The SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS weekly column is a place at Shannon Muir’s author website open to interviews and guest posts from other authors. One thing Shannon firmly believes in for readers not only to learn about new books available, but about those who craft the tales behind them. As its name implies, SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS weekly column features writers from all genres of fiction who want their potential audience to get to know them, and their works, better – and occasionally may offer features from Shannon herself that support readers to discover words.
This week, find out more about the book ENCHANTER REDEEMED.
DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS by Bewitching Book Tours. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.
About the Book:
awake. Power surged through her body, painful and suffocating. Her spine arched
into it—or maybe away from it, she wasn’t sure. Merlin had one hand on her side
and the other on her chest, using his magic like a defibrillator. The sensation
hammered her from the inside while every hair on her body stood straight up.
When he released her, she sagged in relief. A drifting sensation took over, as
if she were a feather in an updraft.
went to her neck, checking for a pulse. His hands were hot from working spells,
the touch firm yet gentle. In her weakened state, Clary shivered slightly,
wanting to bare her throat in surrender. She was a sucker for dark, broody
masculinity and he projected it like a beacon. All the same, Clary sucked in a
breath before he got any big ideas about mouth-to-mouth. If Merlin was going to
kiss her, she wanted wine and soft music, not blood and the dirty workshop
floor.
power, more pain, another pulse check. Clary managed a moan, and she heard the
sharp intake of Merlin’s breath. His hand withdrew from her pulse point as she
forced her eyes open. He was staring down at her with his peculiar amber eyes,
dark brows furrowed in concern. She was used to him prickly, arrogant or
sarcastic, but not this. She’d never seen that oddly vulnerable expression
before—but it quickly fled as their gazes met.
He said it like a fact, any softness gone.
pushed herself up on her elbows. She hurt all over. “What was that?”
much.” Clary held up her arm, peering through the rents in her jacket where the
demon’s claws had slashed. Merlin’s zap of power had stopped the bleeding, but
the deep scratches were red, puffy and hurt like blazes.
toxic.”
salve on the wound, but you’d be smart to have Tamsin look at it,” Merlin said.
“Your sister is a better healer than I am.”
than anybody.” Clary said it with the automatic loyalty of a little sister, but
it was true. “She’s got a better bedside manner, too.”
brow, his natural arrogance back in place. “Just be glad you’re alive.”
Merlin, acutely aware of how much magic he’d used to shut the demon down. He
looked like a man in his early thirties, but there was no telling how old he
actually was. He was lean-faced with permanent stubble and dark hair that
curled at his collar. At first glance, he looked like a radical arts professor
or dot-com squillionaire contemplating his next disruptive innovation. It took a
second look to notice the muscular physique hidden by the comfortable clothes.
Merlin had a way of sliding under most radars, but Clary never underestimated
the power he could pluck out of thin air. She was witch born, a member of the
Shadowring Coven, but he was light years beyond their strongest warlocks.
was like catnip to her—although she’d never, ever admit that out loud. “What
were you doing?” she demanded, struggling the rest of the way to a sitting
position.
the demons through a scrying portal when you interrupted me.” His tone was
precise and growing colder with every syllable. Now that the crisis was over,
he was getting angry.
tried to kill me.” Clary’s insides hollowed as the words sank home. Dear goddess,
she did kill me! And Merlin had brought her back before a second had passed—but
it had happened. Her witch’s senses had felt it happen. The realization left
her light-headed.
to have you,” he said in a low voice.
locked, and something twisted in Clary’s chest. She’d been hurt on Merlin’s
watch, and he was furious. No, what she saw in his eyes was more than icy
anger. It was a heated, primal possessiveness that came from a far different
Merlin than she knew. Clary’s breath stopped. Surely she was misreading the
situation. Death and zapping had scrambled her thoughts.
have walked in on you.”
shouldn’t have,” he said in a voice filled with the same mix of ice and fire.
“You’d be a better student of magic if you paid attention. You asked me to
teach you proper magic and not the baby food the covens use. Real magic is
deadly.”
stood and crossed the room to kick a shard of agate against the wall. It
bounced with a savage clatter. Clary got to her feet, her knees wobbling. He
spun and stormed back to her in one motion, moving so fast she barely knew what
was happening.
the shoulders, the grip rough. “Don’t ever do that again!”
mouth crushed hers in a hard, angry kiss. Clary gasped in surprise, but there
was no air, only him, and only his need. She rose slowly onto her toes, the
gesture both surrender and a desire to hold her own. She’d been kissed many
times before, but never consumed this way. His lips were greedy and hot with
that same confusing array of emotions she’d seen a moment ago. Anger. Fear.
Possession. Protectiveness.
was the word she’d so often used in her own head when thinking about him.
Volatile, though he kept himself on a very short chain. Right now that chain
had slipped.
For the first two chapters, click here: http://www.rowanartistry.com/book/enchanter-redeemed/
Interview with the Author:
What initially got you interested in writing?
When I was around seven or eight years old, I read a series of books I didn’t want to end so I started making up my own stories. I guess that’s a very, very early version of fanfic! Anyhow, that got me started and by the time I got out of high school I’d started writing novels. It wasn’t until much later that I began to seriously think about publishing, but I’ve always been engaged in telling stories.
How did you decide to make the move into being a published author?
I wrote freelance articles for a couple of arts magazines—which, incidentally, is a terrific apprenticeship for being an author. I did a feature article on a local Romance Writers of America conference, which introduced me to the group. I started attending the chapter meetings and realized that there were established avenues to publication which weren’t easy but were possible. That instant, I buckled down and got to work. This was long before independent publishing, and I got my first contract through a chapter contest.
What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?
Clearly, I want to tell a story that will keep readers turning the pages! I have lots of action, adventure, and the thrills and spills of romance in my books. But I also want to give readers a story of self-acceptance and the strength that comes from that. I write about misfits who find themselves and their chosen family and thrive.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
Readers, hands down. There’s nothing more satisfying than hearing that I’ve given someone a few hours of enjoyable escape.
What do you find most challenging about writing?
I write with my whole heart and it can be exhausting! I go on the journey with the characters. By the end of a good writing session I feel like I’ve been through the wringer. It makes for a better book and I will always dig deep, but there are times when I need to take a break for a few days.
What advice would you give to people want to enter the field?
Don’t ever skimp on quality. Learn the craft thoroughly. Never put out a book that you aren’t a thousand percent confident about. Never put out a book that reflects anything but your core artistic values. In the end, it’s the author who has to put their name on the cover, not the editor or agent or Mom or your best friend.
What ways can readers connect with you?
My website is here—with all my books, newsletter, and blog.
