Come
on in, we've got the coffee on. We're welcoming author Elexis Bell today, to find out about her novel A HEART OF SALT AND SILVER. Have a seat, Elexis!
SC: Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.
EB: A Heart of Salt & Silver follows three main characters, Ness, Nolan, and Elias.
Ness is a demi-demon who just wants to be better than her blood. She’s deeply reclusive and terribly ashamed of what she is. She’s been through a lot, and she needs to heal. But the only person she ever truly let herself rely on, Nolan, couldn’t take her half-affections anymore. Years of holding back because he deserved better, because he had more important things to do with his life than waste his time with a half-demon… actually pushed him away.
Nolan is a werewolf, a war veteran, a former slave, and a hero in recovery. After accidentally alienating those he cares for most by rushing off to save everyone else, he’s trying to play a bigger role in his own life so he can piece his relationships back together, namely the one with Ness. And that starts with facing his demons and seeing why he always has to be involved, why he always has to be the hero. Having been alive for over a century, there’s a lot to sort through.
Elias, reckless as he may be, has good intentions. He’s impulsive, but caring. And he’ll stand up for anyone he cares for, even in the face of grave danger. After finding out that his dad isn’t dead, that he just abandoned them, he says goodbye to his mom and sister and rushes off in search of the deadbeat. It just so happens that Elias’ father is a werewolf, and thus, Elias has to travel through the Forest of Immortals to get to him. Not exactly a safe journey for a mortal.
SC: Sounds like your characters will fit right in around here. Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can share?
EB: I don’t have any personal experiences with the paranormal, but I don’t like to rule things out. I have no idea what is or isn’t out there.
SC: What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?
EB: I have several projects in the works. In the editing stage I have:
Allmother Rising is a dark high fantasy romance with druids and princes, god battles and companion animals, magic and blood.
Where Darkness Leads (though I may change the title) is a dark romantic high fantasy novel with blood magic, war, and chosen ones ( a couple created by the Gods to prevent the magical enslavement of an entire species).
Second to None is a thriller novella set in a haunted house, but with one member of the party harboring some dark secrets, the ghosts are definitely not their biggest problem.
I’m also editing a few short stories.
As far as writing is concerned, I’m working on a sci-fi series called The Regonia Chronicles. It’s a dark take on what can go wrong in the pursuit of knowledge and revenge. There’s a lot of collateral damage, and the characters go through some genuinely terrible circumstances. It includes 5 planets, 4 space stations, 3 books, 2 alien races, and 1 unique language.
SC: It sounds like you have a full plate. We'll let you go while we read about your novel. Thanks for stopping by today.
Excerpt 2:
With my good
arm, I pull my leg up to bend the knee. Hiking the hem of my dress up, I reveal
torn muscle and shredded skin. I wince as the fabric moves over it, tugging
flaps of skin in directions they aren’t meant to go.
Elias’ hands set
to work, scooping water up, and pouring it over my thigh. Each drop, gentle as
the administration of them may be, pulls a moan of pain from my lips. Wrapping
fingers tightly around a stone, I do what I can to bear the pain without making
Elias feel worse.
The blood washes
away, revealing the true devastation wrought by the dead wolf’s jaws. My leg
hangs open, dark muscle showing itself to the sky as it was never meant to do.
“Itand have
mercy,” he whispers, calling on the goddess of fortitude.
But she’ll spare
no blessings for the likes of me.
“What do I need
to do?” he asks. His eyes roam over me, and one hand finds its way to my cheek.
Brows knitted together, he clearly longs for something to do, some reassurance
that I’ll be ok.
Does he want me
to be alright for the sake of spending more time together? Or merely for the
sake of having an escort for the rest of the trek?
I hope for his
sake that it’s the latter. But the well of loneliness within me wishes for the
former.
Either way,
there’s nothing he can do.
“My body will
mend itself,” I tell him. “It’ll hurt, but it’ll mend. It’s already started.”
His eyes drop to
my arm, my leg. The bleeding has stopped, and the cuts aren’t as deep as they
were mere seconds ago. Had he seen it when the wounds were first inflicted, he
likely would’ve been sick.
“I wish you
would’ve let me help,” he murmurs, sliding his hand along my jaw until his
thumb finds my earlobe.
Exhaustion pulls
my inhibitions low. Despite myself, despite the guilt churning within me, I
lean into his caress.
Nolan won’t want
me back, anyway.
My heart shrinks
from the thought, and I close my eyes, nuzzling my cheek into Elias’ palm.
“Letting you
help would’ve been a terrible idea. They could never kill me. They had no salt,
no silver. They couldn’t say any incantations.”
I pause,
squeezing my eyes tight against the horrid images which flash before them. I
don’t want to see the ways they could’ve hurt him. I don’t want to watch them
tear him to shreds. I don’t want to see his blood on the ground.
“They could’ve
killed you, though,” I whisper.
Suddenly
desperate to see him alive and healthy, to ease my conscience just a bit, I
open my eyes. Sure enough, he’s there, face inches from mine. The moonlight
glows in his magnificent eyes, but the blood of the Howlers still adorns his
face.
Reaching for his
sodden shirt, I lift a corner of it to his face. Wiping away the dried blood, I
memorize the strength in his jaw, the kindness in his eyes. I trace the small
kink in his nose, a remnant from a previous fight.
From a distance,
it’s almost impossible to notice, but this close…
My eyes drop to
his lips, full and soft. They part, but only to speak.
Confusion
wrinkles his brow. “If they couldn’t kill you, why were they sent after us? To
maim you and kill me?”
“No,” I say,
shaking my head. I stifle a groan as my thigh stitches itself together. “They
sent them to find us. They know where we are, now. They know which way we were
headed. They’ll find us.”
Those words sew
our lips shut, for we both know. This won’t be the last of the vampire and his
pledge. And if this was just the search party, what awaits us down the path?
Elexis Bell is a quiet nerd with too many hobbies, including everything from gaming to shower-singing and even archery, weather permitting. She specializes in sarcasm and writing stories that make people feel. She's made a home for herself with her husband, their dog, and a small army of cats.
She writes dark, gritty stories, sprinkling gut-wrenching emotions over high fantasy romance, thrillers, post-apocalyptic romance, and science fiction.
For further information, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, or check out her blog on her website.
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This book looks really interesting, looking forward to checking it out!
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