Monday, July 22, 2013

Fire Nectar Blog Tour ~ Character Interview With William And F.M. Hopkins With Giveaway

It wasn’t easy getting William to commit to an interview. I had to offer him extra pages in his book, a novelette I’m writing now. The vampires won’t let me sleep, you see. They’re anxious for me to tell their stories, to clear the air and tell the truth of who they are.
First let me describe him. His life was that of a warrior, like his Viking blood dictatedAt the age of twenty sevenhuman, he took the life of King Herald in The Battle at Hastings, a battle still spoken about to this day. On Christmas day, he was crowned King of England. William is – William The Conqueror. He never died. During a battle when he was forty-two years old, a vampire saved his life by giving him the immortal gift. Vampires are very select with who they turn – and William had passed many tests.
His looks bear no feminine qualities. He is all male,very tall and broad of shoulder. His hands are thick and his nail beds are wide. His eyes are the wisest I have ever seen; deep brown, deep set and intense. His nose is powerful, as is his jaw. His hair is dark and worn like they wore it in the eleventh century, rather short with small sideburns. He has a trimmed beard, just like he had when he was turned in the year 1070. He is the oldest of the vampires. That I know of.

F.M Hopkins: William, why is it you were reluctant to answer questions in an interview, but you have no problem with letting me write your auto-biography? 

William The Conqueror: You should know the answer to that by now.

F.M: I’m only just learning about you. With Joshua or Daniella, I might know. But you and Elizabeth are still enigmas to me.

William: I am in control when I tell you my history. I reveal only the parts of myself that I wish for you to share.

F.M: Do you know that there are some parts of you that I am learning about, that I don’t think you even know, about yourself?

William: Impossible.

F.M: Hmm. You’re probably right. Let’s skip it.

William: If you think you can use reverse psychology with me, you are wrong. (smirks)

F.M: Ha. Okay. Well, let me say that it has been an honor to get to know you. Even though you were French, your rule as Kind of England still reverberates to this day. Just in the last ten days there have been 14 news articles that mentioned William The Conqueror.

William: Is that so? You’d think there would be better men to have come forth as time rolled onto have washed away the memory a bit.

F.M: You’re kind of hard to forget.

William: Merci Beaucoup(bows his head, with a devilish glint.)

F.M: Yes. Several articles on history, one on a castle you ordered built in 1084 which they called “Britain’s Ultimate Castle–

William: I know the one you mean. That devilWarwick” attached his name to it... and it stuck.

F.M: Yes, that’s what it was called. Also, a ring believed to have belonged to your son, Robert was sold at auction.

William: Robert was an ass.

F.M: Oh?

William: Yes. He was spoiled and lazy and did us no service by his existence.

F.M: That’s a bit harsh.

William: I do not suffer fools lightly, Ms. Hopkins. You know this.

F.M: Yes, I do. I find it very sexy about you.

William: Do you?

F.M: Yes. I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but I keep hoping you might kiss me.

William: I might. (The way he looks at me now explodes goosebumps all over my body. I love a manly man. It’s my weakness.)

F.M: You are the one who started the Vampire Creed. Can you tell me what that is?

William: It’s simple. We don’t kill good people. They make the world better by being in it, and if you live as long as we do, you want to be around people who add to your existence, and to the existence of those around you.

F.M: That makes sense. So no good people? None?

William: Over the centuries, some mistakes have been made.

F.M: What else is in the creed.

William: Keep our numbers small. Few get the gift. It is easier to control a smaller number. And we are picky about who we select.

F.M: Why is this?

William: The same reason we do not kill the good. If someone is to live forever, that person should be exceptional, for over time they will impact the world.

F.M: I love that. Anything else?

William: Yes. Keep our secret safe. No one is to know. If a human is told, they must be worthy of trust. This rule is not always kept.

F.M: Well, you can’t always know if someone is trustworthy. They can seem so, and then they change.

William: Precisely. But do your best. Also, We must respect each other. Do our best to get along. You do not want an enemy for eternity. We may not like everyone, but we can follow the rules as well as leave each other alone. Because we have been selective with who we give the gift to, we can be certain respect will be honored.

F.M: There’s one other thing that you’ve not mentioned.

William: What is that? (He leans back and looks at me with a challenge. It’s unnerving.)

F.M: You help each other when… trouble comes.

William: Yes, but that is not the creed, so much as what family does.

F.M: I was thinking you’re like a family.

William: Not “like” - we are. Very much so. When one needs assistance, we come together.

F.M: And when one…

William: I know what you are about to say and I must request that you keep your voice quiet on this subject.Joshua and I are on our way to Los Angeles now, and it is a matter of privacy. The readers of United by Books will have to wait to learn what happens.

F.M: You know the name of the blog we’re doing this interview for?

William: I know a great many things, Ms. Hopkins.And a great many things about you. (His knowing smile lights up his eyes… and only his eyes. He is so large a man, in stature and in power that I feel myself feeling very tiny and feminine. And rattled.)

F.M: I think we can stop there.

