Spotlight & Giveaway: After The Bite by Lynsay Sands

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Lynsay Sands to HJ!

Hi Lynsay and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, After The Bite!

 
Hi Sara!
 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

This book is about Valerian MacKenzie, a gorgeous, Nordic blond enforcer who’s been around right from the beginning of the series, and Natalie Moncreif Daniels, single mom, trained chef, and golf club owner.

Valerian has been waiting a long time to find his life mate and is shocked to discover she’s been right under his nose at the golf course he’s been playing at for the last three months. Now all he has to do is woo his potential life mate, who’s a single mother and so busy running the golf course that she doesn’t even take the time to eat properly. Oh, and it looks like she might have a stalker. Good luck Valerian!

Natalie is busy from the time she wakes at six every morning, to the final mowing she does at night, which usually ends up being around one am. She doesn’t have time to even think about dating someone, let alone find the hours in the day to do it. She and her daughter Mia are doing just fine on their own.
Still, there is something about this MacKenzie character that keeps making her wish she could find that time.
 

Please share your favorite lines or quote(s) from this book:

– “Be still my beating heart, an old fart immortal who actually knows about computers and how to use them,” Stephanie said with wonder.
– “The Brain-to-Dick-Drain.” (Lucian stated this quite matter-of-factly to Valerian about life mates need for extra blood because of the “Brain-To-Dick-Drain” effect)
– Natalie eyed him for a minute, and then dropped onto the opposite end of the couch from Tybo and smiled. “So . . . tell me about Valerian. Does he have a girlfriend or wife?” she asked, and then continued to smile sweetly as she added, “And bear in mind that I’ll cut you up and serve you as stew in my restaurant if you lie to me.”
– “An accident?” Tybo asked with amusement. “Like you tripped and fell on his penis, and then fainted from the shock of it?”
– “Omigod!” Natalie closed her eyes with dismay. Opening them again, she muttered with disbelief, “I shtupped Dracula.”
Valerian blinked, and then asked uncertainly, “Shtupped?”
“She banged you,” Tybo clarified, and when Valerian just turned to stare at him, the dark-haired man added, “You know, a little of the old in-out.”
– Natalie scowled at him, but then admitted, “That my manpicker must be broken.”
“Your what?” Tybo asked on a disbelieving laugh.
“My manpicker,” she repeated with a glare, and then said, “My guydar.”

What inspired this book?

• Valerian is one of the original enforcers in the Argeneau series and I’ve wanted to write his story for quite a while now.
• I got to know a local golf club owner and was fascinated by the operation and all the work involved in running one, which of course inspired Natalie’s character.
• It was nice to hear from Stephanie again, showcasing her skills in life mate matching.
• I enjoyed bringing in a few new characters into the mix, as well as revisiting some originals, like Alex! We hadn’t heard from Alex in a very long time.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

My characters are always surprising me, lol.

– Valerian’s personality revealed itself as his story progressed. Having worked as a soldier or as an enforcer over the last couple of centuries in one capacity or another, Valerian is the classic warrior. But he’s also had a very colorful work history, which was a surprise. He’s owned businesses, was a practicing doctor at the turn of the nineteenth century during the Spanish influenza, was an apple farmer for a time and worked other operations including his family’s golf courses. All of these experiences, both good and bad, had a hand in tempering his personality and helped him appreciate life and the people that pass through his own very long one.
Coincidentally, his family having owned golf courses, he understands the demands on Natalie’s time and, therefore, knows how to help her when a crisis comes calling. He also thinks Mia, her young daughter, is an “adorable little bundle” but is afraid that because his life mate is a single mother it will make the job of wooing his potential life mate much harder.

– As for Natalie, her character blossomed as her back story developed and evolved. Natalie and her daughter’s origin story was a big surprise and speaks volumes of her inner strength and incredible personality. She lost so much in one fateful accident and then the hits kept coming after that tragedy. But instead of curling up and succumbing to her depression and grief, she struggled to get a life back for herself and her daughter. There is no doubt Natalie is incredibly smart and talented and would do anything for her kid, even if it means working herself to exhaustion to meet all the demands on her time.

