Progeny blog tour Spotlight, Playlist & Giveaway!

The Progeny (The Progeny series, book 1)
“No fate other than the one I choose.” The timeless creed, and tattoo, bore by the Rousseaus— a vampire clan with the purest bloodline of any vampire family. Out of this clandestine group came one who was different, yet the same: Ascher - a half-bloodling— half- human, half vampire.
Ascher questions the purpose for his existence and which world he truly belongs to: the human world or the vampire world. Two months from sealing to Ursula— a prearranged union to a woman he abhors — he’s at his wit’s end. He knows if he calls off the sealing, the Romanian clan will strike with deadly force, but he cannot see eternity with a cold empty shell of a woman like Ursula.
Just when he thought life was complicated enough, he meets Shauna— a beautiful, bi-racial human wiccan — and immediately develops an unshakable attraction to her. She makes him feel alive and vital despite his origins and Ascher makes a decision that turns his immortal world upside down.



Blood Bond (The Progeny series, book 2)
“Forever. For always. For eternity.”
The ties that bind two hearts are powerful. For Ascher Rousseau and Shauna McCutchin, it’s more than just a blood bond. Their union is that of vampire legend. Their love is a predestined prophecy foretold centuries ago.
It’s a week before Ascher and Shauna's sealing and the couple is making final preparations for their eternity, but Ascher's ex has other plans. Ursula is hell-bent on revenge—revenge fueled by lover's scorn and her father's death—and she begins breeding a fresh army of newborn darklings to do her bidding.
When Ursula finds a new weapon—an ally with the capability to dismantle the Rousseau clan—Ascher and Shauna's bond is tested and they must stand together against Ursula or lose each other for eternity.





Blood Promise (The Progeny series, book 3)
“Their love is fated by an ancient prophecy. Now the promise is fulfilled.”
Ascher Rousseau is a half-human, half vampire whose life has been a series of prophecies and predictions. After finding incredible love and passion with Shauna—a Wiccan with powers beyond anything he’s ever known—he seals to her and hopes for happiness. But his enemies seek to destroy all that he loves, and he finds that happiness never lasts for long.
Darkness is descending and a vampiric revolution is nearing. A new brood of hatchlings is born to join their darkling brothers, in preparation for war. A preordained chain of events is set into motion that could lead to the rise of the demonic “cloaked one” and his half-human fallen children, while ending humanity—as we know it.
Can a supernatural love and the loyal bond of a family save the Rousseaus and the world from certain extinction?




Ashlynne Laynne has always had a soft spot in her heart for vampires but grew tired of the garlic fearing, sun-loathing creatures of old. An avid horror movie fan, she tends to enjoy media and music that is of a younger, more eclectic nature. This was the catalyst for her writing The Progeny. The vampire/witch pairing is unique and different when most books pair vampires with werewolves.

Ashlynne loves writing on the edge—combining the erotica and romance genres—and thinks of Ascher and Shauna as the wicked, damned version of Romeo and Juliet. She is currently working on book four of her Progeny Series, book one of her upcoming Rocker Series, and an untitled novella WIP. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with her family. She juggles the hats of wife, mother, full time employee and part-time writer, hoping to write exclusively one day soon. Find and follow here online on Twitter. Check out her Manic Readers page, Blog and Website, or leave her a note in her Reader Email.

Ashlynne lives in North Carolina with her husband and teenage son.

Want to know what songs were floating around in the author's head while she was writing this series?
Here's a note from the author (youtube playlist link to follow).............

I love music and pride myself on being very eclectic. I’m an author, poet and award winning songwriter of country and pop ballads. Yes country. It’s no wonder that I write to music. Hearing music helps the words to flow more easily in my head and the images to develop. Today, I’m giving Penelope and each of you an unprecedented view into the songs and lyrics that inspired the first three books of my Progeny Series. I have several playlists on my iPod that segregate my music by genre, artist and decade. When writing love scenes, I tend to listen to smoother, mellower music to set the mood. While, fight scenes require a driving beat and vocals that get my blood pumping, so that I can rock out! I hope that you’ll enjoy this post and that it will give you a greater insight into my series and its unique characters.

So, you might wonder, what artists are on Ashlynne’s list of favorites? Here are a few (in no particular order) Rob Zombie and White Zombie, Prince, Bruno Mars, Kings of Leon, Evanescence, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Van Morrison, Adele, Lady Antebellum, Rod Stewart, Lady Gaga and Florence + The Machine. You’ll notice that quite a few of these appear on the series playlist below.

Collide- Howie Day ~ this song becomes Ascher and Shauna’s song, and is playing the first time the couple makes love. The first mention of it comes in chapter 17 of The Progeny.

He hummed along with the music playing as background noise.

This is significant because Ascher is an eighty-seven year old vampire who detests most things contemporary. The second mention comes in chapter 6 of Blood Bonds. The couple shares their first dance to it.

“This song sounds familiar.”

“It was playing that first night—the night we made love for the first time.” He glanced down at her, connecting with her eyes, giving her a look that screamed his love directly into her heart.

She stared right back, remembering that night and how it felt to give herself to him. She’d never regret it, even if he’d died in Romania and never come back to her. “The song you were humming...”

“I’m not a fan of most things contemporary but I love this song now. It always makes me think of you and that night.”

Other songs I listened to while writing love scenes for The Progeny and Blood Bonds:

Closer- Kings of Leon

Come on Get Higher- Matt Nathanson

My Immortal- Evanescence

Songs I listened to while writing fight scenes for The Progeny and Blood Bonds

Living Dead Girl- Rob Zombie

Made of Stone- Evanescence

Bring Me to Life- Evanescence

More Human than Human- White Zombie

Succubus Baby- Magicwandos

Dangerous Type- Letters to Cleo

Right Now- Van Halen 

When I began writing Blood Promise, I had a firmer grasp on these characters and took many risks in the story lines and plot points. I’ll try not to spoil the book for you. I consider Blood Promise my official move into paranormal erotica. The first two songs below were inspiration for a very racy love scene in chapter 10, aptly named The Exhibitionist.

S&M- Rihanna

Justify My Love- Madonna 

Yes folks, it is pretty darn steamy! Shauna’s little sister, Katy, is a hip 18-year-old artist who loves Bruno Mars and most things contemporary.

Sexy and I Know It- LMFAO

Runaway Baby- Bruno Mars 

I’m a huge fan of Van Morrison and wrote a love scene mentioning his music in Blood Promise. I find his music so soothing, thought provoking and reminiscent of a simpler time.

These Are the Days- Van Morrison

Into the Mystic- Van Morrison 

He sang the words to These Are the Days while softly walking his fingertips along her spine, the sparks of his touch revving her body and hormones to life. She sang along with him, pausing when she glimpsed the old soul trapped inside her eternally youthful husband. They were kindred spirits, as she too possessed the same ancient being.

Other songs from Blood Promise:

Unforgettable- Dinah Washington

Paparazzi- Lady GaGa 

Blinding- Florence + The Machine

The last song is from the final scene of Blood Promise. I won’t go into any more detail, only to say that when you read the scene and listen to this song, it will send chills up your spine.

Bittersweet Symphony- The Verve 

Well, that’s the end of the tour of the void vortex that is Ashlynne Laynne’s brain. I hope you guys enjoyed the post and that you’ll allow yourself to think outside the box when selecting music. I’d also like that than Tam's for hosting me today.

Laynne's playlist on Youtube

Laynne on the web ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads















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