Giveaway, Character Interview, Review, and Excerpt ~ Blood and Guitars Series by Heather Jensen

I interviewed Trey Decker from Blood and Guitars! Here's what he shared:

Trey: First of all, I want to thank Brenda for having me here today at Crazy Four Books. I love doing interviews, especially when the other guys in the band aren't here to interject with embarrassing stories. They do that a lot. Thank you Trey! :-)

What was the happiest moment of the book for you?

Trey: Meeting Aurora. Not only was it a pleasant surprise when she didn't recognize me, but the fact that she was into me anyway completely sealed the deal.

What is your favorite or least favorite pastime?

Trey: One of the things the guys in the band and I like to do on tour is play games on the Xbox 360. We always have one in the bus, and it almost always ends up in the dressing room. We love Halo, Gears of War, Left 4 Dead, you know … the classics.

What is your favorite season? Favorite holiday?

Trey: I'd have to say Fall is my favorite season. That's probably because Halloween is my favorite holiday. It's the only time of year you can dress like a complete weirdo and it's acceptable. Also, candy. 'Nuff said.  Fall is my favorite season too! I love the colorful leaves. 

Who is the first person you call with good or bad news?

Trey: That depends. If it's band-related, I call O'Shea. If its vampire related, I call Aurora, obviously. For all the other stuff, I call my mom. She hates finding out stuff about me on TV or the internet first, so I make a point to try and prevent that from happening. It works most of the time.

What type of music do you listen to?

Trey: That's a loaded question. I have eclectic tastes in music, but obviously I like to listen to the same rock/punk/pop genre that Catalyst falls into. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Marianas Trench, Awolnation, The All-American Rejects, to name a few.

If you suddenly had two free hours, how would you spend them?

Trey: Doing something with Aurora that didn't involve work or other vampires. Any time we can get a break from the chaos of our daily lives, we jump on it. I'd love to take her skydiving though. I think she'd be into it.

Night or Day?

Trey: Definitely night. I've always been a night owl, but when your girlfriend's cool vamp abilities make an appearance with the moon, you learn to appreciate that time even more.

What is your favorite splurge?

Trey: Expensive jeans. I have the money, and I just can't help myself. Aurora loves to give me crap about it. It's one of the major rock star cliché's I fall right into.

What is your favorite color?

Trey: 7-Up bottle green, for those of you old enough to remember 7-Up bottles.

What is your favorite supernatural creature?

Trey: Vampires. (Aurora made me say that.)  lol! I knew what the answer would be but I had to ask!

What is your favorite meal?

Trey: Most of the time I'll settle for just not becoming the meal, but I make a wicked Asian Princess Chicken in the book for Aurora. Despite the fact that her tastes aren't quite normal, she seemed to enjoy it.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

Trey: You're welcome. Thanks again for having me. I'm off to the studio to meet the other guys. Wish me luck! Not that you need it but Good Luck!

Book Summary:

When Aurora meets Trey, a famous singer and musician, she's only hoping to get her fill of human blood for the week. The last thing Aurora expects is for Trey to make her feel alive for the first time since she was, well, alive. It begins with a casual painting lesson at her art studio, The Waking Moon, and quickly turns into a forbidden romance. Aurora is forced to hide her true identity from Trey, while keeping her relationship with the human a secret from other vampires in her Brood.

Trey's band is recording a new album and with Aurora as his muse, Trey is writing songs like never before. After being hired by their record label to paint the cover of the new album, Aurora has a legitimate reason for spending so much time with Trey and his band mates. Aurora can't deny the unexpected connection she has with Trey, which is fueled by glimpses into his emotions every time they share a kiss. Caught between two worlds, Aurora must attend celebrity award shows and vampire rituals, find time to feed, and protect Trey from the dangers of the night, all while preserving her secrets.

Book two is Immortals and Melodies. Here is a summary.

Catalyst frontman Trey is no stranger to chaos, but even the life of a rock star couldn’t prepare him for the consequences of loving a vampire. Trey’s life is in danger; threatened by the very group he must join to stay alive. His struggle to continue his career and release a new album with the band is marred by events that force him to ask a powerful Synod Elder for help.

