Denyse Bridger
Erotic Romance
Thank you for stopping in to meet Denyse! I know you'll find a book or three of hers that will interest you as you roam her websites. Right now, come on in and let's chat a bit with my guest author of the week. She's holding a contest so be sure to get into it at the bottom of the interview then read her excerpt from her newest print release!
Tonya: Denyse, thank you for being my guest this week and congrats on your new release! In addition to helping authors get new books noticed, readers love to know more about their authors. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Denyse: I’m Canadian
born and bred, and while I’ve lived in the US a few times for work, I always
come home to Canada. Most of the people who do read my books are aware that the
great love affair in my life, after writing, is Italy. I think I was born in
the wrong place at times?? I love to mix up genres and seldom write in the same
genre too often, so I don’t get bored. I’ve never been married, I love dogs,
especially huskies, and music is the inspiration for many of my stories.
Tonya: That's quite a background. Do you have a
day job?
Denyse: I’m a full
time caregiver, so the days are long and often very difficult.
Tonya: And stressful! We hope you find time for yourself! Some of us
have things we do to get into the writing frame of mind like music, or drinks.
Do you have anything special you do to get into the writing mood?
Denyse: Nothing that
is for the “mood” of writing, really. I enjoy having music on in the background
when I work, particularly environmental sounds and wolf howls.... I
occasionally have a glass of lovely Italian wine, and just enjoy that while I
create. Over the years I’ve reached a place where I can pretty well write
anywhere, anytime, so it’s not a mood, really, it’s the job I do and I can
steal my moments whenever and wherever they present themselves.
Tonya: You sound comfortable with yourself and not many find that area. Where do you
keep story ideas? Where do they come from?
Denyse: All over, really. I see pictures and often they
inspire stories, or I hear a song that strikes a resonate chord and then
characters begin to whisper. I have notebooks, and always keep a book and pen
beside the bed, and on my desk, so I can jot down things for later. I carry a
notebook and pen with me in my purse, too, so I’m never without the means to record
possible story ideas.
Tonya: Are you a
daytime writer, night time writer, and do you have to be alone to write?
Denyse: I write
anytime I can find a few minutes, and have learned to think quickly. If I get
called from what I’m doing, I leave a few key words on my manuscript so I know
what I want to do when I get back to it. I don’t have to be alone, but I do
write better at night, it seems.
Tonya: Good idea to leave a few words to remind you when you restart the writing. What advice
would you give to new authors?
Denyse: Keep writing,
always. Don’t keep rewriting what you’ve done, or you’ll never leave it. There
is no perfect book, so do your best, and then put it out there – while you’re
waiting for a response, begin a new project. Listen to editors and
professionals who take the time to help you and offer advice, they don’t
criticize for the sake of it – if they make suggestions, seriously consider
what you’ve been offered. Your friends and family will be your biggest
supporters generally, but they are rarely your most honest audience.
Tonya: That's so true; family doesn't want to hurt your feelings so you may not find out what needs fixing. Do you write
better when you first have an idea of what your characters look like or do you
write, then add character looks?
Denyse: I often have
a very general idea of what a character looks like, but for me they evolve from
the inside outward. Characterization, personality – those I find very easy to
remember, I find myself often having to go back and look to see what physical
colouring I give heroes and heroines. If I do happen to model them on someone,
I tag their photo on the manuscript, just to keep it in my mind for description.
Tonya: What attracts
you most about men?
Denyse: First thing is usually the smile, or the
eyes. Then the voice... I have fallen in love with voices, which goes back to
the absolute passion for music, I guess. However, if there is little in the way
of intelligence and depth, doesn’t matter what the outside looks like, he’s
boring as the day is long. I love smart, strong men. That’s where all real
beauty emerges from anyway, in men or women.
Tonya: We’re dying to
hear about your latest book. What can you tell us without spoiling the
storyline?
Denyse: My latest
book is actually the print version of one of my best novels ever. It’s been
available in e-book formats for a year, but this week marks the release in
paperback. So, that’s pretty exciting for me. It’s a three-part story, one set
in Victorian London circa 1888, one section in Northern Ontario in the
fictional town of Brighton, and the third part, the main section is set in
modern Toronto – the three stories are completely dependent on each other, and
merge smoothly to conclude the book. The hero is a vampire cop, and the story
is part romance, part mystery, and part paranormal thriller. Like many of my
books, it crosses genres and combines them – in this case, according to
reviews, very successfully!
