Today I’m thrilled to welcome over and interview Maggie Mundy, author of Hidden Mortality, a Paranormal Romance.
Publisher: Soulmate Publishing
Date of Publication: 6th February 18, 2014
ISBN:-13:978-1-61935-329-9
ASIN: B00I911NI0
Number of pages:281
Word Count: 85,000
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde
GIVEAWAY! Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter after this post for a chance to win a Kindle copy of Hidden Mortality.
Book Description
A witch is murdered in 1850 in a ritual that will grant longevity to four men. What they are not aware of is that she has bestowed the same power to another called Seth to avenge her death.
Cara lives in present day Bristol, and is a descendant of the witch. Having been unlucky in love she fills her days with food with her Irish themed catering business. Her nights are another matter; they are full of erotic dreams of a mysterious lover, or nightmares with mutilated bodies. So this wasn’t the best time for her Nana to tell her she is coming into her power.
Excerpt
Cara kept searching but couldn’t find the book she wanted. The assistant at the empty counter smiled politely as she approached.
“I’m looking for a book called Immortality and Witchcraft, Fact or Fiction,” Cara said.
The woman typed the title into her computer. As Cara waited, someone walked up to the other counter beside her. She turned to look. Her world stopped as she met the slate grey gaze of the man staring straight at her. This wasn’t possible. He couldn’t exist. He was just a dream lover. Yet there he was, standing next to her as big as life.
She tried to smile, but it probably came out as more of a grin. He didn’t smile back. Her legs turned to jelly. If she didn’t breathe, she would pass out. She reached out and gripped the counter. One of them had to look away but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Someone was talking to her and the moment was broken.
“Excuse me.”
“Sorry.” Cara replied, as she forced herself to look at the salesperson. She was afraid if she glanced back, he would be gone. Her imagination must be playing tricks on her.
“It looks like we should have one copy left,” the woman said.
“I think I’m just about to sell it,” the other shop assistant said coming up to the register. “We could order it in for you. It might take a couple of weeks.”
“Please, take my copy.” The man at the other counter held out the book. His voice was deep, exactly as it was in her dreams. She was caught again in his gaze. The world disappeared and for a moment they were the only two people alive locked in the gaze they shared. Her hand went to her chest. She could feel her heart racing at the thought of him being near.
“Thank you, but no I couldn’t. You had the book first.”
“Please, take it. I have plenty of time to wait for another copy to come in.”
She found it hard to say no. Perhaps, it was the fact he was about six three and wore grey bike leathers. They added to the effect of making him look powerful. The shaved head and the stubble on his face gave a menacing look, but she wasn’t afraid of him. This wasn’t right. Her life was wild enough without dream lovers becoming real.
Plus, she wouldn’t want her other dreams to become real as well. She needed to say something, or he would think she was an idiot standing there with her mouth gaping. He held the book out to her. As she took it, her hand touched his. It was such a tiny touch and yet it meant he was real. She felt the heat rising up her neck as she blushed. She also sensed another heat inside her. It was the same way he had made her feel in her dreams.
“Thanks.” Cara paid for her book and listened as he confirmed his contact details. Seth Scanlon. She had a name. She wasn’t really stalking. Taking another book off a shelf, she flipped through the pages. He glanced her way before he left and caught her gaze once more.
She couldn’t fool herself. The look he gave her was so intense she felt he was seeing inside her soul. Her breath caught. She shivered although the shop was warm. For a split second, she considered following him and saying he must remember all the times they had made love.
She could just imagine the expression he would give her. He didn’t know her. She was a stranger. The shop became suffocating as she pulled at the collar of her jumper. She needed to be outside. There was no sign of him on the street. For a moment, she wanted to cry. At this rate, she would give the silly schoolgirls in the shop a run for their money.
Let's Interview!
What made you choose the main setting for your book?
