Friday, April 29, 2011

Interview and Giveaway: Chloe Neill - Hard Bitten Blog Tour


Please join me in welcoming one of my favorite authors: Chloe Neill, author of the fabulous vampire series, The Chicagoland Vampires (my review of Hard Bitten is here), and also a YA series, The Dark Elite. Ms.Neill was kind enough to answer a few questions and offer a cool giveaway!

Book Addict: I know that you have a day job. Do your co-workers know you’re a published author?

Chloe Neill: There are a number of folks in my office, but many of them do, yes. They've been very supportive of my writing! I think it has improved my writing at work, as well, so that helps.


Book Addict: You have seven books under contract in the series - do you have a specific end to the series planned or will you try to continue to write the Chicagoland Vampires for as long as the ideas keep coming?

Chloe Neill: Definitely the latter. There are things I want to accomplish in the series, but I also really enjoy writing about Merit so I don't currently have an end date in mind.


Book Addict: Your characters are a joy to read. When I’m reading I feel like I know them :) Do you have a favorite character?

Chloe Neill: Thank you! I like all the characters for different reasons. I relate to Merit, and I respect Mallory's focus. Ethan tries (and often fails) to do the right thing by his vampires, and Jeff is such a good, cheerful soul. Mayor Tate is pretty intriguing, I think. We meet more of him in both HARD BITTEN and DRINK DEEP.


Book Addict: Can you tell us something silly that we don’t know about Merit?
Chloe Neill: She has a collection of the OLIVIA children's books that she absolutely adores. They're with her at Cadogan House (although she wouldn't admit that to many people.)

Book Addict: I love that Merit loves food – are you a foodie?

Chloe Neill: Definitely, although a different type of foodie than Merit. I'm a vegetarian, so I don't eat the same kinds of things that she does. But I share her love of chocolate and fine baked goods. :)


Book Addict: There were some big plot twists in Hard Bitten but the ending left me hopeful for Merit’s future. Is it as hard for you to write emotionally intense scenes as it is for us to read them?

Chloe Neill: There are scenes in all the books that make me laugh out loud and, on occasion, cry. The intense scenes are actually a bit easier to write because the emotion tends to push the momentum along, but they definitely move me, as well.


Book Addict: Do you read other books in the vampire genre or do you try to stay away from that?

Chloe Neill: I used to read LOTS, but writing has kind of ruined me for reading fiction, unfortunately. But I still keep up with JR Ward's BDB series, of course! :)


Book Addict: Thank you again for answering my questions! Congratulations on the release of Hard Bitten. I really enjoyed Hard Bitten and am looking forward to Drink Deep. Go Merit!!!

Chloe Neill: Thanks for having me!


____________________

Ms. Neill has graciously offered a Cadogan House prize pack to one lucky commenter! Leave a comment with your e-mail address to be entered.
Ends Friday, May 6.




Hard Bitten
~Chloe Neill


Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: New American Library
Publish Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN-10: 0451233328
ISBN-13: 978-0451233325
ASIN: B004IYIU1U

From the author's website:
Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals--and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society--a world full of vampires who seem to ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands...


You can read the first chapter here!



38 comments:

  1. I've been peer pressured into starting this series! Plus the reviews I've read that have mentioned the killer ending has my interest piqued!

    Please enter me.
    lovetoreadforfun@gmail.com

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  2. I simply love this series and it's killing me to wait even the couple of days more until Hard Bitten hits book shelves!

