Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Romance, vampires, and murder—what’s not to love? Lizzy Gayle is here to tell us about her paranormal romance, Bitten by Surprise. Lizzy, take it away!

Lizzy: II’ve written quite a few books, but my current series started with Bitten by Surprise, so I’d love to share a bit about that.

As a vampire-hating psychic, Char should’ve seen it coming, but she didn’t. Too focused on creating a cure for vampirism after watching her father turned into a bloodsucking menace, she looks at little else, until it’s too late. Not her lab being attacked and destroyed, her life’s work being stolen along with her lab assistant, nor the attractive and dangerous vampire, Julian, who swoops in to save the day, give her a job and the chance to set things right.

But when her lost serum turns up on the streets used as a murder weapon against vamps, she’s forced to hide the truth about her involvement in its development from her new boss in order to join the investigation. As they work together, she’s inexplicably drawn to the very type of creature she should be terrified of. Suddenly, the idea of being bitten becomes a turn on if it’s Julian’s fangs at her pulse.

Forced to admit everything she thought she knew about the bloodsuckers was wrong, Char is left with a decision: Should she create an antidote to save the vampires being murdered—and possibly the one she’s falling for? Or should she finish what she started and try to cure the rest?

The wrong choice could mean a sacrifice she’s not willing to make.

Sabitha: Okay, that’s delightful. What inspired you to write this book?

Lizzy: Char and Julian’s story was born of a desire to finally write the vampire I always wanted to. So I began with the idea of combining Sookie Stackhouse with the X-Files (if the X-Files was fantasy based).

Sabitha: If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?

Lizzy: I’d start with, “I’m so sorry!” I mean as authors we have to torture our characters to make a good book. Sometimes literally. But I’d quickly follow up with, “I promise a happily ever after, so don’t hurt me.” Also I’d be lusting after my own vampire. But please don’t tell my husband.

Sabitha: Your secret is safe with me! Next secret to confess—have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

Lizzy: Mayyyyybe…ok fine, yes. But I only kill when necessary, and I know how weird this sounds, but it’s almost always a surprise to me too. I am a pantser, which means I write by the seat of my pants and love the discovery of a first draft. I’ve tried plotting and that kind of kills the magic for me, though I respect those that are able to do that. So I’m as devastated as the reader, if that helps.

Sabitha: Do you have any suggestions to help people in our community become better writers?

Lizzy: Absolutely! Don’t EVER give up! We’ve all had those low moments. We’re sensitive artists, but you know what? If you give up you may miss that golden moment right around the corner. Don’t ever stop working to make your writing better. Keep reading too.

Sabitha: What’s your next writing project?

Lizzy: Book four of the Bitten series comes out at the end of January 2024, and my plan is for five books in the series, though I also have a prequel novella out that shows how Julian became a vampire. I suggest reading that immediately before or after book three. I do a rapid-release schedule and make the books quick, fast-paced reads, so the series will probably finish around March or April. Time to catch up! 

After that? I’m toying with a high fantasy that’s been niggling at me. But we’ll see what my readers demand. 😀

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Lizzy: You can find all my links at my Linktree. Bitten by Surprise is on Amazon.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: You’re never too old for romance! Christine Layne’s love story shows that it’s never too late to find your passion, even if your first attempt at love and career success doesn’t pan out. Christine, can you tell us about Love Hops?

Christine: After moving back to Colorado from Los Angeles, Lena Bouras began picking up the pieces of her broken life. Her cheating ex-boyfriend ruined her trust. Being unjustly fired from her interior design job obliterated her confidence. The worst blow of all, though, came at the loss of the one person who supported Lena throughout all her endeavors—her mother.

Escaping to her now empty, memory-laden childhood home, Lena worked toward letting go of her old life. But, when her 40th birthday ended up being another failure, it reminded her of what she was missing. Disappointment weighed heavily on her shoulders.

Until Del flipped her world upside down—literally.

Handsome and charming, Del Stratton was the complete opposite of everything she looked for in a man, not to mention he owned a brewery and Lena didn’t drink beer. She promptly dismissed any idea of pursuing a relationship with him. Even though her stomach flipped every time he smiled.

Despite her best efforts, Lena found herself unable to avoid Del. Slowly, she learned to give up her old life, and embraced a new one with him. For the first time in years, Lena felt happy.

But, when an opportunity for all her old dreams to come true presented itself, it forced Lena to choose. Falling in love with Del was easy, but Lena had to decide whether easy dreams with him were better than the ones she worked so hard for in the past.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

Christine: I wrote this book because I have always imagined a romance happening in a brewery. It was inspired by one scene in particular: the beer tasting scene. It went much differently when I first imagined it (much spicier), but as I developed the story, I changed it to fit the flow. Now, it’s perfect.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read?

Christine: My reading preferences range from romance to horror and lots of things in between, but the one book I can always suggest is The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It has something for everyone and is still one of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read.

Sabitha: Excellent choice! If an aspiring author came to you for advice, what would you tell them?

Christine: My advice for becoming a better writer would be to A) read, read, read in the genre you wish to write, B) be brave enough to let others read and critique your work, and C) be open to helping others.

Sabitha: I love that you included C. So, what’s your next writing project?

Christine: My next project is due out in the late spring of 2024. It’s my first enemies-to-lovers story, Mud, Love, and Chemistry. It follows two college students as they navigate their warring feelings while also competing for a coveted internship after graduation. It’s loads of fun!

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Christine: Love Hops and my debut novel, Because of Blake, can both be found on Amazon! Readers can follow me on my social medias for updates: Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Threads (@christinelayneauthor), and X (@Chrislaynelove).

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Ready for a space opera adventure that will take you around the solar system? We’ve got you covered. A.L. MacDonald, can you tell us about your book Orbiting Fortunes?

A.L.: Orbiting Fortunes is a science fiction novel set in the not-too-distant future. Alan Mercier has left his life as a cop on Mars behind and now flys a space junker, fighting over valuable debris in Earth’s orbit. One find in particular pulls him into the dangerous and murky world of pirating. He discovers that it’s harder to walk away from the cop life than he thought.

Sabitha: Dramatic! What inspired you to write this?

A.L.:  I love space and spaceships. Lots of people say that, sure, but I love them ten times more. I am a huge fan of Star Wars, Andy Weir and Chris Hadfield (both as an astronaut and an author). I regularly watch hours of live stream footage of SpaceX assembling their new starship in Texas. I wanted my book to imagine what the future of those starships will be. We can’t fly them yet, so this is as close as we can get.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read? And what about them do you love?

A.L.: The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Also, The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield. When people say those books get a little lost in the technical detail, those are my favourite parts!

Sabitha: Since technical details are fun for you, I bet you go for scientific accuracy when you write! How much research did you need to do for your book? 

A.L.: I am not sure why, but I spent several hours – possibly days – researching spacecraft reentry. Specifically the distance between the atmosphere interface and the splashdown/landing point. I probably should have just gotten rid of the scene, but then how would I have shown off all the stuff I’d learned!?

Sabitha: Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

A.L.: No, no. Well, I mean, don’t get me wrong, I slaughter characters, but they are usually quite evil or at the end of their usefulness to the story—I’m kidding! I don’t mean to ruin peoples’ days by reading my book! My aim is to put smiles on faces! Chuckles would be even better. I dream of guffaws.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

A.L.: My book is right here. You can’t turn around without finding me on social media: Twitter, Instagram, and my website.