The settings for this book are all familiar to me. I live in Australia now but I grew up in the UK. Bristol was a major seaport in years gone by and much of its wealth came from the slave trade. Like most cities it has it wealthy areas and its slums. When I was a young nurse I was caught in riots in the city. Bath is a beautiful city, think Jane Austen then you have Bath. The beautiful Georgian facades are only matched by the Roman ruins you can visit at the baths. I wouldn’t swim in the green water though. They now have a day spa there. Both cities have beauty but hide another more sinister side. The Irish connection in the book is again from my own family. Waterfall House was my mother’s home growing up and does exist. You can stay there as a farm stay. My father came from Dingle in Kerry. My heroine Cara is a caterer and I used to Dingle for inspiration for some of the meals in the book. You can find pictures of these places on my Pinterest board. http://www.pinterest.com/maggiemundy/
Tell us a little bit about the conflict in your story.
Two immortals Seth and Vincent are after Cara. One wants to love her and one wants to kill her. Seth is made long lived to protect his lover’s descendants and exact revenge by killing her murderer. Only then will he die as well. When he finally finds Vincent he wants to live because he has fallen in love with Cara. He has to choose between obligation and love.
Are you currently working on another story? If so, we’d love some details.
I have a few things on the go. World Change is a times slip novel that I have coming out in April. It’s about a young woman who is transported to another world where she is being hunted by a High Priestess who wants her dead. The only person who can help her return home is a vampire called Trevi. He is the only vampire in his world and she knows more about what he is than he does. I also have an urban fantasy based in San Francisco coming out in August called Unknown Protector. In this book angels and demons are not what you think. They are aliens that the myths have been created around. Nicole finds herself in the middle of a war between the two sides and a long haired angelic sexy diamond in the rough called Ridge, is the only one who can help her
What sort of personality does your hero have?
To say he is tortured is an understatement. Seth feels he has let the woman in his past down. He has spent two hundred years trying to make up for it. He is a blacksmith and makes swords and daggers that can kill. He is also a sculptor who puts all his agony into his creations. He never expected to love again and then he met Cara.
What sort of personality does your heroine have?
Cara is resilient. She fights on despite whatever is thrown at her. She is open minded but even she finds it hard to accept people could live forever. She is loyal to her friends but has left herself vulnerable in the past to lovers and gotten hurt.
It’s time to promo. What is your favorite marketing tool?
I’m new to this but of course blog tours are a good place to start. I have an author page on Facebook and belong to groups that promote books. I am on Goodreads and have a Pinterest site. I am also on twitter but still coming to grips with it. I think the best marketing tool is to write the next book. I also go to conferences book clubs and anything I can.
How long have you been writing? How long have you been published?
I have been writing for about eight years. I know you hear that people have wanted to write since a child and have been penning stuff but not me. I studied nursing. Then I decided that there had to be something else and went to uni to do Drama. I wrote a one person one act play. It’s still on my computer. I got positive feedback and started writing. Once I started I realized I loved it and could not stop.
What genre/genres do you prefer to write? Are there other genres you’d like to write in the future?
I think speculative fiction covers what write the best. This book is a paranormal romance but I have an urban fantasy coming out later this year. I have also written horror short stories. I am in the process of co-writing a romantic comedy with a friend who is a historical writer. Talk about a challenge, but we are up to it.
Do you write books in series? If so, share a bit about the series you currently have published or are coming soon.
My first attempt at writing was an epic fantasy trilogy. It is 135,000 words and is still on my computer. Maybe one day it will come out to play. I have two books out this year World change which is part of the Earthbound Trilogy and Unknown Protector which is part of the Midworlder trilogy. I usually focus on a different couple in each novel but one overreaching story arc. I also have novella two coming out in the Seeker Chronicles. They are vampire stories based in Australia. We could have one for each state which would mean eight.
About the Author
Maggie Mundy lives in Adelaide, Australia and is a member of Romance Writers of Australia, and the local chapter SARA (South Australian Romance Authors). She recently completed a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and English at Flinders University. She had a short story published in the RWA Topaz Anthology Little Gems in 2010 called Sea and Vines. Over the past year she has had stories on line with Alfie dog in the UK and Antipodean SF in Australia. She has also performed for many years in corporate entertainment for which she wrote her own sketches, which probably explains why her head is so full of characters. She loves writing romance but thinks falling in love can be scary, especially in her stories where creatures of the night really exist.
Visit Maggie Mundy
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2 comments:
Thank you for hosting me n your blog
It was my pleasure, Maggie! :-)
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