Release Day again!!

One of the Ocean's Children, Daire Tiernan was raised far from the sea, hidden from his cursed destiny and those who would use him.

Paedra Breen has always loved Daire, in spite of his strange underwater abilities. When strangers come to their village, claiming Daire is the long lost Champion of the Sea—cursed to unleash the angered god of Ruin upon the world—Paedra is determined to make sure Daire gets to the ocean in one piece.

Do you love Time Travel?

Of course you do. Who doesn't? Do you remember the first historical romance you ever picked up? Do you remember thinking how wonderful it would have been to be the heroine wearing long flowing dresses and having chivalrous men falling all over you? It sounds wonderful, lovely and positively romantic.

But what if it happened? What if an innocent trip to a Renaissance Fair ended in a not so quick trip to the past? How would you really feel about leaving everything you know, everything you love?

Duncan MacCoinnich's task...
Travel to the twenty-first century Renaissance Faire, deflower the Druid virgins, and go home. Only his job is not so easily accomplished with the virgin in question, Tara McAllister. Time is running out. The evil is closing in on them both.

Tara finds Duncan irresistible after what was supposed to be a mock Hand-fasting binds them.
When Duncan whisks her to his home in Scotland she could accept that. But, can she forgive him for taking away her modern life when she finds herself in the sixteenth century?

And is it love they feel? Or something else?

Excerpt of Binding Vows~Book One of the MacCoinnich Trilogy

“A lady is not safe out here by herself.”

She stopped again. This time he didn’t stop in time and fell into her.

Hands at her sides, her chest thrust up next to his, she gritted the words between her teeth. “A lady isn’t safe around you, either.”

“Now, Tara.” He tried pleading with her.

“Oh, don’t you even, ‘now, Tara’ me.” She stepped to the side and started off in a different direction. Walking in circles.

He let her walk for several minutes before attempting to talk to her again. “I would be happy to escort you on a walk, but we need to get you more properly dressed.” He knew the effect watching her walk was having on him. He could only imagine what his men must have thought when she had stormed the courtyard in her shorts.

“You’re a bastard, you know that, MacCoinnich?”

He wanted to counter what she said but cautioned himself against it. “Still, we need you in more fitting clothes. If someone were to come along, questions would be raised which would be most difficult to answer.”

“You should have thought of that before you brought me here.” She waved a hand in his general direction. “Right now I don’t give a crap what questions you might have to answer.”

“I told you how necessary it is for secrecy.” He turned to the Keep and noticed some of the men watching to see what would happen. He needed to put a stop to this and soon.

“Bite me.”

A completely inappropriate image of him doing exactly that popped in his head. A slow lazy smile inched over his lips.

Unfortunately for him, Tara read his thoughts.

Available Now In Print from The Wild Rose Press Click HERE for details.

Myths and legends of Wales

People who know me, understand that although I live in England, my heart is still in Wales where I was born, raised and lived most of my life. I love it dearly and miss the sea – and the mountains, where I competed in many long distance ‘endurance’ rides on my horse, Sal. I don’t think there is anywhere quite like Wales for inspiration. The land is full of legends and myths and ancient customs. The patron Saint of Wales is St David. Tomorrow is St David's Day and I will be wearing the traditonal daffodil to show my alliegance to my native land. I'll talk a little more about him on my own blog tomorrow, but today I thought I'd mention some of the myths and legends I came across when researching the background for my story in the 'Song Of The Muses' series from The Wild Rose Press. (I sent my Greek Muse to Wales - well she wanted a change of scenery!) :)

In one scene she runs into the 'Ellylldan' (Pronounced elch-chlith-dan.) These were evil sprites with glowing eyes and fire at their fingertips, reputed to lure unwary travellers to their doom by leading them into the bogs where they were lost for ever. Yes, Wales has her fair share of imps and demons - also lost civilisations. Not far from Aberystwyth, where I used to live, at low tide one can see the remains of a submerged forest. This is all that remains of Cantre'r Gwaelod, or Maes Gwyddno as it would have been known at the time 'Dancing With Fate' takes place. The legend is simlar to the 'Atlantis' story and tells how the little town was drowned when the appointed watchman attended a banquet given by the king, became intoxicated and left the water gates open. The town sank beneath the sea and it is said that if one stands on the beach on a quiet evening one can hear the church bells chiming beneath the waves.

