Blood Bond
Heather Hildenbrand
Dirty Blood series, #3
August 31, 2012
346 pages
Amazon | B&N
RBM’s Disclaimer

Hybrids.

If I had to choose one word to sum up all of my problems, this would be it.
Without hybrids, I wouldn’t have to watch my best friend slowly becoming a monster. Without hybrids, I could let go of the mentality “hunt or be hunted.” CHAS wouldn’t be scouring the earth, intent on slaughtering and using Alex to do it. Without hybrids, I wouldn’t have to be on guard that losing my temper meant losing my shape. There would be no monster inside me, struggling to get out.

Then again, without hybrids, I wouldn’t have Wesley St. John.

Heather’s Guest Post:
I’m always fielding emails, doing interviews, guest posts, blog talks… if there’s a way to Q&A me about the Dirty Blood series, it’s been done. And all of it has been so much fun. I am not complaining at all. But, there are inevitably some questions that don’t get asked. Or comments made that aren’t really in the form of a question (i.e. in reviews, etc.) that haven’t been directly addressed. I thought it might be interesting to write a post addressing some of those previously un-discussed things about my series.

One: Dirty Blood has some similarities to a certain sparkly-vamp book out there.

My answer: Yes. And no. I am a huge fan of aforementioned book and I guess when you love something that much, certain inspirations will be present BUT … there is a flip side. When people mention this fact, I always chuckle and shake my head because a couple of those similarities were on purpose. As a joke. Which, sadly, not everyone gets. (No one understands my humor. It’s a curse.) For instance, when Tara meets Wes and realizes he is not exactly human, she asks him, “How old are you?” and he says, “Nineteen.” She fires back with “How long have you been nineteen?” and he looks at her like she just grew three heads and says, “Since I haven’t been eighteen…”  Joke, people! Haha, funny! (or not…) Most people read that and get indignant that it’s too similar and I guess they think I must’ve done it by accident…? Nope. Totally on purpose. I’ve thought about removing it, actually, for this very reason, but I can’t bring myself to do it. It’s part of the story and very indicative of the character’s personalities, especially Wes’s. So, it stays. And I’ll keep shaking my head at myself for it.

Two: Werewolves—in wolf form—can’t actually talk.

My answer: debatable. Everyone’s opinion on this is different. And it’s just that: opinion. Everyone’s favorite werewolf story or myth or legend or book is different. And in each one, the “rules” are different as well. So, to each his own. My wolves can talk, whether they’re human or wolf. It’s a sign that they are capable of retaining enough of their humanity to not go all crazy-rabid-animal on you and try to eat your face off. Although, there are some of those kinds of wolves in there, too. You might want to read and find out. But the whole talking while they’re wolves thing is just my personal preference for this series. I think it adds to their character as a wolf. Not sure if you agree? Feel free to read and be the judge. I take criticism pretty well.

Three: Wooden stakes for werewolves? Really?

Answer: Stakes are way more dramatic and badass than guns. Admit it. When I started writing/plotting the series, I mulled over what sort of weapon it would take to kill a wolf, especially when wielded by a Hunter (a human on steroids with a save-the-world complex, basically.) Guns were out. Too easy. That would be a short series. Plus, a true Hunter can’t take pride in that! It’s not enough of a show of strength. They’d need something more physically demanding. Something more badass. I almost went with crossbows or something else you can “shoot” but there’s too much danger of hurting a civilian accidentally. And above all, Hunters strive to protect. So, it would have to be something hand-to-hand. Hence, stakes. But then, wooden stakes are sort of wussy, right? I mean, unless you drive it directly through their heart and twist, it’s probably only gonna leave a mark large enough to piss ‘em off. So… there’s this thing about metal. I can’t tell you exactly what it is. You’ll have to read for yourself. Suffice it to say, stabbing is the way to go, especially if you’ve got some metal to slip in there. And the easiest way to make that happen? Coat stakes with metal and start slashing.

(Do you see now how weird and twisted and roundabout my thought process is for story planning? This is complicated stuff.)

Okay, so there might be more things I could de-bunk for you but I’ll stop there. If you think of another, feel free to leave it in the comments. I love the hard questions.

Author Heather Hildenbrand

About The Author:
Heather Hildenbrand was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was homeschooled through high school. She now lives in coastal VA, a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, with her husband and two adorable children. She works from home, part time, as a property manager and when she’s not furiously pounding at the keyboard, or staring off into space whilst plotting a new story, she’s helping her husband with DIY projects in their home (he woodworks – she paints) or she’s lying on the beach, soaking in those delicious, pre-cancerous rays.

Heather loves Mexican food, hates socks with sandals, and if her house was on fire, the one thing she’d grab is her DVR player.

Heather is a co-founder of Accendo Press, a publishing group she operates with fellow authors: Angeline Kace and Jennifer Sommersby. Accendo (a-CH-endo), A Latin word, means “to kindle, illuminate, inflame, or set fire.” This is something Accendo strives to do inside a reader’s imagination with every title released. For a complete list of titles and author bios, visit www.accendopress.com.

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