Aurora has to keep Trey alive until she can make him a vampire, but her own kind will stop at nothing to prevent it. The head of the Emissary is having her followed, and if she can’t figure out who is behind the violent attacks, Trey might not make it to the full moon. As Aurora battles her own kind, she’s also plagued by the risk she’s taking by changing Trey. Will her moon-given power be enough to carry Trey through the change, or will he be left floating in the wake of destruction?

Here is an excerpt:

Chapter 1

Trey

I always assumed my high-tech home security system would come in handy if an obsessed fan-turned-stalker crossed a line, or if the overzealous paparazzi tried to get too close, but I was fairly certain it didn’t guarantee protection from the supernatural. If only I had known that photogs and obsessed fans would be the least of my worries.
The night started off like any other. We were at Karatz’s place for rehearsal. We were done recording the album, but he’d offered to let us use his live room as a rehearsal space. Of course, we couldn’t refuse an offer like that. We’d been there for three hours and midnight was fast approaching as we ran through the dozen songs that made the cut for the record. That included a new song called “You Only Live Twice,” which we’d added last minute and decided to make the first single. We hadn’t played most of the tunes since we’d finished recording them, so there were a few kinks to work out. Our tour manager, Roger, was there, too. He was with us for the last tour, which made things easier since he already knew what we liked. He sat nearby and made a list of all the equipment we’d need for the live show. I was just glad I didn’t have to figure all of it out.

The record’s release date was set for the day before Halloween, which meant we had less than three weeks before it would hit record stores and iTunes. It felt great to have the album ready to show the world. My only regret was that Wes would never hear it in its entirety.

“Let’s take five,” I suggested after the last run through of Midnight Poison. I set my guitar down and made my way over to Aurora who was hanging out in the lounge. She’d spent the earlier part of the night on her phone and her computer while she talked to some Web designer about doing a website for her art. Since she was going to be coming on the road with me and the guys, I suggested she consider getting her paintings on the Web so she’d have greater exposure. She’d been trying to find the right person to design a website for a few days now. She handed me a bottle of water and I downed half of it. That was when I noticed she was looking a little out of sorts. “Come on,” I said, offering my hand to her. “Let’s get some fresh air.” She took my hand and let me pull her down the hallway and out the studio doors. Once outside, I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the crisp night air. Then I turned to look at Aurora. She forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Are you okay?” I finally asked.

“I’m fine,” she said. “It’s just been kind of crazy lately. That’s all.”

I pulled her hand to my chest and wrapped my arms around her. She squeezed me back and let me hold her in silence for a moment before she pulled away.

“You smell so good,” she moaned pitifully, staring up at me from under those thick dark lashes.

I chuckled, taking that as a compliment and bent down to her. Aurora’s lips met mine in a hungry kiss. Her hand went to the back of my neck, pulling me closer. I ran my fingers through her hair and lost myself entirely in the kiss.

When she pulled away, the movement was sudden. I looked up to find her staring at me through luminescent, green eyes. She gaped in surprise, probably because her fangs had unsheathed in the heat of the moment.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s okay,” I said, taking her hand. “Besides, you know I think it’s hot when I get to see you like this.” I expected that comment to earn a smile, at least, but she just turned away from me to compose herself again. She wasn’t acting like herself and I thought I might know why. “When was the last time you … you know … fed?”

She opened her mouth to answer when O’Shea’s voice rang out from behind her. She stepped into my arms again and buried her face in my shoulder to keep from being seen.

“You coming back in or what?” O’Shea hollered at me.

“Be there in a minute,” I called out. He shrugged and disappeared through the studio doors, leaving us alone again. I sighed, and Aurora looked up at me with questioning eyes that were no longer glowing in the dark. “He’s gone,” I assured her. “But I’m serious about you feeding. When was the last time?”

“It’s been a few days,” she admitted. “But I’m fine. Really.”

“Unless you’re sneaking out while I’m asleep, it’s been more than a few days.” She hadn’t been sneaking out. I already knew that. She insisted it wasn’t safe for us to be apart. I hadn’t argued and not just because I knew there were vampires out there who wanted me dead. We’d spent every minute together since Wes’s death. Every minute except the night before she’d made lasagna for me and the guys. She’d gone out to feed then. “It’s been more than a week,” I blurted out, shocked by the realization that so much time had passed since that night. “No wonder you find me so irresistible.”