Of course Wales has long been associated with the druids and Merlin (or Myrddin) who was ruputedly born in Caerfyrddin, a small mid Wales town which is named after him. (The English version is Carmarthen.) The symbol of Wales, on the Welsh flag, is the red dragon, and there is an interesting legend telling how this came about. King Vortigen was a British Monarch of post-roman Britain. After an incestuous affair with his daughter, he was obliged to flee to the county of Gwynedd where he was advised by his wizards to build a fortress, or 'dinas', now known as Dinas Emrys. He decided to strengthen his defences by building a tower, but each time the timber and quarried stones were carried to the site they disappeared over night.

His wizards recommended a human sacrifice of a 'fatherless child' and the child Merlin was brought. Before he could be put to death he announced that a lake lay the middle of the foundations. and beneath the lake two dragons fought, a red and a white one, representing the Britons and Saxons. He told the king it was pointless to try to build his tower on top of dragons, and he should leave and go somewhere safer. Vortigen realised there was something supernatural about the child and fled to the Lleyn Peninsular, after giving Dinas Emrys to Merlin. (Emrys is a form of Ambrose, derived from the Latin 'Ambrosius' pertaining to the gods, and is another name by which Melin was known). The red dragon later became the Welsh National emblem.

Then there is the legend of Devils's Bridge, also not very far from Aberstwyth, where I lived. It is actually three bridges one above the other, spanning a deep gorge with a spectacular waterfall and a deep pool known as 'The Devil's Punchbowl'. It is said the orginal bridge was built when an old lady lost her milk cow one day. The animal somehow managed to cross the river and she knew she could not wade across herself fearing she would be swept into the whirlpool. Suddenly Old Nick himself appeared and told her he would buld a bridge across the chasm if she gave him the soul of the first thing to cross it, knowing she would have to walk across to fetch her cow. She agreed, but was not as simple as she looked. Once the bridge appeared, she put her hand in her apron pocket and threw a crust of bread across the bridge. Immediately her little dog ran across to retrieve it. The devil, realising he was beaten, disappeared in an evil smelling cloud of smoke and was not seen in those parts again, leaving the old lady to fetch back her cow.

There are so many myths and legends of Wales, I could go on much longer. No wonder I love fantasy so much, growing up and living in wild and spectacular countryside, with such a wealth of stories to draw on, how could one fail to be inspired?

http://www.hywelalyn.co.uk
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My Freeread and purchase links

Character Arcs

Something that has greatly improved my writing is the use of Character Arcs. Once I have an idea of a story and characters, I sit down and write an Arc for both my hero and heroine. It's nothing fancy, nothing long, just a few key components scribbled down. And since I write romance, I make sure that the hero's and heroine's ARCs work together, er, actually don't work together, meaning conflict.

The basic ARC that I've adapted for myself goes like this:

What is the hero's motivation, dream, desire?

How does that conflict with the heroine's motivation?

What is the BLACK MOMENT, the moment when it seems hopeless?

How will that be overcomed and what sacrifice will be made to achieve it? Does the motivation change?

Let me walk you through my Character Arcs for my newest book Chase the Wind so you have an idea of what I'm rambling about.

Hero Kinalan
Kin's motivation: His brother has been poisoned and there is only one little known cure in the far mountains. Time is short, but Kin is one of the elite cavalry and he believes if a small group rides fast and hard, they can make it.

Conflict with heroine: Kin needs Santil to guide him to the cure, but he is distrustful of her race, the Eaglekins, believing they had something to do with the poisoning. Plus, Eaglekins don't ride horses. She'll only slow them down.

Black Moment: When Kin has the cure in his grasp, but has to give it up for a greater cause. (Don't want to spoil by giving the reason why here.)

Sacrifice: He does give up the cure and the hope to save his brother. He also has to learn to trust the Eaglekins. (But don't worry, this does have a HEA.)

Heroine Santil

Santil's motivation: Santil is desperate to convince the army that even though eagles are being used as assassins, the Eaglekins want that stopped as much as the army does.

Conflict with Hero: He sees her as the enemy. As a proud Eaglekin, she doesn't like taking orders.

Black Moment: Being a captive once herself, she can't watch Kin take another person captive even though that person has the means to save Kin's brother. (Well, I guess you know the plot now.)

