Unseen
by Meg Benjamin
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GENRE: Paranormal romance
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BLURB:
Teran Richter is in Animas, Colorado, to find members of the Folk, a simple task. But the annual Animas Fall Festival brings hordes of tourists and daily celebrations that make it frustrating. Things begin to look up when Teran meets Marika Sager. Marika’s business partner Eva seems to be a member of the Folk, only it’s Marika Teran’s attracted to, particularly after a local witch’s brew sends the two into a memorable night of passion.
But there are sinister forces at work in Animas. Teran’s attacked and his assistant is kidnapped. When Marika also disappears, Teran’s forced to confront the truth: someone is out to sabotage his mission and destroy anyone who tries to help. With an eccentric team of magical allies, Teran must rescue Marika and fight off those who want to destroy both him and the Folk. But can he find a way to confront the shadowy forces while keeping himself and his lover safe from harm?
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Excerpt One:
The flash of heat zapped along Teran’s backbone, branching out into the nerves along his shoulders, then into his arms. He jerked with the force of it, and the heat ripped to his sides and out. The fog glowed red as his power crashed into it.
It thinned before it gathered once again.
They pushed forward quickly, but not quickly enough.
“Can you increase the voltage?” Reynard muttered.
“If I knew what I was doing, I might be able to. Since I’m playing it by ear, I don’t know. I’ll try once more.” He took a deep breath, then concentrated. This time the power snaked through his body more quickly—he felt it all the way to the back of his head. For a moment he felt as if he were glowing, and then the blast flew outward into the mist.
And shot back toward them.
“Holy crap,” Reynard cried, throwing himself flat on the ground.
Teran had time to hunch over, protecting his head. The power blast washed over him like a superheated wave. It felt like he’d singed his hair.
Terrific. What the hell kind of Seelie singes his own goddamn hair with his own goddamn power blast? A reluctant Seelie, obviously.
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Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance. Her newest series, the Folk, is a paranormal trilogy set in Colorado. Meg’s Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing). Along with contemporary romance, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers. Meg’s Web site is http://www.MegBenjamin.com. You can follow her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/megbenjamin/), Twitter (http://twitter.com/megbenj1) and Instagram (meg_benjamin). Meg loves to hear from readers—contact her at meg@megbenjamin.com. Unseen is available from Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/2E06sEo
Interview:
Where are you from? Tell us a little about yourself!
I live in Colorado now, but I spent twenty-plus years in Texas before that so I write about both places. I taught college English and communication in Texas but when my hubs took another job in Colorado, I retired from teaching and started writing full time. I started out writing contemporary romance, which I still do, but I’ve also written paranormal like Unseen along the way. It’s been quite a journey!
Tell us about your book? How did it get started?
Unseen is the second book in the Folk series I’m writing for Soul Mate Publishing. I wanted to pick up some of the characters from Away, the first book in the series, and show how they developed. I was also inspired by a fall festival at Crested Butte, Colorado called Vinotok. The parade and festivities struck me as places where supernatural creatures would fit right in, so I set about making that happen in my version of Crested Butte (called Animas in the book).
How do you create your characters?
Usually I have a sense of how the characters look and act, and I sometimes use the Master Character Archetypes described in The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders. If I can hear the characters’ voices in my head that helps a lot: that’s certainly the way I developed Prince Bertie.
What do you like to read?
I’m big on romance, although I also read a lot of mysteries (frequently by women writers). I’m particularly fond of thrillers and regency romances, both of which are sort of far from what I write. That’s mostly on purpose since I don’t want to be overly influenced by what I’m reading. But I have to admit that Prince Bertie was very much influenced by regency romance heroes. He’s a prince, after all.
What would your advice to be for authors or aspiring in regards to writing?
Join a writer’s group and find critique partners. Basically, you need to have your stuff read by people who don’t love you because they’ll tell you what they really think. And being in a writer’s group will give you friends who are joined in the same struggle. The San Antonio chapter of the Romance Writers of America was my lifeline when I was starting out. I would never have published without them.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I hope you’ll enjoy Unseen. You can read it without having read Away, but the two fit together well. Plus how can you pass up a story that begins with a parade and ends with an epic fight?
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Meg Benjamin will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
2 comments
Thanks for hosting!
Great interview, I enjoyed reading it 🙂