Not to mention all the other bizarre creatures crawling out of Denver’s supernatural Pandora’s Box. And if being attracted to a man who thinks he’s an ancient bloodsucker isn’t bad enough, someone -- or something -- is leaving a trail of blood-drained dead bodies. Enter handsome FBI profiler Alan Stevens, who warns her that vampires are very real and that one is a murderer. A murderer who is after her. In the midst of it all, Kismet realizes she has feelings for both the vampire and the profiler. But though she cares for each of the men, the reality that vampires exist is enough of a challenge . . . for now.
Reviews for The Vampire Shrink
"The Vampire Shrink by Lynda Hilburn is a can’t put down, spine-tingling, laugh out loud book that will keep you glued till you turn the final page. Even then I found myself wanting more and praying that there would be a continuation. Devereux is pure delight for the senses, a vampire to delight any woman. Alan is a complex soul that deserves to be explored more thoroughly. And Kismet Knight is the very meat of the story. I love her expressions, her sarcasm and wit, and the inner workings of her mind that are shared with us. I can’t wait for more of Kismet! So if you only pick up one vampire book this year, make sure that it is The Vampire Shrink by Lynda Hilburn. You won’t be disappointed!" - Gotta Write Network
"Kismet Knight’s conversion from cynic to believer makes for a fun paranormal thriller as the heroine becomes THE VAMPIRE SHRINK. Readers will understand her transformation from scorning skeptic with dreams of fame and fortune to psychologist to vampires as the story line is told in the first person mostly from Kismet’s perspective. Adding to the satirical entertainment is the odd romantic triangle between the Fed, the vampire master, and the shrink. Lynda Hilburn writes an enjoyable biting frolic that will turn skeptical readers into true believers of her talent." - Harriet Klausner
"In The Vampire Shrink, Lynda Hilburn brings readers a fantastic new paranormal romance with a uniquely intriguing plot and a heroine that just endears herself to the readers. Written in first person, The Vampire Shrink follows the life of Kismet Knight a soon to be psychologist to vampires. Readers are immediately pulled in as Kismet first encounters the stories of vampires and then must explain away all the strange happenings with her scientific mind. Kismet takes each escalating experience with savvy and spunk. Hilburn creates two very charismatic heroes in the mysterious Devereux and dynamic Alan. While creating a love triangle that moves the story along, Hilburn also brings alive the underworld of the vampire. The Vampire Shrink is an intriguing paranormal with a spunky heroin and sexy heroes that readers just won’t want to miss. I hope to see more of The Vampire Shrink?this book is a real winner." - Paranormal Romance Writers
"A very well written horror fantasy! Keeps the reader's eyes glued to the pages up to the very end. Scary yet sensual! The characters seem to leap from the pages. As the plot flows along, the horror deepens. Great intrigue! A marvelous unique writing style causes the suspense to build as the mystery unfolds . . ." ~ Wanda Maynard, Simegen.com
“Lynda Hilburn creates a fresh vampire story that includes humor, intuition, mystery, romance, and the paranormal. The Vampire Shrink is a nice departure from all of the other types of vampire stories. It is about vampires, but is told in a unique way. . . creating a story that has well developed characters . . .” - Fallen Angel Reviews
“This author has created another world within the normal city limits of Denver. Kismet is forced to face the reality that vampires actually do exist and that one of them has picked her out for his mate. The vampires themselves are not all that different from the humans they once were, and Kismet finds treating them as rewarding as treating the living. Her association leads to some very exciting and suspenseful situations as well as some very hot love scenes between herself and both Devereux and Alan. I found it hard to put this story down and waited with baited breath for her to choose one or the other, I definitely had my favorite.” - The Romance Studio
Visit Lynda Hilburn's web site
Read an excerpt from The Vampire Shrink
About Lynda Hilburn
Lynda Hilburn writes paranormal fiction. More specifically, she writes vampire books. After a childhood filled with invisible friends, sightings of dead relatives and a fascination with the occult, turning to the paranormal was a no-brainer. In her other reality, she makes her living as a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, professional psychic/tarot reader, university instructor and workshop presenter. Her first novel, The Vampire Shrink, will be released by Medallion Press, October, 2007. Lynda’s website: www.lyndahilburnauthor.com, blog: http://paranormalityuniverse.blogspot.com, MySpace page: www.myspace.com/lyndahilburn.
