We are very happy to be part of Candace Havens’ Take it Like a Vamp blog tour, one of the first novels to debut Entangled Publishing’s new Covet line, woohoo!

When I learned I’d have the chance to sit down (even if only virtually) with Candace (and her characters) I knew I wanted to ask Nick (the sexy and irresistible vampire hero of Take it Like a Vamp) if he could share with us his tips on the  ways on how to avoid temptation (aka Casey Meyers) I knew his post would show you his humor, sexy charm and his inability to resist his cute neighbor, Casey.

Nick Christos Shares Five Ways To Avoid Temptation
by Candace Havens 

Women are incredible. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they always smell so delightful. But there is one particular female, who is as close to perfect as they come. My downstairs neighbor, Casey, has it all. Beauty, intelligence and my favorite thing about her is her wit. And her—Well, she has many wonderful – qualities. That’s one of the reasons she’s so damn tempting. So here are my Top 5 Ways of Avoiding Temptation – with the caveat that they haven’t been working very well. (Sigh. Why does she have to be human? And so curvy? Not touching her is—Oh. The list.)

1. Cold Showers. I’m not going to lie. I’ve taken more cold showers in the last nine months than I have in the rest of my 800 years. Being in that woman’s presence is torture, but I can’t seem to stop myself. So when the fangs threaten to pop, I hit the shower.

2. Travel. For two weeks I stayed in Hong Kong and did my best to forget about that beautiful blonde in the downstairs apartment. I wined and dined clients and future business partners. At least being thousands of miles away meant I couldn’t touch her. But I still thought about her every night in the—uh. Yeah. I thought about her a lot while I was gone.

3. Pawn her off on your friends. There was a short time I thought she might be better off dating someone who was not me. I was wrong. But it did keep me from touching her. Unfortunately, the murderous thoughts of another man’s hands on her, were somewhat difficult to control.

4. Make her mad. I seem to do this without even trying. She gets mad at me for saying dumb crap, and I just say I’m sorry. I’ve been around 800 years and I still don’t understand women. And when I make her mad, she makes excuses to avoid me. And I should just let it go, but it’s Casey, so of course I have to find a way to make her forgive me.

5. Die. It isn’t easy to kill a Valk like me, but it can be done. Though I have a feeling, I’d spend the rest of eternity want to be with Casey. What man wouldn’t want to be with this incredible woman who has made me smile for the first time in centuries. Hmmm. I wondering what she’s doing tonight…

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Stella: I noticed while browsing Candace’s website that she has a special relationship with vampires: not only does Take it Like a Vamp feature them but her street team is also called The Vamp Squad. So I was curious to know what is it about vampires? What makes them the most irresistible paranormal creatures? I had to ask her why did she choose vamps?

Candace: I swore I would NEVER write about vampires. Well, you know what they say. My editor said she needed a vampire book, and I told her I didn’t write those. I like stories with different kinds of mythological creatures, many of which I make up on my own.

Then she said that she wanted it to be a friends to lovers story. BOOM! The story solidified in my brain so fast I had to start writing it all down before I lost it. I ended up writing the story in four or five days. (It took a lot longer than that to edit.) But I couldn’t type fast enough to keep up with my brain.

I will say, I love vampires. But when you think about the authors before you and the worlds they created – well it can be a little overwhelming. I decided to do some research so that I at least had a basis for my vamps, who are really something different than what we’ve seen before. I didn’t follow any of the vamp tropes, except for the bite. And I even took a twist with that.

As for why we like vampires, I think it’s everything to do about the danger. We want to live vicariously through them. Many of the vamps are erotic and sexy, which gives into a lot of fantasies we may have. That’s why I love books, and that there are so many different kinds. There’s a little something for everyone.

And my Vamp Squad is the greatest group of people in the world! They have been working tirelessly to spread the love when it comes to Take It Like A Vamp. Of course, they shall all be rewarded with jewels and prizes, because that’s how I roll. And peeps can still join through my website.

I want to know who your favorite supernatural hero is? Or he can be someone who deals with the supernatural. Don’t be shy. Share with us.

Take it Like a Vamp by Candace Havens

Vampire Nick Christos might have been born in the Middle Ages, but those days seem tame compared to the last eight years spent ruling the Supernatural Council. The only respite in his long days of governing is with his sweet neighbor Casey Meyers. Sure, he’s forced to take a cold shower after every encounter, but no way will he risk anything more with a human. Not with his blood thirsty ex on the prowl and out to ruin Nick’s life.

But when said crazy ex shows up at the ball and flies her freak flag high, Nick has more to worry about than keeping his hands off his neighbor. He’ll have to stay closer than ever if he hopes to keep her alive, but will she want to leave him forever when she learns the truth?

Read an excerpt

Buy at Amazon – B&N

Bestselling author Candace Havens has written six novels for Berkley including, Charmed & Dangerous,Charmed & Ready, Charmed & Deadly, Like A Charm, The Demon King and I and Dragons Prefer Blondes. Her books for the Blaze line at Harlequin include Take Me If You Dare, She Who Dares, Wins, Truth and Dare, and The Model Marine. She is also in the anthology Spirited, and the proceeds go to help literacy. In addition to Take It Like A Vamp, she has the steampunk novels Iron Demon (Oct. 2012) and Iron Blood (April 2013) from the Maisy Clark series debuting with Entangled Publishing.

Her books have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion and Write Touch Reader Awards. Model Marine is a National Readers Choice Finalist. She is the author of the biography Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities including Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise, George Clooney and many more.

Her entertainment columns can be read in more than 600 newspapers across the country. Candace also runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2000 writers, and teaches comprehensive writing class. She does film reviews with the Dorsey Gang on New Country 96.3, and is the President of the Television Critics Association.

Find out more or connect with Candace at her website / Twitter / Goodreads

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~*~*Giveaway*~*~

Entangled Publishing has generously offered an ebook copy of Take it Like a Vamp by Candace Havens to one lucky commenter!

All you have to do is answer Candace’s question:

Who is your favorite supernatural hero? (Or he can be someone who deals with the supernatural) 

(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please be sure to include a valid email address in the comment form (need not be in the actual body of the comment).

This giveaway is open to everyone!

Giveaway ends on 1 September 2012 and we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good Luck!

About Stella

Stella is a proud bookaholic and a self-taught multilinguist in training. Besides reading, her other great passions are travelling and baking. When she is not globetrotting she lives in sunny Budapest, where she loves to spend her free time preparing (and feasting on) delicious cookies or devouring equally yummy books. Her favourite genres are urban fantasy and romance and she couldn't live without her daily dose of sunshine. Besides being the Latin Lover on BLI Stella also blogs about books and a bookish life on Ex Libris.

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