Black Atonement by Sasha Hibbs: Author & Character Interview, Giveaway

Black Atonement 

(Vulcan Legacies, 3)

Sasha Hibbs

The burden of Dave’s girlfriend’s death pushes Brandi, the Seraph of Love, to abduct David Howels in hopes of protecting Dave from his murderous father. 

Will Brandi be able to show Dave that all in life is not lost in death? Twists and turns abound as Brandi discovers her own shocking revelation—that Dave has been her soul mate all along.

Separating Dave and herself from their allies on the threshold of the apocalypse, Brandi turns to an old friend for help—a witch—to aid her in her quest to prepare Dave to face his worst fears and her own. Filled with curses, and secrets that threaten to destroy everything, Brandi must find forgiveness from within before she can find love. In the past, healing a broken heart would’ve been easy, but now faced with the task of healing Dave’s broken heart while not exposing her own, Brandi learns why love is truly the greatest gift of all. 

Excerpt:

She began walking towards Dave and stopped. It occurred to her to bolt from the room. She knew Abraham cast a spell on Dave, that he wouldn’t remember anything from tonight. But she would. What would he think of her? God! It had never occurred to Brandi before, in all her vanity, would Dave even think she was pretty? Doubts surfaced in her mind. She’d never had to deal with these kinds of emotions before. She was Brandi, the Seraph of Love. She was gorgeous. Every mortal wanted her. But Dave wasn’t mortal. Dave wasn’t everyone.

Brandi turned to leave, but stopped dead in her tracks as Dave turned at the same moment. His blue eyes caught hers, a glass of punch up to his lips, him stopping as though stunned at what he was looking at. Brandi looked behind her. Did something else capture his attention? She turned her gaze back around. Dave kept his gaze fixed on hers while setting his drink down. His mouth formed a perfect O. Brandi’s heart leapt into her throat. He started walking towards Brandi, his pace slow, as though time stood still.

Dave stopped inches from her, almost as though unsure of himself. He wore a black tuxedo, a matching black mask covering his face. He slowly removed his mask as though it was obstructing a clear view of her.

They stood there together in a timeless moment just taking each other in. Brandi felt like a timid rabbit, too scared to move. Finally Dave took the first step.

“Would you like to dance with me?” Dave asked, his voice so different. It was the same, but it was the Dave she knew before he had lost so much, before he had been thrust into a supernatural world he knew nothing of, before he lost his soul mate. This Dave was untainted by the stains of loving and losing.

Brandi’s voice was jammed in her throat, a first for her. She had never been so nervous before, never had a reason to care what anyone thought of her. “Yes….”

Brandi extended her hand, her gaze locked onto Dave’s. He put his mask back on. Dave brought her up close to him, one hand holding hers up and the other going to the small of her back. He spun her around in circles and all Brandi could do was stare into his blue eyes. She was mesmerized, lost.

She had never been this close to him. If there was something about the Dave spinning her around now, he seemed surer of himself, more confident. Brandi would hold this moment close to her for the rest of her days.

The room was buzzing with music, men and women swirling in symmetrical patterns, the lights casting shadows on the walls, but to Brandi there was only one girl, one boy.

It was only her and Dave in the ballroom, dancing close together, the only melody heard in the great room was the sound of their hearts beating wildly. Brandi gave up on love a long time ago, but staring into Dave’s blue eyes was the closest she came to renewing her faith that something beyond her own self torment existed. She could see a paradise in his gaze, one she wanted to live in.

In this moment with him, Brandi realized a surge of truths. Dave had been the most carefree-vibrant-full-of-life boy she’d ever encountered, a sense of humor so bright it would light up the darkest days. He was everything Brandi wasn’t. And she loved him for it. Brandi Frasier, aka the Seraph of Love, was in love with Dave, aka the man-child whose heart had been shattered by the death of his soul mate, whose mind was currently under the care of a witch, and who right now, this very precious second, was looking at Brandi as no one in the world ever had. Dave looked down on Brandi as though he felt the same way Brandi did.

“What’s your name?” Dave asked, his voice a breathy whisper.

“Brandi.”

“You look stunning,” Dave said, his voice low.

“Thank you,” Brandi said nervously.

“Would you think I’m crazy if I told you it felt as though we’ve met before?” Dave asked, his voice warm.

“Not at all,” Brandi said, her gaze still locked with his. She couldn’t steal her eyes away from his.

“Do I know you?” Dave asked, the corners of his lips turning up into a smile.

“Perhaps in a previous life we knew each other,” Brandi said, the truth painful.

“What were we in our previous lives?” Dave asked.

“Hmm…I don’t know,” Brandi said leaning in closer to Dave.

“I know,” Dave said, twirling her out and then bringing her in closer and closer. “I was a composer and you were a ballerina, my little dancer.”

“A ballerina?” Brandi said, arching a brow and smiling at him unconvinced.

“Sure. I wrote music, not just any music, but I strung together sounds and melodies so great, they would have matched Amadeus, and they were written just for you. I can see you, a dress as elegant as the lines of your body. You’re in the distance, a soft spotlight framing your tiny figure, you gliding across the stage gracefully…a little ballerina. My little ballerina,” Dave said, his voice dropping an octave.

“Was I happy dancing for you?” Brandi asked breathlessly, his presence closing in on her.

