Alexis Duran: Death By Starlight Blog Tour #interview #giveaway

Welcome all!

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Alexis Duran, author of Death by Starlight, Book 2 in the Edge of Night series.

Hi Alexis, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself and your background?



Hi! Thanks for the opportunity. By day I toil as a bookkeeper for several nonprofits, including the local opera and ballet. Sometimes those jobs provide more writing inspiration than I want them to. There's no drama like opera drama! At night (actually by morning- I write first thing every day) I write the stories of my dreams; super sexy gay romance in the fantasy and science fiction genres, and occasionally in the real world, though I feel the real world is overrated.

What were you like at school? 

 Painfully shy, too tall, nerdy, bookworm. But that's all behind me now, except for the nerdy bookworm part.


So, what have you written?

I have two gay romance series going, The Masters and Mages high fantasy series, and Edge of Night, which is urban fantasy. Several of my stand-alone novels and novellas have been published, and I participated in the multi-author series Order of the Black Knights. (My knight is Matthias). If you'd like to dab a toe in, I released a short story, The Wrong Elf, and it's up on Amazon for .99. My blog is alexisduranblog.com and that's a good place to check out excerpts from all of my works.


Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?

The main character in Death by Starlight is Ian Evers. He's a reporter for the Cosmic Eye, a tabloid in Seattle. He also happens to be part-human and part-elf. To complicate things, his mother, a dark elf, defied social constrictions and prejudice and had a fling with a light elf, which is why Ian has spent his life hidden from both sides, unaware of his true nature. The dark and light elves have been warring for centuries, so things get really awkward when Ian falls in love with a dark elf. Turns out the coming together of light and dark might be just what's needed to save both races, not to mention all of the realms, magical and human.


What are you working on at the minute? 

I love old world lore and fairy tales, the more twisted the better. After the success of my first twisted fairy tale, Gryffon Hall, I decided this might just be the subgenre for me. I'm currently writing an m/m version of Snow White and am having a ridiculous amount of fun with it. On a deeper level, it's been very interesting and enlightening to take a role previously consigned to a hapless princess and putting a not-so-hapless prince in it instead. Society's prejudices toward both genders becomes glaringly apparent as I navigate my way around those pitfalls, creating a new and fun dynamic within the ancient story structure.


Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block? 

 I don't want to jinx myself, but I don't get writer's block anymore. Yes, I do write myself down dead-end alleys, or create big plot knots for myself that leave me gnashing my teeth and staring at the screen, but that's different from a block. Working through a story problem is writing, even if your fingers aren't moving. A true block is when you stare at the screen (or don't even bother putting yourself in a writing position) and don't know how or where to start, when you can't get excited enough about any idea to get your fingers moving. What really helped me way back when was a couple of inspirational books, Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg and The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. They both provide great inspiration, tips and tricks for overcoming dry spells. Women Who Run With Wolves, by Clarissa Pikola Estes is also a fabulous book for those who fear their block might run deep and hard. My copy of that book is bristling with sticky notes, let me tell you. Several phrases I've collected over the years have helped me tremendously: Writing is like sex, always keep your hand moving. I give myself permission to write the worst crap in the world. No writing is wasted writing. Fix it in the rewrite. Essentially they all boil down to "just do it and the fabulousness will follow".

Title: Death By Starlight
Author: Alexis Duran
Series: Edge of Night #2
Release Date: July 19th 2017
Genre: Paranormal MM Romance/Fantasy

BLURB

In Betwixt and Between, Ian and Zeke fought a battle against the queen of the dark realm in order to be together. Now, just when they think they might settle into as normal a life as elves living among humans might be able to expect, a new enemy threatens to tear them apart. While Zeke helps the shaman Alistair in his hunt for an elusive mermaid, Ian is called to confront a wicked nymph preying on tourists along Seattle's waterfront. Zeke and Ian soon discover that the defeated Queen Ysolde has spread her evil into the sea realms, and danger lurks beneath every wave. But it's too late to stop an escalating series of confrontations that lead to disappearances, death and the possible end of light in this world.

