Justin meets the woman who will change his life, but he does not know that she is a vampire. A Mortal Indiscretion evolves as he comes to terms with finding out the truth and deciding if he can love a vampire. But Ambra’s past comes to haunt them and threatens their relationship and their very lives.
Will Ambra’s past cause the end of their relationship and their lives? Will Justin take the risk to love a vampire? Barbra E. Ross, creator of the trials that Justin faces in ‘A Moral Indiscretion’ has taken a few minutes to ponder the pros and cons of vampire love with me today. Barbra, where did you get the idea to explore the risks of loving a vampire from the male point of view?
I had a dream one night about a woman who saved her lover from certain death. I woke, and began writing down the story and then, it hit me. What if she were a vampire? What if her lover did not know what she was?
Learning that your lover is a vampire would be quite a shock for any mere mortal! I’m sure that you were also learning alongside Justin during the course of the book. What was the biggest thing that you learnt?
I wanted to bring the reader in as if they were going through the story with Justin. I did a not so conventional change in writing. I started in the third person and brought the reader in with the first person. I envisioned watching a movie, as if you were in a wide shot and then, brought you in close and personal. Most readers followed along, some readers did not. I really hoped the art of the process would shine through.
I admit that I haven’t seen many books where the writing has changed from the third person to the first person to create a literary version of different camera shots. When you look at the focus points of each of these different viewpoints, what was the central element in the storyline that you hoped the reader would focus on?
I wanted to take a normal everyday man, (a handsome, sexy man) and put him in fantastic situations in hopes that the reader might just believe that it could happen. I tried to make him as down to earth as possible. It is a fantasy love story and the bottom line is that love conquers all. Even death.
When you approach a new writing adventure, like showing a normal man encountering fantastical elements, do you find yourself energised or exhausted about the process to write and record the story?
It energizes me. It amazes me as the story builds as the process goes along. Don’t get me wrong, it can be exhausting when I am on a writing jag and won’t stop until I feel it is right. But, overall, it is an energizing process. Seeing the characters come to life.
It is wonderful fun to see characters come to life! Have you ever been lucky enough to take a literary pilgrimage to see the physical locations where characters have actually come to life?
I actually am planning a trip to visit places that I have written about. I am going to Italy and Greece this May and I am very excited to see the places I have dreamed about.
Wow, that is exciting! I hope that you have a blast! There’s still a little time before your trip, so I’m sure that you can bring a few more characters to life before then. What’s currently in progress?
I am currently working on the third instalment in this series. It is called Zeus and it is a continuation of the characters. I am hoping it will be ready for release by the end of this year.
Between your travel and the third instalment of this series, it sounds like you have quite a busy writing year ahead and many opportunities to build on your author voice. Looking back, how do you feel that your author voice has progressed so far?
I have to say, when I started, I held back slightly. I was nervous about how people would react to my stories. But as I started to get feedback from fans, I realized I owed them my complete creation. People wrote me that they were so engaged with the story that they did not want it to end. They fell in love with my characters as I had. I will not censor myself anymore. It is just a little funny when people find out you have written a vampire romance. They give you that look like, ok….sure…. Now, I find it rewarding.
*Laughs* I’m glad to hear that the funny looks that you receive from people aren’t preventing you from digging deep into the vampire romance or fantasy worlds! Barbra, thank you for sharing a little taste of the vampire writing life with us today, and I hope you enjoy your writing journey in 2018.
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Excited to read the book we discussed today? Find it here on Amazon: ‘A Mortal Indiscretion ( ASIN: B01DFJ3TG4 )‘.
Want to find out more about Barbra E. Ross? Connect here!