BLI is delighted to welcome back Virna DePaul today who is here to celebrate the upcoming release of Chosen By Fate the second novel in her Para-Ops series. Virna is a former prosecutor who writes about flawed individuals who find redemption through courage and love. Chosen By Blood, the first novel in her Para-Ops series was released to rave reviews on May 3, 2011. Chosen By Fate will hit the stands on October 4, 2011. The Para-Ops series is published by Berkley Sensation. Virna has been a very busy lady this year and in addition to her Berkley Publications her stellar Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel Dangerous to Her was published on August 23, 2011.

Lea: Virna! Welcome back to BLI, so delighted you are able to join us again. 😉

Virna: It’s always a pleasure to hang out with you and your readers. Thanks so much for having me!

Lea: Since you were here previously and discussed your writing process I’m going to cut right to the chase and ask some questions about Chosen By Fate, along with a question thrown in about Dangerous to Her. 😉

What can we expect of Chosen By Fate?

Virna: Chosen By Fate starts off right where Chosen By Blood left off. Chapter One begins immediately after the Para-Ops team returns from North Korea, with Caleb O’Flare trying to rescue FBI Director Kyle Mahone. Chosen By Fate has lots of action, but it is more focused on the romance, the relationship between Wraith and Caleb. What started out as an intense attraction between the two in the first book develops into something passionate yet deeply emotional. Wraith fights her feelings for Caleb because she’d never wanted anyone more and her whole existence has been about pain and loss. But despite his own issues, Caleb is steadfast and true. He gives Wraith the strength to take what’s hers.

Lea: Wraith is one of the more complex and fascinating paranormal creatures I’ve read. Among the Otherborn races in your stories wraiths are an anomaly, no one knows how they came to be, there is a lack of understanding regarding their physiology. Essentially they are the walking dead, but they have regenerative abilities. They are intelligent and have feelings, and fears no memory of who they were before becoming a wraith, and all of this is compounded by the fact they feel pain when a human touches them. The thing is, Wraith has an almost palpable self loathing and has turned to pain during the 10 years of her existence, on top of that she has endured torture and betrayal. Can you tell us a little about Wraith’s appearance and her complexities?

Wraith can’t hide what she is. Her blue-tinged skin, white hair, and hazy eyes exude “walking dead.” She can’t see colors, sees things (like trees) in a deadened state even when they are flourishing, and can’t be killed by any known means. She’s a freak by both human and Otherborn standards, but instead of cowering in a corner, she capitalizes on shock value by wearing skintight leather and four-inch blue stilettos, cursing a blue streak, and never letting anyone close. Despite her best efforts, however, Caleb sees more to her than she wants him to. As Caleb recognizes, Wraith is “a heinous bitch, yes, but one whose attitude and mouth was designed to hide something textured and complex…”

Lea: Wraith is a kickass heroine, tough as nails with an ATTITUDE but she is also quite vulnerable isn’t she Virna?

Virna: Wraith is definitely vulnerable, but she’s great at hiding it. She’s lived her entire existence feeling pain and being isolated from others, and she thinks this is her fate. She abides by the theory that if you never allow yourself to get close to someone or feel pleasure, you can’t miss him or it when it’s gone. Joining the Para-Ops team gives Wraith her first taste of truly “belonging” somewhere, and this is what enables Caleb to get past her natural defenses.

Lea: Caleb O’Flare, is a psychic shaman, a human with extraordinary abilities. He is special forces trained having fought in the war. (He is also a major hottie!) Caleb has his own demons related to the loss of his best friend who was a male feline during the war. He blames himself for the horrific events surrounding his friend’s death. Caleb is tough and strong, but as a healer he is bound to ease suffering, not cause pain. Would you be willing to share more about Caleb’s background with readers?

