Burn, Baby, Burn

[REVISED: The winner of the Burn the Night contest is: Heatwave16. Please contact me at Jocelynn DOT drake AT gmail DOT com so you can collect your prize]


The roof the roof the roof is on fire
We don't need no water let the **** burn
~"The Roof Is On Fire" -- Bloodhound Gang

This fire is out of control,
I'm gonna burn this city,
Burn this city...
~"This Fire" -- Franz Ferdinand

Something inside of me
Has opened up its eyes
Why did you put it there?
Did you not realize
Something inside of me
It screams the loudest sound
Sometimes I think I could
I'm gonna burn this whole world down
~"Burn" -- Nine Inch Nails

The final book in the Dark Days series, Burn the Night, has finally hit the shelves. Mira and I are ready to sit back with a Martguerita (a Bloody Mary in her case) and watch the world burn. Mira and Danaus have risked their necks on a number occasions during the past several years to satisfy my curiosity and now they are ready to kick back in a well-deserved retirement.

When I started writing so many years ago, I focused on writing only stand-alone novels, where you only saw the same characters through a single book and then moved on to a new set of characters and world with the next book. I thought a series only appeared in fantasy novel with dragons and warlocks. And then I discovered the wonderful world of the paranormal with Anne Rice. She introduced me to a world where the same characters appear over several books in a contemporary setting. This was genius! You could see the evolution of a character over several books, put them through one trial after another, pitting them against dark moral dilemmas.

I never expected to fall in love.

Now, I had always cared about my characters when I was writing, but things changed when I started working with Mira and friends. Even when I was away from the computer, I could feel them following me through my day. I could hear Mira's sarcasm in my head, see Danaus's knowing smirk, and feel the heat of Rowe's narrowed gaze. I spent close to seven years working on the books in the Dark Days series so they were almost constantly in my thoughts. I cheered at their triumphs and I cried when some dear died.

Am I insane?

Oh, I freely admit that I am quite mad at this point. Mad as the Hatter and the March Hare. But then, that's just the way of things.

Yet, here at the end of all things, with the world burning down around us, I have to say that I would do it all over again, but I would add more heat.

Have you started the Dark Days series yet?
The Dark Days series follows an outcast vampire with a fiery temper to match her ability to manipulate fire as she is forced to team with a vampire hunter as they attempt to stop a dark race from attempting to destroy mankind. At every turn, Mira is faced with betrayal and danger, forcing her to trust the most unlikely of all companions. Danaus is a vampire hunter with a tragic secret that he has carried with him for nearly two thousand years. What drives him out every night to risk his life against the most dangerous of all predators?

The reading order of the Dark Days series is (click to read an excerpt):
Nightwalker
Dayhunter
Dawnbreaker
Pray for Dawn
Wait for Dusk
Burn the Night

Also, there is a prequel story in the Unbound anthology. In addition, another prequel novella is set to be released this fall in e-book form, featuring a closer look at Mira's relationship with her old lover, Valerio.

Here's a quick contest! Tell me who your favorite vampire is in the comments to enter to win a signed copy of Burn the Night! I'll announce a winner Friday night. (Contest open to US and international readers) And come back on Saturday. A little birdie told me there's going to be another awesome contest.