Welcome back readers to the Divas of Desire. As you know by now, this is your one-stop shop for all things sexy and behind the scenes (of the books, that is).
Today we have a super special guest, Wyck, the hero of Traci Doulass’s third book in the Seven Seals series, Seal of Awakening.
Welcome, Wyck. It’s soooo nice to meet you.
Thanks ladies. Great to be here.
What brings you by our little page today?
Well, when Quinn said that you called and invited me, I was a bit collywobbles about it. You know, nervous. I mean I’m a bloke and you ladies are… well, the Divas of Desire. Then, of course, I checked out your website and saw all the steamy reads, and I knew this was definitely the place for me.
What’s it like to be immortal? I’ve always wondered what I would do with that kind of time… how many books I could write… ooh, how many could I read if I had eons of time???
Well, contrary to what some of my other stodgy Scion brethren might have you believe, it doesn’t blow. Seriously. It’s rather brilliant most of the time. Especially now that I’ve got Quinn to share eternity with. It’s great to have someone to spend time with besides my adopted brothers. Quinn sure is prettier to look at and she smells better too, especially after a long night of surveillance work.
Could you tell us a little bit about what it’s like to go undercover for the Scion? Oops, was I not supposed to mention that? I wouldn’t have except, danger’s just so… sexy.
No worries, love. Just don’t tell Xan, my commander. He’s a bit… uptight about those sorts of things. Then again, he gets his knickers in a twist about virtually everything I do, so I guess it doesn’t matter much, eh?
Since you’ve mentioned it, having led my own covert op was fun, but a bit dodgy at times and yes, a few of my plans sadly went balls-up. Still, I’m glad for the opportunity to regain my title of King of the Mission again and I never would’ve found the love of my life otherwise, so it’s all good. Working behind the scenes suits me better though and has much better hours and benefits. You know, creating mass Internet mayhem, screwing with those Nephilim wankers, and all that. Always fun times.
And now for what everyone really wants to know… how’s your little friend, er I mean wife, Quinn (of whom none of us are jealous… promise…) :-p
My wife’s fine. Well, actually she’s better than fine. I mean she’s smokin’ hot and she’s got me, right? (Ducks to avoid flying debris from the sidelines). Oh sweetheart! I forgot you came with me today… What? Well, I’d try doing that to myself, but I don’t think it’s anatomically possible. (Laughs, crosses arms and leans back in his chair). See? She’s bursting with love for me. Things are great. Despite some doubts about us, we’re a perfect match. Quinn’s the ying to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, the tea to my scone… Well, you get the idea.
I just lurve your accent. Where’s home base for you these dreams, Mr. Dreamy? Um, I mean, Wyck?
Sorry, love. Can’t divulge that secret either. Top-secret headquarters under construction and all. If I told you, Xander really would have my todger in a sling. But speaking of home base, I have been missing my English homeland more frequently these days. Maybe Quinn and I should take a trip to Cumbria. After all, we never took a proper holiday after the wedding. What do you think, sweetheart? (Looks at Quinn) Hmm… I‘ll give that some serious thought.
What is it about modern technology that attracts someone who’s seen so much history?
Interesting question. For me, it’s not so much about what’s evolving, it’s about what stays constant—the mathematics, the formulas and codes and binary languages. There’s a legacy in those that stretches back farther than I do. I find such consistency comforting. Plus, while I do love my gadgets, I’ve found I love a woman who can challenge me intellectually and shag my socks off even better. (Winks at Quinn)
If you could live in any time period in any country where and when would you go and why?
Oh, no question I’m happiest in the here and now. Bugger all, I mean look at how fantastic this time is? So much great invention and innovation and so much left to discover. Oh yeah, I’m a modern man through and through. Though I will say, you can take the man out of Britain, but you can’t take the Brit out of the man. Give me a nice stroll through Piccadilly Circus or a ride in the London Eye anytime.
Thanks so much Wyck for stopping by today and letting us chat it up. It was so nice to meet you.