Virna: Caleb is a special hero for me. He’s not quite as alpha as Knox or Dex because he shows his emotions more easily. He’s the good-looking charmer with a lazy smile and fast wit that hides his inner pain. He’s half-Irish and half-Native American, a shaman healer, and capable of hearing the “Great Song” and walking the Otherworld. As an army medic, he’s seen the ravages of war and his greatest hope was promoting peace. Caleb has an ability to determine if someone is telling the truth, but when the US government asked him to participate during the torture of a prisoner of war, he refused. The prisoner ended up dying and only later did he learn it was his friend, Elijah, the feline prince. Caleb went into a deep depression, drinking too much and hiding from the world. But then Kyle Mahone showed up, offering him a position on the Para-Ops team. Interestingly enough, while every other member of the team bargained for something, Caleb joined the team with no specific consideration in mind. Instead, he takes Mahone’s IOU, and ultimately uses it not for himself but for the benefit of someone else.

Lea: Caleb wants Wraith as his lover and she wants him but given her physiology and his ethics it makes for an interesting dilemma for the hero and heroine of this novel, doesn’t it?

Virna: I think it does. Wraith longs for touch and connection but being touched causes her pain. She sees pain as her punishment in life, so she actively seeks it out. Caleb is a healer who blames himself for the torture and death of his best friend; the last thing he wants is to cause anyone pain, let alone someone he cares for. What they both come to learn is that pleasure and pain go hand-in-hand, and that love means giving and receiving all that we are, the good and the bad.

Lea: Dex (a werebeast), & Lucy (a mage / feline) have major secondary roles in Chosen By Fate. I really like Dex, he is quite an enigma, I’m quite intrigued to learn his secrets and more about the were’s and where Dex fits in? We learned a little about Dex in Chosen By Blood, he is an outcast is he not?

Virna: Yes, Dex is a werebeast, half werewolf and half human, a creature that is rejected by his own kind for being “less than.” They are often referred to as “pets” or “whipped dogs” since they are generally weaker than full-blooded werewolves. Dex used to ride with a biker gang of werebeasts, called the Ferals, but broke from the gang after he killed one of its members. We know he was abandoned by his family and sent to live at a school for cast-off werebeasts, that he and the other boys were abused at the school, and that he joined the Para-Ops team for one purpose—to get revenge on this grandfather. Dex is hard-edged and a loner, but as we see in Chosen By Fate, he is giving and loyal to those he cares about, including Lucy. I’m writing Dex’s story, Chosen By Sin, right now, and although I’m putting him through the wringer, I can’t wait to see this wounded bad boy get his happy ending.

Lea: The suspense subplot of Chosen By Fate involves the felines, and you develop and expand the physiology and social order of these beings. What exactly are the felines Virna? They have an actual monarchy don’t they?

Virna: Yes, vamps and felines are ruled by their respective Kings and Queens. Unlike werewolves and werebeasts, felines and the half-breed werecats are not shapeshifters, nor do they have a longer lifespan than humans. On the other hand, felines are very protective of their half-breeds. As a whole, the cat breeds are very family-oriented and known for their highly intelligent yet down-to-earth natures. They are very sexual. Cat breeds go into a sexual heat that lasts seven days, then ebbs for seven days before starting again. Although felines generally embrace their sexuality, it becomes evident in Chosen By Fate that their sexuality is also a source of pain for them. In many ways, it controls who they are and what they do. Feline opponents argue this makes them dangerous. Some felines are desperate to reclaim their independence and find a cure for the heat. Lucy Talob, the Para-Ops team’s feline mage, falls into this latter category.

Lea: Please tell me there will be more books in the Para-Ops series, and if so whose book will be next? Do you have a title?

Virna: I’m planning at least four books in total for the series, so I can get Dex and Lucy’s books out after Chosen By Fate. Dex’s story, Chosen By Sin, is next. I’m also introducing some new intriguing characters (including a dragon shifter) that may get their own stories, as well. Depends on how much time readers are willing to spend with us!