“Yes, and I was happy writing music for you, watching you dance. But in our previous lives, I always watched from afar, never brave enough to ask you to dance with me, as you are now,” Dave said.

“Well,” Brandi said, her gaze lowered to his lips, “it’s good we have our chance.”

Dave lowered his head, resting his brow on hers. Brandi’s heart jumped into her throat. She had never craved anything more. David Lee Howels, her soul mate, the greatest love of her life, only discovered weeks ago, was seconds away from kissing her and she felt like the most fragile girl in the world, her sanity hanging by threads.

Dave cupped her face, tilting her head so she was looking into his eyes.

“My beautiful little ballerina,” he said, and then he kissed her softly, his lips moving gently across hers. 

Brandi melted in his arms, leaning into his kiss in complete rapture, her guard down, her heart wide open, the walls protecting that muscle now down. She tangled her fingers up in his red hair, pulling him down on her. She was dizzy, the music playing softly, the moment more perfect than she’d ever dared hope.

 Author bio:

By age 5, Sasha Hibbs' favorite movie was Gone With the Wind. By age 12, she completed her 7th grade book report on the sequel, Scarlett. By 18, she met and married her very own Mr. Rhett Butler and as it turns out, she never had to worry about going back to Tara to win the love of her life back. Fortunately, he stuck with her.  

With a love of all things paranormal, the ambiance of the South with its gigantic antebellum mansions and canopies of Spanish moss, and a love for her husband’s rich storytelling of blacksmiths and the mythology surrounding their origins, it wasn’t long until the world of her debut novel, Black Amaranth, was born.

When not working her day job as a nurse, you can find Sasha dreaming of her next beach trip, reading the latest YA novel, and drinking more white chocolate mocha than she should.  

Sasha lives in mountainous West Virginia with her husband, Tim, and their two daughters, Aeliza and Ava. She is currently hard at work on book four in The Vulcan Legacies series.

Website: http://sashahibbs.blogspot.com

Interview:

Please welcome Black Atonement author Sasha Hibbs to Diane's Book Blog.

Thanks for having me today!

What is your favorite part of the story, Black Atonement, book 3 in the Vulcan Legacies?

Without a doubt, the ending. The fun part of writing a series is the reader knows there is a continuation, more to be told about other characters and I love doing that. In Black Atonement, I loved writing the masquerade ball scene and there’s one part towards the end that I feel is a tear-jerking-OMG! moment that I’m proud of.

How long did it take you to write Black Atonement?

Around two months. The first book took longer, but after establishing characters, plot, etc. Black Abaddon went pretty smoothly as did book 3, Black Atonement. 

If you were stranded on a desert island which of your characters do you want by your side?

Definitely the Authority. I want him on and by my side. He’s the Creator and has unlimited power. 

What inspired you to write your first book?

My husband, Tim. He’s a blacksmith (among many other talents) and the history and superstition of early blacksmiths is a concept that always intrigued me. In early history, the towns people were so scared of blacksmiths they actually made them live outside the villages. I felt there was a story somewhere in there waiting to be told. 

What is your favorite book that you wrote?

That’s tough. I love them all. I would perhaps say that I have favorite parts in each book but not (at this point) a favorite book  

How do you overcome writer’s block?

There’s generally a lot of praying  Sometimes, I have to take a step away. After a small departure from writing, I can usually come back to the table with some fresh ideas. I really struggle sometimes with the beginning of a novel, but after I get over that hump, I can usually pump the rest out pretty quickly. 

What book are you reading now?

I just finished Kim Harnes Still Photo, a YA Suspense Thriller that was fantastic! I’m currently working on Brenda Beem’s YA Dystopian novel, Knockdown. 

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

A big THANK YOU to all my readers! 


Character Interview:

Please welcome Brandi Frasier from Sasha Hibbs' Black Atonement to Diane's Book Blog.

What is your name? Do you have a nickname?

Brandi Frasier, those closest to me know I’m the Seraph of Love.

How old are you?

Centuries old. 

Who are the people you are closest to?

David Howels. He’s my soul mate but I messed up. I didn’t know it until it was too late, and now I’m trying to put things back together. 

What is your biggest fear?

I’m on the run right now. I don’t really care what happens to me but the boy I love…I don’t know if I can talk about this….

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Funny question. *gives a sarcastic/disgusted laugh* I’ve been so blind. I thought the greatest love of my life was Edgar Warwick, the first generation son of Vulcan. Love can be blind. So blind that it can get people killed. *looks off into the distance as though pained by a haunted memory* But that was then and this is now. David Howels is the greatest love of my life, he just doesn’t know it. 

Which living person do you most despise?

I’ve got a list of people I hate but if I were being honest with myself I’d have to say there is no one that I hate more than myself. 

What is your greatest regret?

I’ve lost count. I regret letting Edgar blind me. I regret that that blindness ultimately killed my sister and her husband. I regret being so mean to people I care about, especially Dave. Because I’ve been so cruel to him over the years, he’ll never love me back and it’s no less than I deserve. So, yeah. I’ve got plenty of regrets.  

What do you most value in your friends?


Friends? I’ve got one friend to speak of, Abraham Rathbone. And he happens to be a witch. And there’s an old saying where I come from, “Never trust a witch.” So, I don’t know about the while friend thing. 

Giveaway:

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