On Dec 21, 2012, at 2:12 pm, the sky went dark all over the world...

...and people's lives changed in ways they feared to admit. Thousands died in accidents while others claimed to have seen demons and found themselves locked up in their local psychiatric ward. Scientists explained away the phenomenon, and things seemed to return to normal.

Dark Daze

Ava Delany

After a decade of trying to conceal a power she never expected or wanted, Brie Duval was used to being alone. When life—or more appropriately, a meddling friend, sends her on a blind date with Ian Connors, she discovers she wasn't the only person to gain powers that day.

 They find themselves falling in love while on the run from a creature with eyes that suck in light and a force that controls their wills, but Brie fears their love is a side effect of the menace. In order to survive, they must put aside their fears and embrace the gifts they've fought so hard to deny.

An Interview with Brie Duval and Ian Connor from Dark Daze 
(Taken down by Ava Delany)

Thank you for joining us via the time talker. This futuristic invention is fascinating. Can you tell me some of the other changes we can expect between December 2012 and December 2022? 

Brie: Small changes—like the elimination of folding money in favor of credit and all cars becoming keyless—didn't surprise me, but when the hotels became voice controlled, that took a bit of getting used to.
Ian: I was just relieved when the bathrooms weren't on the new system.
I can imagine. What brought about all these wonderful inventions in such a short time?
Brie: After Dark Day, most people didn't want to talk about the changes, but there were changes. Some people got smarter, some gained physical and mental powers. Even some animals seemed affected.

What is Dark Day?
Brie: The Mayans predicted a big change on December 21, 2012.
Ian: Yeah, if only they'd known how big.
Brie: The world went dark in the afternoon—this inky dark that seemed to suck in all the light. Tens of thousands of people died in accidents. So many people lost family members, like I did . . . I'm sorry but I can't . . .
Ian: It's all right, Brie. Can we move on? Brie's getting upset.

That's okay. We'll move on to something more fun. What's your favorite meal? 
Ian: I'm partial to Bangers and Colcannon. It's a family tradition.
Brie: His Bangers and Colcannon are my new favorite. Probably because it was the first meal we ever made together.
Do you have a favorite cocktail? 
Ian: Anything but beer! I'll be happy if I never see another beer again.
You're obviously not a beer lover. What about coffee? Or do you prefer tea?
Ian: I'm okay with either, but it's all Mocha Lattes for Brie.
Brie: Low fat Mocha Lattes.
Ian: Don't look at me like I forgot your birthday. You don't need low fat lattes. You're beautiful just as you are.

That's sweet. You obviously love each other. Was it love at first sight?
Brie: I think it was, though I thought I couldn't have him because of my secrets.
Ian: I thought the same thing, with so many strange things were happening around me. We were lucky because it turned out we both had secrets and they united us, rather than breaking us apart.

Ooh, secrets! What secrets?
Ian: Secrets are secrets for a reason. I'll say this. Since Dark Day, secrets are paramount. If you go telling everyone everything, you might find yourself in a mental hospital the way so many people did when they claimed animals talked to them or they could read people's thoughts.
Brie: So many people smile and act friendly, but then you look in their eyes and they look terrified.

Aren't these secrets in your book?
Ian: Yes, but that's why we used the time talker to contact a writer earlier in the time stream than we are. We wanted the chance to warn those people who are about to experience Dark Day so that they might be better prepared for what will happen. If we can prepare people for what is to come, it might change the way things are, and we might be able to embrace our secrets, rather than hide them.

Sounds like a heck of a story. Who took it down? 
Ian: I tapped into the computer of a writer named Ava Delany. She listened for hours, and took notes.
Where can readers find more information on her?
She has twitter and facebook accounts, as well as goodreads, but you could check her website for information on our story and several others. www.avadelany.webs.com
Thank you for visiting with us and sharing a little about your story.

Purchase link: Amazon

Here's a question for commenters: Do you enjoy post apocalyptic fiction? Share one of your favorite not quite the end of the world stories. An e-copy of Dark Daze to one lucky commenter.

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Christine Cody

Christine Cody brilliantly reinvents the Badlands.

Get lost in this story. We dare you.

Muah-ha-ha-ha!

The New Badlands—a desolate area in the West forged by the terrible events that altered the entire country, where a few frightened citizens retreated underground to shelter from the brutal weather...and from a society gone deadly dangerous.

Then the vampire arrived—and they started calling it the Bloodlands.

Not because Gabriel, the so-called monster running from his true self, was searching for his lover’s murderer. Nor because Mariah, the woman who reluctantly took him in, was willing to do anything to survive in the changed world.

No, the Badlands officially became the Bloodlands the moment a gun-for-hire who’d decided to slay every monster left in the country came after Gabriel . . .

Hi, all! I conceived this series while on a Western movie binge. I thought, “What if the typical gunslinger who had lost his humanity was actually a guy who slings fangs, not bullets? And what if he had literally lost that humanity because he’s a vampire?” Hence, you have what starts out in book one as a paranormal Shane meets Mad Max—an action-adventure futuristic Western with a strong romance at its core. I hope you enjoy it!