She sighed and reached for my hands. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll feed tomorrow night.”

“I’m safe here,” I said to her. “Nobody’s going to come after me while I’m with the guys. There are too many witnesses. Go. Find someone yummy.”

She let out a disbelieving laugh and shook her head at me, but her smile was genuine now. “You’re such a dork.” Then she bit her bottom lip and gazed at me seriously. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. The last thing this rock star needs is to be eaten by his hungry girlfriend in the middle of the night.”

She relaxed a little at my joke. “I’ll only be gone a little while,” she promised.

“Stop worrying. We’re almost done here anyway. I’ll just catch a ride home with O’Shea and meet you at the house. I just have one condition,” I said. “No biting some guy who’s hotter than me.”

“I’d be hard-pressed to manage that,” she said, grinning.

“Take your time. I’ll be fine,” I insisted. “See you back at the house.”

“I won’t be long,” she added. “Now get back in there before my mouth starts watering.”

I kissed her cheek and headed back inside, wondering when it had become so normal to send my girlfriend out to hunt for someone to drink. The guys and I wrapped up rehearsal just twenty minutes later. I caught a ride with O’Shea back to my place, finding that I’d beaten Aurora back to the house. It wasn’t until O’Shea was pulling away and I was letting myself in the front door that a sick feeling arose in my stomach. I pulled out my keys and reminded myself not to forget to set the security alarm as the lock clicked and I opened the door. I had only taken one step inside when, in a rush of air, I was shoved forward and slammed into the wall in my entryway. Something, or rather someone, had pinned me to the wall with strength I couldn’t define. The wind was forced from my lungs and I fought to draw in breath as my ribs tried to expand against the pressure of the wall at my back.

“Where is she?” The vampire’s voice rasped.

“Who?” I coughed.

“Don’t play stupid, human. The proditor. The betrayer … where is she now? Don’t tell me she’s just left you alone for the curious to sample?”

“She’ll be here any minute,” I choked out, hoping it were true. “If I were you, I wouldn’t stick around to find out what happens next.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Not at all,” I insisted, my voice stronger now. “It’s a promise.”

Then came a weightless sensation followed by the shocking realization that I was flying across the room.

Blood and Guitars Purchase Links:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords

Purchase Links for Immortals And Melodies
(Blood And Guitars #2): Amazon 

Author Bio:

Heather Jensen writes paranormal fantasy for teens and adults. She began writing her first book at the age of 16. She is an avid reader and loves anything vampire-related, but likes all kinds of fantasy. When she’s not writing she enjoys traveling, listening to music, going to concerts, playing guitar and spending time with friends and family. She is addicted to Oreos and White Knight drinks from Perks. Her favorite color is green and the uglier the shade the better.

Heather lives in Southern Utah with her husband and son where she continues to write the Blood And Guitars series. The second book in the series, Immortals And Melodies, is available on Kindle and will soon be in paperback.


Contact her: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Youtube, Goodreads


My Thoughts:

I really like vampire stories. Blood and Guitars was no different. I was pleasantly surprised by the uniqueness of the storyline. :D It was great that the vampire was a woman for a change. It was also great that the vampires could go out in the daylight. There were so many awesome differences between this and other vampire books you may have read, that I can't possibly list them all!

Both Trey (the rock star human) and Aurora (the vamp) have a voice in the book! I loved that but was confused by who's point of view it was a couple of times.

I really enjoyed the characters. They were relatable and likeable (mostly).

The plot was full of music, vampires, secret keeping, art, romance and much much more!

If you like vampire books, I strongly suggest that you read this one!


Book 2, Immortals and Melodies was everything book one was, but more. The musical element and the romance between Trey and Aurora were more of a driving force in this book. Trey is sooo sweet! 

They have problems as every couple does but most of theirs are external. Their problems are brought on by people who don't want Trey to be turned and don't want them to be together.

 I couldn't walk away and I can't wait to read the third book in this series.

I received a copy of both books in exchange for my honest opinion. I heart this series!

Like what you heard? Heather Jensen has generously offered an e-copy of Blood and Guitars for one lucky commenter!  Thank you Heather!


I'd love to know what you're thinking. Please leave a comment!