Night Walker
August 25, 2011 by Marianne H. Donley in category Archives
by Lisa Kessler
He gave up his soul for a second chance to love her…
Two and a half centuries ago, Calisto Terana lost everything when a zealous priest murdered the woman he loved. Now, desperate for another chance to love her, he wants redemption for the mistake that cost her life.
She’s haunted by dreams of her own death…
After catching her fiance with another woman, Kate Bradley returns to San Diego to clear her head. The last thing she needs is romance, but after meeting Calisto she’s drawn to him in ways she doesn’t understand.
They’ve waited in the shadows for centuries…
Calisto has no doubt Kate is the reincarnation of his lost love, but the Fraternidad Del Fuego Santo has a new watcher with dark ambitions of his own. As old enemies reemerge and a new threat arises, the betrayal that enslaved Calisto to the night might destroy the only woman he’s ever loved again.
Book Trailer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OTD8VdDCOc&feature=youtu.be
Hi everyone –
I know some of you already, but in case we haven’t met, I’m just about an hour and a half down the 5 in the San Diego RWA. If you aren’t from Southern California, “the 5†is the main interstate connecting San Diego and Orange County. My first novel, Night Walker, was just released this month, and when Marianne Donley invited me to blog here, I jumped at the chance.
When I set out to write a vampire novel, I really wanted to set it in Southern California. Although most of the American historical sites are on the east coast, California has its own historical treasures in the Spanish Missions, and that’s where my research started.
While researching, I found an interesting unsolved mystery. The Kumeyaay tribes were native to the area we now call San Diego. They were known as a very peaceful people. There is only one act of violence on record.
On November 4th 1775 in the cover of night, over 600 men from nearby tribes united together, burned the Mission de Alcala to the ground, and bludgeoned the head priest to death, mutilating his body until he could only be identified by the rings on his hands.
There are a few theories behind the attack, but we will probably never know what really incited the peaceful Kumeyaay to band together that night. And although the Catholic Church named Father Jayme the first Catholic martyr in the New World, I had to wonder…
What did that man do to inspire a peaceful people to kill him so viciously?
That’s when Calisto’s story started to take shape. I realized at that point that the attack could have been led by a betrayed man. A man wishing to avenge the death of his one true love.
I used as many real historical facts as I could to make the paranormal become more believable and real. Until it seemed like a vampire really could live on the beach in La Jolla. LOL The end result is a dark paranormal romance with roots in Southern California. Who says the West Coast doesn’t have history?
So have you uncovered any other historical unsolved mysteries in California? I’d love to hear from you!
Thanks for letting me have a spot on the OCC RWA blog today!
Lisa
