April Reign Feature
It’s the 3rd Monday of the month, which means it’s that time again. This month my author spotlight falls on the beautiful and talented April M. Reign, who has now given us a dozen offerings in the vampire/horror genre. Her latest book, Dhellia Has A Conscience came out on February 1st. I was fortunate to catch her despite her busy schedule and ask a few questions about her and her new book.
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She may be the daughter of Satan, but DHELLIA has a conscience. She’s run away from Hell to escape her undesirable duties as princess of the underworld. A three-
month road trip to “upstairs” convinces her half-human side that Earth is where she belongs.
Unfortunately, Lucifer isn’t seeing things her way. Her brother, who is a soul catcher and her protector, snatches her away and hides her in the apartment of a bumbling wizard who casts a cloaking spell on her, and a geeky vampire rock ‘n roll singer who is allergic to human blood.
DHELLIA gets a job in a law office and suddenly, her future is full of possibilities—that is, until a collision of fate and destiny create the perfect storm,
which puts her and her friends in peril. Once again on the run from Satan’s minions, Dhellia and her friends must find a way to survive while she discovers the powers that lie within her.
DHELLIA is a darkly funny, fresh and sassy, fast-paced series about a young woman whose birthright is the underworld—she’s mad as Hell about it, and is determined to beat the Devil at his own game!
Shane: Hi, April, and welcome. Can you tell us who you are and why you have chosen this genre?
April: My life revolves around writing. I started out writing poetry, moved to short stories and eventually started writing novels. Born and raised in Southern California, I’m a single mother of two fantastic, might I add, understanding sons.
In the first stages of writing novels, I wrote what I knew: Romance. After I wrote a couple of books in that genre, I realized that I truly enjoyed writing mysteries. So, I wrote a couple of books in that genre as well. Then, my love for paranormal and supernatural enticed me to write a few books in that genre.
I now have five different series/sagas that I’m writing multiple books in and each of those series/sagas is in different genres. Additionally, two of my series are written in third person and the other three are written in first person. That truly gets confusing.
Shane: You sound like a girl after my own heart. Writing over so many genres can’t be easy. Naturally, I want to press you on your vampire books and your stories in the paranormal/horror genre. What is it about this genre that you find captivating?
April: The entire paranormal genre is fascinating because it’s something that many of us only experience through what we read or what we see on television. Therefore, it’s a world that can be morphed based on the writer’s imagination.
Shane: Yes, absolutely. What are you hoping to bring to the vampire legend or genre that we haven’t seen before?
April: In my book Dhellia has a Conscience, my vampire, Jonas, is allergic to human blood. I posed that question to myself. What if we, as people, were allergic to human food but we could sustain ourselves on animal food? I think it makes Jonas a very likeable character and it’s something I haven’t seen thus far.
Shane: I’ll be interested now to find out what Jonas does for sustenance. Do you like any other writers in this genre? Have any of them influenced you?
April: I think there are many great writers and fantastic books out there in this genre. I’d say television has influenced me more than any other writer.
Shane: Okay then, do you have a favourite vampire book or movie?
April: All of them.
Shane: Tell us something about the plans you have for the series Dhellia, for which Dhellia Has A Conscience is the first and only release so far. Is there much more to come? Or alternatively, feel free to tell us about your other books, as you have quite a resume.
April: Dhellia has a Conscience will be a series of about nine to twelve books. Of course, I’ve only mapped out up to book three and I’ve already started writing book two. Dhellia, being the daughter of Satan, is on a mission to make her mark on the world, and she’s going to do it with her two sidekick roommates, a statistical wizard and a musician vampire. It’s a fun series and the cast of characters are phenomenal.
Shane: Staying on the subject of your books, if you were meeting someone for the very first time, what would you say to them to pique their interest in your work?
April: I never profile anyone, so I believe that each person is an avid reader whether it’s true or not. Therefore, I’d ask what genre they usually like to read. When they tell me, I lead them in the direction of one of my series or my stand-alone books. I’ve eleven to choose from, so I know they will be interested in one of them.
Shane: I have always believed vampires to be very erotic creatures. Do you look on them in the same way? Are your vampires of the erotic variety?
April: Yes and no. Yes because they are mysterious creatures who prowl around at night, sustain their existence on human blood and they shudder with excitement when they sense human fear. However, no, because they are also the walking dead who need human bodies to live. Wouldn’t that make them an intelligent being in the zombie species? I don’t find that so erotic.
My vampires in The Turning Series are cold and calculating. They have a blood bank where they chain up humans and feed on them until the humans are dead. Then they throw the carcasses in the Sombra pit so they can rid the evidence. (Sombras are a servant to my vampire’s in The Turning Series.) It’s not so erotic.
Shane: Have you drawn any inspiration from anyone in the real world for Dhellia, Gavin or Jonas?
April: Only Dhellia. She has my spunk and humor. She’s witty and sarcastic and that’s how I am at times, if I know you well enough.
Shane: If Dhellia makes it to the big screen and you have the power to choose whom you want to play the roles of Dhellia and Damien, who would you choose?
April: That is tough. I’d want the female character to be beautiful, sassy, and innocent, yet driven to get what she wants. And Damien could be played by any dark, mysterious young male.
Shane: Thank you so much, April, for joining me today. Is there anything you would like to say to us or share before you go?
April: I hope that your readers enjoyed my interview and I’d love it if they took a moment to check out one of my sites and one of my books. Indie authors need good readers too.
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