What was your favorite scene to write?

Their first kiss was a pretty amusing scene. I love the side effects of life mate brain drain. LOL

Valerian caught her by the bottom at once and began to back her up, toward the couch, she assumed, and was proven right when he urged her down and she felt the edge of the couch cushions against the backs of her legs. Natalie turned then, so that they would lay on it properly as he lowered her, and she felt the cushions under her bottom, her back, and then—
She blinked her eyes open with surprise when something firmer, lumpy, and slightly higher stopped her head. Her eyes widened incredulously when she found herself staring up at a dark-haired man whose lap her head had apparently landed in. A moment of confusion claimed Natalie briefly as she tried to push back the passion presently soaking her brain so that she could understand who he was, how he had got there, and why? But it was hard to think with Valerian’s tongue thrusting into her mouth, and his hands now gliding over her breasts between them.
“Hi.”
Valerian froze, and Natalie, whose eyes had started to close despite herself as passion tried to drag her under again, blinked her eyes back fully open and stared at the man.
“I’m Tybo. You must be Natalie,” he said in a cheerful voice.
Unable to answer with her mouth full of tongue, Natalie stared at him wide-eyed around Valerian’s head, and then was suddenly pulled upright as Valerian leapt off her and the couch, taking her with him to stand on shaky legs in front of the man in whose lap they’d just been reclining on.
“Tybo,” Valerian began grimly, only to fall silent as the man—his partner, if she was remembering correctly, which in her state wasn’t a given—held out a cell phone.
“Lucian wanted to talk to you,” he announced, waving the phone a bit. “I did cough and try to make my presence known,” he added. “But you were both a bit distracted, so I sat down to wait. I knew it wouldn’t be long. Life mates are reputed to be ridiculously quick about these things.”
Scowling, Valerian snatched the phone out of his hand, and then hesitated and turned to Natalie. “I’m sorry. I have to take this.”
“Of course,” Natalie whispered. She then licked her lips as the attempt to speak made her aware of how dry her lips now were. She only realized what she’d done when she noticed the way Valerian froze, his eyes seeming to glow a silver green. Why had she never noticed the strange color of his eyes? she wondered. They were stunning. But the answer was simple enough: every time she’d looked at his face, her gaze had got caught on his lips. So, she’d avoided actually looking at him as much as possible. She was looking now, though, and those eyes of his were something else. If she didn’t know better, she’d say the silver was increasing and the green fading beneath it as his face drew nearer.
Oh, he was going to kiss her again. That would be lovely, Natalie thought, and then jumped as Tybo cleared his throat loudly and said on a laugh, “Phone, Valerian. Lucian.”
“Right.” Valerian straightened at once, managed a crooked smile for Natalie, and then turned to hurry out of the room, putting the phone to his ear as he went.
“So,” Tybo said, drawing her gaze back to him. “You and Valerian, huh?”
“Uh.” Natalie felt her face heat up with embarrassment and didn’t have a clue what to say. They weren’t exactly a couple. He’d just kissed her. Well, okay, just kissed her was a bit of a milquetoast description for what she’d just experienced. Still . . .
Still what? she wondered. What was going on here? Was she now interested in a relationship with the man? Now that she knew he might be around her age or even a couple of years older? Now that she knew his kisses blew her mind? Now that she wanted to know if sex with him would be just as mind-blowing?
Was that last one even a question she needed to ask herself? Natalie thought with an inner sigh. ’Cause she was pretty sure the guy could rock her world in the bedroom . . . or the office, or the kitchen, or the dining room, on the golf course, in the equipment barn. Dear God, there were any number of places they could—
A chuckle from Tybo brought her meandering horndog thoughts to a halt and she glanced at him in question.
“Oh.” Tybo waved a hand and shook his head. “I was just . . . er . . . remembering . . . something.”
Natalie eyed him for a minute, and then dropped onto the opposite end of the couch from Tybo and smiled. “So . . . tell me about Valerian. Does he have a girlfriend or wife?” she asked, and then continued to smile sweetly as she added, “And bear in mind that I’ll cut you up and serve you as stew in my restaurant if you lie to me.”

