Alicia Carberletti enters the interview room with a smile on her face, a few things immediately strike me. One, she is tiny, two is that she is sucking on a lolly, and three for someone so small she wears eighteen hole Doc Marten boots that she rocks! Alicia has a soft Italian accent and again smiles warmly as I offer her a seat. She is relaxed and smiling when the doors burst open, my eyes shoot up and I’m sure that I have to wipe the drool emitting from my lips when the huge man of pure muscle walks in with an air of authority. His blond hair is neatly tied back into a tight ponytail, his green eyes are almost mesmerizing and I have to turn away quickly and give Alicia my full attention.
Interviewer: “Alicia, welcome and thank you for agreeing to meet with me”
Alicia: “It’s my pleasure!” -Alicia’s snaps her head to the side- “Did you have to be so late?”
Xavier looks to the interviewer, and ignores Alicia: “Pleasure to meet you ma’am” -he smirks and sits down beside Alicia-
Interviewer: -Sensing a bit of tension I shuffle my papers a bit then look between the two- “Can you tell me what the Heist is about and what to expect?”
Xavier: “Two Scottish females approached us and wanted to tell our story. Have to say from the start I was all for it, although there were certain aspects of my life that I wanted to keep private, yeah? Anyway, this LJ Halkett and RT Lucas kept banging on, so in the end we came to a mutual agreement. It’s basically a story about a mission I was on, meeting a little pixie with a huge attitude, and my life getting flipped on its axis.” -He grins as he looks over at Alicia with his neon green eyes- “That about right, sweetcheeks?”
Alicia: “Got it on one Commander” -Alicia grins as she tugs on the candy stick, removing it from her mouth- “My parts are about finding out some life changing stuff too, can’t let the dog out the bag though.”
Xavier: “Cat out of the bag.” -He corrects her- “There are a helluva lot of things going on, and a full cast of characters to get to know. But really, all the readers need to know is I’m in it.” -He smirks and leans back in his chair, staring at me waiting for my next question-
Interviewer: “Okay… let’s get to know you both a little bit better shall we? Can you both answer me this, what is something that you are OCD about/pet peeve?
Alicia: “Xavier and his lack of manners!” Alicia turns her head at this point to give Xavier a knowing look that I have to admit makes me shrink back in my seat, although Xavier seems to find the look amusing.
Xavier: “The female is delusional, yeah” -he addresses me directly- “I don’t do ‘peeves’ ma’am – but I can’t stand needy females, or incompetence. Or failure to follow orders. Also don’t have time for games.” -He looks over at Alicia, smirking at her- “And for the record, I’m the epitome of manners. Just you’re too small to see what’s going on up here.”
Interviewer: -Clears my throat- “I’m taking it the Authors haven’t provided a sweet little romance here?”
Xavier’s jaw ticks as he looks over at Alicia then back to me: “Are you for real? Do I look like a male that does anything ‘sweet’? I’m an all or nothing kinda male – understand?” -he almost looks insulted as he sits up straighter, planting his hands on his knees-
Alicia: “Just ignore him, he’s not had his coffee yet” -Alicia smiles at me then starts to answer the question- “Nothing about our tale is sweet, obviously we aren’t about to give anything away but we are allowed to say…hold on tight.”
Xavier: “Which is what I just said.” -He shrugs- “Next question.”
Interviewer: “Tell me your idea of relaxing”
Alicia: “Sunbathing with a good book!”
Xavier: “I don’t relax.”
Interviewer: “Is there anything you would like to tell me before we wrap this up?”
Alicia: “We just hope readers will enjoy our world as much as we do living it. Nothing is ever what it seems… or is it?” Alicia gives me a mischievous smirk then motions that she is zipping her lips.
Xavier scratches the stubble on his square jaw before answering: “Tainted Blood ain’t for the faint hearted – it’s not neat and tidy, yeah? There are vampires, werewolves, handsome mercenaries…” -He arches a brow and smirks at me as he says those words- “…And a very dangerous mafia underworld. Actions have consequences…” -he gives Alicia a very pointed look before turning his attention back to me- “…And when two worlds’ collide, it is the beginning of a very tumultuous and unpredictable journey.” -Then he gives Alicia a grin- “And it has me and sweetcheeks. Enough said, yeah?”
Alicia is the first to leave, shaking my hand gently she thanks me for my time and heads out the room, quickly followed by Xavier, whose eyes lingered over my own (to my own satisfaction) before he left. Their story sounds intriguing and exciting and with the chemistry that radiates from them it will be interesting to see how their association with one another develops.
The Heist by LJ Halkett and RT Lucas is a Tainted Blood Novel and is out to buy now!
*****
Blurb:
Commander Xavier Raige, ex-Special Forces and now a leader of an elite team of mercenaries. At 6’7” he is as lethal as he is handsome. Xavier doesn’t have time to sugar the pill – he is abrupt, direct and demanding. He accepts a new mission – to stop a skilled thief that has been plaguing the notorious Belcastro mafia family. Xavier is unaware that this job will change the course of his life forever and threatens to awaken the wolf he has kept at bay all his life.
Alicia Carberletti is a small woman with a BIG attitude! She is feisty, sexy, independent and smart – she also admires people who know their manners! Alicia has been all alone ever since her beloved family were brutally murdered. Trying to find peace, she embarks on a holiday of a lifetime which takes a sinister turn.
Tainted blood, wicked lies, deception and cruel fate: when Alicia and Xavier collide with one another, will events spiral out of control – or can they hold onto one another and face the dark consequences of their actions?
Together they will entice you into their world – and this new book series comes with a WARNING – once you enter, you won’t want to leave!
In a world of humans; vampires; werewolves and set in murky mafia underworld, is it so easy to tell who are the real monsters and who still holds their humanity?
*****
About the Authors:
Both Scottish Authors are best friends and for years they have been developing these amazing and complex characters. Having both suffered strokes at a young age, within months of each other they decided that life was too short and now was the time for Xavier and Alicia to be unleashed onto the waiting public! That was when the world of Tainted Blood and #XAli was born!
L J Halkett is 35 years of age, Mother, Wife and Housing Officer for Local Government. She is a smart, sassy and superbly imaginative woman who devours books – especially in the paranormal genre! She is the master at multi-tasking and she is always thinking ten steps ahead. With her passion for creativity, she brings to life her imagination with vivid detail. Family is the cornerstone of LJ’s life, and her greatest achievement is her wonderful son.
Left Partially sighted after her Stroke, LJ has to write in what the Authors call ‘Nasa’ font and can only detect the colour red, which can be difficult when reading print on a daily basis – her determination is testament to her personality – as she says…. “Where’s there’s a will? There’s a way!”
RT Lucas is 41 years of age, soon to be Divorced [Hurrah!] and had a very successful career in Recruitment and Business Development until it was cut short through illness. Having worked in the Health Sector, Human Resources and Ministry of Defense, she has a myriad of experiences to draw from – and says that sometimes life can be stranger than Fiction! RT is an avid reader of the paranormal/romance genres but her first love will always be Science Fiction. She says that she has far superior music taste to that of her Best Friend and Co-Author – and uses every available opportunity to tell her so! RT lives alone with her #XavCat who faithfully lies by her computer whenever she wanders into the world of Tainted Blood.
@_TaintedBlood_
https://www.facebook.com/tainted.blood.18
*****
A big thank you to Erotic For All for hosting us during our Blog Tour. It has been so much fun! #Xali