And thanks so much for the ace interview! I can see why they call you ladies the Divas of Desire. (winks at Rachell) Cheerio.
Fallen in love with Wyck yet, ladies?
Check this out for more of him:
Socially awkward geneticist Quinn Strickland has willingly forgone the pleasures in life to reach her career objectives. Alone and approaching thirty, she uses her independence to mitigate any risk of a broken heart. Her strategy works until the day a handsome stranger bursts into her lab and her orderly plans shoot straight to Hades. He claims to be her personal divine protector, a powerful, ancient warrior sent to defend a prophetic time bomb existing within her own genetic code.
The Scion’s alpha-geek Wyck is offered the opportunity of his immortal lifetime as head of his own covert operation. He arrives at a Colorado lab expecting starched white coats and sterile surroundings—not a redheaded spitfire in charge of both his project and his libido. His skills have carried him from the battlefields of ancient England to the pits of Hell and he has no plans to be felled by one woman, regardless of her shag-worthy charms. Divine duty requires him to protect the apocalyptic Seal encrypted within Quinn’s DNA, but his heart has other ideas. When his personal feelings interfere with his age-old vendetta, he’s forced to decide between desire and retribution.
And if that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, here ya go...
Short Excerpt:
For the band of adopted heavenly brothers known collectively as the Scion, covert ops generally fell into two categories, crashing bore or glorious adventure. And after more than nine hundred years of divine missions, Wyck could tell the difference before the first volley fired.
He double-checked to make sure his ID badge was prominently displayed. Divinity had finally given him a second chance as mission leader and he intended to make sure this operation fell squarely into the epically awesome range despite his less than glamorous surroundings. This time, he vowed, there’d be no messy diversions to waylay his goals, no damsel in questionable distress to shred his heart to smithereens. Nope. This time he was fully prepared and would see his mission through to a successful end.
Wyck trudged up the sidewalk toward the imposing glass and steel Eugenicorp Labs building, craning his neck to see the top of the six-story structure. He was so engrossed in his perusal he nearly squashed a bedraggled squirrel limping across the pavement in front of him. Wyck glanced down and spotted a half-cracked acorn near the toe of his boot. Poor bugger must’ve dropped it in his hasty retreat.
His first inclination was to reach down and retrieve it, maybe place the nut near the roots of the giant tree where the squirrel now hid. But now wasn’t the time to get sidetracked. As his commander, Xander, had already warned him, such kindness had only added to his past failures.
He kicked the nut, watching as it hurtled through the open grassy area surrounding the complex, then strode through the automatic doors and into the cavernous lobby. Empty. Sterile. Utilitarian, covered in gleaming metal and glass. The décor - neutral grays and bland beiges - screamed restraint.
Okay, he amended. Maybe epic and awesome were pushing the envelope for this mission. Best to start with solidly successful. He blinked several times in the early morning sunshine and spotted the pinched, schoolmarm expression of a receptionist across the expanse.
Brilliant.
In his experience, mulish females appeared to be the rule in academia. Just one more reason he steered clear of the smart ones and stuck to his technology. Emotional evisceration was another, but he refused to dwell on that now. Gadgets and science had always been his safe refuge. They trustworthy.
He proceeded across the pristine white-tile floor and when the receptionist steadfastly ignored him, Wyck coughed and summoned his most charming smile. “Hi, I’m Orson Parrot, the new bloke.”
The woman glanced up from her computer screen and ran a disdainful eye over him, her glare burning a hole through his extended hand. Her scowl increased as she snatched a clipboard from the desk’s immaculate surface and skimmed a bony digit down the list. She tapped her finger twice beside one line and stared back at him, her demeanor cold enough to freeze hydrogen, then pointed toward a pair of glass doors across the lobby. “Through there.”
He leaned forward to thank her only to be confronted by a strip of red fabric. Dangling from the receptionist’s hand, it swung in crazy, lopsided circles to tap him squarely on the chest. “You’ll need this,” she said, her tone a perfect match for the Queen’s after a distasteful tabloid scandal.
