Since the day Lord Dillon earned his spurs, rumors of his savagery on the battlefield have preceded him into every room, stilling tongues and sparking fear. Weary of battle, he wishes only to find a woman he can wed who will approach him not with fear, but with the tenderness that has been absent from his life for so long. Yet only the wisewoman seems invariably at ease in his presence. Perhaps because she garners the same fear in others that he does himself.For seven years, Alyssa has been by Lord Dillon's side, counseling him from the shadows, healing him with her hands, and staving off the worst of his loneliness while his fearsome reputation keeps others at bay. Blessed-or cursed-with gifts that label her a sorceress, she is forced to conceal her youth and the love she harbors for him beneath umbral robes that lead Dillon and his people to believe she is the same aged wisewoman who served his father.All is revealed, however, and passions flare when an enemy threatens Dillon's life and Alyssa sacrifices everything to save him. When Dillon discovers that the wisewoman is far from elderly, he is instantly entranced. And, as he and Alyssa work together to defeat an enemy bent on destroying them both, Dillon will risk anything-even the wrath of his king-to be with her.

Thanks to Authors Taproom for hosting this blog tour. I have the wonderful Dianne Duvall, author of A Sorceress of His Own, here with a character interview between Sheldon and Seth (my personal fave). Welcome! 🙂

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Character Interview: Seth

Thank you for joining me! I’m very excited to be here today, celebrating the release of A SORCERESS OF HIS OWN, the first book in my new series The Gifted Ones and my first historical romance. Every time a new book releases, I like to introduce readers to the characters they’ll find in it via character interviews. Since men and women in the middle ages didn’t interview each other for company newsletters, I’ve decided to let Sheldon (a popular human character in my Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series) interview Seth (the powerful leader of my Immortal Guardians), because Seth also appears in A SORCERESS OF HIS OWN.

Sheldon: Thanks for doing another interview. I know how busy you are.

Seth: The humans at the Network have been on edge lately—with good reason—so if interviews like this will put them at ease and help them feel more comfortable around immortals and gifted ones, I’m happy to do them.

Sheldon: Thanks, man. I appreciate it. How are you holding up, by the way?

Seth: What do you mean?

Sheldon: Well, with everything that’s been going on . . .

Seth: I’m fine, thank you.

Sheldon: You don’t want to talk about it?

Seth: No.

Sheldon: Okay. So, I interviewed Marcus and Roland the other day.

Seth: *lips twitch* How did the interview with Roland go?

Sheldon: *grimaces* It didn’t exactly end on an up note.

Seth: *laughs* Roland may not be as antisocial as he used to be now that he’s married, but Sarah can’t work miracles.

Sheldon: *smiles* Apparently not. Speaking of miracles . . . I’d like to talk about gifted ones. Can you tell us a little bit about them for the newbies at The Network?

Seth: Of course. Gifted ones are men and women who were born with extremely advanced DNA that lends them special gifts that ordinary humans lack. Telepathy, for example. Or precognition. Teleportation is another.

Sheldon: That is so cool. I wish I could teleport.

Seth: I admit that’s a favorite of mine.

Sheldon: No one seems to know the source of gifted ones’ advanced DNA. Do you?


Seth: Yes.

Sheldon: *waits a long moment* So . . . will you share it with us?

Seth: No.

Sheldon: Why?

Seth: Because bloodshed always follows when I do.

Sheldon: Seriously?

Seth: Yes.

Sheldon: Oooookay. Well . . . when I was interviewing Marcus and Roland, they mentioned a gifted one named Alyssa.

Seth: *cocks his head to one side* Which one?

Sheldon: Which one mentioned her?

Seth: No. Which Alyssa?

Sheldon: There was more than one gifted one named Alyssa?

Seth: Yes. Alyssa of Westcott in the 12th century and her granddaughter in the 13th.

Sheldon: Oh. We were talking about the first one. The one who served as Lord Dillon’s wisewoman.

Seth: I suspected as much, considering Marcus’s history.

Sheldon: So you knew her?

Seth: Yes.

Sheldon: What did you think of her?

Seth: I admired her. It took a great deal of courage to use her gifts openly the way she did.

Sheldon: That’s what Marcus and Roland said.

Seth: Both her aunt and uncle were slain by men and women who feared their “sorcery” and blamed them for every unexpected hardship that arose. Alyssa’s mother, too, was nearly slain.

Sheldon: I don’t think Marcus and Roland mentioned that.

Seth: They may not know it.

Sheldon: I’m surprised Alyssa didn’t just . . . I don’t know . . . withdraw from society completely. Live in isolation for her own protection.

Seth: *shakes his head* Alyssa was determined to use her gifts to help others. And her ruse with the dark robes, coupled with Dillon’s fierce reputation, offered her some protection and enabled her to do so with less risk.

Sheldon: Did you know Lord Dillon?

Seth: I did. He was an honorable man, and utterly ferocious on the battlefield. I could name on one hand the number of warriors I’ve met who could match Dillon’s skills with a sword.

Sheldon: *eyebrows raising* Even immortals?

Seth: Even immortals. I would’ve loved to spar with him, but never found the opportunity.

Sheldon: You sound like you admired him as much as you did Alyssa.

Seth: I did. He was ahead of his time, very forward thinking.

Sheldon: What do you mean?

Seth: He didn’t consider women subservient. He valued Alyssa’s intelligence and talent for strategy greatly and often consulted her before making important decisions. When others spurned her for her differences, he embraced them.

Sheldon: Are you sure he wasn’t a gifted one himself? You gifted ones and immortals do seem to adore strong women. And Marcus said Alyssa was so strong she sometimes rode into battle at Dillon’s side.

Seth: *smiles* Dillon wasn’t a gifted one. But Alyssa was indeed strong. The two really were perfect for each other, both bearing reputations that bred fear and kept others at bay. Even with an enemy bent on destroying them both, they still— *breaks off and frowns when his cell phone vibrates, then retrieves it from a back pocket* I’m sorry. I have to take this.

Sheldon: No problem.

Seth: Yes? *listens for a moment, then addresses Sheldon* I’m needed in Portugal.

Sheldon: Okay. Thanks for the—

Seth: *vanishes*

Sheldon: Interview.