The story of how the new novel An Immortal Sacrifice came to be is not unlike the hijinks of classic movies and TV we enjoyed growing up, such as The Parent Trap, Sister Sister or any Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen caper.
Twin sisters Deniz and Summer fell in love with The Vampire Diaries TV series. More specifically, the sexual-tension-filled relationship between the characters Klaus and Caroline who (despite fans' demands for a Klaronline future) never really ended up together.
To satisfy their desire to see that relationship come to fruition, they took to the world of fan fiction looking to see if anyone had written an alternative version of the show where the couple got their happy ending but they didn't find anything that scratched the itch.
So during the height of the pandemic when we were all confined to our houses, Deniz and Summer created the author persona "Denise Summers" and began writing a book inspired by their favourite characters. Deniz did the actual writing while Summer consulted on the story. The two were bubbled together so they would meet at each other's houses or FaceTime each other to strategize the plot and discuss the characters.
It was an 18-month-long process, Summer told Vancouver Is Awesome, but An Immortal Sacrifice was published by indie publisher Koehler Books in June and has all the hallmarks of a BookTok book with a 4.7 rating on Goodreads which, if you know anything about the platform, you know is hard to come by. It's Twilight-esque and the angsty paranormal romance plot is a throwback to everything we loved about books in 2010.
The story centres on Kalum an immortal angel and demon hybrid who frees himself from a cave he's been trapped in for thousands of years only to land in present-day Maine. He meets Genevieve who is immune to his powers (sound familiar?) and is drawn to her and the answers she might have about his imprisonment.
The plot blends drama like high end-of-the-world stakes with levity when Kalum, unfamiliar with modern times, relies on romantic comedies to woo Genevieve. And people are eating it up. The book has completely sold out of hardcovers in Canada and there are only two left in the US and the UK. Paperbacks and E-book copies are still available internationally on Amazon.
Summer attributes some of the early success to social media saying the two of them have been working hard to market the book and get the word out on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
The sisters have big long-term plans for Denise Summers and the An Immortal Sacrifice and are already working on book three of the four-book series. But for now, to celebrate the release and early success, they are holding a public book launch party in Langley on July 23 at Jimy Mac's Pub. Tickets are on sale now and there promises to be burgers, booze, and prizes up for grabs like gift baskets and a 50/50 draw. And of course, you can buy the book there too.