What was the most difficult scene to write?

I was having trouble figuring out when and where the stalker would finally confront Natalie and how he/she could get her alone considering there were so many enforcers around. That and taking into account the layout of the Shady Pines Golf Club, it got a bit tricky.

Valerian didn’t want to even think about that and merely ground his teeth together as he stopped abruptly at the clubhouse door . . . that was still closed and locked.
Lifting the phone back to his ear with one hand while he unlocked the door with the other, Valerian barked, “Ty?”
“Still here,” his partner assured him.
“How the hell did Mia get out? The door is still locked. Or was,” he added as he opened it.
“The doggy door. Sinbad came out and she crawled right out after him,” Tybo answered with amusement.
“What doggy door?” Valerian asked with amazement, his gaze moving over the solid door he was opening.
“It’s in the wall behind the counter,” Tybo told him. “I suspect it used to be a milk door or something in the days when they had delivery and the clubhouse was just a little farmhouse.”
Valerian turned to the counter and leaned over to look behind it.
“Sweet Jesus,” he muttered, taking in the little wooden door. It was a foot off the ground and about two feet in height and a foot and a half wide. There was a dead bolt on it that probably made it at least a little secure when in place, but it wasn’t engaged now. Mia must have opened it.
Well, that wasn’t safe, he thought with irritation, and how the hell had they missed it? Straightening, he opened the screen door and stepped outside, then looked at the dog/milk door again. A table and chairs situated in front of it had helped conceal it, he saw.
Shaking his head, Valerian left it for now and turned to look for Tybo, spotting him at once. The younger immortal was standing on the grass on the other side of the railing that ran around the deck. Valerian didn’t bother with the stairs, but walked to the railing and vaulted over it, landing right next to his partner.
“Morning,” Tybo said with amusement, taking in his attire. Valerian had no shoes, no shirt, and his jeans were snapped up but his zipper was down. He suspected his hair was probably also a mess, since Tybo grinned when he looked at it.
“I was sleeping,” Valerian growled, reaching down to quickly do up his zipper as the other man walked around him before returning to his side.
“Uh-huh,” Tybo said. “And Natalie?”
“She’s sleeping,” he said shortly.
“And were the two of you sleeping together, or did someone else put those scratches on your back?” Tybo asked conversationally.
Valerian glanced swiftly over his shoulder, but there were no marks. Tybo was messing with him, he realized, and snapped, “Where’s Mia?”
When the other man pointed toward the path to the eighteenth hole, Valerian saw the little girl and her dog. She had one hand on Sinbad’s back for balance, and was toddling along, stopping every few feet to pick a flower from the edging of mums that lined the path.
“I was going to fetch her back in, but Sinbad growled any time I got near her,” Tybo told him with a wry smile. “Let’s hope you have better luck.”
Valerian grunted and started forward, but hadn’t taken more than a couple of steps when a gunshot rang out…

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

My writing style stays pretty consistent regardless of the genre I write and it’s the same in this book as well. This chapter in the Argeneau series has a little romance, mixed in with some mystery, sprinkled with humour, and tossed together with a good amount of action. And of course, we catch up with some characters from the past like Dani, Decker, Rachel, Leigh, Lucian, Mortimer, Alex, Marguerite and Tybo. And we meet some new characters as well like Valerian’s cousins, Colle and Alasdair, and his sister, Aileen.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

The main thing is I’d like the readers to get lost in the story so they can leave their everyday stress and worries aside for a while.
Also, I think the takeaway from Natalie’s story is that sometimes bad things happen that we have absolutely no control over. And it’s how we deal with everything after the fact where we can shine.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I am currently working on Book #36 of the Argeneau series. Shortly after that I’ll start working on book #12 of the Highland Brides series.

