Russian Roulette
Helena Hawthorn Series Book 1
by May Freighter
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Who could guess that one brush of a fingertip over a shimmering soul-string could flip your world upside down and inside out?
Nineteen-year-old Helena’s life changes when her spirit enters the Angel Realm in search of her father. But, things don’t go as planned. Against her guardian angel’s warnings, she binds her soul to a vampire—a creature she thought only existed in horror movies.
Lucious has spent his immortality looking for the monsters who killed his sire. The last thing he needs is to be vulnerable because of a bond with a reckless girl. Yet, he sees how he can turn this to his advantage. Believing that Helena possesses great power, he plans to use her against the Council as a bargaining chip.
When Helena meets the gorgeous and also terrifying vampire with whom she’s now stuck sharing an emotional bond, she realises that her life will never be the same. Despite fighting against Lucious’s manipulative ways, she can’t deny their attraction.
As their desire for each other intensifies, she needs to know if she can trust him. After all, her life and soul are on the line.
For readers who enjoyed The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith, Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer, or A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
**.99 on Amazon!**
What is something unique/quirky about you?
I love watching horror movies. Most of the time, they make me laugh. In a way, they can be funnier than comedies. My friends, for some reason, don’t seem to share the same ideas when it comes to horror flicks. But, at least, they say that they can watch them with me because I make the films funny for them.
Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!
When I was in my 2nd year of university, studying Genetics and Cell & Molecular Biology, on the day we received the result of our 1st term’s exams. I sat there, on the plush brown chair near the Biology labs and stared at my grades on my laptop screen. It was like looking into the pit of Cs and Bs that made me question whether I was meant to be in Genetics to begin with. So, I got up, shook off the feelings of worthlessness and marched into the office of the Head of Computer Science.
Joe was a nice man who asked me a bunch of questions as to why I wanted to change majors to CS and whether or not I had enough Mathematics and Programming modules in my previous course. Apparently, I managed to get most of the prerequisites from my electives in the previous year. At the time, I wasn’t sure if I was suited for Biology or computers, which is why I wanted to make sure I could transfer at any time. By the end of it, I had to take the second term off and start my second year again in September as a CS student with fifty-eight other guys and three girls.
At the end of university, I became a writer…
Who is your hero and why?
My hero is my mother. She is a doctor with fifteen years of experience in A&E and as a family doctor. When she moved to another country where she had to learn a new language, she had worked as a cleaner, a veterinary nurse, a homoeopathy practitioner, basically almost everything to support her family. My brother has been sickly when he was little and up until he was ten. She had spent many nights by his side, looking after him and never complaining once. She made our meals, helped me study for my finals in school, and told me to follow my dreams when I was at a crossroad in my life, which is why I was able to pursue writing as a career path.
What book do you think everyone should read?
Probably the dictionary.
What kind of world ruler would you be?
This question made me laugh. I learned that when I play games like Democracy or Civilisation, I am a good, kind ruler or president until someone starts marching their armies my way. Then, I build my military to the point where I can eliminate my enemy. So, I guess I would be a normal one? *evil laugh*
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Russian Roulette?
I’ll start off with the main characters: Helena and Lucious.
Helena grew up with a guardian angel, Michael, who’s been with her since she was seven. She had no idea about the supernatural world beyond angels since he never divulged any information to her. When it comes to the help he can provide her with, it’s limited to the point where he is not allowed to intervene with her fate.
For Helena, Russian Roulette presents a lot of new things. She’s moving out to live with her two best friends, starting college, and looking for a job on the side. As a character, she’s good-natured (to the point where it can be considered a flaw) and deeply cares for her family and friends, even though she doesn’t always say it outright.
She and Lucious are like black and white. Where she is light, he is darkness. His life experiences throughout his 156 years of existence changed him into a killer with only one goal—to find his vampire sire’s killers and avenge her. This anger and quest for vengeance have shaped his life for over a century, making him keep everyone at arm’s length, never getting emotionally involved with anyone.
Throughout the series, because of the soul-bond those two share, they change and become each other’s support. Helena’s good nature keeps Lucious in check and he makes her more cautious.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
Only the main and secondary characters come to me before I start writing a series or a book. The rest, they tend to pop up and say, “I’m such and such. I do this because of this.”
