Characterfest interview #25 with Dante by Jae Lynne Davies

Please welcome Dante and Jae Lynn Davies 

Everything’s Better with Fangs

**WARNING…This interview contains spoilers from Mythic and Blood Moon**

Hey everyone!

Thanks for joining me today. I’m Jae Lynne Davies, author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I’m thrilled to be a part of Characterfest this year and want to thank the lovely, Laurie for having me. Today, I’m shining the spotlight on Dante Diakos, the leading man from my latest release, Blood Moon (book 2 in the Mythic series).

Let me begin by giving you a brief description of the series and the respective installments.

Mythic is the story of human/vampire hybrid, Gianna Marino and her quest for vengeance against vampire, Mattias Vitale for the death of her parents over two hundred years earlier. She locates her target in London, heading a vampire coven and a rather prolific underground nightlife.

Gianna poses as human with a desire to be turned by Mattias, but she enters into more than she bargained for when she finds herself attracted to the very man who took everything from her. Then vampire, Nicholas Sutton enters the scene with an agenda of his own and becomes a part of Gianna’s dangerous and seductive plans. But when Gianna learns a secret that could ultimately change the course of her existence, she has a rather large decision to make. Which side will she choose?

Blood Moon (the second novel in the Mythic series) continues along the journey of human/vampire hybrid, Gianna Marino. Gianna makes a deal with the devil in the form of smoldering hot, vampire coven leader, Mattias Vitale and agrees to return to London with him, so long as he abides by her terms.

Gianna and Mattias have a complicated relationship that seems to be budding into something more than she planned, especially when her heart belongs to another man. While Mattias declares his love for the hybrid, she’s not so sure of what she feels besides betrayal and blackmail.

When the two return to London, Mattias’s second in command—Dante Diakos, steps down from his position. His feelings for Gianna have grown too strong to remain in her presence and he can’t challenge Mattias outright to claim her. He can however, call upon the power of his birthright.

Dante leaves for his home country of Greece and begins to stir up trouble. When word of suspicious vampire reaches Mattias’s ears, he volunteers Gianna to make the trip to Greece and recover the artifact that can stop Dante from releasing an ancient power from containment.

Dante Diakos is the last of a pure immortal bloodline—a descendant of the gods, and he intends to invoke the power of the entire pantheon on the eve of the Blood Moon which occurs once every millennia. If he attains the legendary abilities, he’ll be the most powerful being on earth, and intends for Gianna to rule by his side. Will Gianna recover the artifact and talk sense into Dante before it’s too late, or will she seal the fate of the world and succumb to the seduction of his power?

Without further delay, I’d like to introduce you to Dante Diakos.

JLD: Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to sit down with the readers, Dante.

Dante: *reaches for my hand and places a gentle kiss to the top of my palm, then smirks with a hint of fang* It’s my distinct pleasure to be here, Ms. Davies. Though I find it difficult to refuse your request.

JLD: *blushes* So tell us, Dante. What’s it like to be immortal?

Dante: *arches a brow and leans in close* Would you like to find out?

JLD: Dante...

Dante: Well, the offer is always open. Immortality is both a blessing and a curse. You can imagine all of the things I’ve seen over the course of seven centuries. And while humans today might consider my life experience incredible, I assure you, I’ve witnessed some horrific occurrences.

Sure I’m eternally youthful, and the fact that I’m a vampire presents me with no physical flaws, but those species traits are a mask concealing the complications beneath the flesh. See, one thing you’ll learn about us vampires is once we consider something ours, we have this insatiable need to claim—a relentless competitive streak, if you will. I feel it tends to make the game a bit more interesting.

That said, I’ve never once wished away my vampire nature. But seeing as I was born vampire, I have no personal comparison to human beings. And while I pity the humans with their short years, the frailty of their existence is utterly fascinating.

I must say that I’ve recently grown fond of one human in particular, and I’m sure she’d agree with me when I say that everything is better with fangs. *winks*

 JLD: How has life been treating you since your departure from vampire, Mattias Vitale’s coven?

Dante: *shifts in his seat* Ah, well, there was a period of transition when I traveled home to Greece then welcomed a visitor from abroad, chaos ensued,  you know how things tend to go. I do have nights when I wonder what I’d be doing if I were still in London. But truth be told, no matter the task assigned, I’d be pining for the one woman who haunted my dreams and plagued my mind with constant fantasies.

Instead, I remain content in here in Greece while I shower my love, Allyn with the devotion she so deserves. So in the end, everything happened as it should and the Fates bestowed mercy upon me when I certainly didn’t deserve it.

