Romance Books '4' Us: Cursed Mates

Showing posts with label Cursed Mates. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

What Supernatural Being Would You Choose?

Halloween is almost here – the time when thoughts turn to the supernatural. With the popularity of the paranormal - books, TV, movies – it seems the supernatural is in our thoughts year-round, and the trend for all things paranormal shows no signs of abating. I’ve heard it said that when times are hard, people gravitate to the supernatural as a means of escape. Or maybe the paranormal is so popular because anything otherworldly is just plain fun.

I love reading time travel romances, love books about beings who have magical powers, love shifter stories. I don’t much like anything to do with vampires, but that’s just me. Vampires have scared me since Bela Lugosi lured unsuspecting and “too stupid to live” people into that old castle. Vampire romances aren’t as popular as they once were, but I think vamps will be with us for a long time to come. I published one very dark shifter paranormal romance which scared me as I wrote it. I prefer to read and write lighter fantasy.

My question today is: If you could have any magical power or be any supernatural being, what would you choose?

I’ve always wanted the powers of Samantha in the old TV show, “Bewitched.” I want to twitch my nose and have my whole house cleaned. Wow! Can you imagine that! I’d take it further. Whenever I wanted to change my wardrobe, I’d look at pictures of couture clothes, shoes and handbags, twitch the nose, and voila! An instant new wardrobe. Cool, huh?

Wouldn’t it be fun to be able to think something and make it come true? But there’d be a rule you can’t hurt anyone. Imagine driving and some jerk cuts you off or runs a red light and almost plows into your car. Wouldn’t you love seeing the jerk’s wheels fall off his car when he pulls one of these stupid moves? And as a person with magic abilities, you could make this happen. You could be a one-person avenger giving the jerks of the world what they deserve. But, remember, don’t hurt anyone. I know, my mind works in strange ways.

While I don’t read vampire stories, I do enjoy some shifter stories and witch stories. One of my favorite series is the Mayfair witches from Anne Rice. Those are some darn scary witches. I plan to write my own witch romance someday, with a witch heroine who will have great powers, but she won’t be evil. However, she’ll be surrounded by evil. That one’s still in the pre-writing stage.

My dark shifter story, Cursed Mates is on sale now for Halloween. My hero Nick was cursed to life as a werewolf in 1530. At each full moon he shifts into a great white wolf. I love real wolves and contribute to organizations committed to helping them survive. So, it was only natural I should write a shifter story about a werewolf. Have you ever wanted to transform into an animal? If I could be an animal, it would be a spoiled housecat, like my two cats. But I wouldn’t hunt mice. Eww!

Would you want to be a vampire? Think of all that power and immortality. Imagine drinking blood. Shivers. Or would you rather be a sexy witch who has the power to make men grovel at your feet? Or a one-person avenger out to rid the world of jerks?

What supernatural being would you choose?

Cursed Mates, on sale for only $1.99 until October 31.

Scorching. Suspense. Sensual.

"What if you were honor bound to kill the man you love?"

Nick Radford is a reluctant werewolf who’s been fighting the Beast within for nearly 500 years. He’s never killed a human, but the Beast is gaining strength and Nick may not be able to ward off his inner demon much longer.

Kyla Yaeger is an elite were-hunter with a scarred past. Her life’s mission is to slay the werewolves that slaughtered her parents. Her quest has brought her to Maine, where she’s been summoned to destroy the werewolf terrorizing the quaint little village of Heavensent. The last thing she needs is to get distracted by her mysterious—not to mention hunky—new neighbor, Nick Radford.

By the time Kyla learns Nick is her target, she’s already fallen for him, making her task of killing him that much harder. She is torn between her love for him and her duty to kill her sworn enemy. Nick fights his forbidden love for Kyla, knowing she is duty-bound to kill him. Kyla and Nick must join forces to fight an even bigger threat—one that will destroy all humanity. Only by their combined powers, can they destroy the evil and bring an end to a centuries old curse.

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/b5M1JG

Like lighter fantasy?

Snow Globe Magic

The gift of love...
A mysterious matchmaker alters the destiny of three women when she offers each the gift of a magical snow globe. Is the elderly stranger simply eccentric? Or is there enchantment in her gifts?

Her Snow White Christmas...
A Christmas snow globe swirls holiday magic for a sophisticated New York woman with a broken heart and a handsome Iraq War vet with a secret. It’s Christmas in Vermont and magic swirls in the air like glitter in a snow globe.

