Were Vamps Romance: Leia Shaw - Book Review, Author Interview, Character Interview, Book Giveaway

After fleeing her native city - and nightmares of a traumatic childhood - Sage Peterson meets the overbearing, pretentious, yet haunted Professor Elias. He's the only one who knows about her mysterious powers, which seem to be spiraling out of control. When he convinces her to train with him, she finds herself thrust into a five hundred year war and on the run from vampires, werewolves, and even worse - her budding feelings for James Elias.

James had been living a dull and empty existence for the past century and a half. When a fiery half-sorceress, half-witch with a stubborn streak and sharp wit enters his life, he sees her only as a potential weapon to use against his greatest enemy. But when he discovers the vulnerable woman beneath the angry mask, instinct screams to keep her safe. To protect and provide. And to claim her as his.

But will it be too late? As passion and lust ignite between them, vengeance is slipping away. And when Sage is confronted with fulfilling an unexpected destiny, will she choose to trust James with her heart?

Review
Destiny Divided (Book 1 of Shadows of Destiny series)
By Leia Shaw

The beginning was a little rough to get drawn in, but it does improve. Characters are very believable. The Character Sage is refreshing different. Tough attitude, from a not so pleasant upbringing. The setting was well formed. The pace flowed very well. It kept me turning pages long after my bedtime. The Ending is enjoyable. I really want to get my hands on the next book. Overall a great 18+ read!

My rating 5 stars!

Character Interview: Sage Peterson

Where do you live?

The Underworld is where I make my humble abode.

Where are you from?

Albany. Not much different from the Underworld. I transitioned well.

What are you called? Any nicknames?

Oh, let's see. Your Majesty, Queen Eirian, Sage the Exalted One. To James, I'm just caru. It means "love" in Welsh.

What do you do for a living?

Manage unruly supernaturals. Wage war with those pricks from the Sorcerers Counsel. General ass-kicking. James would say my job is to please him in bed. He assumes much.

How do you deal with conflict and change?

Deep breathing. Count to ten. Relax in my zen garden. Blow shit up.

Who else is in your life?

James, my sexy Welsh mate. My foster sister, Erin. Marcelo, the vampire bastard that made
me- oh, wait, I'm not supposed to give that part away. Well, I've since forgiven him and now
we're friends. Maddox is cool, for a sorcerer.

What are your hobbies and interests?

Martial arts. Sleeping in. Trying to take over the world. Photography.

How did you meet the person of your dreams?

I haven't yet. But James will do until I find my prince- Ow! He just kicked me under the table. Alright, alright. To be honest, James is the man I didn't know I dreamed of. And frankly, I don't deserve him. When we met, I was squatting in the basement of the college he worked at. He threatened me and I tried to kill him. With some convincing, (cough) blackmail (cough), I agreed to live with him and train as a sorceress. And, well, here we are nine months later, in love. Alright, now you can all say, "awww..." Only once or I'll throw up on you.

What is your best quality? What is your worst?

Best: I'm sarcastic. Worst: I'm sarcastic.

What is the one thing you wish people knew about you?

Underneath my hard exterior, I'm just a vulnerable, sweet little puppy. (Pause followed by hysterical laughter). I can't do it. (Laughter dying down). I just can't do it with a straight face. No, really. The one thing you should know is...DON'T CROSS ME!

What is your biggest secret and the one thing you don't want anybody to know?

If I didn't want anybody to know, why would I tell you? Ow! Stop kicking me! Okay, fine, I'll play nice. I still have my My Little Pony collection.

What are you most afraid of?

NOTHING!

What do you want more than anything?

World peace? No, seriously. Umm...for the people I care about to live long and happy lives. Damn it! Now I sound all vulnerable and sweet, don't I? Scratch that last question. No, really, scratch it.

Author Interview:

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Let's see...I live in New England. I have 5 tattoos. I play the cello. I have two kids. I've been hypnotized in a comedy show. And I've been attacked by a bear in the wild (my husband would say that's an exaggeration since it never actually touched me but it was pretty damn close).

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

In the womb. I composed sonnets.

What surprised you the most about the writing/publishing process?

It's hard. No, really.

How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?

I did a lot of research on what readers of this genre want in a book. The characters come easiest to me. The plot was a gradual process. I don't have a specific routine or formula. I just think a lot. In the car, in the shower, anytime I get a free moment. It's the best part of writing. I let my imagination go wild.

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

Character development.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

My book series is set in modern times with supernatural races living among us, though hidden and governed by their own set of rules. Each of the 7 books I have planned for the series, is the story of a male and female (often of different supernatural races) falling in love amidst magic, war, conflict, and bloodshed. There's a lot of action mixed with character growth and romance. Each book is a stand alone but some characters will have appearances in some of the other books.

In Twitter Fashion use140 characters or less, sum Destiny Divided for us.

A smart-ass sorceress/witch learns to trust her heart to another and a sorcerer with a secret has to give up centuries of built up vengeance for a woman who stole his heart.

How did you come up with a story that was such a whirl wind of events?

Uhhh....wish I had a good answer. I guess we go back to the thinking again. I just thought it up. I don't know. I've always had a big imagination and I wanted a story that kept moving and had a lot of action. I get bored easily.

Will we be seeing a following book to this stories?

Oh yes. Like I said, I have 7 books planned. Book 2 is almost done. It's softer and more romantic, but still drenched in action, magic, and kick-assery (spell check says that's not a word but I disagree). My writing has improved dramatically since writing Destiny Divided and I've learned a lot based on the reviews. I'm very excited about A Destiny United, out in June.

How did you come up with the character Sage?

In a dream. I wanted an ass-kicking female lead for my first book. Sage is a sarcastic sorceress with anger issues and a power hungry streak. She was easy to write (big personalities usual are). Anger and sarcasm is an easy, if not cowardly, way to deal with conflict and emotion. A lot of people tell me they hated Sage in the beginning of the book, which is so interesting to me. I've always seen her as a victim of her circumstances. I view her as brave and resourceful, with admitted weaknesses. James is the one who suffocates her with a magic rope in the first chapter yet everyone sees him as the hero. It blows my mind.

I always must ask, If you could pick one actor to portray James on the big screen who would it be and why?

Easy. Most people probably don't know this actor, he hasn't gotten big yet. But he's who I envisioned from the very beginning of this book's concept. Neil Jackson.