Welcome, friend! A few weeks back I joined MTMC Tour for a book promo. Today I am excited to feature the book The Blood that Binds Us, a Dark Romantic Fantasy, on the blog. It is a pleasure to host Erin Mainord for an interview and learn more about her work. Let’s welcome Erin and learn more about the book!
Get to know the author: Erin Mainord
Hi Erin! Welcome to Armed with A Book. Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!
Hi, I’m Erin, and if you haven’t guessed by now, I’m more than a little obsessed with all things fantasy and morally gray characters. I’m a wife and mom to a little boy, I currently live on a very tiny island off the coast of Alaska, and I survive on cold brewed iced coffee. I hold a degree in Film and Media Studies, but decided to shift my focus to where my true passion lies—writing dark fantasies with messy relationships.
What inspired you to write this book?
These characters wouldn’t shut up, hah! I tease, but in all honesty, I carried these characters around in my head for many years before I decided I was actually going to sit down and write their story. I found myself thinking about them and seeing little glimpses of certain scenes when I would hear certain song lyrics, or be out hiking in the woods, and I was just constantly being compelled to get their voices out of my head and on paper.
How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?
These characters lived in my head for many, many years, but I didn’t start writing THE BLOOD THAT BINDS US until 2020. I had just moved to a very remote island off the coast of Alaska and decided, I’m finally going to write this book, and so I did! It took me a little over a year to write the book and complete several rounds of revisions until it was ready to be pitched to industry professionals. After the book sold to a small press publisher in 2022, it was time for… you guessed it, ANOTHER round of revisions. The final version was completed in summer of 2022, and then it was published in May, 2023.
Who would enjoy reading your book?
Readers who enjoy books that are deep and dark and are gluttons for tension between characters. THE BLOOD THAT BINDS US is a second-world fantasy, but it has several elements of dark romance pulled through it. It is a true enemies-to-lovers story, including all the complicated, twisted, and downright messy parts that go along with that. I think it will appeal to readers who enjoy the sweeping fantasy worlds of Carissa Broadbent, but also love the dark relationships in Emily McIntire’s and Sophie Lark’s books.
What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?
Both the main characters in THE BLOOD THAT BINDS US have experienced trauma and cope with it in very different ways. I think this is what ultimately attracts the characters to one another despite their apparent differences—each of them sees parts of themselves in the other, and perhaps envies how the other has seemingly numbed themselves to their own pain. Both these characters are morally gray, both make mistakes, both are complicated and messy, but there is a sort of magnetism between them that neither can deny. In summary, my point is that we ALL cope and heal in our own ways, and sometimes, those ways are far from perfect. For many, we are simply doing what we must in order to survive, and my hope is that readers may see parts of themselves in these characters, their healing journeys, and take away that we are all worthy of love.
Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?
This is a slow burn romance, but once it starts burning… IT BURNS! Some of my favorite scenes in the book are ones that have a lot of close-proximity tension, and the kind that has the readers screaming, “JUST KISS ALREADY!” One scene in particular happens shortly after an argument ensues between them, and they find themselves alone in the woods at night. I won’t give away any spoilers, but let’s just say, it *may* end up with the FMC pushed against a tree with his hands on either side of her head. The tension in that scene about sends me to the chiropractor every time I read it.
The Blood That Binds Us is the first book in The Bound by Blood series. Tell me about the series. Do you already know how many books it will have?
The Bound by Blood series will be a trilogy. Book 2 is currently with my publisher, and I am almost halfway through the first draft of Book 3. I am so excited (impatiently so) to be able to share Book 2 with readers because the character arcs that are in store for these two… I adore the trajectory of their relationship, and love watching as they work through all the wonderfully horrible obstacles I am obligated to throw at them as their author.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?
Absolutely the best piece of writing advice I’ve received is that “You cannot edit a blank page.” Every writer has a different method to the madness, but for me, I cannot reread anything I write while I am drafting. I am far too much of a perfectionist for that, and will surely drive myself crazy nit-picking and wanting to “make that better,” and “tighten this prose,” and I’ll never get the story written if I do that. Instead, I treat the first draft as me telling the story to myself. Once the story is out of my head and on paper, then I can start focusing on the details and quality of writing to whip it into shape for telling the story to my readers.
