Writer Wednesday: Gabrielle Bisset

Thanks so much, Carrie Ann, for having me here today at your blog. It's great to be here!

I'm one of those people who tell friends who are pining over the past, "Forget about it! It's in the rear view mirror."  This is probably an odd stance for someone who has a day job that's centered on history, but it's usually how I feel. However, sometimes going back is a good thing.

I wrote a little novella last year entitled Vampire Dreams.  It remains to date the only time I've ever written something meant as catharsis. It worked beautifully for what I was feeling and many readers loved it. All good. It even spawned the series I'm in the middle of right now, the Sons of Navarus series. That little novella has done its author well.

The problem is that I never felt like I had done the story justice at the time.  Yes, it provided me the personal catharsis I needed, but there had been more to tell and I hadn't done that. I thought it over in my mind, and every time a reader would say they wished it were longer, I'd agree and silently promise to remedy that. Someday.

My editor, on the other hand, is a never, ever look back kind of person, so she thought I was crazy for even entertaining the idea. "You're in the middle of a huge series. Why go back?"  The answer was simple, though. I wanted to go back to give that story what I'd held back then.

So back to the story I went.  I decided that since two characters from the Sons of Navarus series appeared in the book and it had always been the unofficial prequel to that series that I'd restructure the story to make it a real prequel. By the time I was finished, Vampire Dreams had morphed into Vampire Dreams Revamped and it was almost 50% longer than the original. I had new characters, new scenes, and the satisfaction of knowing I'd given those original characters of Brandon, Arden, and Vasilije the book they deserved.

Here's the blurb to give you a little taste:  A vampire for hundreds of years, Brandon Ridley is surrounded by others of his kind who enjoy their world to the fullest. Orgies, debauchery, and sensual delights leave him empty, though. What he wants is that one woman who will share his life.

Homeless and without any family, Arden Stephens must live on the streets of mid 19th century London, never a safe place for a young woman.  One night, as she is running for her life from an attacker, she is rescued by Brandon and offered a place in his home as his maid.  Brandon is enchanted by Arden from the moment they meet and yearns to make her one of his kind.

Nightly, he visits her in her sleep, preparing her for the night he will finally make her his own.  For Arden, the wanton dreams she has about her handsome employer seduce her and each day when she wakes up, she finds herself more drawn to him.  But love and desire aren't enough for Brandon to sire her.  He must first obtain the approval of his own sire, an ancient vampire named Vasilije who has thwarted his chance for happiness before.

But if Brandon can convince him, he may finally find the love he's been without for centuries.

I spend my days studying the past, though I'm generally a present and future girl otherwise. But I'm glad I took a trip back to this wonderful novella that had done me such good. What about you? Do you ever think about revisiting your past?  Leave a comment for a chance to win a set of signed bookmarks from the Sons of Navarus series. Good luck!

Thanks again for having me here, Carrie Ann!

Romance...from sensual to decadent...whatever your desires
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