The Romance Reviews

The Romance Reviews

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Author Spotlights Siobhan Muir

                                           Debut Author from Evernight Publishing!

Today is a very exciting one for me. It's not everyday I get to introduce a brand new talent and when that talent is from Evernight Publishing that just puts the proverbial cherry on top of my hot fudge sunde.
So get your coffee friends and get ready for a great treat as I introduce Siobhan Muir to my blog. I know you will love her as much as I do.

Coming in March from Evernight Publishing!






 Bridget Shanahan doesn't believe in vampires or werewolves, but that doesn't stop one from kidnapping her.

BRIDGETSHANAHAN’S life seems bleak and boring until she gets mugged and abductedfrom her favorite coffee shop by thesexiest man she’s ever met. Unfortunately, he’s a lunatic who believes he’ssome kind of vampire savior surrounded by a security force of werewolves andhe’s determined to keep her.
FREDRICKMACGREGOR hasbeen having visions of this woman in danger for the last six months, a woman hemust protect because she’s the Avatar of the Goddess. However, when he bringsher home, she doesn’t believe he's a vampire or that she is the Avatar, and shedefinitely doesn't want to stay. But the sense of danger persists and he'll doanything to keep her safe, even if it means risking the loss of the only womanwho makes his endless life bearable again.


EXCERPT:


Bridget immediately recognized the handsome man from Snickerdoodles and her heart fluttered with excitement. He was here in her bedroom. Wait, what was he doing in her bedroom? Her eyes snapped to the bedspread again. This wasn’t her bedroom!

            “Where am I?” she asked as she struggled to sit up, but aborted the effort when pain shot through her side.

“Just rest for now. You aren’t ready yet.” His familiar voice settled some of her uncertainty and fright.

            “Why do I hurt? What’s wrong with me?”

The pain felt like she’d literally been hit by a baseball bat beneath her ribs on the left side. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t felt this bad, even after the British had come to the farm in her dream. She slid her hand down to test her injury, but she couldn’t feel anything.

            “Do you remember me, Bridget? I met you at Snickerdoodles.”

            Oh, she remembered, all right. She remembered the scent of his skin and the warmth of his body beside her. At least, she thought she did. He’d wrapped his cloak around her, hadn’t he?

            She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear the cobwebs of mixed memories.

            “I returned your book and tried to hail a cab for you. Do you remember that?”

            No. Wait. Yes, she remembered the terrible kidnapping scene in the book and how she’d left it on the table in the coffee shop. Her memories played out in a reel until it ended with red eyes and searing pain.

            Bridget’s eyes flew open and she stared at her companion with dawning unease. His expression filled with concern and compassion, his eyes a deep chocolate brown. No sign of red anywhere. They weren’t even bloodshot.

            “You’re Fredrick MacGregor.”

            “That’s right.” A smile flitted over his lips.

            “And you smell like spiced apples and vanilla.”

            His black eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, one tendril falling across an eye. It looked soft and smooth and she wanted to push it behind his ear for him, but his smug look banished any tender feelings that might have developed.

            “You were stabbed in the side and I brought you to my home here in Gloucester to take care of you.”

            Stabbed? She’d been stabbed? Gasping, she wrenched the bedclothes away from her body and scanned the skin of her belly. The bruised pain she felt directed her eyes to her left side but there was nothing there, not even discoloration. If she’d been stabbed, where was the scar, the scab?

Is he just teasing me? What kind of a jerk does that? Then the rest of his words sank in.

            Gloucester?”

            “Yes. It was the safest place I could think to take you.”

            Bridget narrowed her eyes as she raised her gaze to meet his again, her hands still holding the bedclothes up.

            Safe for whom, you chocolate-eyed kidnapper?

“Normally you take injured people, like those with stab wounds, to the hospital. Or at least call the paramedics.” What was she doing in Gloucester in a richly decorated bedroom? Was it his bedroom?

There are worse places to be, a traitorous voice remarked.

“There was no time and I knew I could care for you as well or better than any hospital,” Fredrick replied to her unasked questions.

Riiiiggghhhtt, that’s what all the sociopaths say to their victims.

            “I have to go,” she croaked out as she tried to sit up again. She’d make it home come hell or high water. Goosebumps zinged along her leg when it appeared out of the covers.

“Whoa!” She jerked her legs back under the bedclothes and stared incredulously at the man sitting next to her on the bed. “Where are my clothes?”

            “I haven’t had time to get any from your apartment,” he explained, his eyes never dropping from hers. “I’ll send someone presently.”