Still, Gianna ever remains a fantasy and is never far from thought. *eyes widen* You think she’d join Allyn and I in a night of fantasy?

JLD: You’re incorrigible! Haven’t you learned your lesson? I mean you did almost end the world because of that competitive streak.

Dante: You can’t blame me for trying.

JLD: I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I held an ‘Ask Dante a Question’ contest on my blog and Terry’s question has been selected. She asked, “They say you only hurt the one you love. Dante was a real bastard (sorry) to Allyn. The way he treated her and some of the things he did. On some level, did he know how he really felt for her? He could have left her in London but instead he brought her with him to Greece.”

Dante: *closes eyes tight then releases an exhausted sigh and braces his hands on his knees in a moment of awkward silence*

JLD: Is there something wrong?

Dante: I’m just contemplating whether I should thank Terry for spotlighting my indiscretions or I should hunt her down and drain her dry. I’ve done things over the centuries I’m not terribly proud of, and this one will top the list. Yes, I could’ve left Allyn behind in London, but when she accepted my true nature and proved to be a worthy ally in a world where so few can be trusted to keep the secret of vampire existence safe, the choice to have her accompany me to Greece was an easy one.

Believe it or not, my concern over the next vampire she might serve played a factor in my decision as well. Due to her naturally submissive nature, it’s not difficult to take advantage of such a trait. Trust me, I’ve committed the same crimes against her. Somewhere along the line, trust turned into something I tried like Hades to deny. But the moment I thought I might lose her, muddled sight became clear and I realized I made the best decision of my existence. I’ll never look back where Allyn is concerned.

JLD: How is your relationship with Mattias? Are you on speaking terms or are you watching your back every night, hoping he’s not making attempts on your life for trying to steal his girl?

Dante: *narrows his gaze* There are some things, Ms. Davies, one should never joke about. The relationship between Mattias and I has suffered greatly because of my actions. I thought leaving the coven was the best decision in order to distance myself from the distraction of Gianna. Instead, the distance I sought drove me into the mouth of madness and it took the love and near death of a human for me to see the err of my ways. Mattias and I have spoken once or twice since the incident, but our relationship continues to be a work in progress.

JLD: Halloween is in a few days and I was curious of your thoughts on the event since so many will be dressing in their vampire costumes.

Dante: *roars with laughter* Halloween actually holds a special place in my heart as it’s the only night I don’t have to hide and portray the human façade. I can walk the streets or peruse a nightclub with erupted fangs and all will welcome my presence. In fact, I met Allyn in Mattias’s nightclub that night. She’s accepted my nature ever since. Dress the part they might, but there’s only one way to know what it means to be a true vampire. If anyone wants the answer to that question, they can come find me.

JLD: So what’s next for you?

Dante: Considering I’ve managed to stir up enough excitement to wake the gods, I’m going to relax awhile. Maybe mend a few broken relationships, see areas of the world I haven’t explored. Maybe learn every inch of a particular woman’s body over the course of a month. I haven’t decided and since I have eternity, I’m in no rush.

Though there’s a bit of a disturbance in the New Orleans area and it’s causing quite a stir. Those on the scene say they have things under control, but if I’m needed, they know where to find me.  Perhaps my services could be needed after all. *smirks*

JLD: Thanks so much for taking time out of your schedule to join us today, Dante. I look forward to the next time we sit down together.

Read more about Dante Diakos in Blood Moon, by Jae Lynne Davies.

It was a wonderful experience to interview one of my characters and once again, I’d like to thank Laurie for the opportunity to appear in this year’s Characterfest. As an added token of thanks, Dante brought a gift (a PDF copy of Blood Moon) for one lucky commenter.

Happy Halloween!

About the author: Jae Lynne is a proud wife, mother and author who wishes there were more hours in a day to balance all three and a full-time job.  But whenever she finds a spare moment (usually in the late hours of the night when her husband and two young children are visiting the land of dreams), you’ll find her sitting in front of her laptop typing the next chapter!

Jae Lynne has always had an affinity for writing of any kind. However, it wasn’t until she lost her beloved grandfather, and found herself writing a heartfelt eulogy, that her true passion awakened. After a somber delivery to honor her treasured family member, she decided to place fingers to her laptop keyboard. The rest, as they say, is history.

Her favorite stories are those that don’t involve an average everyday couple. Instead, she prefers conflict and believable, but forbidden relationships. In fact, the more complex, the better, which might explain her desire to create erotically-charged paranormal tales that she hopes leaves readers intrigued and thirsting for more.

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BUY LINKS: Mythic and Blood Moon are available in print and eBook for Kindle at Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=jae+lynne+davies