I’m very pleased to welcome Denise Verrico to ATUF today. Denise is the author of the Immortyl Revolution series. Book one, CARA MIA is available now. See details below for a giveaway!
CARA MIA (Book One of the Immortyl Revolution) by Denise Verrico
Vampires Mia and Kurt become involved in a deadly mission to harness the power of immortality. Mia Disantini is a vampire whose greatest desire is to walk in the sun again. She is enslaved by her charismatic master, Ethan, and plunged into an ancient, unenlightened Immortyl culture.
As Mia struggles for the freedom to live as she chooses, she is trained as Ethan's Bird of Prey. Soon she becomes the pawn of their powerful, enigmatic elder, Brovik, in his deadly games of deception and intrigue against his rival, Gaius, concerning their forbidden science experiments. When Mia is cast out by Ethan she joins forces with Kurt, and together the lovers steal fire from the gods and deliver it to Genpath Laboratories. The company CEO Lee Brooks deceives and imprisons the pair.
While held captive, Mia calls upon the aid of Dr. Joe Ansari. The couple is hunted for their crime and time is running out. Will Mia and Kurt escape with their lives and succeed in their mission before their Immortyl enemies harness the power of immortality for evil purposes?
Click HERE to read an excerpt of CARA MIA.
Interview
ATUF: CARA MIA is the first book in the Immortyl Revolution series. How do you envision the future of these books unfolding?
DV: Book One is the prelude to the revolution. Mia and Kurt are locked up in a biotech lab in California. The story deals with her becoming a vampire and her struggle to survive as a modern woman in an ancient culture. In Book Two, Twilight of the Gods, Kurt rises to become the charismatic rebel leader. Mia and Kurt’s relationship faces challenges from their followers, the war they’re fighting, and a third partner, Arturo. Fearful Symmetry, Book Three, switches POV to the irreverent person of Cedric MacKinnon, a nineteen-year-old, adept of the ancient arts. An adept is an Immortyl temple dancer/musician/courtesan of the Chief Elder’s court. I needed an observer within the inner sanctum of Immortyl power to move the saga along. This book will be the sexiest, because of Cedric’s profession, but the sex he engages in is mostly for the sake of politics. Book Four, Ratopia will bring Cedric to New York to team up with Kurt and Mia. Mia will again take up the narrative. I see books five and six from Cedric’s POV, dealing with his exploits in subsequent wars. Books seven, eight and nine will be from the POV of a female character, who is introduced at the end of Book Four and these will focus a bit more on the science.
ATUF: You have a great Immortyl Lexicon on your website, but can you explain the hierarchy of the vampires in CARA MIA?
DV: The first group is the ruling class, elders and alphas, exclusively male. Then there is a soldier class, referred to as “dogs”, that is also male. Third is a “pleasure class” made up of male and female slaves. Besides these there are “sewer rats”, made up of runaways and cast-offs. These are mostly kids and teenagers in form. They live like feral animals in very poor conditions. Of course, there are the adepts of the ancient arts, who are in a sense Immortyl celebrities, famed for their beauty and talent and supposedly chosen by the Goddess Kali herself.
ATUF: Can you explain the world building of CARA MIA? What sets it apart from other urban fantasy worlds?
My mythology is drawn from India. Ironically, the Chief Elder, Kalidasa creates an Immortyl tantric cult of the goddess, Kali. Tantrism celebrates Shakti, the feminine principle, but the Chief manipulates the rituals and beliefs to his uses. This doesn’t come directly into play until Fearful Symmetry.
One of the big differences in Immortyl Revolution, compared a lot of urban fantasy, is that I don’t have characters solving mysteries. That’s not to say there aren’t twists in the plot. I like the humor in the genre and Mia wisecracks a lot. The romantic and erotic elements in Immortyl Revolution often deal with sexual politics and rituals unique to their culture. Also, there’s the science. There are no magical powers in my world, except for the magic worked by a DNA molecule. My vampires are biological mutations, not the undead variety, so they behave a lot like mortals in many respects. Immortyls do have enhanced physical abilities, but they can’t go out in the sun and they can drink only human blood. I like some kind of kryptonite to limit my vamps. They haven’t been outed yet. Up until this point, they’ve kept their condition secret, and only a handful of mortals know about them.
