When in Rome … Survive

On June 1, the fifth and final novel in my Sabina Kane urban fantasy series releases. BLUE-BLOODED VAMP is the result of four years of hard work and a heck of a lot of fun, and I am thrilled that it’s finally time to share the end of Sabina’s story with all her fans. But in order to give her the send off she deserved I had to do something special, which is why I chose to set the novel in Italy.

Let’s back up a second. All of the other books in the series took place in American cities, namely New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans. But for the fifth book, I knew I had to get Sabina away from her comfort zone so she could face her greatest foes yet on unfamiliar ground.

Two years ago, my husband took me to Florence and Tuscany to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary. I knew instantly that I wanted to set this book in the country I fell in love with on that trip. Part of the story is based in Tuscany on an estate that closely resembles the one we stayed at on our trip. But most of the action takes place in Rome, a city I have never visited.
 
Here’s a picture of me hamming it up in Tuscany. 

Naturally, writing about a city you haven’t been to can be challenging. I spent a lot of time researching the perfect settings for a story about a half-vampire, half-mage as she hunts down one of the oldest and most evil humans that ever lived. I spoke to people who’ve visited and read travel guides and watched videos about the city.
Luckily, the Eternal City offered up a lot of creepy setting from which to choose, including catacombs and crumbling underground chapels and churches made from bones. I also learned about Rome’s famous talking statues, which I used as an important key to the plot of the book.To a lot of people these settings are just fun touristy spots, but in Sabina's world they're allf taught with potential dangers. That's one of the most challenging and fun things about writing urban fantasy--twisting the every day things we may take for granted into the fantastical. 

In the end, I hope I did Rome justice, just as I hope I did justice to Sabina’s journey throughout the series. Maybe one day I’ll go back to Italy and leave a copy of BLUE-BLOODED VAMP at the base of a talking statue. 

In the meantime, I hope you’ll give this series a try. Three of the series’s five books have been chosen as Top Picks and all have received 4.5 stars from Romantic Times magazine. And if nothing else, maybe you’ll learn of some new stops to add to your itinerary for an upcoming vacation to New Orleans or New York or Rome.

BLUE-BLOODED VAMP
The epic conclusion to the amazing Sabina Kane urban fantasy series.

Sabina Kane is on the hunt. Her prey: Cain, the father of the vampire race and the one who murdered her family and her friends. Unfortunately, Cain is hunting Sabina, too.

The one man who holds the key to defeating Cain is, of course, Abel. A mage with secrets to spare and, hopefully, the power to match it. Unfortunately, for Sabina, he's in Rome and may not want to be found.

Sabina sets out for Italy with her friends, Giguhl and Adam Lazarus, to track down the only man who can get her the revenge she hungers for. But will he help her or oppose her? And just who is Abel, really? Worst of all, when Sabina figures out the goddess Lilith has a plan for her-she realizes this trip is getting deadlier by the minute. As they say: when in Rome-SURVIVE.

Read an excerpt of BLUE-BLOODED VAMP here. http://www.orbitbooks.net/2012/05/09/excerpt-launch-blue-blooded-vamp/

For more about my books, please check out my web site at http://www.jayewells.com, Twitter at http:www.twitter.com/jayewells and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/authorjayewells. 

To celebrate the release of BLUE-BLOODED VAMP, I'm giving away a copy of the book. To be entered, please share the location of your dream vacation in comments. 

***Jaye's winner is Pamerd!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your full name and mailing details!***