Taste Me by Tamara Hogan

Today we continue yesterday's sexy paranormal trend with Taste Me, the first novel of the Underbelly Chronicles by the fabulous Tamara Hogan.  I persuaded Tammy to swing by and chat with us a bit about the siren and the incubus who started it all... And now, here's Tammy!

I’m a skeptic at heart, and I love reading books or stories that propose a completely different interpretation of events than what is commonly accepted, ‘known’ or ‘true.’ Marion Zimmer Bradley does this to great effect in “The Mists of Avalon”, a re-imagining of the Arthurian legends, told through the eyes of the female characters. Gregory Maguire’s “Wicked” does the same thing, turning the familiar “The Wizard of Oz” on its ear, telling the story from the perspective of The Wicked Witch of the West.

Are Morgaine and Elphaba “evil” and “wicked”? It kinda depends on who’s telling the story, doesn’t it?  

For much of our past, a single narrative of a major historic event was recorded by those in power at the time the event occurred, and over time became accepted as ‘true’ or as conventional wisdom. This leaves so many human stories untold, so many thousands of voices marginalized. Much of our collective human experience has been lost to the sands of time, but on the positive side, these gaps in our historic record give fiction writers a LOT of room to move. ;-)

The prospect of winners writing history is central to the world I’ve created in the Underbelly Chronicles. What if eons of humanity’s own history were influenced and written by extra-planetary species marooned here long ago, and in order to survive, needed to be able to walk freely among us but keep their true natures hidden? What if these species created the very mythology humanity is familiar with so they could hide in plain sight? Incubi, succubi and sirens aren’t mythological; they’re real. Valkyries, vamps, werewolves and faeries aren’t mythological, they’re real. They have different abilities and vulnerabilities than we do because their ancestors evolved on other planets, on different branches of the family tree.  

Nearly all of their abilities and susceptibilities have biological roots: Valkyries love to eat, fight and make love because they have highly active metabolic, adrenal and hormonal systems. Incubi and succubi must absorb emotional energy for sustenance—sex energy is a delicacy—and they emit luscious pheromones in response, which renders them nearly irresistible to others. Faeries are highly empathic, and revered as healers and therapists. Weres, the only shape-shifting species in the world I’ve created, are starting to exhibit genetic abnormalities due to in-breeding. My vamps possess massive personal glamour and the strongest can influence others’ thoughts. They avoid strong sunlight because they’re allergic to UV rays. But they eat food, and yes, drink blood, because it’s a biological imperative. They cannot make other vampires with their bite, but being bitten is highly erotic.       

In Taste Me, I put a biological twist on the incubi and siren myths. I’ve long been fascinated by the medieval legends surrounding incubi, the seemingly-irresistible sex demons blamed for impregnating women whose husbands were away at war for years at a time. A number of years ago, I saw a picture depicting a succubus drawing the very essence from her lover/victim, which inspired me to create a species that had to absorb emotional energy for survival. I then analyzed the classic siren mythology—where sailors were seemingly so enchanted by sirens’ seductive, otherworldly voices that they willingly wrecked their ships on the rocks to better hear their song—through the same energy lens. What if sirens could manipulate emotional energy with their voices? 

What happens when you pair a control-freak incubus who must absorb emotional energy to survive with a pissed-off siren who amplifies emotional energy with her voice? Lukas and Scarlett’s very biology puts them in conflict—and it was an absolute blast to write.

I hope you enjoy!

Tammy

Read an excerpt! (PG-13)     

He Wants Her So Badly He Can Taste It…

Ever since their tempestuous fling years ago, incubus Lukas Sebastiani has known that siren Scarlett Fontaine was meant to be his. But when you’re a sex demon with an insatiable desire, relationships are way more than complicated…

Her Siren Songs Bring Men to Their Knees…

Rock star Scarlett Fontaine desperately needs a break after a grueling tour. But with murder and mayhem surrounding her band, and the one man she never thought to see again put to the task of protecting her, life is going to be anything but peaceful…

Every encounter between them creates more turmoil—and heat—until Scarlett pushes Lukas to the boiling point, and unleashes forces that go way beyond anything she can hope to control…

 
Today you could win a print copy of Taste Me just by commenting here! (The Small Print: US/Canada addresses only.  Prizes awarded at midnight Pacific.  If you do not leave a contact email, please check back in the comment stream within 24 hours to claim your prize.)