Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Character Spotlight with author Anne Barwell

 



Please give a warm welcome to Simon Hawthorne from Shades of Sepia by Anne Barwell today as we sit down and see what makes him/her tick.

 

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not saving (the world, clients, your mate)?

I enjoy a quiet night in with my partner.  Often, instead of talking, we’ll just read and enjoy each other’s company, or I’ll play piano while Ben reads.  Meals out with the friends we share the house with are always fun, although they often end with some sort of fracas.  We seem to attract trouble, and although I’d never admit it to any of them, a decent bar fight can be quite enjoyable.

 

What is it about your love interest Ben Leyton that makes you crazy in a good way?

Ben enjoys life with an enthusiasm I find refreshing.  He’s passionate about everything he loves, and for some reason, accepts me for who I am, despite everything I’ve done.  He’s also – to use his preferred phrase when referring to such things – hot as – and I love the way his heart speeds up, and how aroused he gets at the slightest glimpse of my inner vampire.

 

Do you sometimes want to strangle your writer? Thrash her/him to within an inch of their life? Make them do the stupid crap they makes you do?

We’ve come to an understanding of sorts, but I did have to have words when she almost killed Ben in an upcoming book.  I’ll tolerate whatever she does to me, but I draw the line at hurting those I care about.  Ben keeps telling me to ‘go with the flow’ but frankly I don’t trust her especially when she reminisces about the need to hit people with cars…

 

What’s your favorite food?

Despite being partial to the food of my childhood in early 20th century Britain, I appreciate a decent sized piece of steak, as rare as possible without being raw, preferably still seeping blood. I also like fruit cake, preferably homemade.

 

Tell me a little bit about your world. What are your greatest challenges in that world?

I share my house with Jonas Forge, a police detective and vampire, Lucas Coate, Boggslake’s Medical Examiner and a werewolf, and Mr. Boggs, our resident ghost.   We also employ the services of Blair Turner, a hacker Forge met through one of his old contact.   An old friend, Declan, another vampire, usually gets involved in whatever is going down when he’s in town, although he hasn’t passed through Boggslake – at least not officially – in about ten year.  Another visit is long overdue.

 

We’re often called upon by the Supernatural Council to solve mysteries with a supernatural bent.  I dislike the politics of the former, and wish they’d leave us to get on with it, and leave keeping humanity – and other supernaturals – safe from the stuff of nightmares.  Our job would be much easier without their interference.

 

Describe yourself in four words.

British.  Vampire. Old fashioned.  *hesitates* Addict.

 

What do you do for a living?

I’m a professor of history at Lakeview University in Boggslake.

 

What do you fear the most?

Giving into my addiction for human blood.  Ben believes I wasn’t myself when I was under its influence. I disagree. I will never forget the people I killed. 

Followed closely by turning Ben, when I’m in my contagious cycle.  I will not risk it, despite needing to keep my distance from him one week a year.  The alternative is… *shudders*. I wouldn’t want this for him.  Once he has lived his life, so have I. I’ve lived long enough.



Shades of Sepia

The Sleepless City Book 1

Genre:  Paranormal Romance.  Series co-written with Elizabeth Noble. 

 

To be soulmates they first have to survive.

 

A serial killer stalks the streets of Boggslake, Ohio. The victims are always found in pairs, one human and one vampire. 

Simon Hawthorne has been a vampire for nearly a hundred years, and he has never seen anything like it. Neither have the other supernaturals he works with to keep the streets safe for both their kind and the humans. 

One meeting with Simon finds Ben Leyton falling for a man he knows is keeping secrets, but he can't ignore the growing attraction between them. A recent arrival in Boggslake, Ben finds it very different from his native New Zealand, but something about Simon makes Ben feel as though he's found a new home. 

After a close friend falls victim to the killer, Simon is torn between revealing his true nature to Ben, and walking away to avoid the reaction he fears. But with the body count rising and the murders becoming more frequent, either, or both of them, could be the killer's next target. 

Author’s note: This story was originally released in 2014 by another publisher. This edition has been revised and re-edited with the end result being a better, stronger story.

 

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BLPS6FK

 

Excerpt:


“Is this seat taken?”

 

Ben looked up from his coffee and nearly choked when he saw who had spoken. “No,” he managed to splutter as he struggled to catch his breath.

 

“My apologies,” said the guy Ben had tried to photograph earlier, his casual tone implying the way he disappeared and reappeared, seemingly out of nowhere, wasn’t unusual. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

 

“You didn’t,” Ben said, then amended it at the raised eyebrow he got in response. “Well, yeah, you did.”

 

His companion chuckled. “Unless you’re in the habit of choking on your coffee?” He sniffed the air. “It smells good, so I’m presuming it wasn’t the taste.”

 

“Yeah, it does, and no, it wasn’t.” Ben mentally kicked himself for sounding so lame. Up close, it was harder to ignore his body’s interest in the man sitting next to him. The English accent wasn’t helping. Ben had always had a thing for English accents. He gripped his cup firmly in his left hand and held out his right. “Ben Leyton.”

 

They’d been watching each other for nearly a week, so it seemed silly not to introduce himself. He ignored the warning whisper in the back of his mind that he’d maybe just given his name to some kind of stalker.

 

“Simon Hawthorne.” Simon shook Ben’s hand briefly, then shoved both his gloved hands into the pockets of his thick woolen coat. It looked expensive, as did the scarf and trousers he wore. Simon glanced down for a moment before clearing his throat, nearly catching Ben in the act of examining his equally expensive boots. When he looked up, Ben got a good look at brown eyes, several shades lighter than his own.

 

They stared at each other before Simon turned away. Ben gripped his cup tighter to hide his nervousness. It would be so easy to lose himself in those eyes.

 

This was crazy. He didn’t usually fall for guys this fast. The only other time it had happened had been a total disaster, and he’d made an idiot of himself. “You’re not from around here, are you?” Ben said finally. Simon frowned rather than answering, so Ben elaborated. “The accent, I mean. You’re English.”

 

“Oh,” Simon said, “right. That. I was born in England, yes, but I haven’t been there in many years. Boggslake is my home now.”

 

About the Author

Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She shares her home with Kaylee: a cat with “tortitude” who is convinced that the house is run to suit her; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date, it appears as though Kaylee may be winning.

In 2008, Anne completed her conjoint BA in English Literature and Music/Bachelor of Teaching. She has worked as a music teacher, a primary school teacher, and now works in a library. She is a member of the Upper Hutt Science Fiction Club and plays violin for Hutt Valley Orchestra.

She is an avid reader across a wide range of genres and a watcher of far too many TV series and movies, although it can be argued that there is no such thing as “too many.” These, of course, are best enjoyed with a decent cup of tea and further the continuing argument that the concept of “spare time” is really just a myth. She also hosts and reviews for other authors, and writes monthly blog posts for Love Bytes. She is the co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance writers, and a member of RWNZ.

Anne’s books have received honourable mentions five times, reached the finals four times—one of which was for best gay book—and been a runner up in the Rainbow Awards. She has also been nominated twice in the Goodreads M/M Romance Reader’s Choice Awards—once for Best Fantasy and once for Best Historical.

Website & Blog—Drops of Ink: http://annebarwell.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anne.barwell.1

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/annebarwellauthor/

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/annesbooksandbrews/

Joint Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/KiwiAuthorsRainbowReaders/

New Zealand Rainbow Romance Writers:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NewZealandRainbowRomanceWriters/

Sign up for my newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/39edaba3e3ad/annebarwellauthor



 

 

 

 

 

 


1 comment:

Anne said...

Thanks again for the opportunity to visit, Dawn!

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