I’m happy to welcome Soul Mate author D.R. Grady. Today, she shares her reasons for reading and writing paranormal romance and her latest release, The Dragon Chronicles Book Three: Healing.
Here’s D.R.
We authors are first and foremost readers. I started reading category romances at the tender age of eleven, (I’m pretty certain my mom had no idea!) and progressed to romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and then I discovered paranormal romance.
The beauty of paranormal romance is the ability to escape from reality for a little while. Actually, that’s the beauty of romance in general, isn’t it? We can flee from the pressures of life and enter into a story we know will conclude with a happy ending. Paranormal romance simply takes this concept in a different direction.
When life starts throwing things at us that aren’t nice, (illness, death of a loved one, financial crisis), escaping into a world that’s utterly different is wonderful, and sometimes needed.
Paranormal romance is so far from reality that I know I’m not in my own life any longer, yet I’m safe. (Though the characters in the book probably aren’t!) I can live vicariously through them for however long the book lasts.
My reality is still there, waiting for me, but after seeing the characters’ strength their reaction to the pressures surrounding them, I’ve learned better how to cope with my own life, whether it’s in crisis mode or not at the moment. After finishing the book, I have more knowledge of grace, or resilience, maybe endurance, and many other characteristics that help me to endure whatever I’m experiencing.
The Dragon Chronicles series came about because I was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness, and I needed to work through all those messy emotions. Writing kept me sane in a world that had suddenly gone insane. One that was fraught with uncertainty.
In came an elf who learns she’s a dragon. It’s her job to save the world from a nasty enemy they themselves created. With this unwanted ability, she also gains a bossy male who controls her unruly dragon and claims to be her mate. (The Dragon Chronicles Book 1: Learning)
In this final book, two powerful healers, Ewain and Marissa, set sparks off each other while trying to combat an enemy who has his sights set on destroying Marissa. Lindy and Alex, the dragon and her dragon controller, along with Ewain and Marissa, and their fellow Healer Keely and her alpha mate, Hugh, must defeat a force so negative it leaves a path of destruction akin to several natural disasters.
It’s hard to believe we’re on the final book in this series. The Dragon Chronicles Book 3: Healing concludes this series with plenty of paranormal creatures, angst, and provides a new opportunity to escape reality.<
Don’t miss this final story of The Dragon Chronicle series!
Blurb
Healers Ewain Douglass and Marissa Mays work and live in close confines. Too bad they set sparks off each other. They struggle to remain civil and professional, until the enemy targets Marissa.
Meanwhile, the dragon and her controller are still learning all can about their abilities. The dragon has called her allies together to face a war for their very lives. Ewain and Marissa don’t have time to declare war on each other.
Excerpt
Alex didn’t sound like he noticed the chill as he checked off another name. “No one has seen Ewain?”
“He wasn’t at the clinic when I left this evening,” Marissa said.
Lindy bit her lip. “Maybe I’d better go find him.”
Ewain trotted up to them before Lindy finished speaking.
Marissa’s heart skipped, then beat far too fast as she took in his attire, or lack thereof. His hair stood every which way and there was a sleepy air about him. The drowsiness did not detract from the gorgeous body barely concealed by the few articles of clothing he wore.
“Nice knees.” Keely’s voice held a lot of laughter.
“Nice short shorts.” Amusement lit Lindy’s comment as well.
Marissa didn’t offer up anything because her mouth suddenly went dry before flooding with far too much moisture. The man’s shorts were definitely on the skimpy side. They showcased the hard defined muscles of his thighs and calves. He’d paired them with an aging gray tank top. This garment did nothing to hide his perfectly muscled chest and arms. His feet were encased in a pair of grungy running shoes. She bet his feet were every bit as appealing as the rest of him.
“You’re lucky I’m in the habit of wearing clothes to bed. The siren woke me from a deep sleep.” Ewain ran a hand over his bed head and the curls sprang back as though they hadn’t been slept on. Marissa suppressed a heavy sigh.
Alex finished a note he scribbled at the bottom of his paper before he joined the conversation. “Underwear is not optional.” He sounded emphatic. Lindy and Keely laughed.
“Again, you’re lucky I grabbed these before I crawled into bed tonight.” Ewain waved at his running shorts.
“When do you wear those?” Lindy appeared fascinated.
“Only at night when I’m sleeping. So I don’t shock someone in need of medical help.” Ewain glanced down at himself. “I’d never wear these in public.”
Why couldn’t he have remembered that mandate before he left the apartment? Marissa swallowed some of the overflow in her mouth.
Keely glanced around at the crowd, her demeanor solemn. “You’d be sexually harassed if you wore those in daylight hours.”
“Why do you think I’m standing in the shadows?” A hint of impatience colored Ewain’s voice. “I’m not muted, either.”
“I can help.” Lindy tossed the muting spell over him.
“Thanks.” Ewain skulked further into the shadows, behind Marissa, but she still smelled him. His scent was every bit as delicious as the elf himself. She stepped away. In the next second, she was going to start drooling, and . . .
She slid to Alex’s other side. The wind buffeted her more here, but at least she couldn’t smell or see Ewain now. After Lindy’s muting spell, more darkness clung to him, but he was still there.
“Aren’t you freezing?” Lindy shivered and cuddled closer to Alex. But her eyes were on Ewain.
“I’m fine, other than being tired. These cushy hours are going to be a problem.”
“Cushy hours?” Keely cocked her head at him.
“I’m not used to getting so much sleep. Half a night of uninterrupted sleep and my body seems to demand it now.” He ended his disgruntled statement with a yawn.
Even this jaw-cracking action looked sexy on the man.
Bio
D.R. Grady lives with her husband near Hershey, PA. She adores chocolate, laughing, collecting bags, books, and shoes, and writing stories that resonate with others.
Website | Twitter | Amazon | Facebook | Google+
For many writers, worry is a habit. Our minds whirl as we over-analyze and over-think each situation.
I love Twitter! It’s fast and fun and can be used to share ideas, educate, promote, and connect. I’m slowly building my following and thought I’d share ten tips I’ve learned!
In 1984, London Life Insurance came up with a uniquely Canadian slogan – Freedom 55.
My heroine, Jane, in A Match Made in Heritage View, is an avid gardener who finds great joy in reviving and expanding the gardens around her cottage in Heritage View. I love to garden, and I could easily list dozens of plants that I feel I need, in the same way some women “need” that next pair of shoes. You know who you are. A garden center is my shoe store and I can get into trouble pretty darn fast.
3. ‘Knockout’ roses – ‘Knockout’ roses may be all over the place these days, but with good reason. They make us all expert rose gardeners almost overnight. This is the place to start with roses if you think you can’t grow roses.
Annie Stiles was practically born with a book in her hand, but the writing came later. A daydreamer by nature, Annie always secretly wanted to be a romance novelist. It wasn’t until her youngest child started kindergarten that she buckled down and turned that dream into reality. She is fascinated by characters on the page and in real life, and talks with her hands so much that people have been known to duck.
I live in paradise along the west coast of Canada with my family and love reading, writing, and flower gardening. Oh, and I can’t function without coffee! Preferably at the beach with my sweetheart. 🙂
Briefly describe your first act.
Joanne Guidoccio 