Indie Author Spotlight - Tori Ridgewood - Interview & Giveaway

Tori L. Ridgewood’s new book Wind and Shadow: Book One of the Talbot Trilogy, published by Melange Books, was released on June 20, 2013.

After a series of misadventures including being accused of attempted murder in high school, Rayvin Woods, a photographer and natural witch, left her hometown of Talbot in Northeastern Ontario, hoping to start her life over and never return. Ten years later, circumstances force her back to face her past and her former crush Grant Michaels. 

Malcolm de Sade, a cunning vampire, escapes from an underground prison looking for vengeance. His accidental release unleashes his hunger and ambition on a small, sleepy town. Rayvin’s power is all that stands between de Sade and his domination of Talbot, and beyond.

Grant Michaels, a police officer, thought Rayvin was a murderer. He will do whatever it takes to protect the community he loves from danger... but will he learn to trust his heart, and the word of a witch, before it's too late?

Rayvin didn't count on rekindling a lost love or battling a malevolent vampire and his coven for her life when she came home to Talbot. Facing the past can be a nightmare… It’s worse when a vampire is stalking you.

You can snag your own copy and connect with the author on:

AMAZON / WEBSITE / GOODREADS

Is there one character in your novel that you feel the most passionate about?

That’s a difficult question! It honestly depends on the mood I’m in, I think. I’m a person of varied interests, with never a “set” favourite of anything. 

I’m passionate about my main protagonist, the witch Rayvin Woods, because she is in many ways the opposite of me: she’s short, curvy, has gorgeous naturally red hair, and while she’s tougher than most people realize, she also has a very vulnerable side. Rayvin’s been through a lot in her youth, losing her mother to cancer, never knowing her father, but she was given much love and attention from her foster family. Her life took a dark turn after she was accused of attempted murder, but she took it and made it a challenge to overcome. I admire her guts, and her ability to protect herself and those she loves. But she has a hard time letting go of her pride and trusting others, maybe with good reason, and this characteristic is part of what gets her into trouble. 

I’m also very into my hero, Grant Michaels. He’s in a difficult position, having lived all of his life in one place and as a police officer, he’s become the person on whom everyone in the community depends. People look up to him. So when he’s forced to face this guilty secret of having had a crush on the one woman everyone in town remembers and hates, his loyalty is torn. He’s a good man, he wants to do the right thing, but he’s not necessarily a sensitive person and he’s capable of being selfish. He’s a good listener, athletic, with dark good looks, and he’s excellent in a crisis. I love him, but he drives me crazy sometimes!

And then there’s the vampire Malcolm de Sade, my primary antagonist. He’s a megalomaniac, completely selfish and manipulative, devastatingly sexy when he wants to be, ruthless and cunning in his planning, but only when it comes to himself. He’s not perfect, for all that he’s immortal. Malcolm is better off on his own, he always has been something of a loner, so when he attempts to build a coven, he’s going to make mistakes and won’t be aware of them until the consequences happen. I find him fascinating. He’s arrogant, ambitious, unscrupulous, but he’s not a leader and he desperately wants to be one. I think he wants his long existence to have some better meaning than satisfying the cravings of his flesh and psychological need for dominance over others.

What aspect about this character was the most difficult to envision? The easiest?

With Rayvin, it’s hardest to me to consider the world from the perspective of an individual who has lost everything, and at such a young age. It’s difficult to imagine what that would be like, and how that would inform your view on life. I think one would have to become tougher in order to survive. The easiest thing to envision about her is her hair -- one of my cousins was fortunate to receive the genetic gift of luxuriously thick, long red hair, and I always wished I could have had it too!

It’s most difficult to envision Grant as a physical person. For some reason, I see better through his eyes than when I’m seeing him, if you get my meaning. The closest actor I have come across that resembles him is Victor Webster, which made searching for photos for promo materials very challenging! But the easiest to imagine with him is what he will say and do, because he’s very much inspired by my husband. I often find myself wondering what my hubby would say in a certain situation, and that will become the basis for Grant’s dialogue and action.