Backlist
"Diary of a Narcissistic Bloodsucker," The Wild Rose Press
"Undead in the City," (written as Hera St. Aubyn), Loose Id
"Trick or Treat," (written as Hera St. Aubyn), The Wild Rose Press
"Vampire of my Dreams," (written as Hera St. Aubyn), The Wild Rose Press
Coming soon
The second book in the Vampire Psychologist series, Dark Harvest, will be released by Medallion Press, October, 2008.
An Interview with Lynda Hilburn
By Holly Hewson, Marketing Director for The Romance StudioHH: Lynda, welcome to The Romance Studio! Please tell us about your featured work, The Vampire Shrink. LH: Thank you, Holly, for this interview opportunity with The Romance Studio.
The Vampire Shrink is the story of a Denver psychologist who manages to fall through the supernatural looking glass. Here's a brief synopsis:
Denver Psychologist Kismet Knight, Ph.D., doesn't believe in the paranormal. She especially doesn't believe in vampires. So what happens when she finds herself neck-deep in the vampire underworld?
Kismet is smart, witty and attractive. She's respected in her field, successful and prosperous. She's followed all the rules -- done everything right. So, what's the problem? Her life is empty. There's no passion. No vitality. No excitement.
That is, until a new client introduces Kismet to the vampire underworld, and a drop-dead gorgeous, 800-year-old vampire named Devereux. Kismet isn't buying the vampire story, but can't explain why she has such odd reactions and feelings whenever Devereux is near. Kismet is soon forced to open her mind to other possibilities when she is visited in her office by two angry bloodsuckers, who would like nothing better than to challenge Devereux by hurting Kismet.
As Kismet gets pulled deeper and deeper into the vampire subculture, she struggles to hold onto her professional ideas about what is and isn't “real.” The more she finds herself attracted to the charismatic, handsome Devereux, the more out of control her life becomes.
When one of her clients shows up in her office almost completely drained of blood, Kismet finds herself immersed in an ongoing murder investigation. Kismet is questioned by irreverent, handsome FBI profiler Alan Stevens, who warns her that vampires are very real. And one is a murderer. A murder who is after her.
In the midst of all this, Kismet realizes she has feelings for both the vampire and the profiler, but even though she cares for each of the men, facing the reality that vampires exist -- along with all the other supernatural insanity she discovers -- is enough of a challenge. For now.
HH: This is a unique take on the traditional vampire romance. Your heroine is a psychologist who doesn't believe in the paranormal. Throw in a 800 year-old vampire and a handsome FBI profiler and you're got a wonderful story! Where did you get this great idea? LH: Since my heroine and I share a profession, the idea for The Vampire Shrink came from a client session and a telephone call. I often have unusual topics emerge in therapy, and I'd just had a young client who claimed to be very involved with a group of "nonhumans." We talked about all her reasons for wanting to be a member of this particular group and it soon became clear that she was very emotionally fragile, and that a charismatic male had influenced her in a negative way. Around the same time, I got an out-of-state call from a mother who wanted a referral for a therapist in her area, because her daughter wouldn't stop talking about wanting to be a vampire. I gave her the information she wanted, then went home, sat at my computer and said, "Hmmm. Wouldn't it be interesting to write about a psychologist who becomes involved with what she believes are wannabes, but who turn out to be real vampires? Hmmm. . . ." That's how the story was born. That was back in January, 2004.
