PROMOTIONAL EVENT: BECAUSE THE NIGHT by KRISTEN STRASSEL

 

 

Welcome to the promotional event for the Audible release of Because the Night (The Night Songs Collection #1) by Kristen Strassel, hosted by Wordsmith Publicity. My post includes a great guest post from author Kristen Strassel, along with a teaser from Because the Night. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

 

Title: Because the Night (The Night Songs Collection #1)
Author: Kristen Strassel
Age: NA
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: November 5th 2013 by Foreword Literary
ASIN: B00GFCRJRO
ISBN: 1495310124

Links:
Goodreads  |   Audible  |  Amazon  |  B&N  |  iBooks  |  Smashwords

  

Book Description

 

Sex, Blood, and Rock n' Roll.

Immortal Dilemma is the hottest band in the Las Vegas vampire rock scene. They draw insatiable fans from around the globe, thanks to a supernatural attraction called Bloodlust. Tristan craved such an opportunity to fill his empty mortal life, and now he has eternity to earn his place along the legends of rock n roll debauchery.

Callie always feared that Tristan’s excesses would get him into trouble, but she never thought they’d lead him to immortality. To reconnect with him, she must weave her way through a world not only she had no idea existed, but does not welcome her.

Blade turned down a spot in Immortal Dilemma after learning what he must sacrifice for that lifestyle. He finds Callie a refreshing change from the girls in the vampire rock scene. When Callie drags Blade back into the world of Immortal Dilemma, his resistance drives her into the waiting arms of Tristan, who shows her the true meaning of Bloodlust.

But the very things that Callie fights so hard to save are the very things that fight to destroy her.

 

Guest Post

What was the inspiration for the series? Is there a band that served as inspiration for Immortal Dilemma? 

I always knew I wanted to write a story about a musician. The more I thought about putting this thing down on paper, the more I realized that rock stars had an awful lot in common with vampires. Dangerous, sensual beings with no rules that live just outside of the everyday realm. Originally, I wanted to set my story in Los Angeles, but as I started world building, Las Vegas obviously had all the same qualities as rock stars and vampires, it was clear that Because the Night couldn’t happen anywhere but Sin City.

How do I take my rock stars?  Dirty and dysfunctional. I want guyliner, leather pants, trashed hotel rooms, bad decisions, and the good townsfolk debating if they should let such debauchery enter their town, even for one night. A guy on stage in an argyle sweater does absolutely zero for this girl. If I was in to that sort of thing, I’d head to an accountant convention instead of a rock concert.

No other band served as better inspiration for Immortal Dilemma than Motley Crue. I could paraphrase, but I’m not sure I could come close to doing the band justice. Instead, I’ll give you the first couple of sentences of the inside flap of their autobiography, The Dirt:

Whiskey and porn stars, hot rods and car crashes, black leather and high heels, overdoes and death. This is the life of Motley Crue, the heaviest drinking, hardest fighting, most oversexed and arrogant band in the world. Their unbelievable exploits are the stuff of rock n roll legend. They nailed the hottest chicks, started the bloodiest fights, partied with the biggest drug dealers and got to know the inside of every jail cell from California to Japan. They have dedicated an entire career to living life to its extreme, from the greatest fantasies to the darkest tragedies.

YES. This.

(Okay. Disclaimer. I in no way think this is a life goal for mere mortals. But as an inspiration for my fictional vampire rock band? So much this.)

More specifically, I based my character Tristan on Nikki Sixx. Nikki wrote a book called The Heroin Diaries, chronicling 1987, the year when he actually died of a heroin overdose and was brought back to life. It’s a raw and harrowing read of what Nikki gave up for his addiction and how he still functioned as famous rock god during that time. I love rock star biographies anyway, but this hit such a chord with me. The dark side. Someone who’d done so much wrong but had talent, charisma, and heart. This is what I wanted to try to capture with Tristan. And anyone who’s died twice and lived to tell about it deserves to have a fictional character created in his likeness.

Three songs Motley Crue songs really stand out to me when thinking about Because the Night:

·         Wild Side:  In The Heroin Diaries, Nikki recounts a fling he was having with a daughter of an unnamed famous actor. She’d come and visit him on her lunch breaks from Catholic School. One day, Nikki asked her about the Lord’s Prayer, and then wrote the lyrics to Wild Side.

·         You’re All I Need: Nikki had a girlfriend who he thought was cheating on him with Jack Wagner. You may or may not remember that Jack Wagner had a song called “All I Need.” Touche.

·         On With The Show: This is about a musician who overdoes, and the girlfriend who stands by him. Even though this song was so chilling, there was something hopeful about it to me. In Because the Night, Callie sees the good in Tristan, when everyone else writes him off. She stands by him when because she knows he can do better.

And that principal really drives Because the Night. Callie knows the Tristan she’d shared her first kiss with a couple of summers before was still in there, even if his troubles lead him to immortality. Once she steps into his world, it changes hers forever.

Sometimes, life imitates art. I went to Las Vegas this winter for you know, research purposes, and was quite pleased to discover that Vince Neil of Motley Crue now owns 4 or 5 rock bars in the city. One of them is actually called Vamp’d.  It’s vampire themed. This is my new favorite place in Las Vegas. No sign of The Sin City Vampire Club. Yet.

 

 

 

About the author

Kristen shares a birthday with Steven Tyler and Diana Ross. She spends each day striving to be half as fabulous as they are. She’s worn many hats, none as flattering as her cowboy hat: banker, retail manager, fledgling web designer, world’s worst cocktail waitress, panty slinger, now makeup artist and author. She loves sunshine, live music, the middle of nowhere, and finding new things to put in her house. Kristen is represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg of Foreword Literary.

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