Tour: Deadly Obsession by Kristine Cayne (Guest Post & Giveaway)

Please give a warm welcome to romantic suspense author, Kristine Cayne!

I’m very happy to be here at Reading Between the Wines to celebrate the launch of my new book Deadly Obsession, as well as the launch of my Virtual Book Tour presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

Nic Lamoureux, the hero of Deadly Obsession, is an Oscar-winning movie star. At one point in the story, he is given the honor of having his hands and feet immortalized in cement at the renowned Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in a footprint ceremony.

To write about this ceremony, I needed to do some research. Fortunately for me, Grauman’s is very well documented. Let’s go for a quick tour and I’ll share with you some of what I’ve learned!

The History

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was built in 1926 by Sid Grauman. Most of the statues and art were imported from China to add authenticity. Still a working theater today, Grauman’s began its long tradition of hosting Hollywood movie premieres back in 1927 with the debut of the silent version of “King of Kings.”

In the 1940s, Grauman’s even hosted the Academy Awards.

The Exterior

Located on Hollywood Boulevard, the exterior of the theater brings to mind a large red pagoda. It features a huge dragon along the front, and two authentic Heaven Dogs guard the main entrance. Small dragon silhouettes line the sides of the theater’s copper roof. In Chinese culture, the number of animals lining the roof represents the status of the building’s owner. For example, since nine is the largest odd single-digit number, it was reserved for the emperor. The Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City in Beijing has seven animals, one dragon, and one immortal riding a phoenix for a total of nine.

The Interior

In the lobby, amid the red and gold décor, visitors can admire murals of life in China as well as the huge Chinese chandelier. Wax figures wearing authentic Chinese costumes are displayed in glass cases.

The theater auditorium seats 2,200. Here too, the décor runs to red and another chandelier hangs in the center of an ornately designed ceiling. An excellent photo of the starburst design surrounding the chandelier appears in Robert Berger’s The Last Remaining Seats. See #11 in the slideshow (http://www.robertbergerphotography.com/seats.html).

The Forecourt

This is where the footprint ceremonies take place. Forty-foot curved walls with copper-topped turrets shield the theater’s legendary forecourt. Two million visitors a year wander around the tall lotus-shaped fountains and artistic decorations to locate the hand and footprints of their favorite stars.

Given the size of the forecourt, space is at a premium. Less than two hundred celebrities have been honored by Grauman’s.  However, since a dozen or so are being added each year, I think Grauman’s must be “recycling” some of the less sought-after tiles.

Footprint Ceremonies

It is said that the idea for immortalizing stars in this way came about when Norma Talmadge, the star of “King of Kings,” came to visit the still under-construction theater and accidentally stepped in wet cement.

Stars from all over the word and of all ages have been honored by a ceremony, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who share a rather large tile. Pierre David Guetta, a widely celebrated French DJ and music producer, is the most recent honoree, with a ceremony on December 3, 2011.

National Stalking Awareness Month

But being a Hollywood movie star is not all fame and ceremonies. Nic Lamoureux, the hero of Deadly Obsession, is pursued by a stalker who’ll stop at nothing to possess him. But contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be a star to have a stalker. In fact, 3.4 million Americans are victims of this crime each year. The odds are someone you know has been stalked.

To raise awareness, January 2012 has been named National Stalking Awareness Month. Throughout the month, I’m blogging about stalking—types of stalkers and their behaviors, famous cases, and stalking in popular culture. Please visit my blog (http://blog.kristinecayne.com) to learn more about this crime and how we can all help its victims.

Where Can I find Deadly Obsession?

Deadly Obsession is available in print and/or e-book format at the following retailers :  Amazon, Barnes and Noble & Smashwords

When an Oscar-winning movie star meets a department-store photographer… Movie star Nic Lamoureux appears to have a playboy’s perfect life. But it’s a part he plays, an act designed to conceal a dark secret he carries on his shoulders. His empty days and nights are a meaningless blur until he meets the woman who fulfills all his dreams. She and her son are the family he’s always wanted—if she can forgive a horrible mistake from his past.
 A Hollywood dream… Lauren James, a widowed single mother, earns barely enough money to support herself and her son. When she wins a photography contest and meets Nic, the man who stars in all her fantasies, her dreams, both professional and personal, are on the verge of becoming real. The attraction between Lauren and Nic is instant—and mutual. Their chemistry burns out of control during a photo shoot that could put Lauren on the fast track to a lucrative career.
 Becomes a Hollywood nightmare But an ill-advised kiss makes front-page news, and the lurid headlines threaten everything Nic and Lauren have hoped for. Before they know what’s happening, their relationship is further rocked by an obsessed and cunning stalker who’ll stop at nothing—not even murder—to have Nic to herself. When Nic falls for Lauren, the stalker zeroes in on her as the competition.
 And the competition must be eliminated.

Excerpt:

Lauren rolled her eyes. “Fine. Do it.”

Nic bent down and brushed his lips against hers. For the first few seconds, she didn’t kiss him back, but she didn’t push him away, either. Then, on a sigh, she leaned into him and her arms locked around his neck. His tongue darted out to taste her bottom lip. Mmm… cherry—his new favorite flavor. When her mouth opened, he didn’t hesitate.

He dove in. And drowned.

He’d meant this to be a quick kiss, only now he just couldn’t stop. His lips traced a path to her throat. Cupping her bottom with his hands, he lifted her up, grinding against her. She moaned. It was a beautiful sound, one he definitely wanted to hear again.

A loud noise pierced the fog of his lust. He raised his head from where he’d been nuzzling Lauren’s apple-scented neck to tell whoever it was to fuck off, but as the sexual haze cleared, he swallowed the words. The paparazzi had gathered around, applauding and calling out crude encouragements. Some snapped photos while others rolled film. Shit. He’d pay for this fuck-up and so would she. 

 About the author:

Kristine Cayne is fascinated by the mysteries of human psychology—twisted secrets, deep-seated beliefs, out-of-control desires. Add in high-stakes scenarios and real-world villains, and you have a story worth writing, and reading. The heroes and heroines of her Deadly Vices series, beginning with Deadly Obsession, are pitted against each other by their radically opposing life experiences. By overcoming their differences and finding common ground, they triumph over their enemies and find true happiness in each other’s arms.Today she lives in the Pacific Northwest, thriving on the mix of cultures, languages, religions and ideologies. When she’s not writing, she’s people-watching, imagining entire life stories, and inventing all sorts of danger for the unsuspecting heroes and heroines who cross her path. Find out more at Kristine's website or connect with her on FaceBook and Twitter! 

~*GIVEAWAY*~

Kristine is graciously giving away one digital copy of Deadly Obsession to one lucky reader! To enter, just leave a comment on this post and then fill out the RaffleCopter below with your name and email address. Additional entries are available but not required! Kristine is also hosting a tour wide giveaway of one signed print copy to a US resident, to enter just fill out this FORM. 

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