Her Frog Prince Holiday...
The gift of a magical snow globe paints the scene for romance between a Manhattan art gallery manager and a sexy man who isn’t what he seems. It’s Halloween in Manhattan. Can a woman who thought she wanted a frog, learn to love a prince?

Her Red Riding Hood Valentine...
A magical snow globe sets the stage for romance between a drama teacher who no longer believes in love and an enticing photographer picturing a different life. It’s the season of love in Manhattan. Can a feisty redhead and a wolf in an Armani suit picture a new life together?

Each title in this boxed set is available separately.

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4jwVYj

Visit me at: www.caramarsi.com

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Escargot or No

According to the National Day Calendar, today, May 24, is National Escargot Day. I wonder where they come up with this stuff. Since I blog on the 24th of each month, I wanted to write a blog around whatever the national day is for that date. When I saw National Escargot Day, I groaned. How could I write about escargot and relate it somehow to my books? I decided to give it a shot.

I’m not afraid to experiment with new foods. I’ve eaten kangaroo in Australia and alligator in Charleston, South Carolina. They both taste like chicken. I draw the line at horse meat, though. Once on a trip to Italy, some meat was placed in front of me that I didn’t quite trust. I didn’t eat it. Found out later it was horse meat. Europeans eat horse meat. No thanks.

I ate escargot once many years ago. I don’t remember where I had it, possibly Toronto, Canada, when I lived there, or a restaurant in Philadelphia. All I remember is the garlic. The snails themselves had no taste, but were swimming in garlic. I never ate escargot again. Tried it once and that was enough.

Unlike my willingness to try different foods, I’ve not gone outside my writer comfort zone as much as I would have liked. I love contemporary romance and have pretty much stuck to that. I do have several “foodie” romances, as I love to cook. I stretched myself to write my first romantic suspense, Logan’s Redemption (Redemption Book 1), and enjoyed the experience so much, I’ve gone on to write three more romantic suspense stories. And I intend to write more.

My biggest stretch was writing my very dark paranormal romance, Cursed Mates. This book is so different from anything I’ve ever written. It’s one of my favorites. It took a lot out of me emotionally to write something so dark, and I’ve not written another dark paranormal since.

I think pushing myself to go out of my contemporary romance comfort zone has helped me grow as a writer. As I will most likely not eat escargot again, I doubt I’ll write another dark paranormal, but I’m glad for the experience. And I got a book I love and am proud of.

Are you a fearless eater, willing to try exotic foods at least once? Have you written stories that took you out of your comfort zone? How’d that work out for you?

I always figured my next “stretch” would be to write a historical romance. For years, I’ve wanted to write a book set during the Gilded Age, a time that fascinates me. I even have a rough plot. Just as I hope to have the opportunity to try more exotic foods, I hope to someday write this book.

Although I may not have written my Gilded Age story yet, I did write my first historical romance last year. My story, We’ve Only Just Begun, after the Carpenters song, is set in 1971. Ironic that it’s considered “historical” when it’s the year I started dating my husband. We’ve Only Just Begun is part of a seven-story anthology, Brandywine Brides: A Blackwood Legacy Anthology. All of us authors are local, from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. We meet for lunch once a month and call ourselves Writers Who Lunch. One author is a NYT and USAT bestselling author, and another is a USAT author. Several of us are award-winning. We came up with the idea of doing an anthology together, using a local setting, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The stories are about one family, the Blackwoods, from the 1700’s to present day.

I didn’t have to “stretch” myself too much to write We’ve Only Just Begun. I wrote much of it from memory. Talk about feeling old, when you can write historical fiction from your own experiences. My hero, Stephen Blackwood, is a Vietnam War combat vet with PTSD, only then we called it “shell-shock.” My husband is a Vietnam War combat vet, and he helped me with some of the military terms. I dedicated my story to him and to my cousin, a medic, who was killed in ‘Nam days before Christmas in 1968. Writing my novella brought back some sad memories.

We authors are very proud of our anthology. I hope you’ll read it. I think you’ll find all the stories heartwarming.