Tonya: Congrats! Where can our
readers find you and your books?
Denyse: My links are here:
Website: http://www.denysebridger.com
Fantasy Pages
(general): http://fantasy-pages.blogspot.com
Bound by Passion
(adult content): http://boundpassion.blogspot.com
Sensual Treats
Magazine: http://www.sensualtreats.webs.com
Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romanceandfantasy/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/denysebridger
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/denysebridger
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/denyse.bridger
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/Romance.and.Fantasy
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/denysebridger/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/denysebridger
Tonya: Is there
anything else you want to tell our readers?
Denyse: This is going
to be a year of transitions for me, and so far many, many good things have been
happening. I have several more works to clear off my desk, then I will be
returning to fantasy and a story I’ve been waiting two years to write! An
Alternation in Destiny is the title, and it’s set in Sicily, in the Valley of
the Temples.
Tonya: That sounds like a fun one to write. Let's do a few questions for fun. What is your
favorite night time snack?
Denyse: Cinnamon Toast and tea.
Tonya: Do you like
toppings on your ice cream?
Denyse: Caramel or
butterscotch is really nice!!
Tonya: Mmmmm! What’s your
favorite meal - Italian, Mexican, Thai, etc?
Denyse: I know this will
be a shock, but it’s Italian! *lol* Now for the contest info...
CONTEST: Drop by my blog, Bound by Passion, leave a comment
on the Sinful Sirens Hop post, and you’ll be entered twice to win the prizes
there. Just say you’ve come from Tonya’s blog, and I’ll double your entry, plus
give away an e-book of your choice to the winner who leave comments on my blog
and Tonya’s!
Excerpt: OUT OF THE PAST
PROLOGUE
January
The
flames rose, blindingly intense, searing away the last vestiges of reality.
Somewhere inside her, Shanna Blackthorne felt a scream of terror begin. Her
hands moved, sluggishly, as though through mud, until they reached her face.
She wanted to obliterate the inferno that raged before her, but it refused to
be extinguished so easily. She gulped air into desperate, struggling lungs, but
only the hot, dry fire poured into her body.
The
scream escaped.
There
was no one to hear it.
Pain
exploded within her, but in its wake was clarity. She writhed, whimpered
weakly, and shook her head in denial of what unfolded before objecting eyes...
Fog
shrouded the night, curling, mist-like tentacles that floated above the street
in search of human warmth. Despite the relative earliness of the hour, the
normally busy roads were eerily quiet. Only the occasional burst of noise from
an opening door gave evidence to the teeming life of the vast city. Outside the
noisy pubs, a lone figure prowled the streets.
He
watched, and waited. Patience was a familiar imposition, but it ended well,
usually.
Tonight
would be no different.
He
picked one of the oldest dives in the vicinity, a place he knew well. He also
knew most of the women who frequented the establishment. He had long ago
decided he preferred the sweetness of feminine flesh to males. There was one lady
in particular that he had wanted to get close to, but she had always eluded
him. It was the eve of a new year tonight, and he decided it would begin with
her company.
He
didn't have to wait long, but she emerged from the tavern with another man in
tow. Furious, he followed.
He
hesitated as he watched the couple from the mouth of a darkened alley. They
were less than a block from the Britannia, a public house located at the North
corner of Commercial Street and Dorset Street. He'd witnessed the customary
exchange of coin, and could clearly hear the sounds of the whore's business
being carried out. The chill of December didn't reach him as he continued to
hover, torn between his anger and the fury of his lust. He could have had his
pick tonight, but he had chosen this one. She had always disappointed him, of
course. The entire great city was in a drunken Holiday stupor.
The
scents of sex and sweat teased his senses and he felt another, stronger pang of
hunger deep within him.