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
I do research as I write a book rather than before starting it (unless it’s historical). I can never know where my characters will go and what they’ll do. So, I tend to have to pause a lot and read up on history and lore when those times come.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
Cake-loving introvert.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I enjoyed writing Russian Roulette because it gave me the freedom to explore an alternative world and see just how much I could change the supernatural beings we have gotten used to. My angels can’t interact with the people physically in the Human Realm, at least, Michael can’t. There are reasons for that ;) The demons are able to possess others, but they are more like a different species from another parallel realm rather than monsters from Christian lore. And instead of sparkling or burning in the sun, my vampires enter a coma-like state instead.
The more I dive into the universe these characters live in, the more fun I have.
Do you have any advice to give aspiring writers?
Never give up, don’t be afraid to try out new things, and believe in yourself. I don’t mean become self-absorbed or narcissistic when it comes to your work. Feedback is important, and you must take it in with an open mind. I mean that when you become an author, you are faced with a lot of uncertainty. Writing a book takes months, sometimes years. You are writing in a bubble, not knowing what people will like or think until you hand over the draft to your beta readers. Even those select few are a limited pool who have already seen your works and are used to them. So, there remains a lot of fret in the heart of a writer that shakes their confidence in their work from time to time. I don’t think there is an author who hasn’t experienced slight panic when sending ARCs of their books to reviewers and beta readers.
Demon Gates
Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2
Uncertain whether she is human or not, Helena is forced to undergo new nightmares while her mental battle continues with a demon called 'Lazarus'. Without her guardian angel to protect her, she is left to rely on vampires who have their own reasons for everything.
The attraction between her and Lucious grows, whether it is a side effect of the soul-bond they share or of their own volition. Yet, how can they be certain?
With the help of her new friends, they must seek out a Demon Gate and enter the Demon Realm to stop Lazarus from claiming her and Lucious' souls. But, will they succeed or perish as the only weapon that can kill a demon has been lost centuries ago.
Crumbling Control
Helena Hawthorn Series Book 3
After attending a funeral in Aberdeen, Helena meets with a member of the European Vampire Council. Vincent shares his concerns about the imminent dangers local vampires are facing. After all, the hunters are gathering in London, local packs of werewolves fight for territory, and Eliza is up to something that will ‘save them all’.
Lucious is staying away from Helena. The hunters shot him full of tracking bullets and every time he stops, they catch up to him. To prevent those he cares about from being in danger, he ends up calling in a favour from the man he never wished to see again.
Helena’s feelings for Lucious begin to waver as she cannot get in contact with him. Andrew remains by her side and makes her laugh when everything else is going to hell.
How will Helena and Lucious overcome their new trials once the hunters come knocking on their door, demons escape through the Demon Gate, and the Council begins to crumble?
Fated Origins
Helena Hawthorn Series Book 4
Helena’s life is back to normal. College, friends, family…everyone’s happy. Yet, she can’t understand what is missing. No matter how hard she tries to fake her excitement about a new movie or laugh over a cup of coffee during lunch, it doesn’t feel right.
Peace doesn’t last long. A demon appears, claiming to be her friend and lifts the memory block Lucious had put up. Outraged he had done this to her, she decides to go against her family’s wishes and pursue him in London. Only one problem remains: she’s losing control of her body.
Lucious is unable to mend his broken heart. He grew complacent and cares little about the proceedings of the Council while Kallias takes the lead. With the hunter threat growing and the werewolves no longer willing to help stabilise London, to unify the vampires all over the world, Kallias believes it is time to awaken the one true leader—Arthemis.
The full cycle comes to an end. Lilia and Helena are faced with the original vampire. Despite their differences, a choice must be made with grave sacrifices. Will they save humanity or let vampires rule the world?
May Freighter is an internationally bestselling author from Dublin, Ireland. She writes Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Sci-Fi mysteries that will keep you entertained, mystified, and hopefully craving more. Her only pets are cacti. They're the only things that survived. It may be too dangerous to entrust her with an animal while she's engrossed in writing.
On sunny, rainy, and overcast days, she spends her time with her fictional friends, putting them through dangerous adventures while wishing them the best of luck. Her hobbies are photography, drawing, and plotting different ways of a characters' demise.
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