Guest Post & Int. Giveaway w/ Elle Jasper; Afterlight

Today, I'd like to welcome Elle Jasper, author of the debut novel and series, Afterlight, to Among the Muses. So, without further ado, I'd like to welcome Elle to share with us readers a little about her new book.

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Hi, and thanks for having me here! 

So! Afterlight just released! Such an exciting time, and I hope those who read it, ENJOY IT! 

A little about the setting…

Afterlight takes place in my home town--historic Savannah, GA. Growing up on the Vernon River (about twenty minutes from the historic district) I was always fascinated by downtown--the aged oak trees weighted with long, wispy Spanish moss; the colonial cobblestone streets, the gorgeous Gothic architecture. I remember going with my best friend and her mom and sisters to River Street on the first Saturday of the month, where the quaint stores would pull their stock to the sidewalk and put everything on sale. Such fun! The tugboats blasted on the Savannah river, and I always thought the big old river boat (which reminded me of something out of a Mark Twain novel!) docked along the river walk was so freaking cool! Little did I know that I’d be writing about VAMPIRES and applying everything that I loved about the city into the story. What fun!

About my heroine…

Riley Poe is truly a young woman I admire, and I’ve really enjoyed writing her story. When I first created her character, I thought of a long-ago friend who’d endured a horrible tragedy--the murder of her mother--and had always admired how strong that friend was, and how she’d overcome the tragedy. Using that thread, I created Riley. I wanted a heroine who had to overcome a helluva lot--and Riley certainly has. She, like my friend, suffered the death of her mother by the hands of a murderer. Unlike my friend, though, Riley not only had that trauma, but she overcame a teenaged life that was leading no where but jail--or worse. Into the wrong crowd, drugs, sex, quitting school, juvy, it was only after discovering her mother murdered that she changed gears and got her life in order. That struggle to overcome all that she’d done in her past made her the strong woman she is in Afterlight. I personally dig that about ANYONE. 

So after overcoming her tragedies, Riley graduated from SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) and then opened her own tattoo shop on the city’s historic river front. Now a successful artist and owner of Inksomnia, Riley raises her younger teenaged brother, Seth, and lives a fulfilled life. It’s not until Seth agrees with a prank in Bonaventure Cemetery, inadvertently releasing an entombed pair of Romanian strigoi vampiric brothers, that Riley is thrown into the darker side of Savannah--one she didn’t even know existed. She encounters Eli Dupre and his family--vampire guardians of Savannah, and with their help, they have to save Seth’s life--along with the lives of other teens entrapped in the dark vampiric cult. 

Afterlight is the first book of The Dark Ink Chronicles, followed by Everdark and Eventide. A concession series, each book picks up where the last book left off, and it’s all told in Riley’s point of view. In Everdark, she and the Dupres travel to Savannah’s sister city, Charleston, and in Eventide, they take a dark journey to Romania! 

If you endeavor to read Afterlight, I hope you enjoy the city, the atmosphere, and the characters as much as I do! Wanna see Savannah through Riley’s eyes? Check out the photoshow on the Extras page on my website: www.ellejasper.com  And I love reader mail! Drop me a line! And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. That automatically enters you into my contest! 

Peace out!

Elle

www.ellejasper.com




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Well, I don't know about you, but I think this new book and series sounds fantastic! And don't you just love the cover art?! Elle has a lot of great stuff on her website, so make sure to stop by and check it out!!

Giveaway:

• Elle has so generously offered up a signed copy of her debut book, Afterlight, to one lucky international winner! (Yes, I'm jealous!)

• Leave a comment with your email addy so I can track the winner down.

• The contest will end on Wednesday, November 10th.

• The winner will be chosen using random.org

Thanks for stopping by and supporting Elle with her debut release! 

Good Luck!!!