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 dictated. At the age of twenty seven, human, 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 on, to 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 devil“Warwick” 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.
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.
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.
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!
