Author Interview & Contest with Lynsay Sands!

Lynsay Sands is one of the first authors I began reading when I discovered the Paranormal genre. Her books were a good starting point for me and it made me realise that not all books in the genre we about evil, fighting and dark things. Lynsay's books are always fun, fresh and full of cool vampires and I love each and every book about the Argeneau family.

Under A Vampire Moon, the 16th book in the series was released in April and the 17th, The Lady is a Vamp is due out at the end of July. I have this author on pre-order so I never miss out on a new release!

Never tried the series? Already a fan? Whichever category you fall into, enjoy the interview! And enter the contest! You could win a signed book from Lynsay!

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Amber - Hello Lynsay! Welcome back to Amberkatze's Book Blog. It is great to have you here on the blog again. Maybe you can start things off by telling us a little about your latest release, Under a Vampire Moon?

Lynsay – Well, I can tell you I had a blast writing it. I really did, and was sorry to see it end. I was having so much fun writing Under A Vampire Moon, that I ended up writing long and had to cut 50,000 words from the final manuscript. It was that or let my editor cut them and then I wouldn’t have control over what was cut.

Under a Vampire Moon is Christian Notte’s story, and is set on St. Lucia. Carolyn, a disillusioned middle-age woman going through a difficult divorce decides to go on a vacation with the 'girls'. Unfortunately everywhere she looks she sees happy couples celebrating their anniversary or on their honeymoon and this is making her feel worse.

Then she meets Christian and the sparks fly. The only problem is he looks like he’s in his mid-twenties, which in her mind is far too young for her. Just when she’s ready to run, she comes to find out he’s gay and he needs her help--Christian needs Carolyn to play the part of his fake girlfriend for the week to appease his 'machismo' family. She agrees to help him out, but finds that being around him and acting like they’re a loving couple is wreaking havoc on her emotions.

The good thing is Christian isn’t gay, he’s just using this excuse to keep her close in the hopes of wooing her and giving her a little extra time to get to know him so when he does explain why his looks don’t match his real age, she won’t grab the nearest cross and stake.

Amber - Under a Vampire Moon is the 16th book in the Argeneau vampire series! How do you manage to come up with such amazing original stories each time?

Lynsay – First, thank you. I’m glad you are enjoying them. As for the answer…I bore easily, so I have to keep it interesting enough to entertain me. If it isn’t, then the story gets dropped and I start another.

Using different characters each story helps too. Different personalities lead to different responses and reactions to situations, which leads to different situations developing from the original ones… I hope that makes sense. LOL. Anyway, I tend to draw characters from people I know or meet. So each character has their own quirks and temperament, etc.

Amber - Christian's story is told in Under A Vampire Moon. Was it hard pulling all the pieces together so he would meet Carolyn?

Lynsay - No… if it’s difficult and I find myself having to force it…well, that’s when the story gets dropped. If the story and the characters just come to me naturally then I have a story that I can complete.

Amber - In Under a Vampire Moon the location is St. Lucia. It sounds like a wonderful place. Were you writing from personal experience or just from good research?

Lynsay – From personal experience. My sisters and I went away to St. Lucia for a girl’s vacation. The people were lovely and would bend over backwards to help us out. There were a lot of couples at the resort but we didn’t care as it was more fun without the men on this trip. LOL… however had I been in Caro’s shoes being in mid-divorce, I could see how it would be a difficult vacation for her. Oh, and the boat tour was one we took, it was loads of fun, but then the whole trip was.

Amber - Book #17 is due out at the end of July. What can we expect from the Lady Is A Vamp?

Lynsay – The Lady is A Vamp is about Jeanne Louise. It starts with her being kidnapped and waking up chained to a bed. A great start to a relationship, huh? LOL. That’s pretty much what Jeanne Louise thinks, too, when she realizes she can’t read her abductor. Her kidnapper, Paul, happens to be a fellow science geek who works for Argeneau Enterprises. The kidnapping, his being a coworker, and the fact that he has a very sick, six-year-old daughter all combine to make this ‘life mate’ business a lot messier than she’d ever expected…and it could lead to a world of hurt for them both.

Amber - How long does it take you to write a book? Do you have a process you follow or just start and see where the characters take you?

Lynsay – It usually takes me about two weeks to a month of me writing around the clock to write a book. I write from the time I get up till the time I go to bed. I usually sleep four hours a night during that time until the last couple days then I might not sleep at all while I finish it off. I usually start with a scene and let the characters run with it.

Amber - How many Argeneau stories are there to go? How many more characters will tell their story? Do you feel like stopping?

Lynsay – Now I’m working on the Notte’s and I don’t see an end to the Argeneau series anytime soon. So far my readers seem to be enjoying them and I still enjoy writing them.

Amber - What other projects are you working on? Are you working on anything new? I know you write do write other books too ;)

Lynsay – I’ll be writing another historical soon but I don’t know what I’ll write about yet. I usually don’t know until I sit down to write it. I’m not big on planning things like this. It either comes to me or it doesn’t.

Amber - I am a huge Kindle fan and love that I got Under a Vampire Moon on the day it was released. Do you have an e-reader yourself? What are your views on E-books?

Lynsay – I used to have a kindle, but it broke down and now I have an iPad. I really don’t like any particular e-reader over another. The only thing I would say is I prefer an e-reader that lights up so you don’t have to have a light on if you don’t want to. It’s handier for reading in bed.

Amber - What has been taking up your free time lately? Read any good books? Watching anything worth recommending?

Lynsay – What free time? LOL. I get very little but when I do I tend to read horror; Dean Koontz (especially his older work like Tick Tock), Terri Garey (the Nikki Styx series), and J.F.Lewis (author of Staked and Revamped). I like their writing styles and their stories are fast paced enough to keep me interested.

As for what I’m watching, I have been enjoying the series Drop Dead Diva, Eureka, Sanctuary and the new Doctor Who. I’d recommend any of them.

Amber - What's your favorite paranormal movie of all time?

Lynsay – I can tell you some of my favorites but I couldn’t narrow it down to just one. I watch a lot of paranormals. Let’s see, From Dusk til Dawn was memorable, the first few Harry Potters….Gees, that’s all I can think of as standing out.

Amber - If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would you like to meet? and why?

Lynsay – Hmm… that’s a tough question. I get asked it a lot, and really there isn’t anyone I’d want to meet. No one real, anyway. LOL. I wouldn’t mind meeting Dr. Who if he were real. He’s just so interesting. Other than that though, I don’t really have any one hero or person I look up to enough from the past to want to meet them. I’d love to have tea with my deceased mother though. Does she count?

Amber - Thank you for being a guest again! See you soon! ;)






Argeneau Vampire Series
(last few books - for a full list go here)

#13 : The Renegade Hunter
#14 : Hungry For You
#15 : The Reluctant Vampire
#16 : Under A Vampire Moon
#17 : The Lady Is A Vamp (Due out on July 31st)

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Contest Details!


Lynsay is giving away a signed copy of Under A Vampire Moon!


How To Enter


Who is your favourite Argeneau?

Haven't read the series yet? Which cover looks the best from the series?


No Answer = No Entry


'Please enter me' posts will NOT be counted as an entry

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The contest will stay open until 4pm on Sunday 10th June (Central European Time) and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.