Hidden Mortality
Maggie Mundy
Genre: 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
Hidden Mortality will be on sale for .99 throughout the tour.
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.
“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.
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.
Interview:
I would like to thank Maggie Mundy for stopping by for an author interview and telling us about herself and Hidden Mortality.
I would like to thank Maggie Mundy for stopping by for an author interview and telling us about herself and Hidden Mortality.
What is your favorite
part of the story, Hidden Mortality?
I love the part when
Cara and Seth get intimate for the first time. It should be slow and erotic but
they have issues. She has scars from surgery and is self-conscious. His body is
scarred as well and he allays her fears. Cara then struggles as she undresses
him from his bike leathers and ends up giggling. I wanted it to be real as
things don’t always go like the movies.
If you were stranded
on a desert island which of your characters do you want by your side?
Seth. He is the hero
and is over six foot tall, well-built and is immortal. I have always seen him
as a cross between Kelly Slater and Vin Diesel. Oh did I mention, he is great
in bed. On a desert island it might be sex on the beach. Tricky with the sand.
I would just have to go for a naked swim with him in the ocean as well. It
would be hard but I could suffer for research. We just won’t tell Cara about
it.
If you could be best
friends with one of your characters, who would it be?
Cara. My heroine has
so much thrown at her but she keeps on going. She is resilient and loyal to her
friends. She also has that side of her that doubts her abilities which most of
us have. To allow yourself to be vulnerable and yet persist is a great
attribute to have.
Who or what inspired
you to be a writer?
I came to writing
late. I wasn’t one of those people who always knew this was what they wanted to
do, and had scribbled down stories all their life. I was in my forties and at
work one day and thought is this it. What else could I do? By the way I’m an
operating room sister. I went to university and did a degree in Drama and
English. I loved it and have not stopped writing since. It’s scary to think all
these stories were locked away in there and might never have seen the light of
day.
Who is your favorite
author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Only one, that is so
hard. I have to say Sarah Dunant. I read her book The Birth of Venus and was blown away. You would get to the end of
a page and take a deep breath and say to yourself. How did she do that? I was
lucky enough to meet her at a writer’s festival and she was lovely.
Can you share a little
of your current work with us?
I am writing the
second book in The Earthbound Trilogy.
The first book World Change is out
next month. The second book is called World
Apart.
World Change. Clare gets transported from present day Florence to an alternate
world, one that looks like fourteenth century Italy. The only way back is
through a portal half a world away, plus the local High priestess wants her
dead, and the only one she can trust is a vampire called Trevi. He is the only one who exits in this world, and she
knows more about what he is than he does. He is hard to resist, especially when
he saves her life. Trevi can take her home but he is keeping one big secret.
She will have to be like him to survive the journey through the portal back to
her world making a myth a reality.
What book are you
reading now?
I am reading the The
Blackdagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. I am really loving them. Who
wouldn’t love these gorgeous vampires with their tattoos, black leather, buff
bodies and daggers? She is one of the few authors who have made me cry when
reading their work.
Do you have anything
specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you. I am new to
the writing world and still humbled by the fact that someone takes the time to
read my work. I love it when people get attached to characters and say that
they could identify with them. Hopefully not the murderous sides but definitely
the sexy aspect. When I write I am going on the journey with my characters and love
it that others want to go there too. Yet again a big thank you.
Nice post and great cover and premise
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