Please welcome author Renee Wildes today at the Reading Nook.
Can
you tell us a little about yourself?
I live in central WI with my husband, three teenagers, and a whole
bunch of critters—dog, 3 cats, hamster, & horse. I have a day job working
as a professional dog groomer. I’m a total Josh Gates groupie!
What is your book(s) about?
A Guardian’s Heart is the completely remodeled reincarnation of
Duality. A new twist on Cinderella, my human peasant heroine Dara thinks she’s
just a healer with a temper. When she rescues an elven warrior on the
battlefield, he takes her back to the elven kingdom of Cymry so she can get
assistance ousting the demon who usurped her king’s throne. She finds out
there’s a lot more to learn about who she is and where she comes from. Here
there be dragons!
If you could be any paranormal creature what would you be?
I would love to be a dragon—long life, wisdom of the ages, almost
indestructible, and the ability to breathe fire and fly? Count me in!
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I read a lot, also am involved in 4-H with my youngest daughter
(and the above-mentioned horse!), and watch non-fiction TV—Expedition Unknown,
Forged in Fire, and Mysteries at the Museum.
What genres do you write in?
Romance—fantasy, paranormal, and sci fi.
If you write a series do you reread your previous books before you
begin the new one?
Yes, to make sure my characters and world-building stay
consistent. I have occasionally moved entire cities around from book to
manuscript, so I’ve learned to keep notes but always double-check!
Is there anything you wish to say to your readers?
Always believe in and stay true to yourself. Don’t worry so much
about pleasing others—strive for your own dreams.
Do you prefer to extensively plot your stories, or do you write them
as they come to you?
I am a total plotter, as all my fantasy books are interconnected
and I’m working on their children’s stories now (Daughters of the Guardians). I
have to plot to keep it all straight!
Have there been any characters that started off as supporting
characters, but then developed into a more prominent character?
That’s how I roll—in A Guardian’s Heart you meet Loren’s best
friend Cianan (the hero in Book 2, A Guardian’s Hope), Dara’s ladies’ maid
Verdeen (the heroine of Book 5, A Guardian’s Destiny), the elven Minister of
Healing Benilo (the hero in Book 4, A Guardian’s Dreams), and Queen Moira’s
werewolf brother Trystan (the hero of Book 3, A Guardian’s Storm). In a
Guardian’s Dreams, you meet heroine Pryseis’ nephew Dax (hero in Book 6, A
Guardian Betrayed). In A Guardian’s Destiny, you meet hero Aryk’s best friend
Valkyn (hero in Book 7, A Guardian Redeemed—his heroine Mari is the best friend
of Trystan’s heroine Finora).
Whew! Now you see why I HAVE to be a hard-core plotter!
If a movie or TV production company chose to produce your books into
a series of shows or movies, who would your ideal cast be?
Someone else just asked me this recently. In my original version
of Duality, I had Dinah Meyer (Cara from Dragonheart) and Craig Parker (Haldir
from LOTR) as Dara and Loren.
Nowadays, I would wholeheartedly embrace Rose Leslie as Dara—I
adored her spirited portrayal of Chloe in The Last Witch Hunter. Loren is a bit
more difficult, but I’m leaning toward Alexander Skarsgard. I would totally
have Judy Dench reading for the voice of Loren’s opinionated war mare,
Hani`ena! Miranda Otto would play Verdeen. Santiago Cabrera as Cianan, because
I love his roguish portrayal of Aramis in the BBC version of the Musketeers.
A Guardian's Heart
Genre of Book - Fantasy Romance
Series Name - Guardians of Light (Book One)
Publisher - Champagne Book Group
Book blurb
-
Dara Khan Androcles was trained from childhood to be a
healer. But as a demon-possessed invader threatens Safehold, and she defends a
wounded warrior on the battlefield, her hidden inner dragon thirsts for
blood.
When she lifts the warrior’s blond, blood-encrusted hair away
from his ear, she discovers he is more than King Hengist’s outlander ally. He
is an immortal. The elven heir to the throne of Cymry.
Loren ta Cedric senses something different about
flame-haired, falcon-eyed woman who saves him. A healer, wreathed in raw, dark
power, who wields knives with deadly skill. A mortal who prays to the Lady, not
the human gods. Now he owes this thoroughly distracting female a Life-Debt.
Which, in the heat of their flight to Loren’s homeland to raise an army,
somehow becomes Life-Mate.
Dragon-human and elf, peasant and prince, logic says they
have no future. Yet the power of their unlikely bond could be the only thing
that saves their world from a demon poised to tear it apart.
Warning: This
new twist on Cinderella contains a grouchy dragon, a sentient war mare with the
dry wit of a certain English Dame, and a fiery heroine who strikes serious
sparks with a mercenary elf.
Excerpt:
The sun just
kissed the horizon outside Dara’s windows when a knock sounded at the adjoining
door. “Dara? Are you ready?” Loren called.
“’Course I’m not
ready. Wait ’til you see what she stuffed me into this time.”
Verdeen opened the
door and curtsied. “Highness.”
Loren entered.
“Keeping Lady Dara out of trouble, Verdeen?”
