Vampire Elite by Irina Argo-Interview and Giveaway
Vampire Elite (Book #1)
by Irina Argo
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: June 1, 2013
TRC: Hi Irina ad Jo-An and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the June release of VAMPIRE ELITE book one in your Vampire Elite series. We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us about IRINA ARGO?
Irina Argo is the pen name for Irina Kardos and Jo-An Torres.
Irina lives in a pretty dark world: by day she’s a clinical psychologist at a juvenile correctional facility, where she deals with the extremes of human behavior on a daily basis; at night, she cares for her husband, who was paralyzed several years ago. Writing has always been her passion, and now it’s what brings light into her life. She is originally from Russia, where she worked as a TV journalist.
Jo-An is a Leo, a lioness emerging to follow her dream: to write a book of her own. As the owner of a costume shop for many years, she was able to satisfy her creative nature and allow it to flourish. She believes that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. She currently resides in
TRC: What difficulties or challenges do you face writing as a team?
Irina is a romantic, beauty, tranquility, joyfulness.
Jo-An is an A,B,C, black and white personality, but with an intense creative nature – I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but somehow it seems to work. She revs it up, I tone it down, then we reach a happy medium.
TRC: Was there any particular premise or scenario that one or the other focused on such as characters development or storyline flow?
Irina/Jo-An: Reality – we wanted to make them totally believable – that they live among us.
TRC: Has there ever been an issue where there was no compromise and therefore a character or premise had to be scrapped?
Irina/Jo-An: We don’t believe so. We compromised on everything. We would scrap when our editor strongly disagreed.
VAMPIRE ELITE is your June 2013 release in the Vampire Elite series. Would you please tell us something about the premise?
Irina/Jo-An: A millennia-long war between two immortal races is about to come to an end. Long ago, the Vampire Elite began capturing the immortals called the Amiti, attracted by their unique blood properties. Now most Amiti live in underground cells, forced to serve as vampires’ bloodstock. The few surviving free Amiti, preparing a final strike, have declared the Amiti Queen a traitor. Her execution makes possible the rise of a new Queen, her young daughter Arianna, who will inherit her mother’s mystical powers. Working with the Keepers of the Key, Arianna may be able to eliminate the vampires, once and for all, from the face of the earth.
The new Queen is the last hope to save her people, and she’s ready to fight to the last drop of her blood. But the King of the Vampires has other plans. What neither expects is the passion that erupts between them.
Vampire Elite is an epic story of a bitter conflict between two races, and the effect of that conflict on everyone living in its grip. The characters are driven to love and betrayal, vengeance and sacrifice in a world without easy black-and-white answers. Based on an ancient Egyptian legend, packed with action and intrigue, Vampire Elite will pull you into the entrancing world of immortals and open new portals into their hidden universe.
TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?
Irina/Jo-An: Three minimum, the second book is already in a rough draft stage and the story continues to evolve.
TRC: How thoroughly do you plan out your characters and story before you begin the first draft?
Irina: They just come into me, there is no pre-development. I write what I see and feel emanating from the character. Irina: We don’t plan it out, it just flows through my mind and I put it to paper as it comes to me. I don’t even know what is going to happen next, and am as surprised as the readers will be as they turn each page.
Jo-An: Basically, Irina created the story and asked me if I would read her first draft and give her some feed back. I found myself editing, suggesting scenarios and fleshing it out. It was then that she asked me to co-author the book. I was thrilled and am deeply indebted to her for allowing me to let my creative juices flow and reach my own dream of someday writing a book.
TRC: Would you please tell us how you handle the stress and anxiety of writing deadlines and family life?
Irina: I just take it as it comes and do not stress, what will be will be – I have often stayed up all night to complete a chapter or prepare information for Blogs, updating the Web-Site, designing images in photo-shop.
Jo-An: For me, it is not difficult. I am retired and have a lot of time on my hands as I am not a socializer. I would rather be at home with a good book than at a loud party interacting with a lot of people. The only time it affects me is when I travel and do not have internet access. It makes it very stressful for Irina because her life is so full of responsibilities and she has to find time to work on the book. My husband and I have a monster of a motorhome and when he wants to go – we go, along with our 5 cats. A lot of the time I am not able to get internet access and it does put additional strain on Irina.
TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and struggle with other authors, friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas and strategy?
Irina: My friends and co-workers.
Jo-An: Only with our editor and each other. None of my friends or family are into the paranormal, so they would be of no help.
TRC: If you could select one reality show in which you were one of the contestants, which show would you chose and why?
Irina: Sorry, I don’t watch TV 🙁
Jo-An: The Apprentice. Every task requires a vivid and creative imagination. I can find ways to do things and make things happen when everyone else is stumped.
TRC: On what are you currently working?
Irina: Updating images, keeping all of the sites current, working with the printer for our paperback copy, interacting with all of the promoters we are working with.
Jo-An: Promoting the book and keeping it in the top ten. Spending hours and hours on the computer writing personal emails, reading up on how to gain exposure.
TRC: Would you like to add anything else?
Irina/Jo-An: We would like to thank you for hosting this tour and hope that it is well attended. And sincerely appreciate your hosting our book on your Blog, and want to thank everyone who visits it …especially those who buy the book and enjoy it as much as we do.
LIGHTNING ROUND FOR IRINA
Favorite Food – Italian
Favorite Dessert – dark chocolate
Favorite TV Show – Lost, True blood, Vampire Diaries
Dark or Milk Chocolate – dark
Favorite Flower – rose
Last Vacation Destination – Peru
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LIGHTNING ROUND FOR JO-AN
Favorite Food – Mexican
Favorite Dessert – Strawberries in thick cream
Favorite TV Show – Duck Dynasty
Last Movie you saw – Silver Linings Play Book
Dark or Milk Chocolate – Dark
Favorite Flower – Pansy
Last Vacation Destination – Bahamas
Thank you Irina Argo (Irina and Jo-An) for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the new release. We wish you all the best.
To learn more about Irina Argo you can visit the VAMPIRE-ELITE Website or you can connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
VE website: www.vampire-elite.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VampireEliteSeries
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheVampireElite
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7101954.Irina_Argo
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Amazon.com / Amazon.ca/ Amazon.uk
How can you make a choice between saving your people and destroying the one you love?
A millennia-long war between two immortal races is about to come to an end. Long ago, the Vampire Elite began capturing members of another race of immortal beings, the Amiti, forcing them to become their blood suppliers—bloodstock—and locking them in underground cells, where they are treated like livestock. Now, the few remaining free Amiti are making a final attempt to strike back. The Queen of the Amiti has been proclaimed a traitor and executed. Her death makes possible the rise of a new Queen, her young daughter Arianna, who becomes the last hope of her dying race. Arianna totally embraces her mission and is ready to fight for her people to the last drop of her blood but encounters an unexpected challenge—the vampire King Tor. The Amiti Queen and the King of the vampires are drawn into a trap of love where each has to make the ultimate choice: to kill their loved one or risk the extermination of their people.
Vampire Elite is an epic story of a bitter conflict between two peoples, and the effect of that conflict on everyone living in its grip. The characters are driven to love and betrayal, vengeance and sacrifice in a world without easy black-and-white answers.
Based on an ancient Egyptian legend, packed with action and intrigue, Vampire Elite will pull you into the entrancing world of immortals and open new portals into their hidden universe.
You Tube Book Trailer:
Video URL=> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAAwv1mF258
7/01- You Gotta Read (spot)
http://yougottaread.com/
7/03- Wicked Readings by Tawania (spotlight)
http://www.wickedreadingsbytawania.blogspot.com/
7/03 – Confessions of the Paranormal
http://confessionsoftheparanormal.blogspot.com/
7/04- Literal Addiction (spotlight)
http://www.literaladdiction.com/
7/05- Sassy Book Lovers (spotlight)
http://sassybooklovers.blogspot.com/
7/06- Froggarita’s Bookcase (interview & spotlight)
http://www.froggaritasbookcase.com/
7/07- Book Lovin’ Mamas (spotlight)
http://booklovinmamas.blogspot.com/
7/07- The Reading Cafe (interview & review)
http://thereadingcafe.com/
Irina & Jo-An are giving away the following prizes at the end of their tour:
Grand Prize: $25 Amazon gift card (1 winner)
2nd Place: $10 Amazon gift cards (2 winners)
3rd Place: eBook of Vampire Elite (5 winners)
NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour promoter
