Today I have swapped blogs with the gorgeously sexy Lily Harlem. I'm over on her blog chatting about my top five sexiest werewolves (warning: hot, half naked men on display!). Lily writes some seriously smoking hot erotica and erotic romance and she's here today to chat about the creepy inspiration for her two paranormal novels, Bite Mark and Claw Mark. I haven't yet read these books, but I have read several of Lily's other novels and I highly recommend her work.
So, take it away, Lily!
Spooky Inspiration
By Lily Harlem
Thank you for inviting me over today, it’s great to be here. I love
nothing more than setting my novels in my beloved London. I lived there for
several years and for the entire time I felt immersed in history and surrounded
by the echoes of the past.
One of the best parts about London is the fabulous old pubs, they
have great names, are full of atmosphere and once you’re inside, with friends,
it’s as if the rest of the world has melted away. Sometimes they’re a bit
tatty, the floorboards wonky and more often than not you have to negotiate
stairs to find the restrooms, but I love these places.
Non more so than The
Butcher's Hook and Cleaver which is where I got the inspiration for Bite Mark. This old pub is
set opposite Smithfield Market
which has been trading meat for over 800 years and is now homed in a glorious
Victorian building. Mr H and I were in the area on a cold, damp December day a
few years ago. A thick fog was hanging around, it had been all week, and to be
honest, it was pretty damn creepy outside. The market was quiet and still as it
shuts up mid morning and there was a definite Jack the Ripper feel to the area with no one around and visibility
diminished. The pub was so welcoming, warm and cosy and Mr H unexpectedly
bumped into some people he knew. It was while he was talking and catching up
that I looked out of the window and saw a man —posh suit, cane, top hat—walking
purposefully with his head tipped upwards past the market. Aimery was born in
my imagination! A vampire lawyer working for the Worshipful Company of the
Ancient Order (Worshipful
Livery Companies are a real thing in London BTW) who has a tendency to hang
around the meat market, enjoying the scents of blood that lace the air.
Aimery has a friend, Ryle, equally gorgeous, equally vampish in his
ways. And together they hook up with butcher girl Beatrice who seeks their help
to find her missing friend, Denny. Beatrice is one lucky lady to have not one
but two sexy vampires who are out to seduce her and keep her safe.
When I came to the end of writing Bite Mark I found myself leaving my characters in a bit of a pickle! You see The Carlton Pack—a group of wolf shifters who have history with the Ancient Order—demanded to have their story told too. Soon I was far from London, deep in the Canadian Rockies, letting them have their say in the novel Claw Mark , because after all, every story has two sides, and Beatrice is lucky enough to see both the vampires and the shifters.
I hope you’ll check out Bite Mark and Claw Mark. Remember, do read
Bite Mark first. Oh, and if you’re around on Halloween
then check out the Brit
Babes Shivers and Tingles Facebook Party! It’s going to be great fun with
contests, gossip, sexy pictures and steamy excerpts from all The Brit Babes.
Thank you for reading.
Lily x
Bite Mark
Life in London as a butcher
girl is hard enough, but when my best friend Denny went missing it became
miserable. So stumbling into the Worshipful Company of the Ancient Order while
searching for him was like a breath of fresh air. Especially because sexy,
sophisticated Aimery promised to help me.
But Aimery’s friend Ryle
wanted in on the action. My head was spinning, my body reacting to theirs
whenever they were around. But I had questions: What was their obsession with
my rare blood type? How did they always appear when I needed them? And how old
were they?
Learning the truth about my
lovers brought new fears and delights. They could take me higher than I’d ever
gone before, show me pleasures I’d never imagined and were prepared to kill to
protect me. Being mortal had never been so much erotic fun—or so deliciously
dangerous.
Claw Mark
This book is a sequel to Bite Mark; to ensure full enjoyment of this
book, please read Bite Mark first.
Being married to two sexy
vampires is as exciting as it is dangerous. One minute I’m on top of the world,
the next I’m running for my life. But it’s okay with Aimery and Ryle at my
side—they’ve sworn to love and protect me and keep me satisfied until I’m old
and tray.
But when everything crashes
down, literally, I can see no way out of the darkness—death my best option.
Until two unusual men come bounding to my aid.
Gentle Caleb and prickly
Isaac have secrets. They’re full of passion, desire, love and lust and their
isolated lives are weaved with mystery. But I know what they are. I’m also
craving some serious satisfying, a distraction from my dilemma, and it seems
these guys are up for the job.
Will my life always be
turbulent, terrifying and tempting beyond belief? Nothing is certain in a world
of vampires and shifters.
Buy Links
Bite Mark
Ellora’s Cave http://www.ellorascave.com/bite-mark.html
Claw Mark
Ellora’s Cave http://www.ellorascave.com/claw-mark.html
Lily Bio
Lily Harlem lives in the UK and is an award-winning, best-selling
author of contemporary erotic romance. She writes for publishers on both sides
of the Atlantic including Ellora's Cave, HarperCollins, Totally Bound, Xcite
and Sweetmeats Press. Her Hot
Ice series regularly receives high praise and industry nominations.
Before turning her hand to writing Lily Harlem worked as a trauma
nurse and her latest HarperCollins release, Confessions
of a Naughty Night Nurse, draws on her many experiences while nursing in
London. Lily also self-publishes and The Glass Knot and Scored have been
blessed with many 5* reviews since their release in 2012.
Her novel, Breathe You
In, a super-sexy romance with a twist that will not only heat you up but
stay with you for years to come, was named a USA Today Reviewer’s Recommended
Read of 2013.
Lily also co-authors with Natalie Dae and publishes under the name Harlem Dae - check out the Sexy
as Hell Box Set available exclusively on Amazon - The Novice, The Player
and The Vixen - and That
Filthy Book which has been hailed as a novel 'every woman should read'.
One thing you can be sure of, whatever book you pick up by Ms
Harlem, is it will be wildly romantic and down-and-dirty sexy. Enjoy!
Lily Links
Website http://www.lilyharlem.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/lily_harlem
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lily.harlem
Facebook author page https://www.facebook.com/LilyHarlemAuthor
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/lilyharlem/
Raw Talent http://rawtalentseries.co.uk
BritBabes http://thebritbabes.blogspot.co.uk
Hockey Romance http://www.hockeyromance.com
Newsletter Subscription http://www.lilyharlem.com/newsletter-subscription.html
Harlem Dae http://www.harlemdae.com