Finally, with Malcolm, I have a hard time with him being a poor leader! I want him to be good at this, to achieve some success in forming his coven, because he’s really been so lonely for such a long time, but he’s blind to certain things he needs to know about being in charge. His ignorance, created by his arrogance to some extent, will likely be his Achilles’ heel.

During the birth of your novel, was there any point where this character took an unexpected turn? 

Indeed. There is a point near the climax where Rayvin requests something highly unusual from Grant. In Wicca, there is such a thing as sex magick, which is essentially a ritual in which two consenting individuals work toward achieving something positive by building up positive energy and releasing it during intercourse. This concept didn’t appear while I was developing my original outline, and then, after it was in place, Malcolm’s actions caused something to happen that I couldn’t have predicted at all! It was like the characters had taken over the story completely at that point. But what they came up with was so much more exciting and compelling than my first -- and second -- plans, that it pushed me right to the end of the manuscript and fired me up for the second book in the series, Blood and Fire. (Book Two is still in revisions at this time.)

If this character suddenly sprang from the pages, what questions would you have for him/her?

With Rayvin, I’d want to know where she stayed when she first left home, and some of what she endured as a young person in the big city for the first time. How did she survive and keep going after having grown up in a small town where everyone knows each other, and moving to a metropolis with just what she could carry on her back? 

I would ask Grant why he doesn’t have any pets of his own. And why he gathers and dries herbs in the summertime -- it seems to be an unusual hobby for a man or a police officer, or maybe that’s just my own biases showing. Why hasn’t he ever gone to see the world?

Lastly, I’d like to know whether Malcolm remembers his life before being a vampire, and what it has been like to see the world change over time. How did he come to North America from Europe, and how close has he ever come to being destroyed by a vampire hunter?

Is there a particular passage or scene from your novel that you feel embodies this character the best? 

Absolutely! Please enjoy this excerpt from Wind and Shadow, in which Rayvin and Grant will come face to face with Malcolm de Sade for the first time... 

~ Chapter Ten ~

Grant pulled the sheet from the sofa in the living room and folded it neatly, while Rayvin hunted in her kitchen for mugs and tea. She hadn’t even unpacked yet, he noticed; boxes were scattered where she’d obviously searched for something earlier, and others were stacked untidily. But they were labeled, at least. He pulled his pen knife out and went to work.

By the time she came in, carrying a tray loaded with steaming mugs, a bowl of trail mix, and a plate of muffins, Grant was in the process of examining her collection of movies. He had located her small flatscreen TV, her DVD player, some soft quilts that he’d draped over the couch, and a number of tall ivory pillar candles. These he had stood in the fireplace, in a cluster, and their light lent the nearly-empty room an aesthetic that he could tell she appreciated. Her face glowed as she took it all in.

Rayvin paused, chuckling. “Trust a guy to go hunting for the TV, right away.”

“Hey, sexist, I’m just trying to be helpful.” He laid one of the quilts on the floor, gesturing as he lowered himself to the floor. “Do you seriously catalogue your DVDs alphabetically?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” He watched as she gracefully sank to her knees, setting the tray in the centre of the impromptu rug.

During their second brief ride, she had not hesitated to put her arms around him, even resting her head against his shoulder until they pulled into her driveway. She was probably exhausted, her defenses down. Grant had let her take the lead—it was her house, after all—but he wanted to talk while she was relaxed. In the last twenty-four hours, he had dealt with Rayvin as a woman who distrusted all, other than her oldest and best friend. He had seen glimpses of her vulnerability, witnessed her strength and self-control, been on the sharp end of her fury, and observed her compassionate and nurturing side. Grant knew that he was treading a fine line, sitting with her in this companionable silence, risking his own lifelong friendship to get to know this complicated woman just a little more. But he couldn’t help himself. It was more than an official interest in her possible involvement with the missing animals, the caved-in road. She had fascinated him as a youth, and apparently, that feeling had only intensified with the passing of time.

In fact, in watching her, Grant discovered that he didn’t even care about the past anymore.

