The Coven Series - Book Tour and Giveaway

Bewitched Souls
The Coven Book 1
by Drako
Genre: LGBT Paranormal Fantasy

The Coven is a special group of witches given charge of the manor on Genum Island, and Talis is considered the head and strongest of it. Joined by his sister, Teryn, and her husband, Cian, they protect their magic based home from the forces of darkness who seek the mysterious power of their home. It's all routine, until Talis' old crush shows up with a strong desire to take the head witch for himself.
Dion has come to terms with what he wants, and that's Talis. He has a lot to make up for, but with him comes trouble. Hot on his tail is his ex-girlfriend, and with her is a demon who has a craving for souls and a rise to her former glory.
The Coven has no choice but to stand against the greatest threat they've ever faced. How far will they go to save a soul?


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Sunder
The Coven Book 2 

The life of a witch is ever changing. After the greatest test the Coven has ever faced, Talis and Dion settle in happily married life. But Talis is the head of the Coven, and his life will never be simple. He has responsibilities far above and beyond what he had anticipated and ever increasing powers to master. With all this, there is the certainty that darkness never sleeps, and now comes a true test of more than just ability, but the strength of his will.As Teryn and Cian prepare to welcome a new addition to the family, Talis and Dion's work just begins as insecurity and outside forces come together to threaten their marriage. Beneath it all is a sinister force older and more powerful than any ever known, threatening not only to tear them all apart but the world as they know it.


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​Talis woke up late the next morning and Dion was already gone to work. Talis looked to his cell phone and found a text message waiting.
Didn’t want to wake you, babe, but I had to get to work. I love you.
Talis smiled and sent a quick reply back before getting out of bed. It was a good thing that Dion was at work since Talis had some Coven matters to attend to. He threw on a pair of black jeans and a sleeveless black shirt, then grabbed a pair of black leather gloves and slipped them on. He went to the closet and pulled out a black leather trench coat, slipping it on along with a black bowler hat before heading out of the room. In the main foyer, Teryn and Cian were waiting, dressed in similar attire, minus the hat.
“I’m guessing Dion has no idea what we’re doing today, right?” Teryn asked.
“He has to work,” Talis replied. “Besides, this shouldn’t take too long.”
Cian shook his head. “I’m not so optimistic. We really don’t know what we’re walking into.”
“It’s a rescue and I don’t intend to ask a lot of questions,” Talis shot back. “Let’s just get this done and get home.”
Talis led the way out and to the ferry off the island. He stood by the window in the seating area of the ferry, looking out at the sea as they traveled. Teryn and Cian sat down and observed him.
“So, what do you think his problem is?” Teryn asked.
Cian shrugged. “I’d bet it has something to do with Dion.”
“I don’t know. His energy is off right now.” Teryn looked her brother over closely. “He’s not getting weak but his energy is all over the place.”
Cian chose to look a little deeper, using his third eye instead of just his standard vision. Talis’ aura was always blue, but at that point it was a very dark blue and resembled an out of control fire.
“One of us should talk to him,” Teryn pointed out.
“Which means you want me to do it.” Cian pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “You owe me for this.”
“Yeah, yeah, get to it.” Teryn shoved him towards Talis.
Cian headed over to stand next to Talis, who didn’t bother to look at him.
“So, do you want to tell me what’s wrong?” Cian asked.
“Nothing is wrong, I’m just on edge,” Talis answered. “I want this done before Dion is off work.”
“How are things with you two?”
Talis finally turned to him. “You live in the same house. You already know the answer.”
“I know only what you allow us to see,” Cian said calmly. “And I’m aware of Dion’s concerns over your health.”
“Dion isn’t draining me,” Talis assured him.
“Then why is your energy so different?” Cian asked. “Your aura is off. Your control is off.”



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Drako was born in 1987 in St. Louis, Missouri. He is mainly a fantasy writer, though he also writes some poetry and general fiction. He is very active on both twitter and facebook and has his own website at www.drakosden.net which is frequently updated with news on his books and fun extras. When he isn't writing, he's busy helping take care of his nieces, playing videogames, reading, promoting, and spending time with family.