BRANDYWINE Brides ~ A Blackwood Legacy Anthology
One Family – Seven Generations – A Legacy of Love

Almost three centuries ago, a Scottish convict was sold into indentured servitude in Philadelphia and given a second chance at a life far from the country of his birth. In the years since, the farm secured by Finlan Blackwood’s efforts would grow and thrive in the Brandywine River valley just as his family and descendants did. Today, Blackwood Farm is one of the largest and most successful farms in Chester County. But it took the sacrifices and best efforts of each generation to make it so.

1721 – In A Traitor’s Heart by Terri Brisbin, a convicted traitor from the Jacobite Rising must find a way to rescue a widow from an unscrupulous man’s plans for her. . . and for the lands she holds.

1779 – In A Patriots’ Heart by Gwendolyn Schuler, a wounded British officer hiding a secret puts the daughter of Blackwood Farm’s owner in danger by his presence in their home.

1865 – In Wounded Heart by Martha Schroeder, a damaged Union soldier arrives home to find his childhood sweetheart is the one trying to save his family’s farm.

1919 – In Heart’s Song by Georgia Dickson, when the current owner of Blackwood Farm returns from the Great War, everything looks different to him, even the possibility of love.

1943 – In Painted Promises by Kate Welsh, the Blackwood heir, working for the war effort at home, is the only one who can help a woman who fought with the resistance in Europe before she escaped the horrors of war.

1971 – In We’ve Only Just Begun by Cara Marsi, the Blackwood son, suffering from the effects of Vietnam, meets exactly the kind of woman he needs, even if she doesn’t want to be the one.

2017 – In Finn’s Legacy by Mariah Stewart, when a writer comes to Blackwood Farm to interview the family matriarch, the last thing she expects is a reunion with the man who broke her heart before he left for Iraq four years ago.

Seven Blackwood generations. Seven loves worth fighting for!

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XJF54HH/?tag=carmaraut-20

BN https://goo.gl/wE7q09

Kobo https://goo.gl/LlZX7j

iBooks https://goo.gl/poZAdZ

Monday, October 24, 2016

Why Humans Like To Be Scared

It’s October, the time for witches, demons, and things that go bump in the night. We all like to be scared occasionally, and October feeds our need. I got to wondering what’s behind the science of being frightened. Here’s what I found, from Today.com:

When we’re frightened, our hearts beat a little faster, we breathe more intensely, and get butterflies in our stomach. There’s also a hormonal component for being scared. When we feel threatened, we feel stronger and more physically powerful. This “adrenaline rush” charges our physical and mental batteries.

Horror films allow us to experience what’s forbidden and dark, but in a safe way. Many of us live routine lives. Scary movies help us feel more stimulated by life.

Do you agree with that? Think about how you feel after you’ve had a real-life fright or watched a horror movie. Many years ago, I watched a movie called “Dracula’s Daughter,” a little-known black and white from the 1930’s. Scared the bejesus out of me. Still does. I think I would have passed up the life stimulation rather than be so scared. Because of that one movie, I can’t read vampire stories. I believe vamps exist.

This from The Atlantic:

Some people are pre-destined by birth to crave excitement. One of the main hormones released by scary or frightening experiences is dopamine. Some individuals may get more of a kick from dopamine than others. Those who enjoy scary, thrilling, or risky situations more than others lack “brakes” on the dopamine release in their brains.

Our self-esteem gets a boost every time we make it through a scary movie or experience. Knowing we’re in a safe environment helps us enjoy the frightening situation even more. Scientists have found people across time and the world can be afraid of anything. And people can be made to fear something. There was an experiment in the 1920’s, before researchers were required to be ethical, where they conditioned a baby to be deathly afraid of white rabbits. This fear followed the poor child all through life.

Humans are obsessed with death, hence our preoccupation with living-death monsters: zombies, vampires, and ghosts. Ghost stories have been told around campfires since long before there were camps. The Graveyard Poets of the 19^th century paved the way for Poe and Shelley. Note: Ghosts don’t scare me that much. Zombies are just plain disgusting. But vampires? A whole other thing (see above).

Freak shows and museums that house oddities have been around since the mid-1800’s. P.T. Barnum brought these scary sideshows to the masses.

Being scared, so long as you’re in a safe environment, can trigger responses that help you feel stronger and empowered. Note: And riding on a scary roller coaster, watching a horror movie, or reading a scary book can be fun, for some of us. Me, not so much.

