Melissa Mayhue gives us A Highlander of Her Own

I'm happy that Melissa Mayhue is visiting with us today to tell us about her new book, just released, A Highlander of Her Own! Welcome, Melissa and congratulations! Please tell us what your new book is about. (What a magical cover!)

Melissa: A Highlander of Her Own is my fourth book in the award-winning Daughters of the Glen Series. Fifth in the series, A Highlander's Destiny, is scheduled for January 2010.

Blurb for A Highlander of Her Own:

TEXAS, PRESENT DAY. Ellie Denton’s world has spiraled out of control. A strange new birthmark, animals talking to her, and her mother’s ex-husband laying claim to the family ranch have her thinking life can’t get more complicated. But Ellie doesn’t know the birthmark’s connection to her Faerie ancestors. Complicated takes on a whole new meaning with her innocent wish to find her true love.

SCOTLAND, 1304. Caden MacAlister has more trouble than he can handle. With his brother held for ransom and the laird missing, the last thing he needs is another problem. But the Fae have other plans.

A mysterious woman shows up in his stables, sent by Faerie Magic to find her true love. Fighting his attraction, Caden insists she’s meant for one of his brothers. With his history, he has no desire for a woman in his life—especially a woman sent by the Fae.

Only the magic of the Fae can determine whether Ellie will find a Highlander of her own...

Vonda: Sounds awesome! What inspired you to write this story?

Melissa: After 'meeting' Caden in Soul of a Highlander, I wanted him to have his very own Happy Ever After. I also wanted to begin to address some of those women everyone was worried about at the end of Soul... the ones who'd suddenly, without any prior warning, found themselves with strange powers and the Mark of the Royal House of Fae.

Caden and Ellie's story sprang from there!

Vonda: What is your favorite thing about this story?

Melissa: I love the heroine in this story, Ellie Denton! She really spoke to me as I was writing the book. Oh...and the dogs! Their personalities are loosely modeled after my own dogs, so, they were fun to write, too.

Vonda: How cool! I love animals in stories. Can you point us toward an excerpt?

Melissa: The excerpt is actually from Chapter two - it's where the reader first meets Ellie and gets a glimpse into all her problems.

Excerpt

Vonda: Fantastic excerpt, Melissa! Everyone, please go check out this scene. I can't wait to read this book. I found Ellie incredibly likable and I really want her to find true love and solve her problems. Thank you for being here with us today and sharing your wonderful story!

Melissa Mayhue bares the Soul of a Highlander

I'm thrilled that we again have Melissa Mayhue visiting with us to tell us about her newest book, just released a few days ago! Welcome, Melissa! Please tell us about Soul of a Highlander.

Melissa: Soul of a Highlander picks up almost eight months after the end of Highland Guardian. Here’s the back cover blurb:

Nine years ago, Faerie Magic saved Mairi MacKiernan at the cost of her dreams of happiness, snatching her from her life in 1272 and depositing her in the twenty-first century. Now she must save the last Daughter of the MacKiernan family…who was murdered in 1295. Transported back in time, Mairi finds herself captured by the same evil men as before! Is this the price the Faerie Magic requires of her this time?

Ramos Servans has dedicated his dreams to service as a Guardian, but when he discovers the evil unleashed on the Mortal Plain by his father and their people, he swears he will atone by ridding the world of Nuadian deceit. Part of his mission involves rescuing a lovely Highland lassie, and in the passion that grows between them, Ramos and Mairi find a new dream.

But falling in love can be dangerous when Faerie Magic is involved. Dreams may not be the only cost…

Vonda: Sounds wonderful! What inspired this story idea?

Melissa: As I considered Mairi’s plight at the end of Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband, I knew I needed to tell her story. Bringing back some of the original characters – and introducing some new ones – just seemed a natural next step in the series. Both Mairi and Ramos had huge issues with having been betrayed by a family member they trusted. It made them a perfect fit for one another.

Vonda: What was the most important thing you learned (the thing that made all the difference) just before you made your first sale?

Melissa: That’s a really good question…but honestly, I didn’t know much at all before I made my first sale! I was blundering along on blind instinct. I can tell you now the two most important things I did that made that sale possible…in spite of my not knowing anything at the time!!!
1 – Finish the book. Write the book that’s in your heart, no matter what other people tell you about what you can and can’t do. If it’s a good story, there will be a home for it.
2 – Network. Join professional writing groups and never, ever miss an opportunity to tell someone about your book!!

Vonda: Great advice! What is your writing process or method?

