Rogue Rider (Lords of Deliverance) (52 page)

• Subspecies: Daywalker
  —The existence of vampires who can walk in the daylight has not been confirmed, but reports of these vampires have been increasing, most notably since Pestilence’s Seal broke. RUMOR ONLY.
  

Vapor wraith
—Ghostlike demons whose origins and habitats are unknown. They are never seen except when bound by a spell to an object, usually Harrowgates. Their height can vary from twelve feet tall to fifty feet and they have a mouthful of shark-sharp teeth and claws that can grow up to seven feet in length.
Ufelskala score: 3

Viper ghoul
—Ill-tempered, nasty, man-size reptile that resembles a cobra that has been dead for a month. Viper ghouls are easily controlled by sorcery, and are often summoned by humans who play with black magic without fully grasping its power. The results can be deadly.
Ufelskala score: 2

Were-beasts
—Weres are humans who shift only during the three nights of the full moon. They turn into large, two-legged, furry beasts with both human and animal features. Only a few species of were-creatures are known to exist: werewolves (who call themselves wargs) werebears, and wereleopards, though werewolves are the most common. There are two classes of were-beasts; those who are born weres, and those who are turned after being bitten. Born weres, especially wolves, tend to live in packs, while turned weres usually lead solitary existences. There are rumors of a rare breed of werewolves called feast wargs, who change during the new moon instead of the full moon. It’s said that feast wargs were bred by demons to hunt regular wargs.
Ufelskala score: Varies

What was the hardest book to write and why?

That would be a tie between
Ecstasy Unveiled
and
Lethal Rider. Ecstasy Unveiled
got off on the wrong foot and required a complete rewrite, so that was definitely a difficult book to write (and write again). Plus, I had to do much of the work during a move from Virginia to Wisconsin. My husband drove while I sat in the passenger seat with the laptop!
Lethal Rider
put me through the wringer in part because, with so many ends to tie up and there was so much going on in the book, and in part because I had a very difficult relationship between the hero and heroine to deal with.

How often do you change your hair color? Do you have a hobby or interest not related to books or animals?

I change my hair color whenever I get bored. Which is a lot! As far as my hobbies, I love role-playing video games of the Dungeons & Dragons sort. I also like to bowl, watch movies, and camp (as long as my husband does all of the work, like cooking). Oh, and I love to travel! Hubby and I are planning a month-long European vacation after he retires from the Coast Guard. I can’t wait!

How did you come up with the Demonica and Horsemen symbols?

The Demonica symbol came about because I wanted something similar to the medical caduceus that’s familiar to people worldwide. But since the symbol would be used for an underworld hospital, I needed it to be a little more… sinister. Enter author Amy Knupp and her fabulous husband, Justin. He designed the caduceus according to my specs, and voilà, we had a symbol! For the Horsemen symbol, I went to my husband, who, besides being an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, is a talented artist with publishing credits of his own. He based each of the four horse heads on each of the Horsemen, and though the design was simplified for publication purposes, it still made it onto the covers. I’m very proud of him!

Would you consider writing a book featuring the Demonica kids as they grow into teens?

Tempting, very tempting! Actually, I have thought about how it could be done… writing books for them when they become adults. Right now, it’s just in the processing center of my brain because I need some time away from them (they’re still babies to me) but you never know!

What is your favorite book you’ve written?

Ooh, it’s a three-way tie here! I adored writing
Unleashing the Storm
, my Sydney Croft (with author Stephanie Tyler) alter ego. When authors say that a book “writes itself,” I used to scoff. (And maybe curse them a little.) But
Unleashing the Storm
really did write itself. I can’t believe how fast we wrote it and how well it came together. The other two favorites are
Passion Unleashed
and
Rogue Rider
. They were just really easy to write. I’ve discovered that writing men who are scoundrels creates a very pleasant author experience!

Which of your female leads is your favorite? Who is your favorite heroine and why?

Hard question, because I genuinely love all my heroines when I’m writing them, though some are easier to write than others. Kira from
Unleashing the Storm
is a favorite because she’s such an animal lover, and I also love Sin and Limos a lot. I’ve found it interesting that those two heroines (plus Tayla) who I loved writing the most, are the ones that many readers like the least!

What is your all-time favorite book and why?

Eek! This is a hard question, but after much consideration, I’m going to go with
The Eye of the World
by Robert Jordan. It’s genius. Dark and scary, and yet fantastical and fun. The entire Wheel of Time series is amazing, and I re-read it every time a new one comes out. I love it so much that I’ve had to buy
The Eye of the World
several times because I keep loaning it out and never getting it back!

I’m curious about your writing process. Do you write the main plot points down first and then go back and fill in between, or do you usually write a book straight through, start to finish?

Sometimes I think I’m the only author in the world
without
a process. I really don’t have one. I write every book using a different process. In general, I write the scenes in my head that are calling to me, and then I fill in around them. I start out with an outline, but I’m terrible at plotting, and the book never turns out like the outline says it should!

How do you handle criticism of your work?

I’ll be honest… it’s not always easy. It was worse in the beginning, but thankfully I’ve developed a thicker skin. In the past, a bad review would paralyze me for days. Now I’m over it in a couple of hours, if that.
Unless
the review is special in some way—sent to me with the intent of hurting my feelings/is a personal attack/is from a reader who has previously loved the other books but is now disappointed (I
hate
disappointing readers!), et cetera. But for the most part, I cope by not reading them. As a new author, I read all the Amazon reviews, all the blog reviews, I pored through Goodreads… yeah, not healthy at all. Lesson learned, and for my own mental health, I stay away now!

Even the animals in your stories have strong personalities. Why is that?

