Monday, September 9, 2013

Series Spotlight, Interview & Giveaway: Descendants of Ra by Tmonique Stephens







The Descendants of Ra series is one of my new favorites!  Tmonique Stephens delivers originality, action, adventure, and romance.  She leaves me wanting more at the end of each book.  Though each book focuses on a different couple, we still see the previous characters blended perfectly throughout.  I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us in book 3.


ETERNITY
Descendants of Ra, #1

Cursed for 2000 years, Roman Nicolis has tracked his lovers’ soul through each reincarnation only to lose her horribly every time. Reclaiming their love is his only salvation. He’s been her friend, her father, her neighbor, but never again her lover . . . until now.

A late night walk home throws Stella Walker into the path of a killer. The last thing she remembers are the deep blue eyes of the man trying to kill her—and the first things she sees after a seven day coma are the same blue eyes in the handsome face of the man hired to protect her. Is he truly the owner of a security firm or the man who wants to finish her off? Is it fears she feels when Roman touches her or the memory of something sweeter?

Past secrets haunt them. An angry demon stalks them. 
Roman will do anything to recover what they once had. Though Stella’s ruined childhood has made her close her heart and body to any man, he must get past the walls around her to gain her love and trust, for it will take their union to defeat an unexpected enemy sent from the Egyptian Gods. A man Romans respects, and Stella trusts. 
TWO HEARTS. ONE SOUL. FOR ALL ETERNITY.




EVERLASTING
Descendants of Ra, #2

Kill the beast.
Save your brother.
Win your freedom.
No problem.
Falling in love with the cop trying arrest you?
Problem.

To save his twin from death, Reign Nicolis will have to bargain with Goddess of the Dead, and once more become what he despises, El Mortem, The Scourge, a killer trained to show mercy to none. But he is haunted by those who have fallen beneath his blade. Their ghostly shapes dog his footsteps, relentless in their torture to make him suffer for what he was put on this earth to do two thousand years ago. Saving his twin ensures Reign’s enslavement to the Goddess. She may own his body, but never his heart. 

Detective Alexis Lever’s career is in shambles. Her only chance at redemption is to discover what happened to the body of Daniel Nicolis. To do that she’ll have to thwart two men: Reign Nicolis and Roman Nicolis. Both belong in jail. But one has stolen her heart.

Available at:  Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tmonique Stephens wrote her first novel about a reporter and a hockey player after the U.S. hockey team won gold in the 1980 Olympics. She loves writing flawed characters who reflect the emotional baggage we all carry. She writes complicated stories for complicated people. Paranormal romances and fantasy novels are her favorite genre. She will read anything about fairies, demons, or angels.  She also enjoys Stephen King and Dean Koontz.
She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing from City College of New York where she won an English Department Award for her play Tea with Salt in 1987.
She was born in St. Thomas USVI, but she grew up in The Bronx, New York one mile from Yankee Stadium. She loves SyFy and the History channels, and Asian cuisine. But her heart and stomach longs for anything from the Caribbean.




Hi Tmonique, thank you so much for visiting My Secret Romance.  Your second novel in the Descendants of Ra series, Everlasting was released in July.  I have to say I really like this series!  Paranormal romance was my first love and you absolutely reminded me why.  I could not put your books down.  I’m a fan! 

It’s a nice fresh take to see Egyptian gods play a role.  How long have you been interested in them?  What inspired you to write a paranormal romance series with them in mind?  What kind of research, if any, did you do to prepare for your book?  Was there anything that was most personally interesting to you?

I started flirting with the idea of an Egyptian God series in 2005. Nothing solidified until 2008 when I started working on Eternity. I had read a popular Greek god series and I didn’t think I could do another Greek god series as well as that one. Then the Egyptian gods came to mind and there was nothing on the market for what I had planned on writing. I did a lot of online research of the Egyptian pantheon and their hierarchy. Ancient Egypt is one of the most well document periods of history. There is a wealth of knowledge to cull stories.  I especially loved the love triangle of Osiris, Isis, and Nephythys.