“With great
difficulty, Milord.” Verdeen shut the door.
He froze as he
focused on Dara. Heat flared in his eyes. “Verdeen, await us downstairs.”
Verdeen curtsied
again and showed herself out, shutting the door behind her.
Loren locked it.
Dara sucked in a
startled breath. His gaze traveled down, then up again. Slowly. Possessively.
Her body tingled at the frank desire on his face, and she rubbed her bare arms.
“You’re staring. Don’t blame me for this.” His long silence unnerved her. “Say
something.”
“I would, could I
find words.” His hoarse voice sent a shiver down her spine. “Where is the rest
of it?”
She rolled her
eyes. “They carted it off to the stables for insect netting. ’Tis all they left
me. I resemble a heathen idol, don’t I?”
“If you were, a
thousand men would change their religion.” Catching the blasphemy, Loren made a
sign of supplication to the Lady. “If you wanted our cause to be visible, you
succeeded. Everyone shall wish to meet you. None shall even notice me.”
Dara snorted.
“Doubtful. The wanderer returns heroic, covered in glory and still unwed. All
noble mothers shall throw their daughters at your feet.”
“You are the only
one I want, sassy, irreverent wench.” Loren stroked her glistening arm.
Want. Dara trembled and slid closer. She loved
how his eyes darkened. How she tingled at the open appreciation and desire on
his face. Other men had admired her, but not quite this way—with a knowing that
saw her, not just the pretty packaging. Her pulse pounded in her throat as she
traced his lips with her fingertips. He captured her wrist to place a burning
kiss against her sensitive skin. Dara gasped in reaction, and his eyes blazed.
The blood
shimmered in her veins. She’d give aught to have Loren look at her that way
forever. “We should go—”
“In a moment.” He
pulled her flush against him. “I would have you to myself…for a bit.”
The hard planes of
his chest thrilled, and she softened against him. Here was where she wanted to
be. He stroked a calloused hand down her bare back. She whimpered. “Careful,
you’ll squash my flower.”
“I shall get you
another one.” Loren nuzzled her hair aside to lip her ear, flicking his tongue
against her neck, nipping her shoulder. “So beautiful and brave. I need to hold
you…touch you…taste you.” His mouth captured hers, his tongue surging in to
duel with hers.
Dara’s head spun
at the sensuous strokes of his tongue, tasting rich male and hot, heady desire.
Her skin prickled with awareness. She clung to him, overwhelmed by a storm of
sensation. Her body awoke, alive with yearning. Everywhere he touched caught
fire. She arched against him with a gasp as his hands lowered to cup her
backside and haul her into a burning erection. Half shocked, half intrigued,
she rubbed against the rigid shaft straining within his breeches. A deep inner
ache that had naught to do with the iron poisoning tightened her womb. A
disconcerting dampness slicked her inner thighs, and she whimpered and shook in
his arms.
Loren caressed her
backside and his wet, carnal kisses devoured her with a voracious hunger nigh
approaching desperation.
Trembling, aflame,
she clung to him as he crowded her against the hard door.
Door. Party.
She tore her mouth
from his. “Loren, wait.”
“One moment.” He
slid a hand under the material of her bodice and found her breast, tweaking her
nipple into a point of hot need. “So soft, so strong…”
A flash of heat
zinged down between her thighs, and her womb clenched. Between her quivering
thighs, she felt herself soften and swell. A strange fluttering began, an
overwhelming instinctive need to cradle him, move on him. Dara struggled to
focus. “Loren, they await us.”
He groaned and
drew back. Her body ached at the loss. Frustration glittered in his leaf-green eyes.
“Forget the party. Stay here. Let me show you the stars. It shall be amazing
between us.”
She should be
outraged at the proposition, but, oh, how tempting that was. She bit her lip
and squirmed, then frowned. “Your kin would notice. I’d not offend your
grandparents. Asides, I’ve never seen fireworks afore.”
“We can be late.
We shall make our own fireworks.” He cupped her breast again, swiped his thumb
across her straining, sensitized nipple. “Deny you want this…want me… Please
want me…”
She yelped at the
shock and covered his mouth. “Don’t say another word. You could tempt a nun.
Enough. Let’s go. If Sirona had to fetch us two nights in a row, we’d never
hear the end of it.”
Grinning, he
peeled her hand away and replaced the crushed flower from her bodice with a
fresh one from the nearby vase. “A nun?”
Dara’s cheeks
warmed anew as the cool water from the stem trickled down the heated skin of
her belly.
Bio
-
WI author Renee Wildes grew up reading fantasy
authors Terry Brooks and Mercedes Lackey and is a huge Joseph Campbell fan, so
the minute she discovered romance novels it became inevitable that she would
combine it all and write fantasy romance. Renee is a history buff and research
junkie, from ancient to medieval times, esp. the Dark Ages. As a Navy brat and
a cop’s kid, she gravitated to protector/guardian heroes and heroines. She’s
had horses her whole life, so became the only vet tech in a family of nurses.
It all comes together in her Guardians of Light series – fantasy, action,
romance, heroics, and lots of critters!
Links -
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