Monday, April 8, 2013

Guest Blog: Ciaran Dwynvil (In Blue Poppy Fields)


Thank you, Erica, for having me as your guest today. I'm very excited to be here to tell you about my newest gay erotic paranormal fantasy, In Blue Poppy Fields. The book will please not only all fans of Belial, the Prince of Trickery, the Lord of Lust and the Antilight... aka Guardian Demon, but all readers who love vampires. 

Though... maybe not all as vampire stories differ greatly. Some have gloomy, horror atmosphere, some are full of blood and violence, still others brim with dark sensuality. How should you know ours would be to your liking? Apart from reading a sample chapter on Amazon or Smashwords to get a feel of the tale, you can learn about various aspects of a vampire's life in our world during In Blue Poppy Fields release tour. Let's first take a look at the book and then we will move on to our topic for today. The bond between Sire and his Scion.

In Blue Poppy Fields blurb: 

A victim to another man's cruelty, talented and beautiful theater actor Adhemar Lebeau learned not to trust and not to love anybody but himself. Falsely accused of his master's murder, he has to accept assistance of mysterious Count Sanyi Arany to later discover his savior is a vampire. Forced both by a fatal illness and aftershocks of torture experienced during his unjust imprisonment, Adhemar agrees to the only possible cure. Rebirth.
Healed in body but not in mind, he guards his independence, free will and heart. He is not able to give love, only the fulfillment of lust. Yet, satiation of sensuous longing is not enough for his Sire and he knows it. When an eerie malady strikes and seems to deplete Sanyi's life energy for unknown reasons, Adhemar understands his fears and agrees to keep a street boy, Reyach, as a pet for both of them in hope it will soothe the unspoken worries.
Out of necessity he finds himself in the role of the only hunter in their company, and out of attachment he accepts the responsibility readily. Indulgence in blood and carnal pleasures fill his nights and vampiric powers give him the feeling of safety. Until the evening when he carelessly falls prey to High Demon Belial's plays that quickly turn into more than either of them has bargained for.
In spite of a hard start, Adhemar feels burning urge deep in his heart and no matter how much he denies it, the cause of the strange sensation is a budding seed of affection brought to life by the insufferable demon. But letting Adhemar learn to love somebody other than him is not what seemingly innocent Reyach plans. 

After reading the blurb you already know that Adhemar stayed with Sanyi after he had been Turned. Is it so for every true vampire of the night in our world? The lore says the bond between Maker and his Child is almost impossible to sever. And... it lies. The bond is in fact a loose connection between the two. Yes, it exists but the influence of Sire on his Scion's doings is exaggerated in the beliefs mortals hold about vampires.

The truth is that Sires differ. Some are very responsible and affectionate with their Scions, some are not. But if love guides a Sire's care, it had been there before he gave his lover new life. The feeling didn't magically come into existence during the act of Rebirth.

And so, when Turning just happens in the middle of a passionate night with a stranger, some Sires don't really care about their creations and leave them behind to stumble through their existence on their own. How can it just happen you ask? Very much like mortal encounters with strangers do. Perhaps the victim was too beautiful to be killed, perhaps something in his eyes awoke the immortal's mercy, perhaps the vampire's whimsical streak spoke at that moment, perhaps he wished to indulge in pain that night... who knows. But if he abandoned his offspring, nothing of the allure of that night was strong enough to make him start a relationship. 

Yet men are not kitten that truly need a cat, and while it is harder for the newborn vampire to handle the first nights of his immortality just on his own, he can survive well as long as he takes care to remain inconspicuous. It's the feeling of guilt, panic or indecision which may cost young vampires their immortal lives before they really start, but a man of a strong, independent personality will usually make it through the first critical nights even without help.

There aren't really too many things his Sire could teach him anyway. Not to swallow the food of mortals, not to expose himself to sunshine, to feed regularly, to hunt in the back streets and never among those who could be missed. Any man with average caution and intelligence would stick to these basics anyway. He may get scared by the fact that slumber strikes still before dawn if he is not well fed, or may avoid strong drinks or wine though they wouldn't really harm him, but in time and through experiments he will learn the nuances of his new existence. 

So why is Sire important anyway? For some vampires, his influence may be the difference between life and death. The act of Rebirth makes all personal traits stronger. So, a careless man becomes a careless vampire. He might not realize the dangers in time, or might underestimate them severely. Similarly, if a man always needed the guidance of others, he will need it as an immortal too and making his own decisions will be extremely hard for him. After his Rebirth he might become literally paralyzed by indecision if left to his own devices. Still other young vampires might be bound by religious beliefs and commandments to the point of not being able to hunt without encouragement, coaxing and guidance. In all such cases and many more it is extremely valuable for a newborn vampire to have his Sire at his side.

