UFI welcomes Author Celia Breslin. Thanks for Joining us!!
Celia chats with Carina, Alexander, and Fin
Hi Everyone!
Nice to be here on the Urban Fantasy Investigations blog today! Carina and
Alexander, my hero and heroine from The Tranquilli Bloodline series, decided to
tag along and let me interview them. Fin, a new friend Carina meets in Destiny,
then asked if he could join us, too. He’s such a flirt I couldn’t tell him no,
despite the fierce negative grumblings from Alexander. We’ll just keep them on
opposite ends of the room, LOL.
Enjoy!
Hi guys! Thanks for joining me here at UFI. Please state your name. Also, do
you have a nickname?
Carina: “Hi, I’m Carina Agostina Ottavia Tranquilli. My friends call me
Rina. But my fated soul mate calls me Carina.”
Alexander: “That would be me, the soul mate, full name Alexander Wallace.
Many call me Alex. I prefer Alexander, especially when Carina says it when
we’re…intimate.”
Fin: “Fineas Fray Vale at your service, my lovely author.” ::he kisses my
hand:: “My friends and lovers call me Fin.”
What is your hair color? Eye color?
Carina: “Dark brown hair and eyes. When I go all vampy, though, my eyes
darken to black. And when my special super power kicks in? Add some blinking
stars in there, too.”
Alexander: “My hair is more milk chocolate to Carina’s dark chocolate
tresses. My eyes are blue-grey. Carina likes to call them smoky blue.”
Fin: “Black hair, though Rina calls it coffee brown. She likens my eyes to
blackstrap molasses. Lush descriptions from a luscious woman, wouldn’t you
agree?”
::Alexander growls::
::Fin smirks::
Relax, boys. How old are all of you? Carina, you first.
Carina: “I’m 25. Okay, don’t be startled when Alexander tells you his age. He
doesn't look a day over about 28. He was turned in his twenties.”
Alexander: “I’m 45. Flattery will get you everywhere, Carina.”
Fin: “I’m older than Carina’s young pup by centuries.”
Alexander: “Call me pup again and I’ll break your brittle bones, Grandpa.”
Where were you born? Where have you lived since then? Where do you currently
call home?
Carina: “I was born in Italy. I live in the U.S. now. West coast. San
Francisco. Best city on the planet.”
Alexander: “I’m a San Francisco native. I still live there, in the inner
Sunset. But in truth, Carina is my home. I’d follow her anywhere.”
Fin: ::he chuckles:: “My, my, such sweet lovebirds, aren’t they? I was born
a human in Coventry, England. My rebirth as a vampire occurred in London.”
What is in your refrigerator right now? On your bedroom floor? On your
nightstand? In your garbage can?
Carina: “LOL, you really want to know? Okay, fridge first. Thai takeout
leftovers, sake, sparkling water, orange juice, bacon, eggs…Stopping now.
Otherwise, we’d be here all day. My fridge is well stocked, thanks to my roomies
Mark and Ren. Those boys can cook! Workout clothes on my bedroom floor. Water
bottle on nightstand. Garbage can is empty. I’ll thank Mark and Ren again. Those
boys are super tidy.”
Alexander: “Is this a serious question? I have blood in my refrigerator, of
course. Bedroom floor is clear. Nightstand is also clear. Garbage can…yes,
empty. I’m a bit of a neat freak.”
Fin: “Blood, alcohol, orange juice, steak, vitamins, and an assortment of
vegetables. My regular blood donors tend to keep it stocked with their favorite
foods. The rest of my penthouse is spotless, thanks to my housekeeper.”
Carina: “You live in a penthouse?”
Fin: “Yes, downtown. I never mentioned it before now, as we were rather busy
in Destiny with other more pressing matters. You’re welcome in my home,
anytime.”
::Alexander bares his fangs and hisses::
::Carina strokes Alexander’s arm::
Okay boys. Almost done. Then you can take this fight outside. Who are the
people you are closest to?
Carina: “My close friends are my family: my business partner Adrian, my
psychic pal Faith, her boyfriend Kai, and, of course, my badass bodyguards Mark
and Ren. I have three brothers, but I’d call our relationship…hm…let’s just say
it’s a bit strained. A work in progress.”
Alexander: “Thomas, Carina’s uncle. No comment on the family.”
Fin: “My darling Celia, you know I’m the life of every party.”
Alexander: “That’s not an answer, old timer.”
Fin: “It will do for now.”
Which talent would you most like to have?
Carina: “I love karaoke and wish I could sing as well as a trained singer. Of
course, my lack of vocal chops doesn’t stop me from belting out the tunes with
my pals at our local sushi-sake-karaoke hangout.”
