Help me Welcome, ALLISON MERRITT !

 A little bit about Allison.......

A life-long love of reading turned Allison Merritt into an indie author who writes historical, paranormal and fantasy romances, often combining the sub-genres. She lives in a small town in the Ozark Mountains with her husband and dogs. When she's not writing or reading, she hikes in national parks and conservation areas

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I'm thrilled to be featuring Allison today and putting the spotlight on her new e-book release, The Treasure Hunter's Lady.  Below I've included a blurb of the book to entice you.

 Blurb:

On the outside, Romy Farrington has the perfect life—a world-famous archaeologist father, a pretty dowry and an upcoming marriage to a wealthy businessman. But to Romy, her new life among the elitists is like a punishment.

For years, she traveled the world at her father's side, exploring new lands and uncovering ancient secrets. It was everything she ever wanted, until a near-fatal encounter with hostile natives forced her and her father into a life of retirement in Boston and an undesired advance into proper society.

Everything changes again when she's saved from an accident by a brash Texan in a back alley. Abel Courte may act like a carefree cowboy, but he's harboring a secret—he's searching for the Diamond of Uktena, a legendary jewel that can cure any disease known to man. He needs information Romy's father has in order to get to the jewel. When he traces the origin of the Diamond to Dakota Territory, he sets off to claim the treasure, only to find the archaeologist's fiery redheaded daughter stuck to him like a bug in sap.

In a race against time, Romy and Abel must learn to trust each other as they undertake a cross-country journey that will expose them to lands uncharted by white men, a deadly battle against the fearsome creature in possession of the Diamond and a fight to return to civilization where they might make the greatest discovery of all—love. 

Intrigued?  Then I suggest that you hop over to Barnes & Noble or Amazon and get a copy.    Still need a bit more convincing?  Drop back by on Saturday when I'll be reviewing The Treasure Hunter's Lady on the Saturday Book Review.

In the meantime, here are the links so you can learn more about Allison and maybe even leave a comment....I can tell you for a fact, authors always love to hear from readers and fans. 

Blog - Have Novel, Will Edit http://havenovelwilledit.blogspot.com

Twitter - http://twitter.com/allison_merritt

FB fan page - http://www.facebook.com/allisonmwrites?sk=app_176932522353297

Amazon author page - http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B006LZV3QS

Welcome YA Guest Author, Patricia Mason!

The Best Villain is a Hero Too 

            by P.R. Mason

 

As an avid reader, I enjoy learning about the authors' creative processes. So when Sandra gave me the opportunity to participate in her excellent blog, I thought I would write about how I created one of my favorite characters.

 

ENTANGLEMENTS, my recent release, is a paranormal romance/urban fantasy about a teen who enters a dangerous alternate dimension to rescue her stepsister. In plotting the story, I wanted to include a villain who's more than just a stock baddie. He had to be dark and evil, of course. But I didn't want him to be like a slasher movie automaton, acting inexplicably except for some psychopathically insane dementia. To me, an evildoer's far more insidious and scary if there's an understandable motive to his actions. So I set out to create a villain who's also a hero...or at least one who thinks he's a hero.

 

I started by considering that much of Entanglements takes place in a dimension where history has taken an alternate path to that of our universe. I imagined a place largely frozen in Victorian times. It's a London where paranormal creatures abound.

 

In researching Victorian England to come up with an historical figure that could serve as the basis for my villain, I sought to find someone who could have, if events were slightly different, come into a position of power and authority. The perfect candidate presented himself in the personage of His Royal Highness Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, the son of Britain's Queen. My decision to use Leopold was solidified when I learned he was afflicted with hemophilia, a genetic disease that prevents blood clotting and significantly shortens the life of a sufferer. Even a trip and fall can result in internal bleeding and death...which is what happened to Leopold in real life.

 

In my alternate history, the Queen, desperate to save her son, employs a wizard to find a cure. But this cure is less than successful and transforms Leopold into a vampire. The prince then sets about fathering a vampire aristocracy and gathering other paranormal creatures into his Empire

 

As a side note, a bit of unexpected synergy occurred in the selection of Leopold as the villain. One integral part of the Entanglements plot is that heroine, Kizzy, accidentally opens a vortex/portal to the Prince's world. In researching one such alleged vortex located in my hometown of Savannah, Georgia, I discovered that the symbol purportedly drawn to open the portal was a swirling circle. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a glyph used by Queen Victoria included this same swirl.

 

As Entanglements begins, the human race is on the verge of extinction in Leopold's world. Even though "free-range" humans are being rounded up and put into a feedlot system, the food supply for Leopold and his subjects is dwindling. He views the heroine, Kizzy, as the key to opening the portal to our world for exploration and plundering. Obviously, Prince Leopold thinks he's the hero of the story.

 

At one point, Leopold asks:  “Am I so very different from you, Kizzy? You do all you can to save your sister and your friends. I merely do all I can to save my people. I wish to prevent them from perishing in unspeakable agony. How can that be wrong?”

 

And to her surprise, Kizzy sort of understands his logic. She recognizes the morality of monsters feasting on human flesh and using their bones as toothpicks is relative.

 

I hope I achieved my goal of creating a heroic villain or villainous hero. One the reader can empathize with even as he scares them silly. Please follow me on twitter @PRMason and visit my website www.prmason.net

 

Thank you, Sandra for allowing me to be here and for giving me the chance to connect with other readers and authors.    

Entanglement    (YA Paranormal Romance)

    by P. R. Mason

        Blurb:  She is driven by love.  He is bound by duty. Together they are swept through a votex to adventure and danger.