Welcome Rhenna!
Hello everyone! And thank you so much for inviting
me today!
Tell
us a little about your latest or upcoming release.
Unexpected Eden is my debut release and is
contemporary fantasy romance.
I stress the contemporary part because, for some reason,
people tend to bring a historical mindset to fantasy based stories. The
underlying premise for the story is that Eden still exists in a dimension
parallel to ours, inhabited by a race similar to humans, but far more powerful.
The Great One, God in our lexicon, separated our two races when he realized
some Myrens might try to take advantage of that power and enslave the human
race.
The heroine, Lexi Merrill, is a bit of a misfit--a
hardworking bartender who’s lived a rough life. The hero, Eryx Shantos, is king
of the Myren race, and has been searching for a woman he’s seen in his dream
for years, only to find her in the human realm. The big question—is Lexi Myren,
or human, which makes her forbidden fruit?
The rest is…well, lets just call it a surprising and
delicious adventure. J
Are
you a mom ? If yes do you
find it hard to juggle writing and parenting?
I am! I have two wonderful little girls, ages seven
and eleven. And yes, writing and parenting combined makes for some serious
challenges. I have to have quiet when I write, so the girls and I have had to
come to a do-not-knock-unless-bloodshed-is-involved policy for my office door.
I also get a lot of eye-rolls when I utter, “I have a writer’s meeting to go
to,” particularly when those meetings conflict with something they want to do.
On the other hand, my eleven year old reads with the
same ferocity as I do and has already started penning her own stories, so I’m
thinking they’re okay with the writing thing overall. J
Have
you ever based your book or characters on actual events or people from your own
life?
The concept for the Myren race and the necessity for
a person needing to be “awakened” to their powers actually came from real life.
I was in my kitchen, scrambling to get food together
for some guests, when I reached out my hand and tried to summon something from
across the room. I literally expected it to fly across the room and land in my
palm!
About a second later, I realized that the reason I’d
been so confident the item would do as I’d commanded was that I’d been dreaming
of being able to levitate items for quite some time. And I’d been flying a lot
as well.
Needless to say, I was super embarrassed because
everyone in the room saw what I’d tried to do, but the experience got me thinking…
What if my dreams were a sign of some ability I had
that was locked away, just waiting to be awakened? What if I was really from a
different race? One that looked like ours, but had more power? Perhaps control
of the elements? Maybe I was lost and needed to be found by my own kind?
The result was Lexi Merrill and the Myren race.
When
you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
I read. And by reading I mean drug of choice. Reading is the one go-to mechanism I have to unplug
from reality long enough for my brain to reboot and reset—which makes me a much
more pleasant person to live with. J
Is
there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?
So, far I’m only published in fantasy romance, but
I’ve just started book one in a contemporary series, tentatively titled Accept, that I’ve been dying to write
for about a year. The Haven Series will have an even grittier edge to it as the
heroes for each book are all very successful men who got their start on the
wrong side of the tracks. If all goes as planned, I’d have it available
sometime in early 2016.
If
this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?
Healing
Eden
is the next book in The Eden Series. It’s slated for release with Kensington/Lyrical Press in late 2015 and is
Reese and Galena’s story.
Here’s a quick excerpt, told from Reese’s point of
view:
With only the candle’s glow Galena’s hair gleamed
more chestnut than auburn. She dipped her head and the flower he’d struggled to
name registered with a kick. Lotus flower. A fitting match for her exotic eyes,
like water off a white, Caribbean shore.
He’d never dreamed he’d get this close to her. Not
even when he’d visited the castle with Ramsay all those years ago.
“I used to watch you.” Probably not his wisest
confession. Then again, he’d be dead in who knew how many days. As
repercussions went, they couldn’t get much worse.
Her gaze met his and her lips parted.
“It was a long time ago,” he said. “When I trained
with Ramsay. Did he tell you about me?”
She ducked her head and studied his wound with extra
focus.
Not a yes, but not a no either.
“I didn’t come to the castle often, but when I did
I’d watch for you. You were barely out of your transition. I thought you were
perfect.” He lifted his hand, slow so he didn’t frighten her, and cupped her
cheek. “Still do.”
Galena lowered her hand and met his stare, a wary
tilt to her head.
