Steps away from Central Park, among careworn books and paintings, the vampire Christian Du Mauré quietly watches over two modern mortals. Amanda and Ryan are the last two descendants of a painful affair Christian had more than two centuries ago with a mortal aristocrat in Paris. On the eve of revolution, he made a promise to his dying lover that he would secure their safety without ever involving them in his own twisted world.
When Immortal Obsession begins, Christian’s promise is intact; his young ancestors suspect nothing of their origin. Amanda's life is happily predictable: she landed her childhood dream job working for New York's monolithic Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she unites her fascination with Revolution-era Paris and her abiding love of art. During one especially late night at work, Amanda is roused by an unexpected phone call. Her brother Ryan (and only living relative) needs her help urgently; can she come right away? Against her better judgment, she rushes to meet him in Central Park—and unwittingly becomes entangled in a world she never imagined was real.
October 10 marks a very special anniversary for me. I have often spoken about it in interviews and though I am not sure how my readers feel about it, this experience changed my life and set me on a course that is still evolving.
Immortal Obsession began on October 10, 2005 after a paranormal experience I had in Manhattan, in a diner, prior to a U2 concert, when my path crossed with that of a beautiful, unusual stranger who sat down at a table behind my husband and I. He was very tall, with waist-length blond hair and dressed entirely in black. When our eyes met and he said hello, he felt familiar to me as I fell into his dark eyes.
That weekend I began writing Immortal Obsession and when my husband and I talked about this mysterious stranger, I realized we saw two very different people that night. The experience was unnerving, yet exciting. This stranger was the inspiration for my main character, the vampire Christian Du Mauré and I have since learned that this being is someone I have known from a past life. He continues to guide me as his role in my writing and my life continues to unfold.
He is my muse. The vision I encountered in that diner was the vampire I was to write about and as I learn more about the role of my guide, I believe what I am expressing in my writing somehow parallels a past experience I had with this man in another time and place. My passion for writing comes from my passion for him. This is the story I need to tell about my vampire Christian Du Mauré; his best friend, Michel Baptiste, and the woman they both love, mortal aristocrat, Josette Delacore.
Themes such as unrequited love come through in my novels as my characters struggle with their choices as well as their losses. There is hatred, betrayal and guilt as well. Very human emotions, indeed. Perhaps the lesson which has been reinforced for me is that love never dies. The emotion stays with us and moves with us through time as we meet soul in our present lives that we knew in a past life.
I must honor my guide and muse so I will share something of Immortal Obsession each day through October 10 when I will post an entire chapter from my present novel, Eternal Hunger. It is the third in my series and presently I am not sure if this will be the end or just one more novel as I discover more about Christian du Mauré and myself as we travel this road together.
Thank you for being such a large part of my journey through the support, encouragement and joy you have shared with me. Knowing you love Christian as much as I do compels me to continue to bring him to life.