Melissa: The first thing I do is decide who my hero and heroine are and I get a mental picture of them in my head. I need to know the basics about their personality and what problem they’re going to face. Then I set down at my keyboard and go to work.

And before anyone asks… :-) … No, I don’t actually plot. I know more or less what the overall challenge will be, and I know my hero and heroine are going to end up with their Happy Ever After, but the rest pretty much comes as I write it. The further I get into the story, the more I know about what is going to happen next.

Vonda: What’s next for you?

Melissa: I’m currently working on edits for the fourth book in the series, A Highlander of Her Own. The heroine is a brand new character, but the hero shows up for the first time in Soul of a Highlander. And I really like them both. You can be looking for that book in January/February 2009.

Just before I got the edits to work on, I had started Book Five. It doesn’t have a name yet and won’t be a time travel, but it will be similar in tone to Highland Guardian, giving the readers another helping of the Fae and the Nuadians. It will be Jesse’s book, for those readers who might be wondering. :-)

And for anyone who is waiting for more time travels out of the series…never fear! We’ll be going back to Thirteenth Century Scotland with Books Six and Seven. [No… they aren’t plotted yet. :-) But I do know who the lead characters will be in those two books].

Vonda: Congratulations on those additional sales! Would you like to ask blog readers a question?

Melissa: I always want to know what readers think of the stories and the characters!! :-) And if they have a favorite character or story. Most of all, I’d like to encourage them to drop by my website. http://www.melissamayhue.com/ It’s constantly evolving now, so new pieces are being added – even as we speak! :-) There will be a section that allows me to update readers on what I’m currently working on and on what is planned for the future of the Series.

My webmistress is also working on attaching something [I am so not technical] that will allow visitors to leave a question or comment and me to answer it right there! We hope to have that up in the next month or so.

Also, don’t ever hesitate to drop me an email. I’m open to questions or simply to hearing your thoughts! I love to visit with readers!

And, of course, I couldn’t end this without saying how very much I appreciate your taking the time to do this interview, Vonda, and allowing me the opportunity to ‘chat’ with all the readers of Fierce Romance!

Vonda: Thank YOU Melissa! I always enjoy interviewing you and learning about your books! I can't wait to buy this one.

Click here to buy the book.

Melissa Mayhue shares her Highlanders

Hi, today I'm thrilled we have Melissa Mayhue here to tell us about her first two Scottish time-travel romances, out now.

Vonda Sinclair: Thanks so much for being a guest at Fierce Romance, Melissa. Welcome! Please tell us about your first book Thirty Nights With a Highland Husband. (What an interesting title and a magical cover!)

Melissa Mayhue: First of all, thank you so much for having me here! Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband was my first book and my first entry into the Faerie World. It’s a time travel romance with an insecure modern day woman traveling to Thirteenth Century Scotland – complete with intrigue, surprises and, of course, hunky Scottish Highlanders.

Here’s the book jacket blurb:

Scotland, 1272. Connor MacKiernan, a descendant of the Fae Prince, is a warrior who lives only for honor and duty. Though he’s vowed never to marry, that’s exactly what he must do to save his sister. Enter a little Faerie magic, and the search for a bride is on.

Denver, Present Day. Caitlyn Coryell is having a really bad day – she just discovered her fiancé with another woman! Imagine her surprise when she puts on some sexy lingerie and an antique pendant and Connor appears in her bedroom, begging for her help. He offers a simple yet outrageous adventure: travel to his time, marry him, and return home.

But nothing’s simple when Cate is trapped in the thirteenth century. The wedding’s delayed, someone’s trying to kill her, and in the middle of all this, she realizes she’s falling in love with a man who can only be her husband for thirty nights.

Vonda: Sounds yummy! I'm a big time-travel fan, and of course, hunky Highlander fan! :-) Do you have a review or two you could share with us?

Melissa: I’d love to! Here are a couple of my favorites:

4 Stars – Mayhue debuts with an enchanting time travel that follows the rules of the genre yet is infused with humor, engaging characters and a twist or two – Kathe Robin – Romantic Times Magazine

Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband is a wonderful time travel romance, even if time travel is not your preferred genre, it’s outrageously great! – Carolyn Crisher – Romance Reviews Today

4 ½ Roses - What a smasharoo debut! Newcomer Melissa Mayhue rocks the Scottish highlands with Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband... Fans of Janet Chapman and Karen Marie Moning will love Melissa Mayhue! – Bonnie – A Romance Review.com


Vonda: What wonderful reviews!! What did you find hardest about writing time travel?