            She raised her eyebrows. “Presently? Who uses words like ‘presently’? And how do you know where I live–” She groaned, frowning. “You looked in my wallet from my coat.”

            “That seemed to be the most logical place to look for your name and home address.”

            “That’s just great. A perfect ending to a perfect day,” she growled, slumping back in the bed. “Stabbed, kidnapped, and naked in a stranger’s bed. It just doesn’t get much worse.”

            “Except, perhaps, being kidnapped by a vampire with a house full of werewolves,” he suggested, a half-smile curling his kissable lips.

            She snorted. “Thank God there’s no such thing as vampires or werewolves.”

            He stilled as if the life within him bled away, leaving nothing but a quiet, waxen shell, and his face lost the humor in it. Unease crept through her as she stared hard at him, clutching the covers so tightly her knuckles turned white. The scent of spiced apples shifted to a dirt smell, like moist earth or the desert after the rain, and her stomach cramped with visceral fear.

Do you do anything to get you into the zone to write?
Nothing really specific, except make sure the kids are occupied so I have some time to think. ;)

 Which authors inspire you and your writing?
There are so many. I first started writing because of Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey. I loved the fantasy of dragons and talking horses. But as my tastes became refined, I found Elizabeth Kerner (Fantasy), Suzanne Brockmann (Romantic Suspense), and Monica McCarty (Historical).

What is your favorite book, character and why?
The one book I re-read is The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon. Paksenarrion starts out as a sheepherder’s daughter who doesn’t want to get married and progresses into a knight of the gods, essentially. I loved how the trials she experienced pushed and stretched her into the spiritual connection she found at the end, all through everyday life events. The story really resonated to me.

Do you prefer to write erotic or sweet?
Oh, Erotic, definitely. I want to tell my readers what’s really going on! ;)

Which famous person, living or dead, are you drawn to?
The philosopher James Arthur Ray. I love his line “When would now be the right time for change?” The line really puts it into perspective for me. Change only happens when I decide now is the time.


Where do you see yourself in five years?
Multipublished in Las Vegas. :D I see my name on Kindles, Nooks, and iPads all over the country. I want to be a household name like Lora Leigh, Larissa Ione, Gena Showalter, and Jennifer Ashley.

Finish this sentence: I know I’ve made it when_______________.
Ironically, I already feel like I’ve made it. It doesn’t show in obvious ways, but I’m already successful as a writer and my career is only improving. I think my family might look at it as when they can hold one of my books in their hands, though. :)

What advice would you give aspiring writers?
The tagline on the bottom of my blog: “If you want to be a writer, don’t think about writing or talk about writing. WRITE! And never give up on the stories.” I also like to say “Never give up; never surrender.” Writing is tough. It’s the only profession that requires you to have produced a product before you get hired. But if you never give up, you’ll get your stories out there and get published.

What do you see yourself writing in the future?
I’m a huge fan of romance and science fiction/fantasy. I will continue to write paranormal romance and fantasy with romantic elements because I love magic in my stories.

If you could have one superpower what would it be and why?
It would be the power to manipulate energy like the Green Lantern. I could fly anywhere I wanted to go and make my own personal dragon. ;)

What time of the day are you at your best to write?
The best time for me to write is in the morning. I’m focused and energized and usually full of ideas from the dreams I’ve had the night before. :)

And now for something completely different…


What do you look at first with an attractive man or woman, face, body or smile?
The overall proportions of the body – do all those beautiful attributes fit together well? Then I take in the face and smile.

Explain your perfect day.
It depends on my mood. Some days I love the rain slanting down. Makes me want to sit and write, read, and drink coffee. Other days, I want the sunshine to light up my mood. I love hiking in tropical jungles and alpine forests, and my mood reflects those disparate climates. Any day I get a lot of writing done is an awesome day. :)

What is the most decadent desert you can’t say no to?
Ha ha, Chocolate Decadence, a dense, rich, chocolate mousse cake.

Do you have a favorite holiday what is it and what makes it special to you?
I like Christmas time, not the religious aspects of it, but the giving and the friendly connections you can make with everyone, including strangers, at that time of year. Family and friends are important to me and it’s a good time to express gratitude to them for being in my life.

What key words describe you best?
Gregarious, Enthusiastic, Determined, Direct

Thanks for having me, Shannan.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the interview and a chance to meet folks, Shannan. :)

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  2. Great questions, Shannan. And Siobhan, I enjoyed getting to know you better through your answers. It's always nice to know successful authors also have "normal" lives: " . . .make sure the kids are occupied so I have some time to think." I also enjoyed your excerpt!

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