“What?” Rayvin looked at him sideways, a handful of raisins, peanuts, and dried fruit pieces halfway to her mouth. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No, sorry, I was just lost in thought.” He averted his gaze, idly rummaging through the box of movies again. “This is nice, actually. I was just thinking, it’s nice not fighting with you.”

Rayvin choked on her mouthful, thumping her chest. Concerned, Grant leaned forward and did the same on her back until she waved him away. Her face was red as she sipped her tea. Amused, Grant met her eyes over the rim of the mug. “Geez, I was just making an observation. It’s just that . . . since you came back, you’ve been so prickly. And I know I’ve been a jerk.”

“It’s okay,” she said quietly, lowering the mug to her lap. Why wouldn’t she meet his eyes? “It’s perfectly understandable—”

“No, it was stupid and childish of me,” he interrupted. “I want us to start over. I haven’t been fair to you, and I should know better. My mother would kill me if she knew how I’ve been acting. Andrea just about took my head off after you left.”

“I knew that coming back here wasn’t going to be easy.” Rayvin leaned back against the couch. “You had every right to react the way you did. As far as you know, I tried to kill your buddy—”

“No, Ray. That doesn’t matter. Whether you did or didn’t, it’s done.” Grant saw hope rise in her eyes, and pressed further. “I don’t care either way. All that matters, all that should matter, is right now.”

“You weren’t alone in not letting go of the past.” Rayvin’s eyes glistened. Her hand twitched, moving closer to his. “But how can I trust you? Nobody in this town has ever forgotten what happened. They tried and convicted me, before I even had a chance to explain. To defend myself. And you were one of them. I saw it written all over your face.”

“I was a kid then, and I’m a man now. I made a mistake and I want to make it up to you.”

The pain in her eyes was tearing him apart. “You want to make amends?” She laughed, and looked away.

“You could put it that way . . . Rayvin. Look at me. We connected once, remember? When we were kids? I’ve missed that in my life. I didn’t realize, before you were gone, how much I needed you in my world.” He leaned forward and reached for her. “How can I make you believe me?”

“Why?” She jumped up, staring down at him. “What’s changed since yesterday that could possibly have reversed an opinion you’ve had of me for years? I don’t understand! You’re not making any sense.”

Grant’s face burned. “You don’t know what I think of you. You’re not a mind-reader, Rayvin.”

“I don’t have to be. I’ve seen how you look at me. Yesterday, you wanted to run me out of town, and now look around you.” She gestured wildly. “Candles, blankets. You don’t want to ‘start fresh’, you just want to get laid.”

Grant got to his feet. “Really? Is that what you think?”

“What else have men ever wanted from me?” she responded, wearily. “You know what, it was a noble gesture for you to drive me home, and help me with Andrea. But now I’d really like you to leave.”

“No. We need to talk; we have to figure this out.” Grant moved closer to her. Rayvin’s teeth were bared, but she held her ground as he approached. She infuriated him, she insulted him, but she didn’t back down, and by God he admired her for it. “I know you’ve been hurt, but I’m not him. Not all men are like that. I’m not like that.”

“I’ve felt your desire, Michaels. I know that you want me. Maybe we should just get it out of the way, so we can move on with our lives.” Her eyes glittering, she closed the distance between them and ran one finger down his chest. Behind her, in the fireplace, the flames on the candles flared and elongated. Grant’s body responded immediately to her touch; his breath quickened as his manhood swelled. Her laugh sounded like a sob. “But I have better things, more important things to do with my time. I’d rather not fulfill your adolescent fantasies tonight. I’m telling you again to please leave.”

Looking into her eyes, a breath apart, dozens of possibilities flashed through his mind, most of them involving the shedding of clothing and the quilt on the floor. Maybe they should fulfill their physical needs, and move on. But that wouldn’t leave him satisfied. Grant needed more from her, and he strongly suspected that she needed him, no matter how much she denied it. He saw the plea in her gaze, the sorrow and the anger. Taking a deep breath, he raised his chin and stepped back.

~ Giveaway ~

Enter using the Rafflecopter below!

There will be 1 Winner. Giveaway is INTL.

a Rafflecopter giveaway