As Ysolde plots revenge and a mysterious prince seeks to win Ian for himself, the ancient war between light and dark sweeps Ian and Zeke into its maelstrom of hate, testing their trust for each other to the utmost.

Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Loose ID

You can find the book on GoodReads

EXCERPT 

“Someone has to restore the balance between light and dark energy. I’m one of the last of my kind. I might be the only one who can do it.” Ian slid his hands off the table and rested them on his thighs. He expected derisive laughter from Zeke or a gentle clucking accompanied by a sad shake of the head. Sure, Ian Evers, nobody reporter for a gossip rag, half-breed elf, was going to save the world and fix what Ysolde spent centuries destroying. 

Zeke’s face remained impassive, but a storm brewed in his eyes. “You’re not the last of the liosa. Others escaped.” 

“I might as well be. They’re all gone, run off to hide out beyond…” Ian waved a hand in the air, signifying that remote world he sometimes glimpsed when they made love.

Glaring out the windows into their backyard, Zeke breathed deeply but said nothing. Ian continued.

“If I start with some miniscule adjustments, push back against the places the dark realm has encroached on this world, maybe some liosa will come out of hiding.”

“They won’t like you being with a svarta,” Zeke said.

“That’s their problem. I know I might never be buddies with other liosa, but we could use their help, right? If Ysolde is plotting to retake her throne like you say, and the svarta are behind her—”

“Only some of them. We don’t need anyone’s help.”

“Yes, we do. We never would’ve defeated Ysolde without Alistair’s and Cleona’s help.”

Zeke leaned forward, his gaze now focused intently on Ian. “We’re stronger now. We need to concentrate on solidifying our connection and making sure no one can break it.”

“You think someone could?” Ian asked. Surprised by the fear he saw lurking behind his lover’s composure, he instinctively put his hands on the table and reached for Zeke’s. Zeke allowed his hands to be held without reacting.

“You couldn’t track me in the dark realm,” Zeke said. “I’m afraid the same would be true if you ever go off into the realm of light. I’ll lose you.”

BOOK ONE

Title: Betwixt and Between
Release Date: June 29th 2015
Genre: Paranormal MM Romance, Fantasy

BLURB

Reporter Ian Evers, obsessed with magical creatures since childhood, never experiences satisfying proof that the magical realm actually exists until he falls into an entrapment spell set by a handsome but dangerous elf. Barely escaping with his soul intact, Ian is able to undo the hex, but he can't escape the very real infatuation he's developed for the fierce, alluring elf.

Ezekiel Stormshadow is a svarta, a dark elf who serves the queen of the dark realm. The realm of darkness needs the power of light to survive, and while hunting the last few magical beings on earth, Ezekiel discovers Ian, a light elf who's unaware of his true nature and ripe for the plucking. Their brief encounter awakens a great hunger in Ezekiel, and he's determined to feast on the light elf's power and body before the queen intervenes and claims Ian for herself.

Ian knows only he can save Ezekiel from the grasp of the dark queen. Driven apart by the ancient imbalance between the dark and light realms, an evil queen starved for power, and their fear of each other, Ian and Ezekiel are relentlessly drawn together even though their union might destroy them both.


Find Betwixt and Between on Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Loose ID

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About the Author

Alexis Duran was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. At the University of Oregon, her fascination with people and relationships led her to major in Sociology, but her main love has always been creative writing. She has worked in museums, in fashion, in finance and film production. Her favorite job so far was Administrative Assistant in a haunted Victorian Mansion. She's had several short stories published in the mystery, horror and literary genres, and one contemporary fantasy novel. Her fiction has won several awards including the Rupert Hughes Award from the Maui Writers Conference. She's thrilled to enter the realm of erotic romance with the publication of her novels Touch of Salar, Blood of Salar and To Catch A Threeve. She's is currently working on the next in the Masters and Mages series and several other m/m erotic novellas.

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