Sacrifice: Has to do something regarding the eagles that she swore she'd never do. (Okay, not all the plot is revealed.)

Just for fun, try doing an Arc for your characters and see how that works for you. Let me know.

You can read the first chapter of Chase the Wind at http://www.eaglekinseyrie.com. Sign up for my newsletter so I can tell you when it comes out and what contests I'll be holding for its release.

Cindy K. Green, New Fantasy Author

“Believe me, Oracle, your head will do you no good separated from your shoulders. Tell me what I want to know. The amulet!”

The Oracle of Tesgara cowered as never before, appearing more frail than her ancient years had hence bespoke. Her lined face grew ever more pallid just as those eerie white eyes of hers fluttered to a close.

Nikolas, Regent over the kingdom of Thaylandria, grabbed her shoulders before she collapsed to the floor. “I haven’t the time for your contrivances.” He struck her face hard without a second thought. There was too much at stake. Her eyes flickering, finally remained open and he tossed her downward.


Turning his back on her, he observed his own reflection in the silver shield hanging on the wall. After straightening the diadem atop his head, the green stone within flickered in the torch light in unison with his own dark brown eyes. He caressed the gold curve of the small crown. It was that of a king he desired, but that would only come after vanquishing his enemies. He twirled his cerulean robes as he returned to the old witch still quivering in a corner upon the stone floor.

Hunching over her, he seethed inside. Only through maintaining all self control, did he refrain from squeezing the last rancid breath out of the old woman. She still held secrets he needed if his plan was to come to be realized.

“Disclose to me all that you know of this amulet?” Grabbing onto her coarse gray robes, he raised her off the ground close to his face. “You will tell me.” He dropped her back to the ground and clenched his hands. Sucking in a breath, he gained control over himself again.

“The High Oracle,” she croaked out while wiping spittle mixed with blood from her chin.

He narrowed his stare upon her. “What of her?”

“Only the High Oracle knows of the location.”

He forced a flattering smile to eclipse his face. “Yes, but as her own favorite student she must have related to you more than you have revealed. You shall be rewarded for your loyalty to the crown.” He reached out an upturned hand and helped her into a sitting position.

“The Tamzyn Amulet has been under the safeguard of the High Oracle here in Glynar these past thousand years. With its power, you can destroy the strongest of your enemies. A stone white as a dove’s breast, it glistens with the magic of the ancients.”

Nikolas widened his eyes. “Yes, yes!” This was what he’d been working for all these years while he bided his time to claim the throne of Thaylandria as his own. “And where is it? Where is the amulet?”

****

Oh, sorry, I was becoming overly engrossed in my new romantic fantasy novel, The Princess and the Rogue. Don’t you love a good fantasy novel where you can forget about the present and get lost in a past that never was? I grew up loving to read fantasy: David Eddings, JRR Tolkein, CS Lewis, RA Salvatore, Anne McCaffrey, Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis…the list could go on and on.

Hi, I’m Cindy K. Green, one of the authors here at the Paranormal Romance Writer blog. As an author, I’ve been asked many times what is the one genre I don’t write in but would like to. In years past the answer has been: FANTASY. You see, I already write in several genres: Inspirational, Contemporary, Suspense, Historical and now I can add Fantasy to the lot.

I’ve been planning my fantasy novel for some time. I wanted to write a FUN fantasy novel. There are so many dramatic, serious epics and I wanted to write one with loads of humor while still staying with the recipe for a good fantasy novel.

Two of my favorite literary heroes have got to be Robin Hood and the Scarlet Pimpernel. What do these two have in common? They both fight injustice with a comedic flair. Right? I used that in creating my hero in The Princess and the Rogue.

When I first started writing, I wrote Young Adult, Historical and Inspirational. I was a middle school teacher after all. And as my writing career took off, I stayed with the sweeter side of romance. I’ve had the most fun creating my characters in whatever genre but nothing was so fun as writing my fantasy novel--which surprisingly came out a lot more sensual. Last spring, I finished reading a friend’s book. It was a new spin on the Robin Hood myth, and I loved it. It also inspired me to begin my fantasy after all this time of procrastinating. I was on fire and the first draft wrote in only four weeks.

I look forward to sharing more of this book which should release from The Wild Rose Press sometime in 2009. It takes place in the troubled kingdom of Thaylandria--A sheltered Princess, a masked Outlaw, and a Land forbidden of magic.