Does it mean that Sire, provided that he and his Scion stay together initially, always leads? Not at all. If a vampire with a strong personality Turns a dominant man, they will soon become equal and it won't be easy to distinguish who guides and who follows. If they are both hot-headed, they may spend many a night in heated arguments and perhaps after a time they will part ways anyway if they find themselves unable to come to a compromise.

It may also happen that a vampire possesses submissive traits and Turns his dominant lover. In such a case, their respective roles won't change. The newborn vampire will still be the guiding force in their relationship even though he will probably seek insight of his Sire when confronted with realities of his new existence for the first time. 

As you can see, the dynamics of the relationship between Sire and his Scion differ case by case and nothing is really carved in stone. Now you can knowingly raise your brow when you hear the lore :) 

Would you like to learn more about vampires in our world? You can find a list of topics and the schedule of the whole tour here.

For now take a peek into the book and catch a glimpse of relationship between Sanyi and Adhemar:

~*~*~

But they couldn't end every talk like this. Leaving him stumbling in the darkness, unsure of himself or their connection. If there ever had been any... Without thinking any further, Sanyi leaped off the statue too and quickly caught up with his desire. Grabbing his arm, stopping him in mid-step, he gave a bitter: “So, you are...”

Adhemar turned toward him and didn't shake his hand off. He just made a step back to lean against the chimney. The darned thing seemed to be always there. And had it not been there, they wouldn't have been having this painful conversation now. Sanyi frowned, wishing to throttle the mocking piece of architecture if he at all could. “I don't wish to speak about it,” Adhemar whispered, suddenly pulling him closer.

“But...,” he resisted and didn't even know why. He craved to be close to his favorite. It was just that he needed...

“What did I say?” A soft murmur but the touch of Adhemar's cold hand was insistent. It wouldn't allow him not to obey its call. Sanyi's knees buckled but somehow he managed not to let it be seen. Yet felt it all the same. The roof quaked. It did. And he was trapped and shaking too. “You...,” he gave and wasn't able to finish his line. His mouth wanted...

“Come here.” An order as silent as the soft mist undulating around them. And as loud as heavenly choirs.

“You...” His mouth wanted...

A pull. So powerful that he landed in Adhemar's arms with a yelp of surprise. “Will you ever stop talking, Maker mine?” the words caressed his pouts and he couldn't, couldn't, couldn't breathe. Leaning against his companion, he tried to retort: “May-,” but their lips crushed together before he finished the word. 

And then the world melted in red fog of lust, lust, lust. It quivered, shuddered, quaked and Sanyi didn't mind. Feeling the hardness of Adhemar's body against his own, he threw the gates to his soul open and let his assaulter claim his mouth in a hungry, glorious dance. Being kissed and kissing back, he finally felt... truly alive. Life raced through him in inexorable waves, starting in his tongue and rolling, rolling, rolling through all his nerves. Never to be stopped. Drowning in its magnificence, with his eyes closed to keep everything about this unseen moment in his heart, he moaned and buried his hands in silken, damp strands of Adhemar's hair. And wished to stay like this, stay like this, stay... like this. Forever.

~*~*~

Did the little peek into our world capture your attention? In Blue Poppy Fields is currently available at Amazon and Smashwords

It can be read without being familiar with other books in the Guardian Demon Series but you now have an opportunity to win one of the twelve copies of Trails of Love I Crawl Part 1 that opens the beguiling world of this series. Participation is easy enough for anybody over the age of eighteen. The more you help others find me and Guardian Demon Series books, the more chances to win you will have.
What can you do?

* Recommend my books in reader discussions on Goodreads, Shelfari or other platforms you are active at
* Follow my blog, like my FB page, follow me on Twitter
* Rate my books on Goodreads
* Review my books on Amazon, Smashwords, B&N or Goodreads
* Feature my books and your reviews of them on your blog if you have one
* Tell your friends about Guardian Demon Series
* Tweet about In Blue Poppy Fields, FB links to release tour articles, reblog them, Pinterest them, Stumble upon them… whichever platform you fancy is welcome

My giveaway form will give you more suggestions. Winners will be announced on my blog on the 11th of April: http://ciarandwynvil.wordpress.com/

I hope to see your entry in the giveaway and thank you for your help in spreading the word of mouth about Guardian Demon Series.

With this I hand over Erica's blog back to her. It has been my pleasure to be your guest, Erica. Thank you for having me over today. 

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