GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY by Felicity Heaton: Writing Kissed by a Dark Prince in the Eternal Mates series (@FelicityHeaton , @RabidReads)

Writing Kissed by a Dark Prince in the Eternal Mates series
It’s great to be here at Pure Textuality today as part of the Claimed by a Demon King Book Tour celebrating the release of the second book in my new Eternal Mates series of paranormal romance novels.
Today, I’m going to talk about what it was like to write Kissed by a Dark Prince, the first book in the series.
But before we get to the main event, I want to introduce myself. I’m a British paranormal romance author and a USA Today best-seller. I have been writing since 2005, and went indie in 2006. I love to write big worlds, populated by vampires, shifters, demons, fae and angels, and I have several series. This tour is about the Eternal Mates series, which is actually a spin-off from my Vampire Erotic Theatre series. That series focused on a family of vampires at one theatre in London but it had glimpses into the wider world outside the theatre. It’s that world of fae, dark elves, demons, witches, shifters, and other incredible species that the Eternal Mates focuses on.
Now, on with the show…

I will admit now that I was really excited about writing Kissed by a Dark Prince, and opening a whole new series. Hell, I’m still excited about writing in this world and could probably just write these books for the next few years, but other series demand my attention too. That’s not a bad thing though. I love playing in those worlds too. I just have to restrain myself so I dabble in all my worlds rather than falling into just one and staying there.
The Eternal Mates series idea came to me when I had been thinking about stepping out of Vampirerotique, the theatre that is the focus of my Vampire Erotic Theatre series, and into the wider world of fae, shifters and demons. I really wanted to play in that world I had given tantalising glimpses of throughout the vampire romance series.
In the Vampire Erotic Theatre series I had introduced more than the usual vampires and werewolves. I had brought in a whole fae town filled with witches, phantoms, succubi and incubi, and other species who all live out of sight from prying human eyes, and I had also introduced a world of angels. When I reached the final book in the series, Unleash, I knew I couldn’t leave that world behind. There were too many new things to discover, too broad a world to play in and explore, and new species to introduce.
There was a point when I had considered using the Eternal Mates series to approach NY publishers, but that meant turning it into a new series completely separate from the Vampire Erotic Theatre world. The more I planned the series, and the first three books in it, the more I didn’t want NY to get their hands on it. I wanted the series to be exactly as I had originally intended it—part of the Vampire Erotic Theatre world. So, I followed my heart and kept it that way, and forgot about NY.
Writing Kissed by a Dark Prince was a joy for me because I was getting to explore a species I have always adored and have felt was lacking in paranormal romance. Where are all the elves? I have always envisaged elves as tall and beautiful, mysterious and powerful, and a little bit dark. I don’t like the goody-two-shoes style elf. Much like I don’t favour the goody-two-shoes style vampire… or hero… or heroine.
Not only was I finally able to introduce my version of elves to the world in Kissed by a Dark Prince, but I got to play with new takes on things and introduce some twists in the story. My specialty and favourite thing to do. I came up with ideas that still make me smile, like making elves the forefathers of vampires, adding another layer to their darkness and a sense that they could easily give into it and become something darker and more deadly. I got to write about bonds between mates and how they might differ from species to species, and just how much they might affect the two people who are fated to be together and perfect mates.
It’s always fun when I get to write a hero with a mile-wide noble streak and amazing self-control, and shatter his calm, collected world, pushing him to the edge and then over it. I loved writing Loren as he fought for calm and for control, and against his pressing, and sometimes overwhelming, need to ensure no male came between him and Olivia. I liked writing his insane outbursts where he sees red and can’t stop himself from attacking the male he views as a threat to his mate and his future with her. It was too much fun taking Loren, always the noble prince, and shaking his world.
I also really enjoyed writing Olivia. She’s got baggage and she’s no push-over. She’s not about to just let some immortal elf prince come crashing into her life and claim her, turning her immortal too and binding them forever. No way. She’s a fighter and determined not to let another man ruin her life. The sparks really flew between these two.
While it was wonderful writing Loren and Olivia, and Bleu, Sable and Thorne too, and they provided me with so much constant amusement that I wrote the first draft of the book in barely a couple of weeks, there was a darker side to the book that was difficult to write.
Vail.
Vail is Loren’s younger brother and when I was writing the first draft of the book, I knew his history and his side of the story, and it was difficult writing each scene where he appears, and extremely hard writing some of the scenes later in the book. I admit, I have a soft spot for Vail, and since releasing Kissed by a Dark Prince, I’ve discovered that readers have a soft spot for him too (and Bleu… emotionally-stunted player that he is). But in a small way, even writing Vail was exciting for me. He’s complicated, complex, and I know that in the end, he will find his path again.
I think what made writing Kissed by a Dark Prince such a breeze and so much fun for me was the cast of characters, and that’s something that hasn’t changed in the second book, Claimed by a Demon King, which came out on February 22^nd. When writing that book, it was the cast of characters that kept me enraptured and kept my words flowing, but more about that in another post. They’re such a mixed bunch and already they feel so real to me. I’m invested in them and their lives, and I hope that when you read Kissed by a Dark Prince and Claimed by a Demon King, you’ll feel the same, and you’ll want to play more in this fantastical world, just like I do.
I hope you enjoyed this insight into Kissed by a Dark Prince!
 
GIVEAWAY!
Be sure to follow this fantastic tour to learn more about the passionate alpha heroes and sassy heroines in the Eternal Mates romance series! You can also find yourself in with a chance to WIN a $50 or $25 Amazon Gift Certificate if you follow the tour. More details, including how to enter and a full list of stops, are available at the Claimed by a Demon King Virtual Book Tour page: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/claimedbyademonking-book-tour.php
Claimed by a Demon King is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find the links to your preferred retailer at and a downloadable 6 chapter excerpt at:  http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/cbadk

Claimed by a Demon King (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 2)
Felicity Heaton
The moment the demon King Thorne of the Third Realm set eyes on the mortal huntress Sable, he knew she was his fated one. The fiery, dangerous female awakened hungers he had never experienced before, a dark craving and passion that has consumed him in their time apart. As the lunar cycle wanes, she enters his world again and nothing will stand in the way of him claiming his forever with her—not the relentless assault from the Fifth Realm or the dark elf male determined to seduce her out of his grasp.
Intent on achieving the coveted position of commander at Archangel, Sable leads her small team into the dark underworld and the Third Realm, to a war where her allies are the very creatures she normally hunts—vampires, werewolves, and demons. Her eagerness to lead the deadly mission has everything to do with winning her promotion, and nothing to do with the kingdom’s brash, lethally seductive demon king—a king who stirred fierce desire and wildfire heat in her with just a look and an innocent touch when they first met, and has been in her wicked dreams ever since.
As the gathering storm between rivals unleashes irresistible passion that flares white-hot and the heat of the battle brings life-shattering realisations, can Sable place her duty before her heart? Or will she surrender to her deepest desires and be claimed by a demon king?
Claimed by a Demon King is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/cbadk
 
Books in the Eternal Mates romance series:
Kissed by a Dark Prince (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 1)
Claimed by a Demon King (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 2)
 
About Felicity Heaton:
Felicity Heaton is a USA Today and international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons!
If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.
If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.
If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:
Website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
Blog: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton 
Mailing List: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/newsletter.php