Seeker (Companion Book)

by Taryn Browning

1. Welcome to Girls on YA Books, Kai! How does it feel to be here?

  This is my first interview, so it should be interesting.

  2. Is Kai your actual name or is it short for something?

  Yup, I was born with the name Kai Andrew Sterdam.

  3. Do you remember much of your childhood? (If so what are some of your "brightest" memories of?)

  You could say I was a normal teenager with an average childhood. You know, single family home in the burbs, two parents and a dog. I played baseball for my high school and got pretty good grades. I wasn’t the most popular but I certainly wasn’t an outcast. I was on course to graduate with a scholarship for baseball. I never had any siblings. But I guess that would just give me someone else to have left behind.

  4. What was it like the day you were changed?

  Hot. I lived in Tucson so other than the monsoon season, it was hot and dry. My friends and I were downtown. We checked out a few shops and grabbed something to eat, Mexican, I think. I remember buying some outdated cassette tape *laughs* I don’t even think anyone owns cassette players anymore. I don’t really remember much from the actual change, which is probably a good thing.

  5. How hard was it to adapt to the world after you were given a heart?

  Very, as you know. I did some horrible things trying to adjust to my newly granted humanity. After living so many years without a soul, suddenly feeling again was very overwhelming. It was hard to deny the part of me that was innately evil for so long.

  6. If you had the chance to go back to the day you were "changed" would you take it all back and stop it? Why or why not?

  Wow *exhales* I don’t know. I mean, of course I miss my old life, my human life, and my parents. But that would mean I’d never meet Janie. She’s taught me a lot about myself and who I want to be.

  7. What was your first impression of Janie?

  That she was stubborn, feisty, at times reckless, frustrating…should I go on? *laughs* But then I noticed something else…she was unbelievably adorable and irritating in the best way.

  8. When did you realize you were in love with Janie?

  I think I loved her before I even realized what love was. The night Jerome came to ask Janie to rescue Tanya, the thought of Janie going back into that lair alone terrified me. What I didn’t realize was it was because I cared about her. Somehow losing her seemed unbearable.

  9. If you could have anything in the world what would it be?

  Hmm, I don’t know. I kind of like life the way it is now. Janie and I working together to rid Baltimore of Daychildren. I guess if I could have one thing, it would be to go back in time and change the event that caused Janie to fear love. She lived so many years isolated from others for fear she’d get hurt again.

  10. Ok, so we know where the motorcycle came from (which is pretty freakin awesome by the way) but where did the scythe come from?

  I’d like to say it’s as cool of a story as Janie’s, but no, my mother didn’t pass a deadly weapon down to me. She was more of the church-going type and less of the beheading type. It was after I’d been granted my humanity. I found it in some random shop and really liked it. I’ve been using it ever since. It’s definitely effective.

  11. Would you consider yourself the romantic type?

  Haha, no! I’m not really into the whole chocolate and roses thing. I guess I show my feelings through action…and sarcasm. Since meeting Janie I’ve gotten better at expressing my feelings in other ways.

  12. What is it like having the power you possess and the skill to fight?

  It’s cool. I like being able to do things that others can’t. They certainly come in handy

  when I’m up against a Daychild with an ability.

  13. If you could describe yourself in three words what would they be?

  Good-looking *smirks*, tough, flawed—but I’m working on that one *smiles*

  14. What were your first thoughts when you stepped through the door and saw Janie's mentor and mother?

  Some four-letter words for sure. I was to say the least, shocked…and then, well, regretful.

  15. When did you decide that you were going to kill your own kind?

  It took awhile. The transition back to humanity was excruciating. To suddenly have a conscience after all I’d done. It took a few months before I could even go out into society. Then one day I knew in order to make up for what I’d done I had to kill the monsters who took my life from me. Stop them from harming anyone else. I’m still working on that one.

  Readers' Favorite Quotes from Dark Seeker

  “Going from love to loneliness was worse than not knowing love at all.”

  “It kind of sucked when she had to take a break from fighting evil to use her inhaler.”

  “She radiated pure hatred; a hatred that could only develop when you love someone - the fine line between love and hate had been crossed.”

  “Unfortunately for her, he was her weakness.”

  “Janie - with you, life is always interesting.”

  “His green eyes blazed with an impassioned craving to want and to be wanted.”

  “She didn't get along with people, and she definitely did not get along with the undead.”

  “Can we kick some vampire ass already?”

  “He smiled, immediately making Janie forgive him for lurking like a stalker in her bedroom.”

  “She wondered how long it had been since someone had really cared about him, and showed it.”

  “It couldn't be true. She'd finally put her guard down, tried to trust in someone other than her mother and Abram. She'd finally found someone to love. It couldn't be. God couldn't be so cruel.”

  “He hoped Janie's mother would be more focused on helping Janie than killing him.”

  “It wasn't like being face to face with a human. He didn't need air to breathe. She noticed sometimes he did, an instinct left over from his human years. Janie paused to feel his heartbeat under her chest. It sped quickly, in equal rhythm with hers. She counted the beats to make certain his heart really beat. It did.”

  “There was something different about the way he regarded her. She wasn't the most intuitive when it came to the opposite sex, let alone the opposite species, but something had changed.”

  5-Star Review of Dark Seeker

  (SupaGurl Books)

  Check out reviews for all of Taryn's books, including The Seeker Series, on Goodreads.

  Review: 5x5 *with some hottie bad boy thrown in*

  Where to start? Janie is our awesome kick butt MC. There are so many things that I love about her but I will tell you a few... She is a strong-willed *stubborn* girl. She is a seeker and instead of complaining about having to do her job and repeat High School she goes out and looks for the Vampires and Daychildren to kick their BUTTS! She is fun and snarky but she holds herself back from everyone. She lost her dad and doesn't think love is worth the risk. 

  Kai....Oh how I fell for this boy from the moment he jumped on the page. All hello, I'm here and look at me cause I'm bada@@! He is amazing considering all he's been through *nope not telling*. He is a strong, sexy, snarky and very loveable guy. Some of my fave lines in the book all come from him! I really went all fangirl for him :) 

  All the characters are really well written they have depth and are very believable not once did I think, now they wouldn't do/say that! I love when characters are real!

  This is a wicked tale! It's original and flows really well. There is great action, mystery, and Romance *yes I meant to capitalize that*. Everything works so well together. Well thought out and you don't have to make yourself believe any of it as your reading ... you just do. Get this AMAZING story NOW!

  Author Bio

  Taryn Browning writes novels for young adults. She's also an avid reader and dreamer with a crazy imagination. Her debut urban fantasy is Dark Seeker. The sequel, Dark Return, is out now. You can also check out the prequel novella, Dark Beauty. Her newest paranormal romance, Whispering Hills, and urban fa
ntasy, Emanare, were released in 2012.

  Taryn graduated with a BS in Education from Towson University and went on to earn a MS in Reading from Hood College. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, music, movies, and the beach. Some of her favorite TV shows growing up included Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed and Angel. For as long as she can remember she's loved all things fantastical, paranormal and magical.

  Visit Taryn her at www.tarynbrowning.com, www.yafictionauthor.blogspot.com, on twitter (@TarynBrowning), and facebook (Taryn Browning & Dark Seeker).