Six of A Story: Gabrielle Bisset and Vampire Dreams

Our guest today, on Six of A Story, is Gabrielle Bisset and her book is Vampire Dreams. 

Author Bio: Gabrielle Bisset is a college history professor by day and an erotic romance author by nights and weekends. A romance reader since she was a teenager, she loves Alpha males and strong females and has a special penchant for paranormal romance. However, history is never far away (an occupational hazard). Her first novel was published by Siren Publishing in June 2011, and since then she's released a trio of novellas--Vampire Dreams, Love's Master, and Masquerade--all set in Victorian England. Her newest release, Destiny Redeemed, is out now. She lives in Pennsylvania with her son and their five cats. What can she say? She can't say no to a stray.

Quirky Fact from Gabrielle: "I hand write everything before typing it, including my 300 page novels." 

About Vampire Dreams: 

Homeless and without any family, Arden Stephens must live on the streets of mid 19th century London, never a safe place for a young woman. One night, as she is running for her life from an attacker, she is rescued by Brandon Ridley and offered a place in his home as his maid. Brandon is enchanted by Arden from the moment they meet, but just as she has secrets, so too does he. A vampire hundreds of years old, he yearns for the companionship she can give him. But for that he must make her one of his kind.

Nightly, he visits her in her sleep, preparing her for the night he will finally make her his own. For Arden, the wanton dreams she has about her handsome employer seduce her and each day when she wakes up, she finds herself more drawn to him. But love and desire aren't enough for Brandon to sire her. He must first obtain the approval of his maker, an ancient vampire named Vasilije who has thwarted his chance for happiness before. 

But if Brandon can convince him, he may finally find the love he's been without for centuries. 

 

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1. Can you give us a hint of the secrets Arden keeps?
Arden has lived on the streets, so she's seen some pretty bleak things, even for 19th century times. Poverty, theft, cruelty, and then there are the sexual favors she's seen the homeless women trading. It's not a nice life for a young lady.

2. How does Arden receive Brandon's offer of working in his home as a maid?
(Living on the streets as a woman in the 19 Century makes me wonder: would she be suspicious or more of the "Oh! Thank-goodness my knight has arrived" mentality)

She's definitely suspicious, but Arden isn't a fool. She knows a good deal when she hears one. Brandon presents himself as an upstanding gentleman willing to do a good deed to help someone down on their luck, so while she may still have her pride, she isn't haughty. She knows a roof over her head and food in her stomach are far better than living on the streets with only her pride.

3. How does the relationship between Arden and Brandon develop?

Brandon is attracted to her instantly, but Arden only gradually becomes interested in him. His nightly visits to her certainly don't hurt things in that department, but even more than growing sexually attracted to him, Arden begins to feel a closeness and sweetness from Brandon that she enjoys. For Brandon, the companionship is as appealing as the sensuality he experiences as a vampire. The fact is that he's been alone for so long and when Arden comes into his life, he sees a soul he can envision spending the rest of time with.

4. Love and companionship seem to be really important to Brandon---is Arden also immediately looking for those things?

After her time on the rough streets of London, Arden relishes the feeling of a home where she's welcome, even if it is as his household help. She is a female of 19th century England, so the idea of having a man to love and marry is ingrained in her. When she realizes he cares for her as she's grown to care for him, she's thrilled she's found that love and companionship that has been lost to her since losing her parents.

5. Tell us a little bit about Vasilije.

Vasilije is pure sensuality. He's selfish, seductive, wanting whatever suits his fancy. He's Brandon's sire, which means he has control over much of what Brandon does. He loves that kind of power and revels in the fact that he can make the far nicer Brandon squirm. But Vasilije isn't cruel all the time. He does care about his vampires. It's just that he's a far more manipulative creature than Brandon. He's also an older vampire who doesn't have to answer to a sire because his was killed centuries ago, so he's been without the leash that other vampires have in his world. For Vasilije, this is definitely an enjoyable place to be in if you're naturally interested in power.

6. What would you say is the most definitive trait that makes your vampires stand out from the pages of other vampric books?
The back story and history that define my vampires makes them unique. Vampire Dreams is set in Victorian England, so the world Brandon and Vasilije live in colors them, to a certain extent. Brandon is the quintessential Victorian man and appreciates the manners and rules that the era imposes on him. Despite being born in the 1600s, he has found the 19th century to be very much a time that works with his nature. For Vasilije, the age of Victoria is stifling. He's sensual and erotic, not buttoned up and proper. Born in the late 1500s to an Eastern European prince and one of his concubines, he is from birth used to more: more luxuries, more power, more money. So for him, the Victorian period is so repressive. In his own book, Blood Avenged, readers will see him in our time in New Orleans, and modern day America with its excesses is a perfect fit for a vampire who appreciates the sensuality life has to offer. 

Visit Gabrielle by going to her website, Gabrielle Bisset , check out her really great blog, Gabrielle Bisset: A Writer's Blog, find her on Facebook and Twitter