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Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I started on the journey way back in fifth grade. I was assigned to write a short story and I discovered I loved coming up with ideas. I had always been an avid reader with a reading level well above my grade level (reading on a college level at that point in life). Once I started, I couldn’t really stop. I first published a novel in 2012, when I discovered self publishing.

What is something unique/quirky about you?
I cannot write in silence! I have to have something in the background, a tv or music, conversation, something. Silence unnerves me

What are some of your pet peeves?
In writing? I’ll go with that. Biggest one, a romance with two people who clearly hate each other. No matter if it’s a hetero or LGBT romance, that irks my immortal soul. Especially when those two characters have valid reason to hate each other but they get paired up anyway. Drives me insane.

Where were you born/grew up at?
St. Louis, Missouri, a big part of the setting in my first series, the Dragon Hunters.

If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?
Probably drunk, since I’m dying and how else does one cope with that?

What do you do to unwind and relax?
I play videogames, lots of them. A good role playing game, preferably Dragon Age, maybe the latest wrestling game, or some old school games.

How to find time to write as a parent?
I write when they’re sleep. When I worked traditionally, I wrote at work. Now I write when they’re at school. I might even be in the living room writing while they watch TV.

Do you have a favorite movie?
V for Vendetta. I watch it over and over again. I just love the story, I love the lead character, V. Fabulously dark and realistic movie, to me anyway.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
All of them, though honestly I think they’d do better as a Game of Thrones type of series on cable or Netflix. There’s a lot to go through even in a three hour movie.

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A dragon, it’s in the name. Suits my temperament, especially during editing.

What inspired you to write this book?
Well, it’s the second in a series. I waited entirely too long to release it. But it was time to continue the story of Talis and Dion. I knew I had to give them something new to face, not just in the sense of an antagonist, but I needed to delve a little deeper into their relationship.

What can we expect from you in the future?
More in this series, and more in my original Dragon Hunters series. But I want to branch out, so there’s a young adult oriented novel floating around in my head. Could other LGBT romance stories that aren’t in either series

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?
Every character fights with me to tell their story. I have an idea on what I want to do starting it, and it always changes. People end up with different mates, people die that I didn’t intend to die or live when I didn’t want them to. For these characters, Talis and Dion fought me to the end. Can’t tell too much more without giving away the ending, but there are constant arguments in my head with characters.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Sunder?
Talis is the leader of the Coven, which has grown since the first book. Dion is his husband, a cambion or half demon, and much newer to all things magical. Teryn is Talis’ sister, really headstrong, also a half demon, and with Talis she’s awfully catty. Cian is Teryn’s husband, descended from druids. Everyone has their secrets in the group. Perhaps it’s better to say flaws.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
Again, they were the same main characters as the first book. But originally, it was my love of all things witchy and magical. The characters are loosely based off of people I know. Sometimes I pull out their best qualities, and sometimes their worst.

Where did you come up with the names in the story?
Name searches on Google, honestly. One of those baby name sites. It gets really hard after publishing five or six books to come up with new names on your own.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
There is a lot of humor in this book, and a lot of sex. Going back through it to look for excerpts was both hilarious and frustrating.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?
Talis has a horrible temper that he tries to keep in check. He’s a bit controlling, but it’s because the others made him the sole leader of the Coven. Dion is insecure. It’s hard for him to believe that Talis would really choose to be with him, but also he’s inexperienced, both in the man on man relationship department and the magical world. He feels like a burden at times. Teryn can be extremely hard headed, also somewhat controlling but not willing to take on the responsibilities her brother has. Cian is normally the level headed one, but has a few blind spots, especially when his wife is threatened.

How did you come up with the title of your first novel?
Depends. I came up with the first novel on my own, the Lost Dragon, in about five minutes. The Coven series has had different people contribute to the titles.