HH: What did you enjoy most about writing this story? LH: Writing about vampires is just so much fun! They're extraordinary beings who don't have to follow any human rules. That gives the writer so much freedom! I especially enjoyed writing this book because Kismet Knight, my psychologist, is an idealized version of me. She's thinner, prettier, younger and she has a much more interesting love life than I do! I get to act out all my fantasies through her. Like all of us, she has many sub-personalities, and she struggles with being professional in a very surreal environment. The book is about her inner growth as she's thrust into supernatural insanity.
HH: What do you like best about your lead characters? LH: Most of them are bright and articulate. In the first book (The Vampire Shrink is the first in a series), almost everyone (except for one really bizarre example) is clever and interesting. And verbal -- like me. Even the "bad" guys. My main male character Devereux is gorgeous. It's so much fun to write about a man who has several unusual characteristics in addition to looking god-like! He has a unique background, which makes him different from a lot of the other vampire main characters. Plus he has retained awareness of his human emotions, even though he's very old. That gives him a lot of depth. The heroine tends to talk to herself a lot, so I get to have her interact with others while expressing her true thoughts simultaneously. Alan Stevens, the irreverent FBI profiler, has a smart mouth and a surprising past. He is endearingly self-confident and eager to pull Kismet into his strange world view.
HH: What sort of research did you do for this project? LH: Since I've been reading vampire books forever, I didn't have to do anything special. Everything comes from my imagination and my professional experience.
HH: This is released by Medallion Press. Tell us about your experience with them. LH: Medallion Press is an independent publisher, growing more every year. They publish romance, mainstream fiction, mystery/thriller, paranormal/horror, fantasy/science fiction and more. One of my critique partners suggested I submit to Medallion -- apparently she had a friend who is an author there -- and I did that before I signed with my agent. Medallion was in the midst of a reorganization when I submitted, so I sent my partial to the "old regime," and was contacted by the "new regime." Publisher Helen A. Rosburg was/is very enthusiastic about my book and made an offer right away. The Medallion team has been great to work with. I recommend them highly.
HH: What are you working on now? LH: I've sold the second book in my vampire psychologist series: Dark Harvest. That book will be released by Medallion Press in October, 2008. I'm sure there are other books in the series and I'll be submitting my ideas within the next few months.
HH: What goals have you set for yourself at this point in your career? LH: I want to finish my second book by the deadline (end of December), and outline the next book in the series. I also want to write another installment of my other vampire series. I wrote an erotic urban fantasy, Undead in the City, and want to create more in that world. I love the characters, Tempest Moon and Malveaux the vampire. (One of my critique partners teases me for choosing two French names for my vamps. I didn't even think about it. It was unconscious!) I'd also love to submit stories for anthologies. Since I enjoy speaking/presenting, I'm hoping to create more workshops, lectures and classes -- both in-person and online -- and to travel around offering them at conferences, conventions, etc. It would also be fun to put together a local Author Band with other author/musicians to promote our books and make good music! I used to work as a singer in rock and roll bands for years and sometimes I really miss it!
HH: What do you think would shock readers to know about you? LH: I give the impression that I'm outgoing and extroverted, but I'm just the opposite. I'm very shy and introspective. Especially in groups of people I don't know. If I'm presenting or speaking, I'm great because my role is clear. But if I attend a conference by myself and I don't have any particular role and I don't know anyone, I tend to hide in the corners. I've actually gone to conventions and spent a lot of time in my hotel room. I don't know if that would shock anyone, but it usually comes as a surprise. And maybe the fact that I grew up seeing things other people couldn't see and talking to dead relatives. That's a little different!
HH: What can readers and fans look forward to from you in the near future? LH: My next book, Dark Harvest, coming from Medallion Press in October, 2008. It's the continuing story of Psychologist Kismet Knight, gorgeous vampire Devereux and some new characters who manage to complicate Kismet's life and create more paranormal chaos.
Excerpts from all my stories/books can be found on my website: www.LyndaHilburnAuthor.com
Thanks so very much for interviewing me! It was great.
HH: Thank you!
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