Alexander: “I have it. I play piano and guitar. Classically trained on both.”
Fin: “I wish I had even a smidgeon of artistic talent. To paint like the
Masters I met back in the day…”
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Carina: “When I’m upset I tend to curse in Italian. Porco dio spills out of
me most.”
Alexander: “Pass. But here’s the word the older vampires overuse -
Youngling. I hate it when they call me that.”
Fin: “I do tend to call Rina by her royal title of Princess, though she
would prefer I do not.”
Phew! We made it to the end of the interview without any blood spilled
between the boys. Thanks again to Urban Fantasy Investigations for having us all
over for a visit!
cheers,
Celia
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Find Celia and her books
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DestinyTranquilli Bloodline #2
ARe Amazon BN Champagne Books
Google Books Smashwords iTunes
In HAVEN, San Francisco nightclub owner Carina Tranquilli survives a vicious attack by her vampire family’s longtime archenemies. Several weeks later, as she struggles with PTSD and survivor’s guilt, supervillain Dixon resurfaces and kidnaps two of her best friends. To save them, Carina must comply with the evil bastard’s unusual demands. The kicker? She must tell no one what she is up to.__________________________________
Meanwhile, she has a new dance club to open for the preternatural community, a fated soul mate acting secretive and distant, and a sexy, new, undead friend who’d love to take Alexander’s place in her heart and bed.
Blackmailed, betrayed, tempted…sometimes destiny has a wicked sense of humor.
Excerpt:
My day moved from ordinary to interesting when the deliveryman handed me a
box that smelled of blood.
The scent made my mouth water. Pungent iron mixed with, of all things,
lavender. My thoughts flew straight to Tessa, my surrogate vampire mother. When
she pulled out one of her specialty powers, the one I fondly referred to as
vampire valium, this relaxing, floral herb scented the air and reduced friend or
foe to a boneless, helpless puddle.
I shut the front door on the retreating back of the deliveryman and wiggled
the box. Nothing rattled inside. Not particularly heavy, less than ten pounds.
A peace offering, perhaps? Tessa certainly owed me one.
She’d commanded her minion, my boyfriend Alexander, to star in a two-month
classical music tour of Italy, performing nightly for vampire dignitaries and
their lucky minions. While I, the good little predestined, vampire apocalypse
averting, Chosen One in training, remained behind in San Francisco to learn how
to kick naughty vampire ass with my latent and rather unwieldy fire power.
“Hey boys,” I called up to the second floor where my friend Adrian and his
lover, my mentor Jonas, took their sweet time descending for breakfast. “Bloody
prezzie just arrived. And I do mean that literally.”
Silence answered my shout, followed by the whoosh of water in the master
bathroom shower and a husky laugh from Adrian. Given that sexy sound, I could
expect a delay. Jonas tended to make their showers last forever.
A jolt of jealousy stabbed my stomach. Wish I could enjoy some fun and sexy
time with my guy. I shrugged off the sensation and strode into the kitchen.
“Fine. More for me.”
I parked my ass in a chair and slid the box onto the table to study it. No
return address or package info. Not that surprising. Vampires tended to aim for
stealth and subtlety, to fly under the radar of the general human populace. One
of Tessa’s minions probably compelled the delivery dude, or he belonged to the
circle of humans already in-the-know.
I ripped off the tape in one pull and peeked inside. No packing peanuts, but
rather a nest of lavender branches speckled with droplets of blood, as if the
branches themselves bled. Beautiful, aromatic, and so very vampire.
A wine box large enough for two bottles rested in the nest. Cold to the
touch, indicating recent refrigeration. I lifted it out, trailing my fingers
over the gold latch, the dark, glossy wood, the Celtic knots carved into each
end, and finally over the initials on top. My initials, C A T. Short for Carina
Agostina Tranquilli.
What a well-crafted and thoughtful gift. I bet the wine inside would be
equally well-made.
I flipped the latch and opened the lid. My brows collided. Not wine.
Nine vials of blood about the size of my ring finger rested side by side in
black velvet bedding. A stopper sealed with red wax and stamped with my initials
secured the blood inside each vessel.
I pulled one from its nest and held it up in the light streaming through the
kitchen’s bay window. The liquid glowed a rich, ruby red like a shard in a
stained glass window.
“Beautiful.” And odd.
Sure, I was a half vampire and could appreciate a fine bit of blood, but I
was still a human female and for me, nothing says, I’m sorry for disrupting your
entire life like high-end jewelry or better yet an all-expenses paid trip with
my boyfriend somewhere secluded, luxurious, and far away from vampire politics.
Hell, I’d settle for the return of my boyfriend to San Francisco.
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