Stay Tuned!

Read excerpts on my website

Examining Paranormal Romance

Being a person who loves to over-analyze any given situation, I thought it would be fun to pick apart the paranormal romance genre as a whole. So excuse me while I give into the left side of my brain (which, by the way, battles tirelessly with the right side of my brain on a daily basis).

To begin with, the paranormal romance genre is so broad it could be split up into an infinite number of new genres. Why do I think this? Because the word “paranormal” has such a broad meaning.

According to http://www.dictionary.com/, paranormal means:

–adjective

of or pertaining to the claimed occurrence of an event or perception without scientific explanation, as psychokinesis, extrasensory perception, or other purportedly supernatural phenomena.

That’s a pretty general definition. To get a better idea, all I have to do is look at the list of authors who contribute to this blog. Each brings their own imagination to the paranormal romance genre to create stories about:

-Time travel
-Ghosts
-Werewolves
-Vampires
-Shape shifters
-Mythology
-Psychic abilities
-Angels
-Demons
-Futuristic space travel
-Witches, Sorcerers, and Warlocks
-I’m sure I’m missing several so go ahead and shout it out if you think of more. The left side of my brain welcomes it.

Of these, there are immeasurable possibilities to create even more types of supernatural phenomena. Why? Because paranormal fiction has no guidelines, no boundaries, and absolutely no limit to the worlds an author can create.

Charlaine Harris, one of my favorite authors, gives a perfect example with her Southern Vampire Series. She’s built a vivid parallel universe where vampires exist alongside humans. To add to that, she went on to bring in shapeshifters, werewolves, fairies, and witches. Her books are rich with mystery and the unknown, and it keeps me turning the pages and wanting more.

I suppose these are the reasons I love to both read and write paranormal romance and fantasy. There’s no end to what my imagination can come up with… which gives the left side of my brain a reason to relax and allow the right side of my brain to run away with the ghosts, angels, demons, or whatever else I want to write about that day.

So what is your favorite genre inside the paranormal romance genre?

Viola

http://www.violaestrella.com/
www.myspace.com/violaestrella

BEWITCHING YOU – Coming soon from the Wild Rose Press
FINDING FATE - Free short story available from the Wild Rose Press
ANGEL VINDICATED – Coming soon from Cerridwen Press

INTRODUCTION: HYWELA LYN

Hi, this is Hywela Lyn, I'm so thrilled to be part of this great new Blog, with so many wonderful paranormal authors. A little bit about myself -

I was born and lived most of my life in Wales, although I am currently living in a small village in England. My first two names are Hywela Lyn, which I use as my penname, although I've always been called just 'Lyn' by my family and friends. For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed reading and writing Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adventure stories, and the occasional Western - always with a strong romantic element. Although most of my stories tend to be futuristic, the worlds I create are usually untainted by crowded cities and technology, embracing the beauty and wildness of nature. My characters often have to fight the elements and the terrain itself.

My first novel, 'Starquest', a futuristic romance was released on 29th August and will be in print next week on 5th Decemeber! The sequel, 'Children of the Mist' is contracted with the same publisher and my novella about the Greek Muse, Terpsichore is available now as an e-book and also as one of three stories in Book III of The Wild Rose Press's 'Song Of The Muses' series.

I love all animals, especially horses and enjoy Western riding. I have two horses, two ferrel cats and a 'rescued' Jack Russell terrier called Bouncer. Oh yes, and a long suffering husband called Dave!

Oh I must tell you - I've been in the Author Spotlight at LASR all week - if you pop over now, you can see my little feature on an Old Welsh Mansion called 'Nanteos'. I've also just learnt that 'Starquest' is up for Book of the Week at LASR, so if you fancy reading the review, here's the link to the site LASR -Voting doesn't start until Saturday and finishes just before midnight on Sunday - so if you care to vote - thank you so much, I'd really appreciate it.

MY WEBSITE (www.hywelalyn.co.uk)
MY SPACE (http://www.myspace.com/hywelalyn)
MY BOOKS AT THE WILDROSE PRESS

(Click on book covers to download. I also have a 'freeread' there, 'A Bargain With Death) You're welcome to download this too - load it in the shopping cart - you'll be taken to the checkout but won't be charged.)