Guest Spotlight: Sarah Daltry's Bitter Fruits

The second book my book group reviewed has actually been pulled until its rerelease on December 1st, but I'll still be able to share some of the information about Sarah Daltry's Bitter Fruits, an erotic paranormal romance, as well as her current release Forget Me Not.


My Review:
Bitter Fruits combines new adult paranormal romance with a heavy dose of mythology, setting up an exciting new series. And while the complex back story of the vampire race is worth the read alone, it’s brothers Alec and Caleb who really stole the show for me. The mistrust they have for each other, combined with the hope that they might restore their relationship was one of my favorite subplots throughout the book. With fun supporting characters and plenty of action and steamy scenes, be sure to add Bitter Fruits to your TBR list when it’s rereleased!


My Favorite Quote from the Book and Character Spotlight:

“Don’t deny what you feel; I feel it, too. It’s foolish to pretend there is nothing between us.” -Caleb

Q & A with Sarah Daltry:

1. I fell in love with the mythology in this book, can you tell me a little of where this plot line came from? (from Magen McMinimy)

This is going to sound funny coming from an erotica writer, I guess, but spirituality is extremely important to me. I absolutely love theology in every form. Like Nora, I don't identify with any religion in particular, but I've studied the major ones in depth. I've actually read the entire Bible twice (as in every word) and it's an unbelievably intriguing collection of stories. Historically, the world's dominant religions have made changes to doctrine based on social pressure and the needs of the age, NOT based on morality. We often forget that because faith is an emotional thing, but it's true.

This insanely long answer brings me to the story. I first heard about Lilith in college when Lilith Fair was starting up and it blew my mind. Now it's a well known story (it shows up in Mortal Instruments, Supernatural, True Blood, etc.). But like all myths, it has evolved and there are various interpretations of the story. I wanted to take the stories we know (without giving too much away) and think about other perspectives. What DON'T we know about the origins of man?

Finally, linking vampires to Cain wasn't really a big step. In fact, I used to dabble in tabletop role playing in college and I loved Vampire: The Masquerade. The entire game is based on the view that Cain was the first vampire. So I combined a lot of my interests and different experiences and came out with my version of it all.

2. How did they come across the information that if Lilith dies, everyone else dies with her? Where did this come from, since I doubt she would give that information out AND she was big bad, no others more scary, the "mother" of evil? (From Scarlett Dawn)

They learned it through research - at some point before Oxford - although we don't have the information as to how exactly. Lilith was a villain in this novel, but there are far more evil forces at work, and things grow far bigger and more epic in Book 2! Although Caleb and Alec think she was the mastermind behind everything, someone turned her before she turned them. You'll just have to wait to find out who it was.

3. I loved the different vampires. What were some of your influences for the different types? (From Brandy L Rivers)

Well, like I told Magen when I was answering her question, the mythology started with the role playing game Vampire: The Masquerade. I was a nerd in college and played a little and one thing that really stuck with me was the link to Cain. So that was the main focus. From there, I mostly researched other vampire-like creatures, or other names for vampires, and took a tiny bit from the myths about them. As far as what they all eat and such, that was all me. I thought about each type - and what they represented. I felt like they hungered for something different and I made it literal.

4. Since they've been through so many eras, what time period was Alec or Caleb's favorite? (From M.A. Grant)

Probably their favorite time period is now, given the events of the novel and the ending. However, outside of that and to be less boring than that, I imagine it was the Renaissance. Caleb and Alec had that little plague debacle, but I think it would have been a really interesting time for them. Considering their background, they would have loved to watch humanity struggle to make sense of the ruling Church and the way that art, science, and literature were branching out away from doctrine. I imagine they knew how many of the stories in the Bible were tweaked, since they lived through them, but of course, they are also still connected deeply to Heaven. (This comes up a lot more in Book 2.) So they personally would have empathized with human beings in a way they probably hadn't to that
point.

Current Release:
Check out Sarah's current erotic new adult release Forget Me Not while you wait for Bitter Fruits!

Available for purchase at Amazon.

Synopsis:
Lily had a crush on her brother's best friend, Derek for years - which led to their steamy night ten months ago in her bedroom. Now, Lily is going off to college and she and Derek are still going strong. However, when school starts, she realizes it's hard to maintain a relationship while also trying to live her own life. She and Derek find themselves falling apart and Lily has no idea where to turn.

Enter Jack. Everything about him is wrong for Lily and she knows it, but she can't stop herself from being attracted to him. When things implode with Derek, it's Jack who is there to pick up the pieces - and show Lily an entirely new set of experiences she didn't know she was missing.

Of course, Jack has his own problems and once Lily gets to know him better, she starts to wonder if she can handle all of Jack. When Derek reappears on the scene, Lily is forced to decide between two guys and herself. Can she find herself without losing the people who matter in the process?

See where it began in the short story, "Her Brother's Best Friend."


Purchase Links:
Visit Sarah Daltry's website to learn more about Bitter Fruits rerelease and the sales of her other books - http://sarahdaltry.com/

Find Forget Me Not at:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Apple
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Sony
All Romance
Paperback