Though I’m enjoying the story I’m presently working on, it’s in its infancy so I can’t say much other than it’s a thrilling, action-packed, rollercoaster ride. I do find myself a bit contrary at times and if I give away too many details, and saying anything at this point is too much, then I might be setting myself up to stall before I really even get started. Sigh

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Two signed paperback editions of After The Bite!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What would you do if you met a handsome stranger who’s attracted to you as well, but you just discovered evidence that you were being stalked by someone…
1) Would you go out with the handsome stranger?
Or
2) ake the safe route and put a pause on outings, especially with people you don’t know?

 
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Excerpt from After The Bite:

“Er . . . Valerian?”
Blinking his thoughts away, he focused on Natalie in time to see her gesture for him to follow as she slid out from behind the desk. Curious, he excused himself to the others and followed her to the corner of the room. Valerian made sure to stay several steps behind her and stopped at once when she did to ensure there was enough space between them that he wouldn’t accidentally touch her. So, he was more than a little alarmed when she turned, noted the space between them, and grabbed his arm to tug him forward to narrow that distance.
Fortunately, he’d donned a long-sleeved shirt over his T-shirt today when he’d headed back to the golf course to meet up with his cousins. He’d done so as protection against the sun since it was midday, but it now had the added benefit of keeping her hand from touching his skin.
Grateful for that, he released a little sigh of relief when she dropped his arm, only to suck in a sharp breath when she suddenly leaned up on her tiptoes and braced her hand against his chest to steady herself as she whispered in his ear.
Valerian stood there wide-eyed and heart racing as her scent enveloped him and her breath brushed against his ear.
“Wah wah wah wah wah,” was all he heard. It was followed by, “Wah wah, and wah wah wah OPP.” The last three letters, the abbreviation for the Ontario Provincial Police, knocked him out of his stupor and he jerked back slightly to get a look at her face as he asked with alarm, “What?”
She was at first startled by his reaction, and then seemed a little exasperated as she explained in a low voice, “Well, I know you said your family was here to help, but don’t you think this is really something for the OPP? I mean, if—”
“No,” he said sharply, and then realized he’d put more volume behind the word than intended. He took a breath before saying more calmly, “The police really don’t have the manpower or even the tools to deal with this character if it’s the Angel-Maker.”
“And your relatives do?” Natalie asked dubiously.
“They are not all relatives,” he corrected gently. “Leigh and Lucian aren’t related to me.”
“Whatever,” she said impatiently, and then sighed and said, “Look, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You probably saved my life last night when you pulled me out of the pond. And carrying me back here and bringing in Dr. Dani was super sweet. But the Angel-Maker is a cold-blooded killer, a psychopath. The man bleeds his victims dry and then poses them naked like dolls for the world to see what he’s done. I don’t want to end up that way. I have a daughter to think of. I need the authorities on this. Professionals who can keep me safe and catch this guy.”
“We are professionals,” Valerian assured her the moment she paused to take a breath.
The words seemed to startle her into a pause that lasted the length of a heartbeat and then she clucked with irritation and pointed out, “You’re a farmer, Valerian. And your cousins Alasdair and Colle signed up to mow my course. Those aren’t the kind of professionals I need on this.”
Before Valerian could respond, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Leigh and Marguerite, and both of them were eyeing him with a combination of sympathy and pity.
“I think you should go keep the men company and let us explain the situation to Natalie,” Leigh said solemnly. “Besides, Lucian is done with his phone call and wants a word with you.”
He hesitated, but then glanced over to where Lucian had rejoined Julius and the others. When the man jerked his head in a silent order to get over there, Valerian sighed.
“Very well,” he said, and then hesitated and asked Natalie, “Are you all right with my aunt and Leigh explaining things?”
She looked confused and a bit unhappy, but gave an abrupt nod, so he assured her, “I’ll be right over there if you need me,” before turning to move away.
