Author Guest Post + Giveaway: Fiona Zedde

Today I welcome author Fiona Zedde to That’s What I’m Talking About…

The Virgin Vampire in the Land of Sex

In my new novel, Desire at Dawn, Kylie is a virgin. I didn’t set out to write her that way, a twenty-something virgin in a world of beautiful, hyper-sexed vampires. It seemed even oxymoronic that she isn’t as interested in sex – at least not in having it – as the members of her concupiscent tribe. My intent was something else all together, but I like to think that Kylie appeared on the page in the way she was meant to.

In the novel, her desires are large and all consuming. She wants so many things that her small body can barely contain all of these hungers: the hunger for blood, for familial closeness, for the sort of sexual connection that doesn’t come with the complete surrender of self. Her experience is simultaneously erotic and frustrating, a bitter-sweet journey. And I must admit I did take some pleasure in torturing and teasing her through the course of the novel with the things she wants and cannot have, things she can have but thinks she should not want.

Writing about Kylie’s frustrated desires also mirrored the path I took while writing the novel. Desire at Dawn is the sequel to Every Dark Desire, a novel whose protagonist is Kylie’s mother, Belle. Belle is a different sort of vampire entirely, and most definitely not a virgin. But in both preparing to write this new book and in the act of actually writing it, I felt I was voyeuristically observing the desires of other people (my readers) for a follow-up to the novel that spawned a wonderful following, some excellent book reviews, and an award nomination. I wanted to satisfy their craving for another vampire novel set in that world. But wasn’t sure I would be able to, or even if I should.

In the end, obviously, I gave in to these desires. Just as Kylie does. Take a peek at the novel and see if yours will be sated as well.

Thanks for reading!

About the books:

Every Dark Desire

Naomi McElroy’s life in Jamaica has always been about the comforts of family and home. But secretly, she yearns for something more. When she surrenders to seduction in a jasmine-scented garden under a full moon her life is changed forever. In that moment of complete ecstasy, Naomi becomes Belle, one of the undead whose carnal hungers are never sated.

Now Belle is part of a vampire clan, lost in an existence that strips away all pretences and lays bare the deep, dark hungers within every soul. But first she must be taught. Through the feel of skin pressed against skin and the skilled manipulations of a powerful lover, Belle craves desire every waking moment. A part of her hates her new life, but another part revels in it—the savagery of her senses, the sway of her body, and the sensual decadence of her new family. What Belle finally feels is a sexual connection like no other she’s experienced.

But in this exciting new world, there are many dangers that are best left untouched—and dangers that are too intoxicating and enticing to resist.

Desire at Dawn

Recently turned from human to vampire, Kylie wants nothing to do with her new life or with the clan that claims her. She certainly wants nothing to do with her mother, Belle, who is completely infatuated with her vampire wife and clan leader.

To escape her unwanted existence, Kylie befriends a beguiling human, Olivia, who has been abandoned by her family. But unknown to Kylie, someone is watching her – an enemy that has targeted her and her clan. While battling this enemy, Kylie also grapples with the surprising desire she feels for the human woman; a desire she’d once seen as wicked and wrong.

Fighting for her life and what is left of her soul, Kylie must confront both the assassins and the beast within her that would do anything to survive.

About the author:

Jamaican-born Fiona Zedde currently lives and writes in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the author of several novellas and novels of lesbian love and desire, including the Lambda Literary Award finalists Bliss and Every Dark Desire. Her novel, Dangerous Pleasures, was winner of the About.com Readers’ Choice Award for Best Lesbian Novel or Memoir of 2012.

Her short fiction has appeared in various anthologies including the Cleis Press Best Lesbian Erotica series, Wicked: Sexy Tales of Legendary Lovers, Iridescence: Sensuous Shades of Lesbian Erotica, and Fist of the Spider Woman.

Writing under the name “Fiona Lewis,” she has also published a novel of young adult fiction called Dreaming in Color with Tiny Satchel Press.

You can find Fiona on the web:
Website – www.fionazedde.com
Twitter – www.twitter.com/fionazedde
Tumblr – www.fionazedde.tumblr.com
Blogspot – www.fionazedde.blogspot.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/fiona.zedde
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/zedde

Giveaway:

Fiona is generously donating one (1) digital copy of Desire at Dawn for giveaway here today. To enter, please leave a comment below, and be sure to include your contact information. Each comment is an entry. The giveaway is open until 12:00 AM (midnight) EDT on July 3, 2014. Winner chosen at random from all eligible entries. This contest is open where not prohibited by law. Open to participants, 18 years or older, who are legally allowed to participate in such a contest as allowed by their local laws. All federal, state, local, and municipal laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. By participating in the contest, participants agree to be bound by the decisions of the contest sponsor. Prize will be delivered by the author. This blog nor its reviewers nor owner are not responsible for items lost in the mail. By entering this giveaway, participants agree to abide by these terms.