Wendy reviews ‘Escaping Mortality (The Escape Trilogy, Book 3)’ by Sara Dobie Bauer. Published by Nine Star Press, January 28,2019, 127 pages.
Their ocean journey was successful, and Andrew and Edmund found an Elder just in time. As they wished, Edmund is now a vampire like Andrew. They have eternity together, but first, they must visit Edmund’s ailing mother in the English countryside with their flock of immortals, including the Elder, who has taken an ominous liking to his new creation.
When they arrive at Edmund’s family estate, his sick mother and her loathsome best friend await them. While ducking religious curses, Edmund struggles to harness an unexpected power gifted him by the Elder. Andrew fears for his beloved as Edmund becomes more and more monstrous—but vampires have always been monsters, haven’t they?
A battle is coming, for Edmund’s heart and his soul, and Andrew will lose neither. He escaped island exile and a near tragedy at sea to be with Edmund, the beautiful young sailor he loves. Andrew will do anything to keep Edmund by his side, but his most dangerous adversary may be Edmund himself.
*A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review
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*~*~*~*Sara Dobie Bauer is joining us today to celebrate her release of the final book of the ‘Escape’ Trilogy and has graciously agreed to let me interview her.*~*~*~*
Sara, congratulations on the release of ‘Escaping Mortality’ the final book in the escape trilogy! And thank you for joining us here at Rainbow Gold Reviews. Our readers love interviews and are always super excited to learn a little bit about the authors they read.
RGR: Your latest release was the last installment of the Escape Trilogy, Escaping Mortality. What was the inspiration for this series?
I wish I could tell you!!! Honestly, I operate via muses, aka hot men just get the creative juices flowing. (That was not a sex joke.) For the Escape Trilogy, I blame a lot of Andrew’s character on Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan. All the jungle imagery and violence and, well, perfect abdominal muscles. Yeah, the muse swung in on a vine and birthed the idea of a murderous vampire exiled on an island when a sexy, brilliant sailor washes up on shore.
RGR: You have several paranormal books; do you like that genre best or does something about it call to you to write it?
I love monsters and scary stories. I always have, since I was a little kid. I’m obsessed with horror movies, so I’d blame my upbringing on my fixation on the paranormal. I was the kid sneaking into defunct haunted houses and cemeteries. (I’m still that kid, only all grown up.) I like playing with the paranormal in my fiction. Real life can be kind of boring; why not add some magic? Or vampires? Or witches? You name the creepy critter, I’ve probably written about it.
RGR: What do you think makes a good story?
Good character makes good story. I have author friends who are staunch outliners. They focus on plot, plot, plot, and character second. I think this is a huge mistake. Character has to come first. If you can create a layered, relatable protagonist, you’ve got a good story. Same goes for the “villain.” (I love a good villain.) Give the characters depth and motive, and the plot builds around them.
RGR: Is there anything special about your writing process? Perhaps a ritual or habit that you need before you can write?
Not really. I need silence. I know a lot of authors write to music. I could never do that. It’s gotta be silent for me to create, which is why I can’t create in public. (I also talk to myself a lot while I’m writing, so me working in public just freaks people out.) I try to write every morning and let the characters just drag me around.
RGR: Your characters in the Escape Trilogy are unapologetic about embracing some rather monstrous characteristics. Is there a reason that you didn’t feel they needed to hide the darkness inside of themselves?
I’m a big proponent of being honest about our internal demons. As someone who suffers from depression and social anxiety, I speak openly about my “bad days” and “bad thoughts,” which has spurned other people to share their own mental illness stories with me. I love that the characters in the Escape Trilogy are so honest about the bad things they’ve done, especially Edmund, who seems so very happy and sweet at first. Later, though, his demons come out, and Andrew loves him anyway. That’s a good tip for ya: find someone who can love both the good and the bad, someone who loves you for both your strengths and weaknesses. In the words of Hozier, “Don’t you ever tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash.”
RGR: Do you find you prefer writing novel sized books that may or may not be stand-alone or do you like the shorter serial novellas?
I never plan how long a story is going to be. I just write until the story is finished—until the characters kindly inform me their tale has come to a close. It’s so hard to set out to write a certain word count, so I just go with the flow and see where I end up.
RGR: What will you be working on next?
In March, I have a M/M Victorian romance coming out with Carnation Books called A Lord to Love. No paranormal in this one! Just a strange business proposal, a snarky young lord, and an older gentleman completely in his thrall. Then, in October, Pen and Kink Publishing will release my very witchy Southern gothic novel Destiny’s Dark Light. If you’re into tragic lovers and a bit of danger on the French Quarter streets of Charleston, SC, this is the book for you.
RGR: How can we stalk *cough* I mean, follow you?
Please stalk me! I’m all over social media, but here are the individual links below. Come find me, and let’s play. I’m swimming in a Timothee Chalamet pool right now while writing a YA gay romantic comedy set in Florida. Hope you love the Escape Trilogy, and let’s keep in touch!
Start reading Escaping Exile, book one of the Escape Trilogy: https://www.amazon.com/Escaping-Exile-Escape-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B07FTWQX7P/
Website: https://saradobiebauer.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSaraDobieBauer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaraDobie
Tumblr: https://saradobiebauer.tumblr.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saradobiebauer/
This is the final book in the ‘Escape’ trilogy and needs to be read in order. You can read my reviews of the first two books in the trilogy here: ‘Escaping Exile’ and ‘Escaping Solitude’.
There’s a certain heartache that I get when a series or trilogy as the case may be comes to an end. I know that the author can’t continue the stories forever and I’d miss out on anything else they did that was wonderful too, but still… it hurts a little bit to see them come to an end until I realize that they can be revisited anytime I wish. I saw someone post something on Facebook today that basically said “We don’t just re-read our books we re-love our books when we re-read them” *I may have misquoted but the sentiment is the same*. That made me smile because it is absolutely the truth!
So, yeah. I’m sad because this was the last installment of the trilogy, but, it needed to be done and Sara Dobie Bauer is one helluva author and wrote an EPIC ending to this tale!
The cliffhanger that the last book ended with was quickly resolved at least as far as poor Edmund’s life was concerned but it came at a price. Another adventure begins as Edmund’s Elder travels with him and his chosen family to visit Edmund’s ailing mother and that brings about an entirely new set of problems. Duuuuudes… the elder is scary af!
I love Edmund and Andrew and their steadfast love for each other. Sometimes despite their not so pretty sides and sometimes because of them. For all of Andrew’s years and for all of Edmund’s brains these guys keep learning and adjusting, being fascinated and fascinating. They are once again gritty and realistic and so much fun to follow as they go along.
We get to see a bit about how all the characters came to be the way they are and they all have such stories! I wouldn’t mind if we heard a little more about some of them at some point in the future if the author were so inclined to tell us but I’m happy making my own stories up about them just in case.
This story is filled with action and drama. It has plenty of angsty moments that will make your heart break a little and it is probably my newest favorite paranormal series of all time! I will definitely be re-loving this trilogy often! ❤
10/10 Pots of Gold or 100% recommended
*Author photo credit to Steph Gentry*
Sara Dobie Bauer is a bestselling author, model, and mental health / LGBTQ advocate with a creative writing degree from Ohio University. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she lives with her hottie husband and two precious pups in Northeast Ohio, although she’d really like to live in a Tim Burton film. She is author of the paranormal rom-com Bite Somebody series, among other sexy things. Learn more at http://SaraDobieBauer.com.
SARA DOBIE BAUER SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSaraDobieBauer/
https://twitter.com/saradobie
https://www.instagram.com/saradobiebauer/
https://saradobiebauer.tumblr.com/
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