31 Days of Halloween { guest author + giveaway } Mayra Calvani, author of Embraced by the Shadows
Today we are joined by YA indie author Mayra Calvani, as she reminisces about her latest release, Embraced by the Shadows.
Embraced by the Shadows was just released two weeks ago. But the funny thing is, I wrote the book back in the 90’s and it was previously published with a different title and cover. So this is the new revised version that has come out.
The release of this novel feels kind of strange, because my writing has evolved and changed a lot during the past decade. And I’m glad it has, of course. I want to be one of those writers who grow and evolve and change with time. But the revision process was frustrating because I wanted to edit and change everything! After being discouraged for quite some time, and following my publisher’s advice, I decided to only polish the absolute necessary and leave the original voice and style. I see Embraced by the Shadows as a dark, eccentric and even weird book about vampires who transcend gender. The novel is also about obsessive, destructive relationships and the power of one individual to mesmerize another.
But when you ask me about the inspiration for the book, I must move back in time, not only to the 90’s but to my childhood.
Ever since my early teens, I’ve always been attracted to the supernatural. I loved reading anything having to do with ghosts, vampires and witches. At a younger age I also watched all those old films in black and white about werewolves and mummies. Then came Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. I really don’t know when or how it all turned into obsessive fascination. But somehow it did. The turning point was in 1986 when I read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. The book took my breath away. I was writing other things at the time, but after reading this book I knew I had to write a vampire novel. Around this time I also watched Ford Coppola’s Dracula. The set, the music, Dracula’s obsessive love for this woman… I was spellbound. I was living in Turkey then. As soon as I moved to Belgium that same year, I started writing the novel. That’s pretty much how Embraced by the Shadows came about.
Thank you, Teresa, for having me on your blog today!
Giveaway
To celebrate the release of my novel, I’m giving away two of my other books for free. This offer will run until Halloween night only (October 31st). Of course, I hope you’ll consider supporting my work by purchasing a copy of Embraced by the Shadows, but if for whatever reason you decide not to, these two free ebooks are still yours to download. This is my Halloween gift to you!
The FREE ebooks I’m giving away are: Dark Lullaby and Cat Cellar and Other Stories and they’re available in various formats on Smashwords.
I’d also like to invite readers to visit my website at www.mayracalvani.com and join my mailing list! Those who sign up will receive my free ebook, Reviewers Talk about Their Craft and the first lesson from my Slippery Art of Book Reviewing Workshop. 
Happy reading and happy Halloween!
About the Author
Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. A reviewer for over a decade, she now offers online reviewing workshops. When she’s not writing, reading, editing or reviewing, she enjoys walking her dog, traveling, and spending time with her family. Visit her website at www.MayraCalvani.com, join her mailing list, and automatically receive the free ebooks, Reviewers Talk about Their Craft and the first lesson from my Slippery Art of Book Reviewing Workshop.
About Embraced by Shadows
In a bazaar in Istanbul one evening, ten-year-old Alana Piovanetti sees a man standing in the shadows. He smiles, and over time she convinces herself that it was just her imagination that placed sharp fangs amongst those flashing teeth.
Twelve years later, Alana is surprised when she is chosen to manage a new restaurant opening in her home city of San Juan. She has neither training nor experience to justify her success. But La Cueva del Vampiro has the kind of ambience she adores, for Alana has always had a penchant for horror and the dark side of life. Yet she is also plagued with dreams of dark sensuality, dreams that take on shattering reality when she meets the stunningly handsome, charismatic Sadash.
For Sadash is the man she saw in the shadows so many years before…and Sadash isn’t human….
You may read the prologue and first chapter here. The link to Kindle is here.
