Please welcome author BB Palomo as we discuss her debut novel, The Blood Society! You'll meet Sammy, a teen with a dark past and an imposing future. Get ready to go through a ringer of emotions as Sammy juggles survival, responsibility, and love.
The Blood Society: Interview
You originally came up with the idea for The Blood Society in grade school; when did you decide to expand the storyline into your debut novel?
The Blood Society has a special place in my heart because it was a story that I came back to year after year to expand on. What originally started as a tale about two vampire hunters named after some family friends, quickly morphed into the painful story of Sammy and the trials she has gone, and continues to go through. I worked on the novel for what seemed like forever, finally putting it down and away a couple of years ago. I never had any intention of sharing my writing, let alone publishing it, but after the birth of my daughter Emberly, everything changed.
I had spent the majority of my life dreaming of being an author and at some point, I had convinced myself my dreams were not attainable. When the realization hit me that I would be telling my daughter to follow her own ambitions, while never trying to truly follow mine, I understood what I had to do. About a year ago I picked The Blood Society back up and make it my mission to finish the story.
Over ten years, two critique partners, eight beta readers, and the sweetest copy editor/proofreader I could ask for, the start of Sammy’s story is officially available.
Where did you get your inspiration for DOVE and your vampires?
Most of my life I have been a vivid dreamer, more times than not those dreams being some form of nightmare. The feral vampires of Sammy’s world stem from some of those nightmares and probably mix with the fact that at that time I started writing her story, the Underworld movies were coming out. As for the vampire’s existence, I have always wanted to see a different take on them and their origin which brought me to incorporating the virus.
I wish I could say that D.O.V.E had more inspiration, but in reality, twelve-year-old me just thought it was a super funny name for a corporation that employed these hunters.
Sammy is such a strong character but has such a depth of emotion that makes her very relatable. How much is she based on you?
Sam and her emotions are heavily based on the feelings I had while initially writing the story. A lot of the way she reacts and feels come from my own reactions and feelings I had no place to express. The Blood Society was my very first outlet for all the anxiety and depression I deal with from the many tramas I have unfortunately had in my life. I have struggled with my mental health since I was very young and even though my story is so similar to others, the feeling of being isolated and misunderstood never really leaves you. I wrote Sam damaged because I felt damaged, but I also wrote her as strong because I knew that if I could write a character that could make it through all the things she had been through, that I would make it through my own life.
If you had to describe your book in ten words or less, what would they be?
Its a story about strength, determination and never giving up.
What’s coming next for Sam and Gray?
Sam and Gray’s story is far from over. Their world is unforgiving, and they both still have major battles to face, both internal and external. What I can say for sure is that neither will be the same person as they were in The Blood Society after their cruel world chews them up and spits them out!
Ready for your own copy?
Available today!
Amazon Link:
Author bio:
B.B. Palomo is an American author from the state of Arizona. A writer at heart with a wild imagination, she has always had an affinity for the supernatural. Her debut novel began as a short story written in the fourth grade. While it was nowhere close to the writing prompt assigned, her teacher gave her credit anyway, noting the creativity B.B. demonstrated. This encouragement sparked her dream of becoming an author.
Even though B.B. was born in Arizona, she is not the desert heat’s biggest fan. Give her the subtle crunch of freshly fallen snow under her boots any day. In school, B.B. often used the old trick of hiding a book within her textbook while pretending to follow along with the rest of the class, though she still placed significant value on her studies. After graduating high school, she moved on to study business management in college.
B.B. now works as a licensed financial principal by day and works on her novels and blog by night. She is a wife and a mother—to an amazing daughter and a few fur babies—but when she does manage to find the time to unwind, B.B. enjoys a tall cup of coffee to go with a great book, all while daydreaming about the next story she wants to bring to life.
To learn more about B.B. you can visit her at:
authorbbpalomo.com
Instagram.com/b.b.palomo
Twitter.com/BB_Palomo
Goodreads.com/bbpalomo
Book synopsis:
When the world bites, you bite back.
Sammy Cordova’s life is complicated. Between grieving the loss of her longtime partner and the grueling task of hunting vampires, she can barely keep her head on straight. The last thing she needs is more chaos in her life, but as the daughter of the esteemed founders of the Department of Vampire Extermination, chaos comes with the territory.
When a company scientist suddenly dies in a freak accident on the same day she discovers a potential cure for a virus that is aggressively creating a world of vampiric beings, Sammy is eager for answers.
Forced to team up with Gray, a new hunter who better serves as an irritant than a partner, she has no choice but to temporarily swallow her grief, train Gray, and make sense of the world around her.
Will her desperate hunt for the truth put them back on track for a much-needed cure, or will it tear her already fragile psyche apart? Find out in this adrenaline-rushing paranormal romance adventure!
Thanks again to BB for joining us for this week's author spotlight!
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Happy Reading!
Ana