The Queen of
Swords, a paranormal tale of undying love
Author:
Nina Mason
Publisher:
Vamptasy Publishing
Heat
level: sizzling
Formats:
Kindle and paperback
Where
to buy:
Paperback:
http://smarturl.it/queenofswordspb
Blurb:
When Graham Logan, a Scottish earl
turned vampire by a dark wizard’s curse, draws the Queen of Swords,
he knows he’s about to meet the love of his life. For the third
time. But surrendering his heart will mean risking her life…or
making her what he is. Neither of which his morals will permit him to
do. Graham, who believes he lost his soul to the curse, rages at God:
Why give her back only to take her again?
Cat Fingal, the third incarnation of
Graham’s twin flame, won’t let him escape so easily. As soon as
they meet, she feels she knows him and begins having past-life
flashbacks. A white witch, she casts a spell to summon him, wanting
answers and to fill the void she’s felt all her life.
Graham has other problems, too. Like
the seductress who wants him for herself and the dark wizard who
cursed him and killed his beloved the first two times.
Will he find a way to save her this
time around? Or will she save him?
Excerpt:
12th
May. Visited Caitriona tonight for the first time since becoming a
monster. She slept, unaware of my presence, & for a time, I was
content simply to observe. As the hours passed, I began to wonder
what might happen if she awoke to find me in her room. Would she
think me a wraith? Would she think it a dream? Desiring to know, &
to get closer, I sat down on the corner of the bed, alert for any
stirrings. Seeing none, I crawled up the bed until I reached her
side. Still she did not stir. Ever so carefully, I set my head upon
the pillow next to hers. She slept on. Drinking in her scent, I felt
contentment for the first time since fate & Fitzgerald
tore us apart. I closed my eyes & must have drifted off, because
next I knew, her arm fell across my chest. Startled awake, I found
her blinking at me in disbelief.
I
lay there, still as death, waiting for her to react. Her hand moved
up my chest to my face. She dragged her fingers across my jaw,
pressed them against my lips, touched the end of my nose, my
eyebrows, my forehead. As she combed back my hair, she whispered:
“This must be a dream. But you feel so real, so alive. I don’t
ken how such a thing is possible; nor do I care. I only pray I shall
never awaken.”
I
kept still. I could hear her heartbeat, smell her blood, but her
blood was not what I craved. She set her head on my chest &
started to sob.
“Am
I dreaming?” she asked, soft & low.
“Aye.”
She
raised herself up, came over me & pressed her mouth against mine.
“Can
we make love in my dream?”
“Aye.”
When
it was over, I collapsed beside her, feeling so elated, so profoundly
moved, I very nearly wept.
She
set her head against my chest. “Will you promise me something?”
“Anything,
m’aingael.”
“Always
come to me like this in my dreams.”
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About
Nina Mason, author
Nina
Mason is a hopeful romantic with strong affinities for history,
mythology, and the metaphysical. She strives to write the same kind
of books she loves to read: those that entertain, edify, educate, and
enlighten. Three of her books will be published in 2014: The Queen of
Swords, an urban fantasy/paranormal romance; The Knight of Wands,
book one in the Knights of Avalon Series; and The Tin Man, a
political thriller about the dangers posed by media monopolies. She
is currently at work on Book Two of the Knights of Avalon series and
is itching to get back to a book she started a while back about a
merman who falls for an oil company spokeswoman after a phantom
tanker capsizes on the coast of the Hebrides islands. When not
writing, Nina works as a communications consultant, doll maker, and
home stager. Born and raised in Southern California, she now lives in
Woodstock, Georgia, with her husband, teenage daughter, two rescue
cats, and a Westie named Robert.
Social-media
links:
Boilerplate
interview with the author:
Q.
Tell us about your book.
A.
The Queen of Swords
tells the story of a bookish white witch who returns every century to
reunite with her earthbound soul mate. He’s a Scottish earl turned
vampire by a dark wizard’s curse back in the Regency era on the eve
of their wedding. She came back once before in the Edwardian era only
to be killed by his maker in the same manner as before. He believes
he has no soul, so can’t understand why she keeps coming back. She
believes he does have a soul and that she comes back to free him from
the curse. The story follows their journey as they try to work out
who’s right and how they can stop history from repeating.
Q.
After this, what's your next project?
A.
My current work-in-progress is book two in The Knights of Avalon
series. After that, I haven’t decided. Probably another paranormal
romance/urban fantasy. I’ve got a stalled manuscript about an oil
company spokeswoman who gets involved with a merman during an oil
spill in the Hebrides. Might get back to that one, or write one
featuring Benedict and Avery, the secondary couple in The
Queen of Swords. I’d
also like to maybe write a sequel to The
Tin Man, my political
thriller releasing in August. It tells of two journalists thrown
together to solve a series of murders tied to a global conspiracy to
take over the media.
Q.
What inspires you to write what you do?
A.
All of my paranormal stories are inspired by my love of the history
and mythology of Scotland, my interest in the unknowable, and my
belief in the redemptive power of love.
Q.
When did you start writing?
A.
About as soon as I could write the alphabet. When I was a kid, I won
an essay contest sponsored by the local library (I was an avid reader
and always did the summer reading challenge). Back in the days of
typewriters, I wrote a romance novel about a couple of ballet
dancers, but never did anything with it. Didn’t try my hand at
fiction again until five or six years ago, when I started what is now
The Queen of Swords.
Q.
What inspired you to write the book?
A.
I started the first draft after reading Twilight.
While I liked the saga, I also found myself frustrated by the lack of
sex and Edward’s lack of history. In literature, vampires
originally personified uncaged sexuality, so a chaste vampire seemed
counter-intuitive to me. Plus, I felt writing an immortal creature
provided fantastic opportunities to build an interesting backstory.
What had he/she seen and experienced over the centuries? How was
he/she affected by it? My immortal characters all have a history tied
to the world and what they’ve seen and experienced has colored them
in some way.
Q.
Are you a careful planner or do you let the story guide you?
A.
I do a bit of both. I work out the characters and their motivations,
setting, and where I want the story to go. I also tend to do index
cards for each scene or major plot point from start to finish. Once I
begin to write, it can go completely off the rails, depending on
where the characters want to take it. As long as they’re reaching
the touchstones, I let them do what they want. If they go too far off
track, I either re-plot the novel or rein them in, depending on which
direction seems better at the time.
Q.
Who is your favorite among your characters?
A.
I love them all, of course. Graham, the hero in The Queen of Swords,
is both noble and funny. Callum, the hero in The Knight of Wands, is
a good-hearted romantic. Leith, the hero of my WIP, is a bit on the
dark side, but still well-intentioned. If pressed to pick just one,
I’d have to go with Alex Buchanan, the journalist hero in The
Tin Man. He’s very
complex and has lots of demons to overcome, but also is a really good
guy.
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A huge thanks to Nina Mason for including Sister Sinister on her blog tour! A wonderful Happy Mother's Day gift, and later today, I'll be posting my review for THE QUEEN of SWORDS - so stay tuned and enjoy your day!! <3
