When the awesome GraveTells asked if they could do something a little special by way of interviewing Caleb and Jake from Blood Roses, I was thrilled to bits to hear what they had in mind.
The fabulously imaginative GraveTells team decided a straightforward interview wasn’t quite enough. What they wanted was to venture into Blackthorn itself in their very own story. But it didn’t stop there. Not only did they want exclusive access to the club for a rare interview with the Dehain brothers – they wanted to conduct it in Caleb’s library!
Jake was very accommodating but, needless to say, it took a bit of persuasion to get Caleb involved. Considering I hold his future in my hands though, I managed to talk him around. 😉
So here it is, the first ever interview with Caleb and Jake Dehain – GraveTells style. They don’t conduct many of these style interviews, so I was really flattered to be asked. What makes it even more special is that they put out a call for questions and you didn’t let me down. They couldn’t use them all, but thank you EVERYONE who participated. Check the end of the post to see if you get a mention!
Tonight is the season finale of The Vampire Diaries here in the UK. I love this show and have never missed an episode. Over the past couple of months, watching it has been even more fun because I’ve had a group of wonderful Twitter pals to share it with – all simultaneously ‘online’ as we write our own (sometimes incoherent) running commentary. So, before I’m mourning into my hanky tonight, here’s a quick season recap…
Super-sweet Elena didn’t just develop an attitude problem – she turned bad. The relief. We were itching for Klaus and Caroline to kiss. Didn’t happen. But will it?? Stefan needed to finally get over Elena and get it together with Rebekah. Again, didn’t happen. But it might! All The Originals (well, nearly) were back full force. We lost Jeremy. We may even have lost Bonnie (nooo!). Alaric (yay – Damon’s drinking buddy!) and Lexi were back, albeit briefly. We’ve had compelling and spells; an ancient cure for vampirism; siring and love triangles; angst, double-dealing and betrayal and, at one point, we even thought we’d tuned into an episode of Lost (if you saw it, you’ll know what I mean).
And then there’s Damon – oh sweet, messed-up, badly-behaved but ever-so-entertaining with that cheeky grin and, er, other attributes – Damon. Some episodes we just stopped caring how complex the plot got as long as we tallied up enough Damon screen time. It’s all about the priorities. 😉
The Vampire Diaries isn’t the only vampire series I’ve been addicted to over the years. I was into Moonlight, Blood Ties and True Blood once upon a time. Unfortunately I gave up on True Blood after about three seasons when it got way too bizarre and disturbing for me (I’m something of a sensitive soul, believe it or not). Those that stood the test of time though, along with TVD, were Ultraviolet, Angel and Being Human (all hail, Toby Whitehouse!).
Ultraviolet was the first vampire series I was hugely into. Then came Angel. I was into Buffy in a big way so when the spin-off series came out I was hooked. I wore my Angel t-shirt to death and even bought the special collectors boxset when the series ended. Then along came Being Human (UK version – couldn’t get into the US remake) about a vampire, a ghost and a werewolf who all share a house. A simple concept maybe, but the execution is far superior to anything I’ve ever seen. As far as script writing goes – perfect. Characterisation is off the charts. Sexy vampires? Have you seen Aidan Turner as Mitchell??? Seriously, I’ve never been the same. It died off for me a little after the main cast went, but it’s still worth some merit.
Then there are the vampire movies….
The vampire books…
The awesome live shows (think I’ve seen this one about seven times)…
And you know you’re obsessed, really obsessed, when you can’t even serve up a summer drink without a little bit of vampire incorporated.
Yep, you know you’re true vampire fan when you keep a coffin of fangs in your freezer.
It’s time for the final Blood Roses Bite! I hope you’ve really enjoyed the showcase since the launch of Blood Roses. Can you believe it was 3 weeks ago today? Since then, the second instalment into Blackthorn has gained more than thirty 5-star and fifteen 4-star reviews on Goodreads alone. That’s a terrific backbone to the book. Thank you to every single person who has rated it, let alone everyone who has left such detailed and awesome reviews. You’re a massive part of encouraging others to try the series for themselves, so I appreciate your support HUGELY.
So, what better way to end the Bites than with a quote straight from one of those reviews? This one comes from Janice, a fantastic reviewer at The Demon Librarian. Thanks so much for your amazing review, Janice (and, of course, Lynsey!) – the highest of high fives to you! Here’s just a snippet of that review in Blood Roses Bite #17…
Thank you too to everyone who has shared, retweeted and pinned the Bites. One Bite in particular reached nearly 1500 people. That’s all down to you.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone! And stay close for more Blackthorn news next week.
I couldn’t resist quoting another review of Blood Roses to support a Bite. This one comes from the truly lovely Tracey Rogers…thank you SO much for rating and reviewing, Tracey.
“If you’re thinking that Caleb sounds cruel and ruthless then you’re absolutely right. He is. There are many reasons to hate him. He’s a manipulative, potent and wicked vamp. Dangerous yet delicious and a true anti-hero. But equally there are reasons to love him. With a heart breaking past and an explosive attraction to Leila you just have to take him into your heart. Could Leila be the one to save him?”
As you know, I read all my reviews. To go with today’s Bite, I have to say this quote from Fiona at I Heart Books is just perfect:
“The story quickly becomes something far more when they discover that fate didn’t bring them together. They were, in fact, destined to find each other. Their lives have always been inextricably linked, and finding themselves in the situation they have ended up in was not just a random coincidence. Other forces are at work behind the scenes, forcing them both to accept the inevitable.
But can that future be changed? Can they find another way? Or will destiny play the cruelest trick on them both, forcing them to follow their predetermined destiny, regardless of their feelings?”
Thanks, Fiona – hope you didn’t mind me quoting you!
Happy Monday, everyone! Aww – only a few more Bites to go. So, let’s kick-start the week with a little bit of friendly banter between Caleb and Leila. Well, er, you know what I mean…
Is it just me, or do you get the feeling Caleb means what he says? He’s certainly not one to cross – as will become ever clearer as the series progresses. It’s Blood Roses Bite #12…
Caleb’s quote proved very popular yesterday! It’s fab to know Leila isn’t the only one he’s managed to reel in. 😉 But reel her in though he may, Leila’s no push-over. Having a hero as dark as Caleb necessitates a heroine not afraid to stand up to him. It’s Blood Roses Bite #11…
When I write the dialogue between my characters, I never imagine snippets appearing on Bites. Is Caleb being playful in this one? Or is it a warning? Sometimes the tension is all about not quite knowing. Here’s Blood Roses Bite #10…