Natalie had to fight the urge to call Valerian back as she watched him walk away. She had no idea why. She barely knew the man, but felt more of a connection to him than any of the others, even the two women now moving to stand side by side in front of her. Forcing herself to face them, Natalie managed a polite smile and waited for one of them to speak.
“Hi,” Leigh said brightly.
“Hi,” Natalie responded with uncertainty.
“I realize this is all probably very frightening and confusing for you, and I want you to know I really do understand,” she assured her. “In fact, I had a crazy psychopath after me some years back so have been in your shoes and can understand everything you must be going through right now.”
Natalie blinked at that revelation. It was the last thing she’d expected to hear. “You did?”
“Yes. I did.” Leigh nodded solemnly. “It was a terrifying time, and if it weren’t for my husband, Lucian, I probably wouldn’t have survived it.”
Natalie looked over at Lucian Argeneau. He was presently surrounded by the other men, who were listening as he talked and merely giving an occasional nod. Their expressions, though, were serious and respectful. Even Valerian seemed to be showing him some deference, though she noticed his eyes sliding her way a couple of times, as if worried about her, or perhaps about how this conversation was going.
“My husband is the head of an organization that acts as an umbrella over various agencies and departments,” Leigh said now. “One of those agencies is a special branch of . . . law enforcement headed by a man named Garrett Mortimer. They hunt down . . . serial killers. Like your Angel-Maker and the man who was after me.”
Natalie looked at Leigh with a combination of curiosity and suspicion. She hadn’t missed the slight hesitation in the woman’s speech before saying “law enforcement” and “serial killers” and wondered what had caused it. But then Leigh met her gaze and said, “Valerian works under Mortimer in that agency.”
“What?” Natalie asked with surprise, and then she shook her head. “He’s a farmer. He bought the old Wilkins farm down the road.”
“Yes,” Marguerite said now, joining the conversation. “But he rents the land out to someone else to farm and helicopters into work in Toronto five nights a week.” She waited a moment to allow that to sink in. “In truth, you are very lucky he wanted a quiet place in the country and moved out here, not to mention that he loves to golf. It might have saved your life, and not just because he pulled you out of the pond. But because he suspected there was a connection here with the Angel-Maker last night and called the office at once, setting things in motion. It’s the reason so many of us showed up today.”
“The other out-of-towners in the dining room?” Natalie asked.
“Our men,” Leigh said with a nod, and then added, “And so are Alasdair and Colle. They’re Enforcers, just not in this area usually. However, Valerian arranged for them to come because he was concerned that anyone else working here might unintentionally damage your course and he didn’t want that.”
Eyes widening, Natalie glanced over toward the two men in question and supposed she shouldn’t be surprised they both worked hunting down serial killers. She guessed it made sense to be in good shape for such a job, and these men were. They were both . . . big. It was the only word to describe them. Valerian was muscular, but these guys were brawny with thick necks and bulging arms.
“So, you see,” Leigh said now, regaining Natalie’s attention, “while the OPP really aren’t equipped to deal with someone of the Angel-Maker’s ilk, we are. We’ll keep you safe.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Immortal Enforcer Valerian just wants to relax. His last assignment had been more grueling than he’d care to admit, and golf has always helped him unwind. If golf course owner Natalie thinks it’s a little odd for him to tee off at sunset every evening, she’s keeping it to herself. The single mom is sexy as hell, and her little daughter Mia only adds to his delight. He knows Natalie is wary of a relationship of any kind…what will she think when she discovers he’s an Immortal? His best course of action is to woo her the old-fashioned way.

But the course of true love never did run smooth—especially for a vampire and a mortal. And when danger stalks Natalie, Valerian realizes he’s playing a game of life and death and if he loses this round, he risks losing her forever.

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Meet the Author:

My name is Lynsay Sands and I’m the author of the Argeneau series and many hysterical historicals (as my readers tend to call them). I have written over sixty-five books and twelve anthologies, which probably tells you I really enjoy writing. I consider myself very lucky to have been able to make a career out of it.
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