AAD Author Spotlight & Giveaway: Rosalie Lario

Please join me in welcoming Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance author Rosalie Lario to the blog today as part of my Authors After Dark Spotlight series.


First off, I’d like to thank Karen for inviting me here today. In honor of my upcoming attendance at the Authors After Dark Conference in New Orleans, I’d love to talk about one of my favorite topics: New Orleans itself!

My obsession with this southern city started when I was a preteen and first read Anne Rice. About a decade later, I had the occasion to go several times for Mardis Gras, and each visit only made my love for this magical place grow. There’s something about NOLA. Walking the historic streets, you can just imagine there are ghosts, vampires, and other supernatural beasts lurking around. Topped off with the amazing French Quarter bars and restaurants, it’s a wonder anyone ever leaves! 

If you haven’t been to NOLA but wonder what it’s like, trust me, it’s worth a visit. If you do plan on going, here are a few suggestions on how to spend your time:

•    Bar hopping on Bourbon street. You can’t visit this amazing city without spending time on Bourbon street, and what better way to enjoy all the history than to tour the bars, some of which have been there since before your parents were born!

•    Ghost or cemetery tour: There’s an abundance of these in the city, and it’s well worth your time to take one or more of them.

•    Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo on Bourbon Street. Yes it’s a bit touristy, but where else will you get to visit a place like this?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with my work, I’m the author of the paranormal romance series, Demons of Infernum. The series features four half-brothers who work as interdimensional bounty hunters in New York City.

Giveaway!Blood of the Demon (Book 1 in the series), stars half-demon Keegan and his heroine, Brynn. Part of this story takes place in New Orleans, and for your enjoyment I’d love to include one of those scenes. Also, one person who responds to the following question will win an ecopy of Blood of the Demon:

Have you ever been to NOLA? If so, what was your favorite part of the city?


Please leave your comment and a way to contact you if you win. (Email/twitter handle etc.)
Giveaway ends Saturday 6/9 at 11:59pm ET
Winner announced Sunday 6/10


Blood of the Demon: Keegan lives to exact revenge on the evil demon who sired and abused him. When his father devises a plan to bring on the apocalypse, he and his three half-brothers, interdimensional bounty hunters for the Elden Council, are charged with capturing and delivering their father for punishment.

Art gallery owner Brynn Meyers has no idea that her ability to read memories embedded in objects and drain people of their life force means she has demon ancestry. Unfortunately for Brynn, she’s also the key to raising an ancient zombie army, which puts her on every demon’s Most Wanted List.

And no one wants her more than Keegan’s father.

Keegan must protect Brynn from his father by any means necessary, but he’ll have to learn to harness the other half of his genetics—the far deadlier, uncontrollable half—when he starts to fall for the one woman standing between him and the vengeance he so desperately seeks. The one woman he’ll never be able to resist.

EXCERPT: Keegan was struck by the uncomfortable realization that this was the first time they’d been alone since he’d almost kissed her. How foolish he’d been.

Worse, he still wanted to kiss her. Very much.

Seeking to break the tension, he walked to the window and glanced out of it. Crowds of revelers swarmed the streets. It would be so easy to get lost in a crowd this size. So very easy.

He surprised himself by turning back to Brynn. “Want to go out for a bit?”

“Really? I mean, yeah, I’d love to.” She hesitated. “I hate to ask, because I really, really would like to go, but is it safe?”

“Should be safe enough in the crowd of people. The odds of Mammon finding us here are slim. It’s not as if he has a GPS tracker on you. Your apartment and your gallery, on the other hand, won’t be safe to return to until this mess is figured out.”

“My gallery.” Her face took on a pained expression that disappeared so swiftly he thought he might have imagined it. She grabbed her long, black coat and followed him to the door. “Why do I need to stay inside at all, if Mammon can’t track me?”

“I said the odds are slim. Not impossible. He’s got demons working for him everywhere. Given the consequences if he does find you, I’d say it’s better to err on the side of caution.”

Brynn appeared lost in thought as they hopped in the elevator and he pressed the button for the opulent lobby. When she turned to him, a vulnerable look haunted her gaze. “Are you going to be able to find him, Keegan? Do you think you’ll be able to stop him?”

The quiver in her voice just about killed him. Hoping to reassure her, he lifted his hand to caress her cheek. “Yes, Brynn, I do.”

Something hot and heavy blazed in her eyes, something that made it impossible to look away. His breath caught.

The elevator opened and three interested pairs of eyes peered at them.

For the first time he realized they’d edged closer together, until they stood mere inches apart. Clearing his throat, he hastily broke away.

Brynn hugged her coat to her as they stepped into the frigid cold. The smell of stale beer and piss stained the air around them. Drunken revelers wearing masks and beads careened past them, laughing riotously as they zoomed down the street carrying beer cups.

“I didn’t realize it was Mardis Gras until we got here,” she said.

“Mardis Gras?” He frowned, unfamiliar with the phrase. “What’s that?”

With an exasperated shake of her head, she said, “How is it that you seem so normal, yet you know nothing about popular culture?”

“We learn as much as we can before visiting other worlds, but our timelines are usually pretty short.”

“Sometimes you amaze me.”

She explained the history behind the celebration while he watched the throngs of people walking past, some barely dressed.

“I’m afraid some of these people are going to freeze to death,” he told her.

Brynn followed his gaze to a thin woman wearing nothing more than a mask, pasties, a thong, and what looked like her weight in beads. She laughed. “Most of them have probably had so much liquor they barely even notice.”

Surely, a dangerous state for beings as fragile as humans. He saw something ahead and grabbed her hand. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

Fighting to pull her through the crowd, he led her to a booth where a man sold masks and beads. Keegan picked an elaborate purple and gold full-face mask with feathers on one side. “This one suits you.”

“It’s pretty.” She put it on and he moved behind her to tie the strings in the back. “If I’m wearing one, you need one, too.”

Keegan shrugged, then chose a black and gold jester mask that he figured was masculine enough. He squatted, waiting impatiently while Brynn tied it behind his head. Her intoxicating scent closed in on him, overwhelming even the foul stench of the streets.

Too close. She stood far too close for comfort.

As soon as she finished tying the knot, he pulled away and turned to face her.

“That looks great on you,” she said.

Laughing, he paid the man at the booth. He led her away from the huge, swaying mass of people on one end of the street. When they approached another crowd pocket, he grabbed her hand, and this time he didn’t let go. He told himself it made sense, given the amount of people on the street. But he didn’t try to fool himself—touching her felt good. Her cool hand warmed in his, and he envisioned what it would feel like for her soft fingers to caress other parts of his body.

Cursing inwardly, he forced himself to think about something else. He scanned the crowd, searching for any signs of danger, but found nothing.

“Maybe Ronin was right about hiding out here.”

Her glance was curious. “Why do you say that?”

“The crowd—not to mention the masks—should provide more than enough safety.”

“Ooh, does that mean I actually get to leave the hotel room?”

Keegan laughed at her eager tone, squeezing her hand. “As long as one of us accompanies you, I don’t see why not.”
Find out more about Blood of the Demon at Entangled Publishing or at my website www.rosalielario.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Rosalie Lario practiced real estate law for several years before finally admitting to herself that negotiating contracts wasn’t nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son in their home state of Florida, as well as searching out things that go bump in the night. Follow her on: Website | Twitter | Facebook