We are thrilled to have Ciar Cullen join us today to tell us about her wonderful paranormal romance novel. If you like dark, brooding vampire-types, you’ll love this!

Title: Lillian Holmes & the Leaping Man

Author: Ciar Cullen

Genre: Paranormal Historical Romance

Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group

Excerpt: Lillian Holmes & the Leaping Man

At the cusp of the twentieth century, an heiress turned detective enters a world of deception and danger and must learn to trust her nemesis with both her life and her love.

Tormented by a tragic past, Miss Lillian Holmes nonetheless found the strength to go on, to become the greatest female detective of her time. To make her uncle proud. Except…he was not truly her uncle. Sherlock was a fictional character, and Lil was less a true detective than a sheltered twenty-six year old heiress with a taste for mystery…and morphine. But then she saw him. Leaping from her neighbor’s second-story window, a beautiful stranger. With the recent murders plaguing Baltimore, here was a chance to reveal the truth.

Except, the Leaping Man was far more than he seemed. A wanton creature of darkness, an entry point to a realm of deception and evil, and to a Truth she had waited countless years to uncover, he would threaten far more than Lillian’s life. He would take both her heart and soul. And she would rejoice in it.

“Smart, funny, exciting…Ms. Cullen provides endearing characters, a unique premise, and a very satisfying resolution. I not only couldn’t put it down, but I’ll recommend it to my friends.” – New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Squires

“Sherlock Holmes would be proud to have such a relation. The Leaping Man will take its place in the annals of romantic vampire lore.” – Melanie Jackson, Bestselling Author of the Chloe Boston Mysteries.

What are the main themes of your book?

On a more superficial level, the themes are good vs. evil (vampires, villians), love found, and a woman’s struggle against the constraints of the Victorian era to follow her dreams. Beneath that, redemption is threaded throughout: the heroine learning that she has the right to exist and thrive despite abandonment, the hero’s rehabilitation through love, and the triumph of fighting for one’s sanity.

Who or what inspired your story?

The story is obviously more than a slight nod to Sherlock Holmes, but is actually a tribute to my family. I was born in Baltimore and heard many stories of this time period (around 1900). The characters all represent some aspect of my own psychological journey or that of my mother and grandparents. My ancestors were Irish potato famine immigrants on the one side, fairly well-to-do Brits on the other, with a hefty dose of the normal family trials and tribulations on both.

What do you like best about your primary characters?

I like how at the same time my heroine, Lillian, is fragile, on the brink of a meltdown, but with an iron will and backbone that makes her triumphant. She is the epitome of kick-ass! My hero is haughty and brooding and everything I love in fictional characters—a bad boy, for sure.

What are their worst peculiarities?

Lillian Holmes is kind-hearted, but is a bit out of touch with reality and how her words and acts can affect those she cares deeply about (like her would-be uncle, Sherlock). George is fairly self-absorbed, having seen it all and done it all in his centuries on earth.

How does your main character evolve?

Lillian’s growth is immense. She learns that burying her pain with elixirs laced with morphine isn’t a cure for what ails her. With a bit of help, she digs into very painful issues from her past and takes control of her life, enters life more fully rather than hiding in fantasies, and gives herself permission to pursue her dreams. She opens up not only to the love from another, but to loving herself.

What’s the principal message you want to send to your audience?

That life is messy and a journey fraught with struggle, but it is by the struggle we learn how to love and be happy.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about your book?

Particularly, I liked what author Susan Squires said about it, because it gets to the heart of things:  “Lillian is a unique character, with real problems and a great way of shielding herself psychologically from her past. And the tortured vampire hero is perfect for her. Think a delightfully reluctant female Sherlock Holmes meets a very sexy Dracula, who has just supped on her next door neighbor.”

Where can we purchase it?

Amazon, Boroughs Publishing Group, Barnes & Noble and All Romance eBooks

About Ciar Cullen

Ciar (KEE-er) Cullen hails from Baltimore, Maryland. She started her academic life as a theater major, but when she learned she couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag she turned to archaeology, another love. She earned her degree at Indiana University, summered on digs in Greece and England, landed a gig in New Jersey, and eventually went into nonfiction publishing. Her third career is as a bureaucrat at a university. She is married to a photographer and has two cats. Eventually she hopes to retire to a small cabin, with the same husband and more cats.

Ciar is not one of those authors who dreamt of writing since childhood. She took up the virtual pen on a dare in mid-life and forgot to stop. She loves reading just about anything, but especially nonfiction. Some of her favorite novelists are Mark Twain, E.L. Doctorow, Roger Zelazney, and yes, Nora Roberts. When she¹s not reading or writing, she loves to knit, to study all things Major League Baseball, and to jog.

Lillian Holmes & the Leaping Man Tour Dates

Friday 20^th September – Virtual Writers, Inc. (interview)

Saturday 21^st September  – Amy Metz from A Blue Million Books (interview)

Sunday 22^nd September – Dianne Bylo from Tome Tender Book Blog (review & guest post)

Monday 23^rd September –  Twitter Chat with Ciar Cullen Noon EST/5pm GMT

Tuesday 24^th September – Ciar Cullen

Wednesday 25^th September  – Charlee from Smart Girls Love SciFi & Paranormal Romance (review)

Thursday 26th September – Bella from Paranormal Book Club (interview)

Friday 27^th September – Karenne from Coffee Time Romance (guest post)

Saturday 28^th September – Jesse Kimmel-Freeman (review and promo)

Sunday 29^th September  – Sarka-Jonae Miller from Between Boyfriends (guest post)

Monday 30^th September – C.M Brown (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Writer) (guest post & review )

Tuesday 1^st October  – Robin Kalinich (guest post)

Wednesday 2^nd October –  Natalie-Nicole Bates (guest post and promo)

Thursday 3^rd October  – Suzanne Lazear from Steamed! (guest post) & Tana Rae from Tana Rae Reads (promo)

Tour Giveaway

Ciar and her publisher, Boroughs Publishing Group, will be awarding a 10-book subscription to their Lunchbox Romance line, which will include The Shopgirl and the Vampire, Ciar’s precursor to Lillian Holmes and the Leaping Man.

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