Osiris, God of the Underworld and Isis, the Goddess of Motherhood, were married. Nephythys, the Goddess of Judgment , slept with Osiris and gave birth to Horus, but let Isis raise the child as hers. Later Nephythys married SET, The God of Evil, even though she was madly in love with Osiris. A bitter SET then kills Osiris. There is more to the myth, but in a nutshell, that’s it.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

 Eternity took four years for me to write, rewrite, and rewrite again. Everlasting took two years to write.  Six months into writing Evermore and the first draft will be completed in another six months. My writing and plotting skills have improved. Even though I whine sometimes (most times) I enjoy the writing process and I love my characters, especially when they go off on their own.

What was the hardest thing to cut from your manuscript?

In Eternity, I had a young boy as a member of the family. He was a great 9 year old with a budding badass attitude. There was a forest scene where he tried to prove his worth as a Nicolis. I hated cutting that scene and character, but removing the storyline made Eternity better.

 Are any of your characters most/least like you, and in what way(s)?

All of the characters are a bit like me. They have been hurt, disappointed, doubt themselves and want love. I think all writers put parts of themselves in their characters. Stella, the heroine in Eternity, has my vulnerability and Alexis, the heroine in Everlasting, has my fortitude. Emeline, the heroine in Evermore, has my determination.

If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?

I think Stella, in Eternity would say thank you for finally getting it right. I put her through a lot of torture, especially with different rewrites. But the end results were worth it.

What is your next project? 

I’m working on EVERMORE, the third novel in my Descendants of Ra series. It is Avery Nicolis’s story. I don’t want to give too much away, but the scars he has on the outside of his body mask the scars he’s carrying on the inside.

Do you have other ideas in the works beyond the Descendants of Ra series?

I’m in the plotting stages of a spinoff of the Descendants of Ra series and an angel/ demons series. I’m also working on a series of contemporary revenge novellas that will be out next year.  There’s nothing better than a scorned woman getting revenge. 

Can you leave us with a favorite quote or teaser from your book? 

This is an excerpt from EVERLASTING:

