The Immortals - Robin T. Popp

I’ve just spent the last year working on two new Immortals books. The first is Immortals: The Haunting, being released next week (Oct. 28) and the other is an anthology in Immortals: The Reckoning titled “Beyond the Mist” (March, 2009). The Immortals series began back in 2006 (released 2007) and the intent was to do four books. Jennifer Ashley – who came up with the initial concept – wrote the anchor books while Joy Nash and I were asked to write the two books in-between.

We had no idea the series would be so popular, though I’m thrilled it was. After getting to know the fifth Immortal warrior through the first four books, it seemed inevitable that he have his own story – and of course, it was logical that Jennifer write it. I never expected Joy and me to be asked to do another story in the series, much less two.

There were only five Immortal warriors and they’d each had their story and happy ending. What were we to write about? We had a clean slate.

I had two characters from my first book (Immortals: The Darkening) that had potential: Ricco the First Fang of the largest local vampire gang and Mai the wood nymph reporter. Having done the Night Slayer Series, I was in the mood to try something different, so I decided to write a story about Mai. But what? At the end of The Darkening, she and Ricco were dating. It’s no fun writing stories where the romance is over before the story begins. The fun is in the chase, not the catch.

Solution? They broke up. :)

Because Immortals: The Haunting was slated to come out in October, I wanted to do something spooky and what’s spookier than seeing things that aren’t there?

Immortals: The Haunting begins eighteen months after the big battle in Immortals: The Gathering. Mai has been suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ever since. The hallucinations she’s been having have caused her to lose her job. Just as she tries to get back in the game as a freelance investigative reporter, she’s attacked in her apartment by a masked assailant who warns her off the story. He nearly beats her to death before he’s chased off by a handsome stranger, whose sexy voice and gentle touch soothe her injuries. Then he, too, disappears leaving her alone and bleeding. When she’s finally able to tend to her injuries, she’s shocked to discover she hasn’t any. There’s no blood, no bruises and no swollen eyes. In short, there was no attack. It was yet another horrific hallucination – and the handsome stranger, no more real than the attack.

Thinking a change of scenery is needed, she moves into a new apartment, not realizing it’s haunted. When one of her new neighbors mysteriously vanishes, Mai seeks help from spirit walker Nick Blackhawk. His ability to move about in the spiritual realms allows him to track missing persons when the police can’t.

What follows is a thrill ride through the streets of New York City and the shadowy realms of dreams and wishes. With a steamy attraction to one another to distract them, Mai and Nick soon find themselves in Trouble with a capital “T”.

Check out the video trailer for this book at http://www.robintpopp.com/ or go to http://www.immortals-series.com/ to see all the Immortals book video trailers.

To make sure I was in the right mood to write this story, I listened to a compilation of music that consisted of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 (that great organ classic), Chopin’s Funeral March sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 35, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana: O Fortuna, Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King (from “Peer Gynt Suite No. 1”), Overture (from “The Phantom of the Opera”) and for those who aren’t into classical music, #1 Crush (by Garbage). These make great Halloween Party tunes as well.

In March, look for the conclusion to the Immortals series with Immortals: The Reckoning. This books contains three anthologies by Jenn, Joy and myself.

"Blood Debt" by Joy Nash Jackson Cabot's bright future went dark in 1896 Paris, when he died and was turned vampire. After three decades of slavery in the service of Europe's brutal vampire master, Jackson discovered a secret that has allowed him to hoard power. Now, at last, his strength approaches that of his rival, and he exists solely to take vengeance on the two beings responsible for his eternal nightmare: the monster that turned him vampire -- and the beautiful Sidhe muse who killed him.

"Wolf Hunt" by Jennifer AshleyJeanne Fergusen was the lowest of the low in her werewolf pack, a captured wolf who could never rise in the pecking order. When she becomes the victim of demon wolf-hunters, she instinctively turns to the one man she trusts - Logan Wright.

"Beyond the Mist," by Robin T. PoppHaunted by her past and reeling from her sister's murder, Jenna Renfield takes a cruise hoping to have a little fun – and escape the company of sexy, but obnoxious spirit walker, Dave Runningbear. Almost from the start, the cruise turns out not to be what she expected – prickles of death magic, ghostly wailing in the night and an creepy albino stalker. When Jenna realizes her life might be in danger, she’s more than happy that Dave followed her on board the cruise ship and turns to him for help, hoping they can both escape with their lives when the ship carries them "Beyond the Mist."

My best to all and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Robin T. Popp

http://www.robintpopp.com/