Memorable Characters by Nina Pierce

Please welcome Nina Pierce to NN! We're so excited to have you with us!

Like so many authors, I read all the time. I have a book with me wherever I go whether it’s a doctor’s appointment or the vet’s office. Nothing passes time like hanging out with some good friends or at least … a hawt hero or two. *g*

You see, it’s not the surprising twisting plot or the amazing world the author creates that keeps me turning the pages. It’s the people in the story and their journey that propels me from chapter to chapter. I’m all about the character driven stories. Of course I love to read romance. I make no bones about it. I enjoy all subgenres of romance from dark paranormals to action packed science fiction to cozy mysteries. But no matter where I find myself in time, contemporary or historical, I want to fall in love even as the hero and heroine are falling in love. I want to laugh and cry and ache for the characters as life throws one hardship after another at them.

I’ve loved many books, but few of them have stayed with me for years. Meggie, from the Thornbirds (Colleen McCullough), Charles Wallace from A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle), Ayla and Jondalar from the Earth’s Children series (Jean M. Auel) and Zainal from the Freedoms series (Anne McCaffrey) are a few of the characters I’ve thought about long after I finished the book. They just left a mark on me that I couldn’t seem to shake even after the author offered me their happy endings.

All writers want to create those kinds of characters. The ones that haunt your dreams and sneak up on you while you’re doing the dishes, random thoughts bumping over your synapses and making you smile or better yet … sigh. And I’m no exception.

It’s not the times when a character, especially the hero, is showing his alpha traits and feeling strong that I remember. The moment they grab my emotions is when they’re vulnerable and he opens himself up to admit he needs help or he’s in pain. Oh, yeah, my heart is squeezed and they fall into the unforgettable category.

I’ve started a new vampire series and I hope I start hearing from readers that they just love the characters so much they want to read more about them. Here’s the blurb from Shadows of Fire.

BLURB:

A woman forced to live a life she didn’t choose …

Thirty years ago, a horrendous attack in the California mountains thrust chemistry student, ALEXANDRA FLANAGAN, into the secret world of vampires. Now, unable to stomach the thought of drinking blood from another person, she survives on a chemical blood wine. But there are some who secretly disapprove of her clandestine activities and will do anything to stop her. 

A vampire of honor protecting humans …

Ancient vampire, REESE COLTON, is part of an elite military operation seeking out and eliminating rogue vampires. Undercover as a firefighter, he and his team have been called in to investigate the unusual number of fires covering up the murders of vampires living on Alex’s blood wine.

A murderer seeking revenge …

When chemistry ignites passion, Reese and Alex find themselves embroiled in an affair that catches them both unaware. With the number of fires escalating and evidence against Alex mounting, Reese isn’t sure whether to follow his heart or the clues as he seeks to find a murderer in the Shadows of Fire.

Available from

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092AWIRM/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-fire-nina-pierce/1112668121?ean=2940015255393

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/shadows-of-fire/id562730944?mt=11

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Shadows-of-Fire/book-NiebXPK-gkGi9_5IpFSOCg/page1.html?s=4ILEYZ3BfkemyfHnlQzsaQ&r=3

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Reader Question: So what characters have stayed with you through the years? I’d love to check out some new reads and perhaps discover a few wonderful characters that invade my dreams.

Award-winning romance author, Nina Pierce, grew up in a house full of readers. Nina's discovered the passionate side of romance with her sexy stories. For her, it's all about the sweet scent of seduction mixed with the heartwarming aroma of romance.

Nina resides in New England with her high school sweetheart and soul mate of twenty-eight years and several very spoiled cats who consider her "staff". When she’s not writing she enjoys spending time with her three grown children, one love-sick son-in-law and a heart-melting grandson.

You can keep up with her new books at her website (http://www.NinaPierce.com) or by following her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/nina.pierce) or Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/ninapierce)