    LadyVampire2u AT gmail DOT com

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  3. I love this series as well. I feel like I groan everytime Ethan does something dumb, haha. Neill's stories seem to bring out all of my emotions when I am reading about Merit. Great interview!

    skoverstreet@aol.com

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  4. I am a HUGE fan of the chicagoland vampires, Merit is one of my all time favorite characters! Great interview!
    booksavvybabe AT gmail DOT com

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  5. I love this series. I can't wait until Tuesday.

    sgiden at verizon.net

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  6. Thanks for the giveaway. I would love to read this.

    lizzi0915 at aol dot com

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  7. I love this series. I'm currently re-reading the first three in anticipation and I've come to realize that yes Merit does need to make Ethan work for it! Don't get me wrong I want them together, but after re-reading, including everything that happened in Twice Bitten I feel he does really need to work for it, and I look forward to reading that.

    dancingfeet4384@aim.com

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  8. Love this series!! thank you for the giveaway :)

    van
    Littopandaxpress(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  9. Great interview! Thanks for the giveaway!

    ~Elaina
    elainareads AT aol DOT com

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  10. Yay, I love this series!

    Thank you!

    Pam
    pulp7@juno.com

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  11. I soooo cannot wait to read this book! Of course I preordered it so I likely won't get it til the following week! Sigh...

    Thanks for the giveaway and awesome interview!

    jessbess2505[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  12. I enjoyed the interview!

    kissinoak at frontier dot com

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  13. Great interview....I absolutely love this series!

    varuca25(at)gmail(dot)com

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  14. Thank you for this giveaway!! Very exciting!!

    Rachel Leigh
    TheOneRing111 at gmail dot com

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  15. I love this series and it's killing me to wait a couple more days until Hard Bitten release!
    blubear12@gmail.com

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  16. I love this series too! Count me in if the giveaway is international!

    vickyvak
    vicky.vak8(at)gmail.com

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  17. I'd love to read this. Thanks for the giveaway.

    forwhlz at gmail dot com

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  18. I haven't read any of Chloe's books and from the reviews I am sure I'm missing something!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    meredithfl at gmail dot com

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  19. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  20. Thanks for the interview and giveaway! Looking forward to reading Hard Bitten. CV is one of my favorite series.

    angeldream3[AT]gmail[DOT]com

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  21. Great interview - looking forward to Hard Bitten

    eva.s.black[@]gmail[.]com

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  22. This is one of my favorite series!! Jatlantisv(at)gmail.com

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  23. I can't wait to read this series. I've heard so many good things about it!

    Traci

    tjbedard@dejazzd.com

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  24. Welcome back Merit! Can't wait to read her continuing adventures.
    salvagin@verizon.net

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  25. Great giveaway thank you so much! I love the chicagoland vampires one of my favorites!
    tishajean@ charter.net

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  26. Great interview! Loved both your questions and her answers :) Can't wait for Hard Bitten's release.

    bittenbooks@gmail.com

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  27. Love the interview and also your review! OMG I'm even more desperate to read this book now!!!

    suefiles@btopenworld.com

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  28. I love this series. Only a couple of days away until Hard Bitten is released! Great interview. I liked the tidbit that Merit has an Olivia collection
    born_2b_alive@hotmail.com

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  29. I love this series so much! I can't wait for Hard Bitten :)

    cxcorrupted@gmail.com

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  30. I love this series so far. Based on the first chapter I don't think this one will disappoint! :-)

    hootowl1978 at gmail dot com

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  31. I have been hearing so much about the cliffhanger at the ending of Hard Bitten. I need to know what it is ASAP!!! I am dying for my Merit and Ethan fix! Please enter me!

    Thanks, Mollie
    moll89@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
  32. This is one of my favorite series.I can't wait to read Hard Bitten.If the mail wold just hurry up :)
    elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

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  33. What a wonderful interview!! I just adore this series to pieces. buckeyegirlreads at gmail dot com

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  34. Great interview! This series looks really good. Please enter me in the giveaway.
    marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  35. I am in total love with this series. I love so many of the characters and hard bitten has made me say wow! I cannot wait for deep drink, the books keep getting better and better.

    yeahsure29@yahoo.com

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  36. Sounds like a great series! Count me in!

    tasha.bookobsessed[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  37. I loved the book but I hated that ethan got killed I cried it was a terrible fate for him , I hope merit finds happiness again

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