He
stepped into the alley and approached the couple in complete silence. She knew
he was there, he realized a moment later when her liquor-brightened eyes
pierced the shadows and found him in the darkness. His heartbeat quickened, he
heard his own sharp intake of breath, felt the rapid pulse he'd learned to
associate with fear and excitement. Her customer quickly pulled himself
together and stumbled off without a backward glance. The passage of time held
hunter and prey motionless, clear blue eyes locked with glassy hazel. When she
held out her hand to him, he stepped toward her.
"You're
not like the others, are you?" she questioned in a slurred voice.
There
was still enough awareness to make him pause. He took her chin in his hand and
tilted her head so he could look more closely at her. She was very young,
especially for life in Whitechapel. She was not overly pretty. Before long she
would be like so many of the women who populated this area, aged by the
harshness of a life that meant little to any of them.
"What's
your name?" He pretended not to know as he kept his tone a gentle,
compassionate whisper.
"They
call me Emma, my lord," she grinned, the expression exposed rotting teeth
and foul breath. He might have been wrong about her age, he realized distantly.
She straightened her clothes and inched closer to him. Here was a handsome
young lord, and if she played this right, she might be rewarded richly for her
trouble.
"Do
they?" He smiled, imagined he could hear the shift of her thoughts as she
contemplated her chances of successfully robbing him. Still smiling, he reached
into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin. Her eyes fastened on the proffered
money, greed easily read past the haze of alcohol. When she snatched the coin
from his hand, he pressed her back against the cold brick of the building.
Emma's
spurt of laughter was abruptly silenced when her head was yanked to one side.
The snap of bones was audible, followed by a groan of pain. Then the only
murmur that could be heard in the blackness was the soft maddened laughter of
pleasure as his teeth tore her flesh from her bones...
"No...
Dear God! Enough... please?"
Shanna
wept bitterly, disoriented and horrified by the latest dream/vision. The savage
inner conflagration had receded, replaced by the reality of the tiny blaze in
the ancient stone fireplace that dominated her small living room. There was
little comfort in the awareness that what she had seen was very old. The agony
of the killer still twisted around her heart, chilled her despite the heat that
emanated from the hearth. This was simply the latest in a long line of dreams
that had brought unbearable terror into her life. She'd heard about the others,
those that were not ancient deaths, but happening now, and with each murder
came the fear that she might have stopped it. The reasonable part of her mind
knew better, of course, she never saw a death before it occurred, but that did
not make it easier to witness people being destroyed. She cringed, tried to
escape the rest of the thought, failed. She could still feel the flesh being
torn from fragile bones, muscle and sinew shredding like paper in the hands of
a killer that was more monster than man.
She
forced herself to her feet, and walked into the lovely, old-fashioned kitchen.
As she went through the ritual of making tea, she made herself recall every
detail of the murder she had been forced to witness and feel. Within the heart
of the killer was a conflict as old as the latest vision itself.
Pain,
coupled with deeply repressed fears. The mind of this killer was not mayhem and
madness, despite the obvious appearances. She sensed agony, and loneliness, and
confusion. Like an empath, she absorbed the emotions, made them part of
herself, and cried softly without truly being conscious she did so. Shanna had
known isolation and ridicule in her own life, knew what the scorn and contempt
of others could drive someone to, if they didn't learn to draw on inner
strengths.
She
pulled her lacy shawl closer to her, huddled against its illusory warmth. Long
waves of auburn hair fell to her waist, and she swept the heavy fall back in a
gesture as natural as breathing. The whistle of the kettle drew her wandering
attention back to mundane tasks, and she finished her chore automatically.
A
short while later, curled before the fire once again, Shanna shivered. Her gaze
flew to the door of her cottage- style home, and the sound of a low, anguished
howl wrenched at her soul. Pure, raw agony flooded her body, and with it came a
terror stronger than anything she had ever before known.
Bio: Canadian born and bred, Denysé has
been signed with over a dozen publishing houses in the past nine years.
Recently winning the prestigious title of Best Author of 2012 from the
Predators and Editors site, the best-selling author has been nominated for and
won numerous awards. Never confined to one genre, she writes in many and has
garnered a loyal audience of readers over the past decade.
Site Links: http://denysebridger.com/booksV2.php
Be sure to comment here and then
click over to Denyse's blog and leave
another comment for a 2nd entry!