Melissa: Writing time travel is really writing a historical, but coming in the back door! So the hardest part is making sure I stay true to the period as much as possible, double checking my facts so I don’t make errors like having my heroine eating some food that hadn’t been discovered yet or the hero interacting with a historical character who wasn’t on the scene!

Vonda: Please tell us about your second book, Highland Guardian and share any reviews you'd like.

Melissa: While my debut book was my first foray into the new Faerie world I’d created, Highland Guardian was the book that really fleshed that world out. This one was a departure from the series in that it wasn’t a time travel, but it introduced characters and concepts that will carry throughout the series. And I loved writing it!

Here’s the back cover blurb:

Sarah Douglas is a successful romance novelist who’s come to Scotland hoping to overcome her writer’s block and come to terms with her strange ability to sense the emotions of everyone she touches. But from the moment she arrives, her problems only intensify. From the stalker – who might be only a figment of her imagination – to her attraction to the darkly handsome owner of the cottage she’s rented, nothing goes as she had planned.

Ian McCullough is neck-deep in his own trouble. A half-mortal descendant of Faeries, he’s been a Guardian for more than six hundred years, but he’s never encountered a woman like Sarah. Assigned to protect her, he finds the job tougher than he could have imagined. Oh, he can handle the stalker, and even the renegade faeries trying to kidnap her. But falling in love means forsaking his role as Guardian – which is something he could never do.

But there is no denying the passion that exists between two souls fated to be together.

Reviews:
4 Stars – With her sophomore effort, Mayhue jumps into the magical world with a story of the power of love and bloodlines. She not only develops compelling protagonists, but her secondary characters are also rich and intriguing. An author with major potential! – Jill M. Smith – Romantic Times Magazine

Melissa Mayhue’s writing is magical. Unable to stop, I devoured Highland Guardian in one afternoon. Highland Guardian has dark suspense, wretched villains, and smoking hot romance. Highland Guardian is fantastic! - Annmarie – Joyfully Reviewed.com

5 Angels – Melissa Mayhue has an awesome story in Highland Guardian…This was a lovely getaway to fantasy land and I can be ready to go again in a moment. If you like Scotland and Highland Heroes and Faerie magic this is a must read for you. – Dana P. – Fallen Angel Reviews


Vonda: Sounds like another winner! What do you enjoy about writing books set in Scotland?

Melissa: There is a mystique to Scotland that few other places can claim. Whether it’s the turbulent history or the wild, untamed landscape, I can’t say. When I first visited there the first time, I just knew it was the perfect setting for my characters.

Vonda: I agree! What do you find most difficult and most rewarding about writing paranormal?

Melissa: I love paranormal…both reading it and writing it. Most rewarding is easiest, so I’ll start there. It gives me the freedom to suspend belief, to create my own world and really immerse myself in my characters and their lives.

Most difficult? Staying true to the world I’ve created. And reining my imagination in!!!

Vonda: Please describe your journey to publication?

Melissa: I really was one of the lucky ones. I wrote Thirty Nights having no idea how difficult it is breaking into the publishing world. Once I finished the book, I joined RWA and my local chapter [Colorado Romance Writers] and it was through that association that my book ended up in the right hands at the right time.

Vonda: Wow! What do you wish you'd known before becoming published?

Melissa: Good question! I wish I’d known how much time and effort would go into promoting my work and the importance of having begun that process long before that first book was even in an editor’s hands. For everyone out there on the road to publication – get your website, your blog, your MySpace, your contacts in place NOW. You’ll be so glad to have that platform under you later on, I promise!

Vonda: Excellent advice! Would you like to ask blog readers a question?

Melissa: I was a reader long before I was a writer, so I’m always on the lookout for wonderful books I might have missed – especially now that I have so much less time for reading! Paranormal of all types, and especially time travel have long been my favorites – which is why I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the reviewers who’ve compared my work to Lynn Kurland, Janet Chapman and Karen Marie Moning!

So my question – would you share some of your favorite, must read paranormal romance books? AND [here’s the hard part] What did you like best about that book that makes it one of your favorites?

Thanks so much to you and to all your readers for having me here today! Please stop by my website [ www.MelissaMayhue.com ] for more information on my work and on my upcoming release, Soul of a Highlander, due out May 20.
Feel free to email me with any comments or questions – I absolutely love to hear from readers and I do my best to answer quickly. . . well, except when I’m writing to deadline. :-)

Vonda: Thanks again, Melissa! This has been fun!