A year after meeting and falling for the young, mysterious vampire, Dr. Brian Preston is now living and working side-by-side with Kyle Hayes for the agency guiding vampire-human relations at a secret underground facility. As the couple adapts to the demands of Brian’s career tending to vampires, Kyle’s return to school and the needs of their evolving relationship, a dangerous conspiracy puts everyone they know and everything they have been working for in danger. The sequel to 2014’s Bleeding Heart, Tainted Heart is Book Two in the Mi Corazón Sangrante series.
Character interview - Brian Preston
What do you find attractive in a man?
Oh, god, Kyle isn’t going to read this, is he?
My dating options were pretty severely limited in high school, and in college and med school I was surrounded by men who were too wrapped up in their careers to really get involved. But I think—okay, I definitely have a huge thing for guys of Celtic descent. I tried to deny that for the longest time, but it’s true. Beyond that, I always go for men who feel strongly about life, whether that’s channeled into their careers or social activities. Passion is a must. I do appreciate neatness, too—a guy doesn’t have to be perfect, but having things in order relaxes me, so if I can count on him to keep a clean home and body, I’m in a better place.
The first thing that went through your head when you saw Kyle
Meeting Kyle as a patient who was suffering from hunger wasn’t exactly the most romantic meeting—then again, maybe it was, despite the circumstances. The minute we made eye contact I felt this tremendous pull toward him, an affectionate curiosity that was so wrapped up in wanting to help him I wasn’t sure how to define it until we got to know each other.
Do you think you’ll insist the author visits you again?
I hope so! Then again, people who visit me regularly are usually patients of mine, and I’m not sure I’d wish misfortune on her. But if she ever manages to find herself living the life of a vampire in need of medical assistance, she knows where to find me.
Before you met Kyle, what was your ideal man?
I went through this phase in med school when I took advice from a therapist I was seeing and pursued men like myself. I had trouble connecting, and her suggestion was to find men I had things in common with. It didn’t work out very well, so I decided to date outside the box after that as much as I could, picking guys on different career tracks, guys from other schools, guys I met at bars and clubs. I definitely developed a taste for men who weren’t as studious or career-oriented as I was—I needed a break from myself every now and then.
You’re going out for dinner. What’s your favorite food?
Oh, god, there is so much amazing food in Chicago. I don’t know if I can pick, but I have a special place in my heart for Asian food, Japanese and Korean, especially. Indian food I have to be in the mood for, but it’s great, too. German food at places with really good beer. Kyle says that I eat enough for the two of us, since he can’t. I’m okay with that! Plus, it just makes feeding him later on easier…
When it gets dark, he texts Brian that he's going to be out late, and avails himself of not one but three vampire-human nightclubs set along a dense strip of Chicago nightlife. Going alone to places like this always attracts immediate attention, and he isn't surprised when he has to pry both humans and vampires off of himself. But he doesn't mind—the blood from the center is humming in his veins, and that buzz takes on a new dimension every time that he swallows a thimbleful of blood from a donor, which he does at least a dozen times over the course of the evening. When he’s more relaxed, he allows bodies against his own, dancing with strangers until strobe lights become normal and everything outside is too dim and still.
The blood changes the world around him. Every color, every sound and every source of light takes on a life of its own.
He loses track of how many donors he pays. All he knows is he's spent all of the pocket money that Brian gave him for the weekend.
He feels like a bloated tick. He’s been away too long. Brian. He has to get back to Brian.
A veteran writer of fan fiction with thousands of followers, Melissa Graves wrote her first story at age thirteen, and by age sixteen had met her future husband in an online vampire fiction chat room. A fan of science fiction and fantasy, she has a degree in anthropology and a passion for good chocolate, amateur erotica and fan worlds that celebrate diversity. She is mother to two cats.
Bleeding Heart, book one of the Mi Corazón Sangrante series, was her debut novel for Interlude Press.
2 comments:
Thank you so much for hosting my tour! I'm available to answer any questions.
It was our pleasure, Melissa :)
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