Because I’ve never met an animal that didn’t have a unique, strong personality. I grew up on a farm, and I learned that even animals like cows and chickens are individuals in their own ways. People think a cow is a cow is a cow, but the more time I spent with them, the more I saw the personality differences in each one. And in many ways, what I learned growing up on a farm helped me understand the demons in my Demonica world better. Just as humans tend to see cows as just cows, so do demons see humans as just humans—to many demons, we not only all look alike, but we act alike.

What inspired you to write about alpha demons and give them the noble, loving personalities and sex appeal that we all drool over? Most writers make them a bunch of nasty beasties. Why did you choose a different route?

I went a different route for exactly the reason you just mentioned: because most writers make them a bunch of nasty beasties. Yep, I wanted to do something different. Of course, I was a little behind the curve, because by the time
Pleasure Unbound
came out, there were these other amazing authors, like Gena Showalter and Kresley Cole, writing these loving, cuddly demons. Okay, “cuddly” is probably more accurately stated as “hot as hell,” but you know what I mean!

How do you come up with the types of demons from your series? Their names and the way they look? Are they from your imagination?

I’d say that 40 percent come from mythology—demons from various cultural and religious backgrounds. The rest are from my imagination. My scary, scary imagination…

How do you go about picking, or making up names for your characters and is there a meaning, or purpose behind the names you choose for them?

The names I choose for the main characters usually have some sort of meaning or purpose. When the names aren’t made up, there’s generally something behind them that makes them special. For example, Eidolon, Shade, and Wraith are all linked by the fact that their names are real terms that identify some sort of ghost or spirit. I tend to do a ton of research when it comes to names, demon species, and terms like
Maleconcieo
, which is an organization representing every demon species… basically, the U.N. of the demon world. The word combines
malus
(Old French
mal
based on Latin for “bad”) with
concieo
(Latin for “incite, assemble”). I’m very picky when inventing a term or name, and although they may be made up, they must still have a basis in
something
, be it a language like Latin, a place, or a historical event.

Are you ever going to make the Demonica series into a movie or TV show?

I would love that! Unfortunately, I don’t have the resources. It takes a Hollywood-type person to express interest in order to get something like that going.

How can I find out about appearances and book signings?

You can check my website. I list all upcoming events in the right sidebar of my blog at
LarissaIone.com/Blog/Blog-Home
.

Will Sin and Con finally bond the way male Seminus demons do, and will they have kids?

Sin isn’t even sure she can bond the same way male Sems do, but she and Con might try someday. Right now, after being enslaved by and bonded to others for so long, she and Con are both content to take things slow, which includes having kids. When and if these things happen, I’ll be sure to write scenes for inclusion in Demonica: Overkill, which is where I update readers on the lives of the Demonica cast and crew:
LarissaIone.com/Blog/Books/Demonica-Overkill

Will the Sem brothers come through for Lore and Idess as sperm donors, and how will that be possible?

Yes! And I even know whose little sperm is going to be the winner! As for how it would be possible, given that Seminus demons not only must have a partner to climax, but once mated, they can
only
be with that partner, well, let’s just say that our boys and their mates will have to be a little… creative in collecting the samples. And if all else fails, there are always medical methods.

Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere! Sometimes things just pop into my head. Other times they’ll come from the news or from a movie or book or TV documentary. For example, the Demonica series came to me when I was watching an episode of
Angel
, and Angel got hurt. He needed a hospital, but as a vampire, he couldn’t just head to the nearest emergency room. Clearly, there was a need for an underworld hospital, and UGH was born!

What’s next after the last Lords of Deliverance book?

After Reseph’s book, we’re heading back to the Demonica world. Rogue Rider will kick off a book for Reaver, which I’m super excited about. For updates about what’s coming next, please feel free to sign up for my newsletter at
LarissaIone.com/Blog/News
.

Her name was Lilith, and she was an evil succubus. His name was Yenrieth, and he was a good angel.

After hundreds of years of seducing humans, Lilith got bored. So she set her sights on Yenrieth, the ultimate challenge. He resisted. She pursued. He resisted some more. This went on for decades, until the inevitable happened. She was, after all, beautiful, and he liked his wine a little too much.

No one knows what happened to Yenrieth after their night of passion, but nine months later, Lilith gave birth to four children, three boys and a girl. She named them Reseph, Ares, Limos, and Thanatos. Lilith kept the girl, Limos, with her in Sheoul, and she planted the males in the human world, switching them out with the infants of wealthy, powerful families.

The boys grew into men, never suspecting the truth about their origins. At least, not until demons rose up, spreading terror and seeking to use Lilith’s sons against the humans. Limos escaped from Sheoul, found her brothers, and revealed the truth about their parentage.

By this time, the brothers had seen their lands and families destroyed by demons and, blinded by hatred and the need for revenge, Lilith’s children encouraged (manipulatively and forcibly, sometimes) humans to help them fight violent, never-ending battles against the underworld abominations.

This didn’t go over well in the heavenly realm.

Zachariel, an Angel of the Apocalypse, led a legion of angels to Earth, where they met in battle with demon hordes. When the earth and waters ran red with blood, and humans could no longer survive on the poisoned land, Zachariel struck a deal with the devil.

Lilith’s children were to be punished for slinging mankind to the brink of doom in their selfish bid for revenge. Because they had nearly brought about the end of days, they were charged as the keepers of Armageddon. Defenders or instigators; the choice would fall on their shoulders.

Each of them was given a Seal, and with each Seal came two prophecies. Should they protect their Seals from breaking until the prophecy laid out by the Bible came to pass, they would save their souls—and mankind.

But should they allow the Seals to be broken prematurely, as written in the Daemonica, the demon bible, they would turn evil, and would forever be known by the names Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death.

And thus were born the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.