Our guest today is paranormal romance author Alexis Morgan, author of the Paladins of Darkness series featuring immortal warriors who die again and again to protect humanity - and the women they love, and the Talions series about a rugged group of warriors selected to hunt down and punish those that have gone rogue within their own kind.  We’re talking Alpha males with a capital ‘A.’ And as Alexis tells us, even their creator has trouble controlling them.  The fantastic Renee from Simon & Schuster is providing ten of you the chance to read about these warriors yourself in the latest Paladin novel DEFEAT THE DARKNESS. See details below. 

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So Who’s Really in Charge Around Here?
by
Alexis Morgan

My first Paladin story, Dark Protector, was released back in 2006, and I recently completed my seventh and eighth stories in the series. Those two books, Bound by Darkness and Beyond the Darkness, will be back-to-back releases next summer. After telling that many stories set in the same world, you would think that the answer to the question I posed up there in the title would be obvious—me.

And part of the time, that’s true. For example, I’m the one to decided what particular abilities the Paladins would have, such as the ability to come back from death. I also determined the cost of that ability, that each time they would lose more of their humanity. I knew from the beginning that their foes were from another world that was separated from ours by an energy barrier, and that the aliens would be out of their minds with blood-lust every time they crossed into our world.

I even picked the settings, or at least two out of the three. I chose Seattle and Missouri as the primary backgrounds for the Paladin stories for a couple of reasons. One is that I know those areas well and knew I could make the stories more believable because of that knowledge. The other is that each of them is an earthquake zone with the added bonus of the Pacific Northwest also being blessed with volcanoes. At the beginning, I certainly didn’t envision stories being set in Kalithia, the alien world, but that’s just one of the things that the characters themselves demanded.

And I assure you, those Paladins and their friends sure do know how to make their desires known. Trahern really wanted to have his story told to the point that he kept trying to take over that first book. It was only by planning his for the second that he’d let Devlin have his day in the sun. Barak q’Young was supposed to die in the first book. Yeah, I know that shocks people sometimes, but I realized as I wrote the book that he wasn’t the monster I thought he’d be. Instead, he was a hero in the making.

Jarvis grabbed my attention from the minute he appeared in Trahern’s book, refusing to be just a cardboard character designed to serve a particular function in the story before fading back into obscurity. There was also another Paladin who first appeared in Trahern’s story bare-chested, bare footed, and wearing flannel pj bottoms to fight in. I knew he wanted his story told, and Hunter Fitzsimon got his wish earlier this year. And finally, Larem q’Jones was dragged kicking and screaming from Kalithia into our world. I should have known he wouldn’t be satisfied until he got a book of his own. It’s the May 2011 release.

So to answer my own question, oftentimes it’s the characters themselves who determine whose story gets told next and what settings and theme will be explored. For me, that’s what really makes the journey from the first book back in 2006 through the ones yet to come so interesting. I can hardly wait to see who is waiting in the wings to have their story told next.

To read more from my heroic Paladins, check out some of my short stories on Pocket After Dark!

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Alexis Morgan grew up near St. Louis and received a B.A. in English from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She and her husband have made the Pacific Northwest their home for more than thirty years, where she launched her career as a writer. She is published in contemporary romance, American West historicals, and currently writes paranormal romances for Pocket Star and Silhouette Nocturne. Her book, Darkness Unknown, is a finalist in the RITA's, the top award in the romance genre.

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Visit Alexis online:
Website|Blog

Want to read more from Alexis Morgan?

Paladins of Darkness
1. Dark Protector
2. Dark Defender
3. In Darkness Reborn
4. Redeemed in Darkness
5. Darkness Unknown
6. Defeat the Darkness
7. Bound by Darkness (2011)
9. The Darkness Beyond (2011)

Talions
1. Dark Warrior Unleashed
2. Dark Warrior Unbroken
3. Dark Warrior Untamed

Novels
The Vampire's Desire
Vampire Vendetta
A Vampire's Vindication

Giveaway

Giveaway provided by Simon & Schuster
10 copies of DEFEAT THE DARKNESS by Alexis Morgan

ISBN: 978-1416563457
Publisher: Pocket
Release Date: March 2010

Hard-eyed and hard-bodied, Hunter Fitzsimon isn't what Tate Justice expected in a tenant for the apartment above her garage. Terse and intensely private, Hunter's mission is to protect a narrow stretch of the barrier between Earth and Kalithia against the Paladins' ruthless enemies -- a job that would be much easier without his sexy landlady nosing around. So when she follows Hunter into the woods late one night, he decides to teach Tate a lesson with a passionate kiss that brings her to her knees...and unexpectedly ignites red-hot desire deep in his soul. But the warrior's dark and dangerous world is no place for his fiery lover. Does possessing Tate mean turning his back on his brethren...or will Hunter forsake the woman of his dreams for the harsh duty he's always known?

Click HERE to read an excerpt

GIVEAWAY GUIDLINES

1. Open to US only, no PO Boxes
2. Fill out the form
3. Entries must be received by Midnight MST on  Nov 19th

I would greatly appreciate if you shared this giveaway on your blog or favorite social networks.  And please say hi to Alexis. Thanks!

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Interested in guest blogging on All Things Urban Fantasy?  CONTACT ME