If you could give a shout out to someone(s) who has helped in your writer journey, please feel free to mention them below!
My wonderful author siblings from Lake Country Press. I have met so many ridiculously talented writers through my small press, and they have become critique partners, beta readers, and most importantly, friends. Also, the founder of Lake Country Press, Brittany Weisrock, who adopted my manuscript from her slush pile and thought it would make a pretty neat book! She has my eternal gratitude for taking a chance on me, and has been a great champion for my work.
The Blood that Binds Us
Romantic Fantasy, Published 2023
She is the wielder of blood magic,
and she may end them all.
“Monster…”
Wren has never stolen a life, but that doesn’t stop her from believing her darkness makes her a walking nightmare. Harboring a power so lethal, unpredictable, and entirely forbidden by kingdom law, Wren’s spent her whole life hiding what she is—who she is. A bloodwitch.
Meanwhile, a war is looming, and Wren’s feral magic may be the only thing that can stop the uprising from destroying the kingdom, her home, and everyone that stands in their way. After her sister is captured by the rebellion, Wren must seek help from the kingdom’s ruler who would sooner imprison her than offer aid. Except… Singard needs her, and when she volunteers the use of her power in exchange for his help finding her sister, an unlikely alliance is born.
Forced into a reluctant compromise with the “white-haired witch,” Sin finds himself protecting Wren for his kingdom’s survival, but their star-crossed relationship quickly spirals into one straddling the precipice of hate and passion. As secrets are unveiled and loyalties are tested, neither are sure who they can trust.
When hostilities deepen and war draws near, Wren is determined to rein in her wild magic and bind it to her will. With the lives of everyone she loves at stake, Wren must look within and decide if she is the monster she fears, or if there is light to be found in the darkest parts of herself.
Content notes: Alcohol consumption, biting, choking, death, descriptions of blood, explicit language, explicit sexual content, mention of child abuse, sexual assault (including attempted rape on-page and mention of it occurring in the past,) sexual kinks (blood and knife play,) talk and threats of genocide of fantasy creatures, violence
Book Excerpt from
The Blood that Binds Us
Sin reaches for the buttons on his tunic.
I clear my throat. “Are you going to undress in front of me?”
He makes a spinning motion with two of his fingers, signaling for me to turn around. “You don’t have to watch. Unless you want to.”
I sneer at his lazy grin and turn my back to him, sitting in the blanket of tall grass. Water splashes softly behind me as he wades in and begins to wash himself. I pull one of the cigar-shaped flowers to my nose and inhale its marshy aroma, the earthy smell a reminder of home. A home I may never see again thanks to Sin, his kingdom, and the godforsaken Legion that spiraled me into this mess.
“What are you going to do with me when we return?” I ask.
“Despite my attempt to be fair with you, witch, you lied to me and assaulted me.”
“You would have arrested me on the spot—you cannot fault me for defending myself.”
“I have killed men for less.”
“Then why am I still breathing, Blackheart?” I should probably stop antagonizing him, but his superiority complex coats my tongue with bile.
“You’re of better use to me alive—for now. I can smell them on you—filthy, rebellion trash. You’re harboring their secrets. You can either share them willingly, or I can rip them from your tongue myself. It’s your choice, witch.”
“I. Told. You—I’m not working with them,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Then who?”
I whirl around to bark my response, but the sight of the Black Art, water dripping from the ends of his coal black hair and trailing down the hard planes of his chest, leaves the words swollen in my throat. Despite the vulnerability that comes with being exposed, he is more intimidating without his clothes. Sin may possess superior magic, but he isn’t underestimating the power of a physical fight either. His bare chest is broad and defined, his stomach sculpted by years of swordsmanship all the way down to where the water ripples above his groin.