Who designed your book covers?
Amusingly enough, my ex-boyfriend. We have a good relationship still and he does design. So he does my covers if I can’t do them myself.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Don’t start me down that road. That’s the nightmare of pre-release. So officially, I’m going to say no.

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
A lot of the interactions are similar to my own interactions with friends. Hard to believe we’re all parents.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Talis: Jaden Smith-multiple reasons. First, he’s talented. Second, he can rock the longer and lighter colored hair that Talis has. Third, Will Smith could totally play his dad in the movie too because they look so much alike and so does Talis and his dad. Jaden seems like he’d be totally fine playing a gay role and like he’d be able to be what I see Talis as.
Dion: Milan Christopher-mostly because physically he’s very close to how I see Dion.
Teryn: Jurnee Smollett-again, physically very close to Teryn in appearance and likely would be able to capture both the empathetic and sassy nature of her
Cian: Daniel Radcliffe-he’s just perfect for Cian. Cian is pretty laid back and calm most of the time with just a little bit of impetuousness that I think Daniel could handle.

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
If you read the first book, you’re in for a bumpy ride with Talis and Dion. They were really happy at the end of the last book, and I won’t say they’re unhappy now but they’re a couple years into marriage and flaws in their personalities start to show. They have a lot of room to grow.

How did you come up with name of this book?
I have a Facebook group for other authors and one of them named this book when I gave him the synopsis. I am awful with titles.

What is your favorite part of this book and why?
The last three chapters or so. I both love and hate it, because writing it was hard for me. But it had to be done. There’s a lot of emotion brought up that will continue on into the next book as well.

If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
After this book, Dion. He’s so sweet and protective and just wants to support his husband. I think that’s adorable. Then so often he’s the last to know things. Even though he’s family, he can feel like the outside. I’d take him out somewhere, walk through a park and talk with him. Get his mind off the magical stuff and just let him be his normal self for a day.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
Based on real people. Little of myself for Talis, an old friend for Dion, my sister for Teryn. Cian was totally from my imagination.

Have you written any other books that are not published?
Yes, one called Lost Vengeance. It will be published. It’s part of the Dragon Hunters series. I just want to make some changes, add a lot of detail. Might be a while before I get that one out.

What did you edit out of this book?
Originally, Dion was supposed to have a kid. His ex, Kolby, would come back with a two or three-year-old daughter that had been conceived just before the events of the first book. However, that didn’t fit with what was necessary for this book.

Is there a writer whose brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?
Anne Rice. She’s my favorite author and she gives out writing advice constantly, which I credit as part of the reason I write the way I do. But I’d love to pick her brain for critiques specific to my work.

What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
Anne Rice, Sherrilyn Kenyon, JR Ward, Christine Feehan, Nora Roberts, J.K. Rowling, Sarah Luddington, Stephen King, P.C. Cast, J.R.R. Tolkien

What book do you think everyone should read?
Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice.

How long have you been writing?
Since fifth grade. I’m almost 32 years old now.

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
The main characters normally come to me at the same time. Supporting characters come as I write.

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
First, a search for names to fit the character. Maybe location if it’s not in a setting I’m familiar with.

Do you see writing as a career?
Absolutely, just not a get rich quick type of thing. People often think that the moment you announce yourself as an author, you’re as rich as J.K. Rowling or Stephen King. That’s a level that would be nice but isn’t realistic for every author.

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I read a little of everything. Fantasy, romance, LGBT, I like variety.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
Noise. I am suspicious of silence, possibly due to being a parent.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
Several so I can write to suit my mood

Pen or type writer or computer?
Pen first, then computer. I never liked typerwriters.

Tell us about a favorite character from a book.
Lestat from Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles. He is just so flamboyant, so full of life and complicated.

Advice they would give new authors?
The same advice I took to heart from my favorite author, Anne Rice. That was to write what you want to read. This is why I don’t overly concern myself with the norms of a genre. I write what I want to see in a book.

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