–Christine

Welcome Bloodlands author Christine Cody.

Jillian: Where do you read and how often?

Christine: I read everywhere! I have a New Yorker magazine in my purse so I can read while I stand in line. I read on couches, on planes, but mostly in my bed. I love a good, stormy day when the rain is tapping on the windows—perfect reading time! And I read both print books and from my new e-reader, which speaks to my “impulsive buyer” side.

I don’t get to read as often as I like. I get to indulge myself when I’m off deadline. However, I usually have about three books going at once from different genres. Variety is the spice of life!

Jillian: What sound or noise do you love?

Christine: I absolutely love the sound of a lawnmower, mostly because it means I’ll get to smell freshly cut grass, LOL. There’s something so homey about those sounds and smells—very “neighborhoody.”

Jillian: What was the first story you remember writing?

Christine: In grade school, I wrote what turned out to be a horror story about a village that has a strange spring rites festival. It was influenced by movies I would see on Sunday afternoons in which you’d have those strange, horrific villages that practice dark activities. My dad really had a strong reaction to it—not a good one!—because I think he couldn’t believe that I would write something so dark. Needless to say, some of my stuff I write now isn’t his cup of tea. But he’s still proud of me.

Jillian: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

Christine: This is a really tough one, because I have an ever-evolving top-ten list. The original STAR WARS movies are always in it, though. (Yes, I count them as one movie that can be broken into three parts!) STAR WARS influenced me greatly as a fan, a storyteller, and a lover of cinema. Then again, I think it did that for an entire generation.

Jillian: Who’s your favorite villain?

Christine: I have a lot of favorites, but I can say my *most recent* favorite villain is Mags from the second season of JUSTIFIED. What a fabulous character—a core of steel and a heart of gold (at least when it comes to those she loves). I loved watching her because she made every scene she was in better. Plus, you could understand this woman’s motivations and even sympathize with them while being appalled by her. *That’s* a complex villain.

Jillian: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

Christine: This really depends on my mood, but I can tell you what I *majorly* got lost in this summer—the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series by George R.R. Martin. I watched GAME OF THRONES on HBO, and I was so taken by the series’ mythology and characters that I couldn’t wait for season 2 to see what happened next. I was obsessed by all five (so far) books this summer, and it was a real struggle to get to work on my own stories, LOL. I haven’t been so lost in a story for a while, and it’s killing me that I’ll have to wait years for the next books!

Christine Cody is the author of the postapocalyptic supernatural Western Bloodlands series.

The first book, Bloodlands, launched July 26, followed by Blood Rules (August 30) and In Blood We Trust (September 27).

Jillian: If you could interview one person (and it doesn’t have to be a writer) who would it be?

Christine: Jack the Ripper. I’ve always had an intense need to know who he really was. Sure, there are lots of books out there with educated guesses about his identity, but it seems the theories are always changing. By interviewing him, I would get to his secrets, and I would be fascinated by his thought process and motivations.

I think just about every horror lover has tried their hand at a Jack the Ripper story and, indeed, I have one of my own. I wrote it in college. This reminds me that I’ll have to dig it up again!

Jillian: What do you do to unwind and relax?

Christine: I walk and walk and walk, LOL. But I’m also an avid TV watcher at the end of the day. I used to go to movies quite a bit, but the sheen has worn off for me, and I think the best visual storytelling out there is on the tube. It’s very encouraging to see very smart, quality storytelling in series like BREAKING BAD and MAD MEN and, of course, GAME OF THRONES, etc. These are series that aren’t necessarily fast paced all the time, and they require a lot of attention to details and an audience’s investment of time. I love that there’s a place for that, because I think we sometimes believe that everything in our books has to happen so quickly.

Jillian: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?

Christine: I would love to have a chat with the villain of my Bloodlands books, Johnson Stamp. He’s not a super bad guy unless he’s crossed or his morals and ethics are challenged. He’s the “Javert” of these books. I’m drawn to understand darkness in the world as well as in people, so this would be an interesting meeting for me.

Jillian: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

Christine: I always hoped I would get to travel, and writing has allowed me to do that. I wrote a series called Vampire Babylon as Chris Marie Green, and for the second trilogy of that series, I went to London, just so I could get some vibes for the books’ location. I went to Highgate Cemetery and blocked scenes out there, and did the same on the streets. I normally use my trips as inspiration for all of my books. What other job lets you do that?

Jillian: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?

Christine: Tea with cream and sugar. I love high tea, too. I mean *love.* My favorite tea is “Lover Girl” from Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego. It has a hint of violet in it.

Jillian: Since it’s Halloween, which of one your characters would you like to dress up as tonight?

Christine: If I wanted to scare people silly, I would dress up as Subject 562 from books 2 and 3. Sometimes, it reminded me of what Samara in THE RING looked like with her hair over her face!

Christine's Halloween Giveaway Special!

Christine would like to ask you a question: What will *you* be wearing on Halloween and why? Three lucky commenters will receive a copy of volume #1 of the Bloodlands series!

Newsletter: http://www.vampirebabylon.com/lists/?p=subscribe

Blog: http://crystal-green.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.bloodlands.net

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChristineCody

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.