Lea: WOOT! Well, this reader can’t wait for Dex’s and Lucy’s books. 😉

Okay, Dangerous to Her is a thrilling romantic suspense with a reacquainted lovers theme. There is also a secret baby in this story. Please tell us about this book and hero Dom Jeffries and heroine Mattie Nolan.

Virna: Dangerous To Her, my debut novel with Harlequin Romantic Suspense, came out at the end of August 2011. In the story, Dom Jeffries is a burned out undercover cop who is out to avenge his best friend’s death. He goes under cover as a bailiff to investigate a judge and ends up reuniting with court reporter Mattie Nolan, his college girlfriend. Dom broke things off with Mattie because she couldn’t accept his dangerous career choice, but what he didn’t know was she was pregnant at the time with his daughter. The story explores not just the relationship between the hero and heroine, but brothers and sisters, friends, parents and children, etc. I think the book balances intrigue and action with an emotional love story and readers have responded well to the “twist” at the end.

Lea: As I mentioned to you before, I would love to read Mattie’s brother Tony’s story. (Hint, hint – lol)

What can fans expect next from the desk of Virna DePaul?

Virna: There’s a good chance Chosen By Sin, Dex Hunt’s novel, will be out before the new year!

In addition, I’m finishing up my debut romantic suspense novel, Shades Of Desire, with HQN. The book comes out June 2012 and is the first in a series about “SIG,” the California Department of Justice’s elite Special Investigations Group. These law enforcement officers are the “best of the best,” helping other departments solve crimes across the state. In Shades Of Desire, the heroine, a world-famous photographer, takes a picture she shouldn’t have just before she goes blind; in the story, she must grapple with her new disability and her attraction to the hero, a homicide detective, as well as help him stop a killer who soon puts her in his sights. The next book in the series, tentatively titled Shades Of Temptation, comes out October of 2012, and focuses on other SIG characters introduced in Book 1.

My next Harlequin Romantic Suspense comes out in May 2012, and is about a woman and her former crush, a homicide detective, who reopens the investigation of her mother’s murder; the detective is the same man who caused the heroine and her mother to fight just before her mother was murdered, obviously leaving the heroine with unresolved guilt about her feelings for the hero.

Lea: Oh! I’m so delighted to hear that Chosen by Sin will be out so soon. Your new HQN novels sound simply awesome, congratulations Virna!

Can you summarize Chosen by Fate for us twitterstyle (in 140 characters or less)?

Virna:

A sexy, smart-mouthed ghost who feels pain whenever she’s touched & a human psychic healer learn that pleasure & love are worth any risk

Lea: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read Chosen By Fate and Dangerous to Her?

Virna:

• The heroes are sexy and strong enough to give their women the gentleness they deserve.
• The heroines are complex and strong enough to fight for those they love.
• There’s lots of action to keep you on your toes and just as much romance and emotion to touch your heart.

Virna, thank you so much again for joining us at Book Lovers today. I for one am a committed fan. 😉

Virna: I can’t thank you enough for your enthusiasm and support. I love that your reviews and interviews have such depth. You’re the best kind of reader an author can hope for!

Well, thank you for your kind words Virna and for sharing your wonderful stories with us! 🙂

Where to find Virna:

Website
Twitter
Facebook

~*~*Giveaway*~*~

Virna has generously offered a copy of Chosen By Blood & a swag package including Chosen By Blood and Chosen By Fate Trading Cards to one lucky commenter!

All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment about the interview.
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please leave us a way to contact you.
(Email in blogger profile or twitter name – no way to contact you – no entry).

This giveaway is open worldwide!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, October 8, 2011; and we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

About Lea

Lea is an animal loving, tree hugging vegetarian who lives in Toronto, Canada with her family, which includes three dogs. She is a prolific reader and has been blogging and reviewing since 2008. Lea is a contributor at the USA Today HEA Blog and an active member at Goodreads.

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