William: Must we?

F.M: You’re toying with me now.

William: I am not the sort to “toy.”

F.M: Okay, well, This has been good, though. Good interview. Okay. Haha. Is there anything you’d like to say in closing?

William: Yes. I would like to thank the beautiful Lindsey for having us. Please let her know that I visited her once, to make sure we could trust her. I watched her typing. She did not see me. Her eyes reminded me of an Egyptian princess I spent time with long ago.

F.M: An Egyptian princess? I thought Matilda held your heart?
(at the mention of his human wife who died, human, in 1083, his playful demeanor darkens. I don’t know him that well yet, but what I do know has taught me this: behind that darkness is an underlying sadness.)

William: Matilda has my heart, eternally.

F.M: Sorry, I didn’t mean…

William: We are done here.

F.M: Yes, of course.

With that, he flashed out of the room so fast that I couldn’t see him. We were supposed to write tonight, but I know I hit a nerve. Dammit. Maybe by the time this interview comes out, he will have returned.

When you read his novelette, you’ll fall as deeply in love with him as I have. He shared stories with me that betrayed a raw vulnerability that on sight, you’d never know he has. He seems impenetrable, but we all have our Achilles heel.

I know Daniella and Elizabeth need him, so I won’t be selfish. If you’ve read the novel, FIRE NECTAR, you know what has happened to them. Godspeed, William. Godspeed.

Two hundred years ago Daniella faced a decision -

Remain in poverty... or accept the gift of immortality from the elegant female stranger who had the palest of skin, the coldest of hands, and eyes that knew her soul better than she did.

Like all vampires, she had been vetted. Chosen. Exceptional. And like all - she learned the vampire creed and used it as a way of life.

Until she couldn't.

Until she met him.

Adrian was different than other men. The way he smelled, the way he looked at her. The way his heartbeat called just to her.

"We must keep our secret." YES. She had sworn. She had promised. But where were they now... her friends - her family? She was so lonely.

Why did she have to be alone for all eternity? What if she trusted him... told him who and what she really was? What if she didn't do as she was told.

This is the first book in the gripping new series. 
Amazon  B&N 

JOSHUA is the first in Joshua's story - a novelette of approx. 14,800 words. It is also the continuation of FIRE NECTAR, but can be read on its own.

Two hundred years ago, Joshua was one of the few who passed the test - people who were vetted and chosen to be made immortal because of their exceptional qualities.

He was kind, an artist, a composer of great skill, with restraint that was necessary to hold up their creed:
Do not kill good people.
Keep our numbers low.
Keep our secret... to keep us safe.
Those were the rules.

How could he know that Marion saw in him, her ticket out? How could he know that she lied when she said she loved him? How could he know? He was, in vampire years, just a child.

How could he know that he would never forgive himself for meeting her in secret.

When William - the oldest of their kind - calls, two hundred years later to tell him that the worst has happened - again - Joshua knows he must go at once.

Daniella needs him. She is what Marion pretended to be. For this - she will always have his heart. And his help.

 F.M. Hopkins is a Renaissance woman, having worn many hats in varying artistic fields. She was a stand-up comedienne for five years, professional photographer for nine, actress for seventeen and a writer since she was a little girl - when she would write books, bind them with yarn, illustrate and sell them to her parents for candy money. She's backpacked through Europe by herself, and has been married... twice. The first - she only knew the man two weeks and three days before they ran off to Vegas, hopelessly in love. A true romantic, she understands taking chances, making mistakes, crushing heartbreak, redemption, and falling head over heels in love - and weaves all of that into her three-dimensional, compelling character portrayals. 




 Tour Schedule

7/22 - United By Books - Interview with the vampire, William The Conqueror - and a big ball of testosterone. Plus Giveaway!

7/23 - Literal Addiction - Review of "Joshua" plus Interview by me with sexy, sensitive, composer vampire, Joshua.  Plus Giveaway!

7/24 - Page Flipperz - Tantalizing Author Spotlight Plus Giveaway!

7/25 - Close Encounter of The Night Kind - Interview with the elegant, calm cool and collected 450 year old vampire, Elizabeth  Plus Giveaway!

7/26 - Romance Junkies - Video Blog Interview with F.M. Hopkins, all dressed up and drinking red wine. Plus Giveaway!

7/27 - Fang-tasticbooks - Heart stricken and soul-searching vampire, Daniella's Music Playlist. Plus Giveaway!

7/28 - You Gotta Read - Interview with Marion, the young beautiful French whore who played our composer vampire, Joshua, like one of his instruments.  Plus Giveaway!

7/29 - Riverina Romantics - In Depth Written Interview with Author F.M. Hopkins. Plus Giveaway!


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3 comments:

bn100 said...

Fire Nectar

like their immortality

Mrs. Scotten's Blog Page said...

I think I'm Fire Nectar's biggest fan..and not just because I got to work with FM. The characters are deep and emotionally engaging. Keep writing!

Faleena Hopkins said...

Thank you.... ;) xx

F.M. Hopkins