“I have been with you for many days and could have killed you a dozen times, but I did not.” Reign crowded Alexis until her back was against a wall and her gun was pressed into the center of his chest. His face was the only thing she saw. Her breath caught. Her insides fluttered. 
“Do you wish me harm, Alexis? If you do, your weapon will achieve nothing. I do not know if my sword will achieve anything, but I dare say you would have better luck with my blade than with your gun.”  The words rolled off his tongue like a sensual sigh. She lowered her weapon and shoved it back into the holster.
Hilt first, he handed the sword to her and waited until she had a strong grip before releasing his hold. It pulled her down and thunked into the carpet. She tried to lift it, but couldn’t. Reign smirked and sat on the sofa while she dragged the blade—cutting a slice in the faded carpet—to the chair. Well-polished and honed to a sharp edge, the sword glinted as she traced a finger over the intricate design. The cold metal tantalized her as she imagined him wielding it above his head while he charged onto a battlefield. The image was terrifying…and erotic.
Braided leather wrapped around the handle and scroll characters traveled down the blade. No, not characters, hieroglyphics. “Do you know what this says?” She stroked the metal. Puzzlement crossed his featured, then a dawning awareness. She thought he was about to lie and say no. Instead, he nodded.
He stumbled over the pronunciations a few times before speaking. “‘I am the bringer. Face me and be judged’. I have never read Egyptian before.” 
“How’d you end up cursed in Egypt?” Instead of answering, he looked away.
Okay. Next question.
 “Why does the tether hold you here?”
His gaze swung back to her. “The Vanquished. When they come and I can no longer function.”
“Who’s the Vanquished?”
“Conquered warriors haunting my soul. They are my penance, my tormentors. The only peace I find is when I’m within one hundred feet of the one who balances my soul. You are that person.”
She was about to say she didn’t want to be that person when his gaze turned sultry, swept across her face, down the column of her throat and rested on her breasts. An internal switch flipped and she flushed. Her fingers stroked down the blade as images of him—of them—entwined and doing things she dreamed about flickered in her head. The positions, the thrusts, the licks, and touches. Orgasms after orgasms. She, crying out his name.
His gaze roasted her. Those oceany eyes kissed her lips, caressed her breasts, slid down her body and settled between her thighs where she ached. Her finger slipped on the metal and blood ran freely. The sharp sting seared all lustful thoughts away. Instantly, he kneeled in front of her and grabbed her wrist. She tried to jerk away, but he held her firmly, his thumb pressed hard on the wound.
 “Apologies, your injury is my responsibility. I never should have let you—”
“It’s okay. It’s not that bad.”
“It is. My nearness keeps causing you injury. That, I cannot allow.” His eyes blazed full of anguish.
Strands of his long hair swept across his face, partially hiding his expression. Alexis brushed the wayward locks away. She skimmed her palm down his sculpted cheek and through his short beard. His eyes widened and…he stopped breathing. Amazed that she had actually caused a man to stop breathing at her mere touch, Alexis leaned in for a taste, that’s all she promised. One kiss to settle the heat stirring in her blood.
Centimeters away from his lips, she paused, then drew away.
There’s a reason you're celibate, Alexis. Too many relationships had soured  and left her swearing off men for the past year. But if there was ever a reason to end her diet, Reign was it.
He waited. Not a muscle betrayed his emotions, yet a vein pulsed wildly at the base of his neck.
But he lied.
What if you approach this logically? You want him. Your panties are sticking to you, you want him so bad. So have him. Leave your heart out of it. Hell, men do it. You can do it too. Screw him, let him work all your kinks out. Just don’t fall in love with him so when the shit hits the fan—
I won't be the one cut by the blades.
She pressed her lips to his.
Holy hell! Nothing had ever tasted so delicious, felt as delightful as his firm lips slanted across her mouth. His whiskers gently brushed her skin, heightening her senses. His scent, woodsy with a hint of musk, filled her lungs. She leaned into him, parted her lips, and licked the seam of his closed mouth. He shuddered and his lips parted. His tongue darted inside her mouth and ignited her blood.
He wanted her. She didn’t just feel in it in his touch, but knew it as if she were peeking into his soul.
They yanked apart, she panting while Reign inhaled sharply and exhaled deliberately. His pecs heaved as his gaze devoured her. Nothing made sense, not the heat surfing through her body or the hunger gnawing at her soul. Kissing Reign erased the presence of every man who had ever touched her. Flustered, she glanced down and saw her finger still pressed between his. 
He released her. She wiped away the smear of blood and found perfect new skin. “Okay, so how did you do that?” She held up the healed digit to his puzzled stare.
“I do not know.” His gaze shifted away.
He’s lying. Disappointment dissolved the lingering taste of him. Wow, that didn’t take long.

Where can your readers stalk you?  Um, I mean find you on the web.  :)


Again, thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 comments:

Jackie Crawford said...

Looks like a really interesting book list! I love romance books, especially ones that have that added suspense factor. I just read a great book called “Publics: Libertas Aut Mors” by Baltazar Bolado, http://baltazarbolado.net/, that also has that romance/suspense aspect which made for a really great read! Thanks for the post and suggestions, I’m going to have to look in to some of these!

Tim Edwards said...

Marie, my girlfriend loves those kinds of books too so I’ll have to
recommend the book you suggested to her. I was looking it up
online and found it on Amazon but just wanted to let you
know that the title is listed as “Publius: Libertas Aut
Mors”, just as an FYI. Thanks for the article and
suggestions from both of you.

Tim Edwards said...

Sorry, I mean Jackie! I was reading another blog looking for book suggestions as well and someone elses name was Marie! My mistake!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...