ATUF: If CARA MIA were ever made into a movie, who would you love to see cast as Mia and Kurt?
DV: Great question! Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood were much in my mind when I wrote it. They were great together as kids in The Ice Storm. It’s time to pair them up again. I can’t think of a feistier actress with the requisite voluptuous, Italian look. And is there a more ethereal male beauty with the serious acting chops? Blue eyes to die for.
ATUF: How would you describe the love story between Mia And Kurt?
DV: Mia and Kurt are in their sixties when they finally pair up, so this definitely isn’t a teenaged romance. It’s the story of two people who have “suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”. Both of them are complex individuals, who understand that eternal life isn’t always conducive to monogamy, but they still aren’t above a little jealousy when they stray from one another. Despite their ups and downs, they love one another deeply.
ATUF: Can you tell us about your favorite scene in CARA MIA?
DV: When Kurt, a survivor of the concentration camp, Dauchau, kills a skinhead. It’s pretty gory, but I think of vampires as violent creatures by nature. Every once in awhile, there needs to be that reminder that they reflect the dark side of humanity. What makes it interesting is the reason Kurt behaves as he does and why he chooses that particular victim.
ATUF: What other projects can we look forwarding to reading from you soon?
DV: Book Two, Twilight of the Gods will be released this fall. Book Three, Fearful Symmetry is going through my critique group now, and I’m working on Book Four, Ratopia.
ATUF: What are some of your favorite titles/authors in the paranormal genres?
ATUF: What is the significance of the butterfly on the cover? Can you tell us about your involvement in the cover art process?
DV: Good question. The butterfly is significant for a few reasons. It symbolizes metamorphosis, and it also symbolizes the soul, something that Mia “sells” on her journey and sets out to regain.
When Ethan, her master, casts her out, she pawns a butterfly necklace that he gave to her upon her transformation into a vampire. Kurt later buys it back for her at great expense.
Mia and Kurt’s relationship also echoes the myth of Eros (Love) and Psyche (Soul). In art, Psyche is usually depicted with butterfly wings. The word psyche itself means both butterfly and soul in Greek. This particular butterfly is something delicate yet menacing, like Mia herself.
L&L Dreamspell, my publisher, allows the author an opportunity to weigh in on the cover. I let them know what I had in mind, and I was thrilled with the results. Linda Houle did this beautiful design. L&L Dreamspell is wonderful to work with.
ATUF: A key element of CARA MIA is the quest for immortality. What do you think about the possibility of living forever? If you were offered immortality, would you take it?
DV: Our DNA can only replicate so many perfect copies. After awhile, like a photograph, the DNA in our cells makes less and less perfect copies, which is why we age and eventually die. If this process could somehow be changed, we could potentially live forever, barring severe injury. I’d definitely take the chance to live forever. Especially if I could take off about ten years from my age. I think it would be amazing to see what the future brings. I’d love to travel into space. Life is a great adventure.
ATUF: Thanks so much for stopping by Denise. Come back anytime! Can you leave us with the details about where to find your books?
DV: My publisher is L&L Dreamspell. My books can be purchased through my website and blog (signed copies). You can find trade paperbacks and multi-format e-books, including Kindle through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, Fictionwise and others. If your local store doesn’t carry it, they will order it for you. These are the sites where you can follow me:
- www.deniseverricowriter.webs.com.
- www.ImmortylRevolution.blogspot.com
- On Facebook
- You can also follow me on Twitter.
Giveaway
One (1) autographed 12" by 18" color poster of the CARA MIA cover
GIVEAWAY GUIDLINES
- Open to US only
- Leave a comment for Denise or answer the question “If you were offered immortality, would you take it?”
- Entries must be received by Midnight MST on May 22nd (check back for the winners post on May 23rd to see if you won).
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