Kendra Leigh Castle presents Raum & Ember from her new book "Renegade Angel"

Thanks so much to the lovely Terra for having me back to celebrate the launch of my very first Nocturne, Renegade Angel! I wouldn’t want to kick off this new chapter in my writing career anywhere but here.


I don’t think anyone can talk with more authority about my tale of a dark-winged ex-demon on the lam falling for the half-demon he’s supposed to exterminate better than the hero and heroine themselves. So without further adieu, here’s Raum, Destroyer of Dignities and Robber of Kings, and the lovely Ember Riddick.


Raum: Why are you giggling, woman? This is serious. She wrote a book about us. The least we can do is get through an interview.


Ember: Oh, I know…it’s just that title of yours.


Raum: *frowns* What of it? I earned it. And actually, I was thinking I need to add to it.


Ember: Like what? Ravisher of Unsuspecting, Vulnerable, and Incredibly Gorgeous Redheads?


Raum: *wicked grin* You forgot “willing.” I was thinking of something more along the lines of Vanquisher of Worthless Demons Who Take Up Valuable Space, but I think I like your idea better. Though it may take more effort to earn it quite as completely as I want to.


Ember: *fanning self and blushing* Um. We can…certainly…yeah, moving on before I grow fangs and start gnawing furniture. You’re starting to sound like Gadreel, you know.


Kendra: Ember, since you brought him up, why don’t you tell us a little bit about Raum and his friends. Like Gadreel. He features pretty prominently in the book.


Ember: Sure, I—


Raum: Gadreel is not a friend. He’s more like a chronic disease for which there is no cure. I’ve learned to live with him. Against my better judgment.


Ember: *sighing* Gadreel’s not so bad once you get to know him. Well, I mean, he is in a way, but he manages to make his out of control libido almost endearing.


Raum: Speak for yourself.


Ember: Anyway, The deal is that Raum and five other immortal fallen angels were marked for death by Hell’s Infernal Council. Levi…that’s Leviathan, who’s sort of strange and quiet and ridiculously good looking when he’s not being an enormous deadly sea serpent…yeah, I know, don’t ask…took the information he gleaned as one of Lucifer’s favorite beasts and used it to recruit these marked Fallen before the Council could get to them. He’d found them some amazing freelance work on earth. Good pay, no being thrown to their deaths in a burning river. Good stuff. Except the catch was that they’d have to report to their old bosses from way back, the white wings, aka angels. You know, I still don’t get why Levi saved all of you…


Raum: The serpent has secrets. He doesn’t tell them to me. Only the angels know his motivations, and I’m not asking. *grumbling* Damned nosy, control-freak white wings…


Ember: But anyway, that’s how Raum and I met. His job was to exterminate all the extra human/demon halfbreeds, which are usually psychotic, and who were giving the angels such trouble trying to keep the Balance of dark and light in the world. He got more than he bargained for when he walked into Lotions and Potions that day. That’s my custom scent shop. Though…I had sort of an unexpected reaction to him too.


Raum: Yeah, you might want to mention that. I was minding my own business…


Ember: Uh, you were looking for me. Because you figured you were going to need to exterminate me!


Raum: Not right that second. Anyway, what Ember’s trying to say is that once Gadreel and I walked into her shop, I knew Ember was different than all the other half-demons I’d dealt with. For one thing, she didn’t know what she was. And for another, she was just…different.


Ember: *grinning* You thought I was hot.


Raum: It was pretty clear the feeling was mutual.


Ember: Well. Yes. And that’s about as much as we can tell everyone without giving away all the juicy stuff. I’ll just say I saw places and creatures I never dreamed I’d see. And finding out about myself…why I am different than the others…


Raum: You’re going to give it away. Come on, I want to work on my new title.

And, um, there they go, I guess. Really, really quickly. This is what I get for creating really attractive, really libidinous charactersJ Anyway, hope you all enjoyed meeting Raum and Ember! To read the cover blurb and an excerpt, click here (http://www.eharlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=22195 ) to head over to eHarlequin.com. And now for the fun stuff…I have a signed copy of Renegade Angel to give away to one lucky commenter! I’ll choose one commenter at random, so be sure to say hi! Terra will announce the winner tomorrow afternoon.


Thanks so much to Terra, and to everyone else for stopping by! You can visit me on the web at www.kendraleighcastle.com, where I’ll keep you updated on my next Nocturne (a werewolf tale, woohoo!) and my upcoming vampire series from Grand Central, beginning next summer. I hope that everyone who decides to pick up Renegade Angel enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Big bad boys with big black wings…what could be better? Happy reading!