Hump Day Hook 15

February 13, 2013

Welcome to the Hump Day Hook Hop for February 13th, 2013! With this blog hop, each author posts one(ish) paragraph from a WIP or finished book for all to see and - we hope! - leave a comment.

The Dark Jane Austen Book Club has selected Pulse and Prejudice, the vampire adaptation of Jane Austen's classic love story, as their selection for February. Hence, I have chosen an excerpt from that novel for today's hook, which also references Lord Byron, to accompany the guest post I did for them this week, Darcy, Byron, and Vampires.

Yes, yes, I'm sorry; it's long, but only because it includes a poem by Lord Byron! I promise to go shorter next week, and I forgive all the other Hook-ers who are too busy writing to read this excerpt.

SPOILER ALERT!!! In Pulse and Prejudice, eventually Elizabeth learns Mr. Darcy is, in fact, a vampire. In this scene, she makes an attempt to tease him about it....

     “You know, I recently read a poem about you,” Elizabeth said as they walked under the moonlight. Her eyes held more humour than betrayed by her small smile.
     “A poem about me? Pray, who would have written a poem about me?”
     “Oh, none other than your friend, the illustrious Lord Byron.”
     He glimmed at her quizzically, eyebrows raised, to which she nodded with false gravity. “That will not do,” said he. “I have it on very good authority that poetry is one of the most efficient tools for driving away love.”
     “Oh, only a slight inclination; not a stout, healthy love.”
     He smiled, clearly pleased with her implication, and spoke with a note of humour. “You must not keep me in suspense. How has Lord Byron illustrated my character?”
     “I fear it was not complimentary,” she teased.
     “Of this, I cannot pretend surprise. Pray go on.”
     Elizabeth blanched and cast her eyes down, the levity leaving her face as she realized she had created a trap for herself. Noting her change in demeanour, Mr. Darcy stopped their progress and, taking her hands in his, turned her to face him, but she did not look up.
     “Elizabeth?”
     Through repeated readings, she had memorized a larger passage; but sensible to his own inner torment, she began her recitation after the reference to the tortures of inward hell. “But first, on earth as Vampire sent, Thy corse shall from its tomb be rent. Then ghastly haunt thy native place, And suck the blood of all thy race; There from thy daughter, sister, wife, At midnight drain the stream of life; Yet loathe the banquet which perforce, Must feed thy livid living corse; Thy victims ere they yet expire, Shall know the demon for their sire, As cursing thee, thou cursing them, Thy flowers are withered on the stem.”
     Releasing one hand, he lifted her chin so she would look at him. Gazing into the depths of her eyes, he asked, “And this did not drive you away?”
     Inaudibly, she mouthed the word, “No.”
     He lightly brushed the back of his fingers on her cheek. “A healthy love, indeed.” He replaced her hand into the crook of his arm and walked her towards the French windows. In an accent to return their conversation to its prior lightness, he said, “I assure you, madam, your flowers are safe from me!” to which she laughed heartily.

So what did you think?
This is actually one of the first scenes I wrote for Pulse and Prejudice. (I wrote the whole thing out of order, finishing Volume I last and then revising it after my beta readers, who "couldn't remember" Pride and Prejudice, needed me to add more Austen in.)

Thanks for stopping by! Please hop on over to the other authors' sites for their hooks. Click here for a list of all this week's participants!

A few reminders....

Check back here on Thursday for a special Vampire Valentines Day post and giveaway for the Vampire Bite Blog Hop.

Thursday at 9:30 pm EST, I will be interviewed by Elaine Raco Chase for The Author's Corner on Triangle Variety Radio. Listen to the show by going to www.trianglevarietyradio.com. Scroll down and click the silver On Blog Talk Radio silver bar, and that brings you into the outer studio and a red light that says ON THE AIR.

Because The Dark Jane Austen Book Club has chosen Pulse and
Prejudice for their February selection, I have a special blog post with a giveaway on their website. Leave a comment over there, and you could win a signed copy of Pulse and Prejudice! Plus I will be interviewed on their blog next Monday, February 18th.

The League of British Actors Valentine Giveaway is going on now through February 20th, so click on over there for a chance to win one of two dozen books, including All My Tomorrows and Pulse and Prejudice!