He traced her cheekbone. “Your skin’s just like I’d
imagined it. Warm. Soft.”
She leaned into his touch. Not much. Probably didn’t
even realize she’d done it. Her eyes softened, lids dropping, and her hair
slicked against his knuckles. “Reese…”
A whisper. Nothing more.
“You see the good in me, but your brother can’t
pardon what I’ve done. Nor should he. I’ll die for my actions in days, if not
hours.” Was he really going to do this? Could he live with the humiliation if
she refused his request?
Absolutely.
“I always imaged what your lips would feel like.” He
traced her lower lip, her breath skittering against his finger. “Will you give
me that gift?”
Galena froze. “You want…”
“A kiss.” He chanced another glide along her mouth
and the tip of her tongue trailed the path he left behind. “Just one.”
She swallowed and her eyelids fluttered shut as she
pressed a kiss into his palm.
He braced, ready for her shutdown.
Her eyes opened and his body jolted beneath the
passion in her gaze. “One.” So much emotion. Need. Urgency. Fear and shame. All
rolled into one power-packed word.
He leaned forward and curled his free hand around
the side of her neck. A decent man wouldn’t follow through, but a primal drive
buzzed beneath his skin. Instinctive. Not at all gentle.
Her lips were close enough his own tingled. He held
himself there, soaking in the sensation. Something to remember.
“Please.” A soft plea, barely spoken.
Compulsion tightened his fingers and angled her face
for his advance. Slow. Careful.
Her lips gave way, soft and sweet, parted just
enough to lick along the lower one.
She moaned and edged closer, opening to the bold
sweep of his tongue.
He growled at her taste, mint and something that
reminded him of long lazy mornings and sunshine. Her breath mingled with his,
hot and heavy between each slick glide of their lips. Fuck ordinary air. This. This is what he wanted to live on. In
his lungs, day in and day out.
Unexpected Eden
Eden Series
Rhenna Morgan
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Kensington/Lyrical Press
Date of Publication: 12/29/2014
ISBN: 978-1-61650-629-2 Print
ISBN: 978-1-61650-628-5 ebook
ASIN: B00NY9OCBM
Number of pages: 259
Word Count: 81,411
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde Media
Book Description:
Most people believe Eden no longer exists. Lexi Merrill’s about to learn they’re wrong. A hard-working bartender with a self-sufficient backbone and a wary nature, she knows pickup lines like a second language. So, when Eryx Shantos barges into her world with too-smooth words and a body to back it up, she locks up her libido and vows to keep her distance.
Eryx has other ideas. As king of the Myren race, Eryx is duty-bound to enforce the laws preventing exposure of their existence to humans. Yet The Fates have led him through his dreams to Lexi, a temptation he doesn’t want to resist. The question—is she Myren, or human - which makes her forbidden fruit?
When Eryx’s nemesis tags Lexi as his next target, Eryx insists on taking her home where he can keep her safe. Lexi had no idea “home” would mean the one-and-only land of creation…or that she’d trigger a prophecy that could doom her newfound race.
Available at Amazon BN Kensington
About the Author:
Rhenna never thought a weird dream, a bucket list, and an addiction to romance novels would lead her into publishing, but that’s exactly how Unexpected Eden came to life. Okay, there might have been a jillion revisions in there somewhere, and a few points where her family thought she’d lost her ever-lovin’ mind, but pretty much everyone’s accepted that this author thing is chronic.
When she’s not working on the rest of the Eden books or her naughty contemporary romances, you’ll find her chasing two precious little girls, batting eyelashes at her indulgent husband, or driving with the top down and the music up loud. Oh, and “researching” on the internet. Those half-naked men she uses for inspiration don’t download themselves.
She’d love to share her “research” with you too and get to know you a little better in the process. Find her blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media links at www.rhennamorgan.com. Be sure to sign up for her newsletter there too for snippets, upcoming releases, and author news.
If you enjoyed Unexpected Eden, Eryx and Lexi would sure appreciate it if you shared your review at Goodreads, Amazon, or other favorite online bookstore. Lexi would make you a mean cyber-cocktail in exchange if she didn’t have her hands full with Eryx, but rumor has it they haven’t left the royal suite in days.
https://twitter.com/rhennamorgan (@RhennaMorgan)
1 comment:
Thank you very much for hosting me today!
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