Wyck caught the twirling lanyard, with its attached security keycard, and placed it around his neck. He couldn’t resist giving the woman a wink and a grin on his way out, and was delighted when she stiffened like rawhide. A fellow had to have some fun.
He headed toward the double doors across the atrium, his mind ticking with details. This rare shot at redemption, plus the added potential for delivering a digital smackdown to his longtime enemies, the Nephilim, had him jumping at the chance to infiltrate the Eugenicorp’s computer system. Getting back in the field again would prove more enjoyable than his usual long hours of tedious research for his brother’s quests. Not to mention turning down an assignment from Divinity wasn’t really an option. She’d given the Scion many blessings, but freewill over their assignments wasn’t one of them.
If his hunches were correct, his new logic bomb would blow the fucking cork right off the half-breeds’ schemes for a new world order. By utilizing their legitimate business arm in the human realm, Tolbert International, the Nephilim had been quietly amassing huge quantities of money for centuries, branching out into everything from pharmaceuticals to produce. The Internet had been buzzing for months with rumors of an eminent Tolbert takeover of a genetics research facility and Divinity had sent him to Eugenicorp to make sure those takeover plans didn’t include the Seal currently hosted by one head scientist or the top-secret project she commandeered.
He used his new keycard to enter a glass-lined walkway and caught sight of his reflection. Christ Almighty. He’d done a wicked job of turning his normal hipster persona into Orson Parrott—Super Brain Extraordinaire.
Attired in a scholarly turtleneck and khakis, he couldn’t have been further from his normal choice of t-shirt and jeans. Between his helmet hair and the tatty, empty briefcase he carried, there was little sign of the tousled charmer who’d enticed a cute barista to bed during his last reconnaissance mission here a few months earlier.
Goodbye quick tumbles. Hello brainy celibate.
Wyck passed from the atrium into another adjoining lobby and glanced at the office number scribbled across his palm in blue ballpoint ink. 5324. He pushed the button for the next arriving elevator, whistling while he waited.
Sure, he’d performed a teensy bit of cyber-fraud by uploading his own credentials and employee demographics into the Eugenicorp HR files and he’d picked out a nice cushy office with a window, close to his target and close to the vending machines. Perfect.
Speaking of his target, the buttoned-down woman wasn’t one he looked forward to meeting. From everything he’d read about the third Seal’s unwitting host, she was smarter than sin and as enticing as a good bout of bubonic plague. No thank you.
A determined clack of heels echoed against the tile behind him and he swiveled toward the noise, just in time to see a flash of bright red hair barge through the gathering crowd and into the elevator. People stepped back, some headed for the stairs, as if the woman now occupying the compartment might spontaneously combust at any moment.
And thanks so much to Traci who brought Wyck to life and to us for today!
Traci is the author of paranormal romance/urban fantasy and contemporary romances featuring a sly, urban edge, including her current Seven Seals series. Her stories feature sizzling alpha-male heroes full of dark humor, quick wits and major attitudes; smart, independent heroines who always give as good as they get; and scrumptiously evil villains who are—more often than not—bent on world destruction. She enjoys weaving ancient curses and mythology, modern science and old religion, and great dialogue together to build red-hot, sizzling chemistry between her main characters.
She is an active member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), Indiana Romance Writers of America (IRWA) and Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Writers (FF&P) and is pursing a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Writing Popular Fiction through Seton Hill University. Her stories have made the final rounds in several RWA chapter contests, including the 2012 Duel on the Delta, the 2012 Molly Awards, and the 2012 Catherine Awards. An earlier draft of the first book in the Seven Seals Series, Seal of Destiny, won the paranormal category of the 2012 Marlene Awards sponsored by the Washington Romance Writers.
Other current projects include upcoming books in the Seven Seals series, a new contemporary novella series due out in early 2014, and a new futuristic suspense series with hints of the paranormal and plenty of romance.
