tell you you won’t succeed. When they say that, you tell them, “watch me“.

Thank you so much for having me here today! It was a lovely honor! Much love, magic and success!

Thanks for being here! And WOW about living next door to Disneyland!!!!!!!!!!

EXCERPT

"Did you do that?"

"Do what? Screw up a perfectly good cake? Yes, yes I did."

He moved to her side. "No. I mean, did you make the fire go out?"

"What? I don't know. No. Yes. Maybe. Why?" She slid her eyes up to his and he was taken aback by the venom in that gaze.

"What's wrong with you?"

"You want the whole list or just the Cliff Notes?" She frowned back down at the pan and snorted in disgust at the blackened lump and shook her head. "Sorry about your oven. And pan. Cooking was never a strong point." She evaded answering his question.

"Then why did you start it?" He watched her agitated actions as she tried to dump out the "cake", shoving it down the garbage disposal with a wooden spoon. She was upset about something but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what.

"My Huntress, what's wrong?"

"Stop that! Just stop that!" She threw the switch on the disposal, keeping her face from him.

"Stop what?" He was genuinely confused.

"That whole "my huntress" bit. I'm not yours." Killing the switch, she mindlessly cleaned up her mess, stepping around him, still not making eye contact then she switched topics. "What are you doing home already anyway? Thought you'd be out for hours or whatever. You know, hunting." The way she curled her lip on the last word wasn't lost on him.

"Sabrina, it's necessary I make sure there are no more loose rogues running through the city, I told you that. The last thing we need is an army sneaking up on us. We need to fo—"

"Focus. Yep. I know." She made to go around him again as she grabbed at some dusty measuring cups, but he snaked out a hand and pulled her closer.

"What is wrong with you? And don't bother ly—"

She cut him off curtly. "Lying? Because you'll know? Does that line work on all women or do you just save it for me?" Her angry, bright eyes met his again, her tone derisive as she forged on, not letting him answer. "Fine, want to know what's wrong? You. You're what's wrong. You come blowing into my life looking like yummy wrapped up in delish, turn me into a vampire...excuse me...a guardian...my bad. Then you make me live in this freaking palace with you. One minute you're either chastising me or you're turning me on, and then pushing me away. And all the while, feeding me some mythical crap story about how I'm your dead wife and then leave me here, alone, while you go off and fang fuck God knows how many women and I have to..."

Alex was close to losing it, half torn between laughing at her obvious jealousy and growling with displeasure at how she wasn't seeing the larger picture at all. He yanked her even closer.

Again, bad idea.

Her unfettered, sweetly rounded breasts crushed against his hard chest, causing her to squeak and him to moan, whispering low. "Are you truly being obtuse or do you just enjoy torturing me?"

"Torture you? Torture You? What about me? I go my whole damn life wondering when or if, I'll ever know what it feels like to desire anything other than work and there you are. But you can't stand touching me. I'm repulsive."

He wanted to shake her, throttle some sense into the stubborn package that was Sabrina. "So, the concerns of a thousand years mean nothing to you? Or the fact that I'm trying desperately to figure out how we keep the past from repeating itself and all you're concerned with is having sex?"

"Oh, way to trivialize my feelings. Thanks."

"They are trivial compared to everything else, yes. You think I'm not touching you because I find you revolting?" He pushed her back against the counter, a devil on his shoulder as he slowly ground his hips into her, letting her feel the steely bulge of his erection. "Does that feel like I'm disgusted by you?"

"Then why? Why won't you...?" She bit off her own low growl, shoulders slumping in defeat even as her arms slid around his waist unconsciously, keeping them together. "Why won't you make love to me?"

"Did you ever think for a moment in your lovely, outraged sense of dramatics that perhaps I don't want to do anything that will harm you more than help?" He couldn't be this close to her without his heart hitching painfully, his instincts keening as the sleeping beast struggled to take over. The fact remained it was becoming harder and harder to resist her, to resist the passion that was clearly there between them. It was much stronger this time around. Much.

"Alex." Her voice was husky, sincere. "I read your other journal. I know you think that making love will somehow make me more vulnerable. That you felt you had diminished Vivianne's power somehow. But, I don't think that's it at all."

"You read that?" A low growl rumbled deep in his chest. "Break into my things, did you?"

"Recon work. That's my story." She snaked a hand up his back to curl around his neck. "Alex. You didn't do anything wrong. Neither did Vivianne. Why do you think it made her vulnerable?"

He set his face mulishly. "Merlyn once said that her power lay in her purity. She died the day after I made her mine." His haunted tone was thick. "Merlyn also said he thought she was invulnerable to mortal weapons and yet Mordred ran her through and pierced her heart. Tell me how that was not my fault? I'm not willing to risk you like that. Do you understand me? I won't sit by and watch you die. Not again."

He lowered his head even as he spoke, unable to stop the scorching, needy kiss that had her clutching at his back and him lifting her slightly onto the counter. She wrapped her legs around him tightly, body arching under the contact. He was going up in flames, and knew she was melting into a puddle of need and arousal, he felt it for one hot moment.

AUTHOR BIO

"If you really want to read a book that hasn't been written yet, then you must write it" –Toni Morrison

Torie James has loved reading since she was old enough to hold a book in her lap. While her friends were out playing, she was generally curled up nearby, falling down rabbit holes, catching second stars to the right, and stepping through wardrobes into mysterious lands and countless adventures. When those stories ended, she made up her own and kept going. This later on translated into a strong passion for writing that has helped her keep her feet on the ground while her head stayed firmly in the clouds. Lover of Dr. Pepper, all things chocolate, and Duran Duran, her dreams finally became a reality recently, starting with the publication of co-authored poetry book titled Whispers in the Dark along with two contemporaries and friends, Ashley Nemer and Stacy Moran.

Timeless Night is her debut novel but she hopes to have many more forays into New Camelot where not everything remains myth.

Torie lives in Southern California with her family and a houseful of pets who rule the roost.