Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Melting Shadows by Rhea Rhodan Excerpt, Interview & Giveaway


Melting Shadows
Rhea Rhodan

Genre: Romantic Suspense, with a Fantasy twist

Publisher: Rhea Rhodan

Date of Publication: March 4, 2016

ISBN: 978-1523859375
ASIN: B01CEYVHGU

Page Count: 259 (Kindle)
Page Count: 342 (pb)
Word Count: 80K

Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

Book Description:

When fantasy and reality collide, only love can be believed.

Shattered by a brutal attack and forced to flee, painfully withdrawn Dr. Prudence Marsh buries her emotions under numbing logic. For years, her escapes to a fantasy world created to survive her hellish past have been nothing more than a guilty pleasure. But when the host of the safe house turns out to be a dead ringer for her dream warrior, she fears she’s lost her precious mind along with everything else.

Ex-SEAL Max Delaney has been known to dabble in a hot, delicious mess—or two, or three. He has no idea how to handle a cold, sour one. Blackmailed into babysitting Dr. Marsh in his hidden bunker while she finishes a top-secret project sucks. Until he falls for her. Then it blows. Every clue Max unravels buys him more questions. Every step forward lands him two steps back, flat on his ass.

Demons past, present, and future haunt Max and Prudence as they stumble along the twisting path to love. Merciless enemies and shifting alliances drive both to desperate measures, tumbling them over the border between shadow and substance—where each must choose what, and whom, to believe.

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Excerpt:
He whispered praise in her ear, “That’s it. Now don’t you feel better?”
She shivered in response, though her hands at his back had warmed. He smiled into the fresh scent of her hair and wrapped her more tightly in his arms. She was his now; even if she didn’t know it yet.
With firm, subtle pressure, he brought her head to rest on his shoulder. Her hands tightened around him, then, finally, her body relaxed fully into his.
Her sigh was what did him in, what scrambled his brain and sent the jolt to his heart, then racing lower, hotter. He swallowed hard. Patience was suddenly a whole lot scarcer than it had been a minute ago.
The Balconies. Any one of the half dozen private patios facing the ocean would do. Each of the double doors was chaperoned by a broad back discreetly turned from the couples enjoying the seclusion they offered. It was one of the unique and best features of the club.
With experienced ease, he guided his plunder across the dance floor to the nearest unoccupied one. “You’re a bit flushed. Would you like some ocean air? The view is great.”

About the Author:

Award-winning author Rhea Rhodan resides in Minnetonka, Minnesota. She’s been telling herself stories since long before she learned to write. She attended the University of Minnesota with a focus on Journalism, then Brown Institute for Broadcast Journalism. After many adventures, misadventures, and a couple of short marriages, she found the love of her life in Regensburg, Germany, and has been living happily ever after since.

She journaled those adventures extensively (some might say rabidly) beginning in middle school, but didn't combine her writing and story-telling until several years ago, when one of the stories grabbed her by the throat and shook her like a rag doll until she gave in and wrote it. Having tasted freedom, her muse refuses to return to the confines of her head, and has successfully turned the tables, keeping her at the keyboard to appease it.

She welcomes feedback and fan mail :>). You can join her on Facebook and Goodreads, too. Rhea is always happy to meet new friends.





For (very) occasional updates with great contests, subscribe to Rhea's newsletter on her website.

Interview
Where are you from? I was born and have lived most of my life in the Twin Cities (Minnesota, aka the Frozen North).
Tell us your latest news. Melting Shadows, a romantic suspense with a fantasy twist, released March 4th.
When and why did you begin writing? I’ve written pretty much since I learned how, and told myself stories even before that. I didn’t combine them until six, maybe seven years ago, when one of my stories wouldn’t let go of me. After completing the rough draft, I began to research the industry and hone my craft.
When did you first consider yourself a writer? Not until after a publisher picked up my first book.
What inspired you to write your first book? Another of my stories took over and kept going.
Do you have a specific writing style? I like my plots and characters somewhat over-the-top while keeping emotions, reactions, and dialog believable.
How did you come up with the title? For Melting Shadows, I listed elements of the book on index cards (romance plot, suspense plot, heroine, hero, etc.) and brain-stormed a string of one- or two-word phrases about each. I used these both in the blurb and to choose a title I liked.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? I don’t like to preach in my books, but of course my values come through :>). I would say the moral in Melting Shadows is to listen to your heart and be willing to take emotional risks.
How much of the book is realistic? The emotions, reactions, and dialog of the characters and the non-fantasy settings. Expect everything else to be over-the-top with a touch of paranormal.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? All of the events are purely fictional.
What books have most influenced your life most? To my surprise, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon awakened the feminist in me. Kathleen Woodiwiss’s The Wolf and the Dove was my first romance; I fell in love with the genre.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? Anne Rice, because she takes genre fiction to literary levels.
What book are you reading now? I just finished beta reading the final book in June Kramin’s delightful Dustin trilogy (time travel romance). I’m currently listening to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.  
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? New-to-me authors (say in the last few year) whose works call me back include:
Pauline Baird Jones. Her books are quirky and fun (from paranormal to steampunk and S/F) with sweet romantic elements—the kind of fresh ideas and writing I look for in indie books.
For paranormal horror and thrillers, I like Clarissa Johal. Her latest, The Island, is particularly gripping.
Spicer UF, SF, paranormal, and romantic suspense: Ann Gimpel offers a number of great picks. I’m also a fan of Joey W. Hill.
Historical Romance: Elizabeth Hoyt and Jade Lee are newer favorites.
Romantic Suspense: June Kramin, Ann Gimpel again, and Jennifer Cruise are a few.
What are your current projects? My editing desk holds the rough draft of my first fantasy in a non-contemporary setting. It’s about a thousands-year old time-and-space-traveling witch reunited with her beloved, a forbidding and powerful wizard. I’ve also begun development of a time-travel romance featuring a pop star thrown back to the 18th century at sea.
What would you like my readers to know? I write romantic stories featuring varying degrees of fantasy or paranormal. At least one of the two main characters shows considerable growth, and they always have happy endings, no matter how much I make them suffer to get there.


Tour Giveaway:

$40 Amazon Gift Card


7 comments:

  1. Thank you for hosting me and the fun interview!

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  2. Thank you for informing me of this book.

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  3. Nothing like love in a bunker, I always say.

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  4. I enjoyed the excerpt and interview.

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  5. I really enjoyed reading the excerpt and the interview. This book sounds like a very interesting and intriguing read. Looking forward to checking this book out!

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  6. I like the excerpt and your current projects sound really interesting to me!

    Deborah

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  7. The book sounds great, I love any novel that throws a little romance into it.

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