Being Dusaro’s son, he would have fought in the war with Baelliarah, slitting men’s throats in battle before most boys could properly slit a deer’s for supper. During Ephraim’s reign, transcendents fled to our closest neighbor in an attempt to escape the prejudices thrust upon them. Baelliarah welcomed them with grace, but when Ephraim learned what they were doing, Aegidale invaded and fought for the return of the shifters, unwilling to risk that Baelliarah was using them to pad their own armies in preparation to attack our island. One glance at Sin’s arms confirms he could easily overpower me in physical combat should he decide to get friendly with the iron again.
I raise my eyes to meet his, his irises the same shade as the lush carpet of algae growing on the river rocks and appearing almost reflective in the moonlight. “I. Work. For. No. One.”
His stare hardens. “My father will never believe that.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing your father isn’t the Black Art,” I snap.
“Remind me of your father’s name again,” he challenges, calling me on my lie from earlier. I don’t answer but hold his stare as he searches both my eyes. “I thought so.”
“I saved your life.”
“And that’s the only reason I haven’t killed you yet. Now unless you want to be plagued with filthy thoughts about me, witch, I suggest you turn around so I can dress. It’s your turn to bathe—you stink.”
My eyes hurt from how far back I roll them, but I turn and listen as the rushing water makes way around him as he wades to land and dresses. I don’t comment on the detail he let slip—my possible knowledge of Legion secrets is not the only reason he let me live. Stopping that arrow from penetrating his cold, brutal heart must have plucked a string on it after all.
He tells me when he’s clothed, and I gather the skirts of my dress in my hands. Peering over my shoulder to make sure he is looking away, I slip it over my head and toss it on the bank before dipping a toe in the water. Goosebumps erupt on my arms and legs like an infectious blight as I step in deeper, the gelid water wringing the warmth from my veins. Being a head shorter than Sin, the water clothes me to the tops of my breasts. I shake my braid loose and lean back so it unravels into the rushing water, letting the river cleanse it of dirt and debris.
I use the silence to rack my thoughts for a plan. Now that I am tethered to him, if I make the decision to run, it is a lifetime sentence. How long will Cosmina and the others wait for me to return before they come looking, risking themselves for the sake of my freedom? If I manage to slip away from Sin, I could send word to my family to keep them from looking for me—maybe leave a note at the inn for Cosmina—but spending the remainder of my life fleeing from dark corners to abandoned alleys doesn’t seem like a life worth living. I need more time.
With a final wring of my hair, I deem I’m as clean as I’m going to get and glance back to Sin before turning around, finding his near reflective eyes burning a hole into my back.
I slap the water like one might smack a horse’s behind, sending a wave of bitingly cold spray towards him. “Don’t watch!”
He sidesteps the assaulting water with ease and crosses his arms against his chest. “The last time I lost sight of you, you made me chase you half the day. I’m not in the hunting mood tonight, witch.”
“I also wasn’t tethered to you with your dirty spell,” I hiss. “And unless you want to be tested with less than pious thoughts about me, I suggest you turn around.”
Not so much as a flicker of amusement crosses his face before he spins on his heels and stares out into the darkened woods. Careful of the loose river rocks beneath my bruised and swollen feet, I trudge towards the bank and step onto dry land. I pluck my dress from the ground and bunch the fabric together to step into the skirts and—what is that?
Inked into the skin along my left hip bone is a small black heart. I press my fingers against the design—its lines too elegant and delicate to symbolize something so cruel, but there it sits, unassuming on my body as if it has been there forever—Blackheart’s black heart.
“YOU BRANDED ME!” I knew the tethering spell bound us together by magic, but to physically mark me—my fingers curl at my sides, and not caring that I’m naked, I shove my hands against his back.
Faster than I can track the movement, he spins and grabs my hands, holding them too tightly in both of his. His lips curl into a grin as if a facetious thought crosses his mind, unfazed by my attempted assault.
“I told you—you’re mine. That,” he looks at the dainty heart inked into my skin, “is to make sure you don’t forget.” His eyes flash back to mine, not trailing to look at any other part of me besides my hip, and I can’t hold it back—I spit at the Black Art’s feet.
Interested?
Find The Blood that Binds Us on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Connect with Erin on Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, her website, Goodreads and Amazon.
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