Here is a list of the ten scariest movies of all time, as taken by a readers’ poll in Rolling Stone Magazine:

10. Poltergeist (1982)

9. The Thing (1982)

8. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

7. The Haunting (1963)

6. Alien (1979)

5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

4. Halloween (1978)

3. Psycho (1960)

2. The Shining (1980)

And the number one scariest movie of all time:

1. The Exorcist(1973)

I agree with The Exorcist being number one. That movie scared me to death, and it still does, just thinking about it. Maybe being Catholic and being taught the devil exists and priests can perform exorcisms has something to do with how scary it was to me. I would have put Psycho as number two. I sometimes still think of that shower scene when I’m in the shower, especially in a hotel. Hitchcock knew how to build up suspense until we almost jumped out of our skins.

What are your favorite horror movies?

Talking about scary stuff, my very dark, very scary shifter romance, Cursed Mates, is on sale for only 99 cents until November 1. That’s a savings of $2.00. Writing this book scared me at times. It took me to a dark place. What a ride!

"What if you were honor bound to kill the man you love?"

Nick Radford is a reluctant werewolf who’s been fighting the Beast within for nearly 500 years. He’s never killed a human, but the Beast is gaining strength and Nick may not be able to ward off his inner demon much longer.

Kyla Yaeger is an elite were-hunter with a scarred past. Her life’s mission is to slay the werewolves that slaughtered her parents. Her quest has brought her to Maine, where she’s been summoned to destroy the werewolf terrorizing the quaint little village of Heavensent. The last thing she needs is to get distracted by her mysterious—not to mention hunky—new neighbor, Nick Radford.

By the time Kyla learns Nick is her target, she’s already fallen for him, making her task of killing him that much harder. She is torn between her love for him and her duty to kill her sworn enemy. Nick fights his forbidden love for Kyla, knowing she is duty-bound to kill him. Kyla and Nick must join forces to fight an even bigger threat—one that will destroy all humanity. Only by their combined powers, can they destroy the evil and bring an end to a centuries old curse.

http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-Mates-Cara-Marsi-ebook/dp/B00JK5AHLS/?tag=carmaraut-20

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JK5AHLS

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cursed-mates-cara-marsi/1104197347

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cursed-mates

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cursed-mates/id858952514

Print links:

http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-Mates-Cara-Marsi/dp/0991597583

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cursed-mates-cara-marsi/1104197347?ean=9780991597581

Have a deliciously frightening Halloween, everyone!

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Escargot Or No

My biggest stretch was writing my very dark paranormal romance, Cursed Mates. This book is so different from anything I’ve ever written. It’s one of my favorites of everything I’ve done. It took a lot out of me emotionally to write something so dark, and I’ve not written another dark paranormal since.

My next “stretch” will be to write a historical romance. For years, I’ve wanted to write a book set during the Gilded Age, a time that fascinates me. I even have a rough plot. Just as I hope to have the opportunity to try more exotic foods, I hope to someday write this book. In the meantime, I’m committed to a boxed set with some local authors, several of whom are NYT and USAT bestsellers. In this set, I’ll write a historical romance, if you call 1970-1971 historical. I’ll rely on my own memory plus some research to write my Vietnam War era story. Who knew a period during my lifetime would now be considered history?

What about you? Are you a fearless eater, willing to try exotic foods at least once? Have you written stories that took you out of your comfort zone? How’d that work out for you?

Below are covers for my first foodie romance, A Catered Romance, and my most recent foodie story, Capri Nights. Also the cover for Logan’s Redemption, which is free now, and the cover for Cursed Mates. I hope I’ve whetted your appetite to try my stories.

Buy Links:

Cursed Mates: http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-Mates-Cara-Marsi-ebook/dp/B00JK5AHLS/?tag=carmaraut-20

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cursed-mates-cara-marsi/1104197347

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/427944

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cursed-mates

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cursed-mates/id858952514

Print: http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-Mates-Cara-Marsi/dp/0991597583

Capri Nights:

http://www.amazon.com/Capri-Nights-Cara-Marsi-ebook/dp/B01E2SR5KI/?tag=carmaraut-20

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Capri-Nights-Cara-Marsi-ebook/dp/B01E2SR5KI/?tag=carmaraut-20

Print:http://www.amazon.com/Capri-Nights-Cara-Marsi/dp/0991597575/?tag-carmaraut-20

A Catered Romance:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007CB5X5M/?tag=carmaraut-20

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-catered-romance/id906438204?ls=1&mt=11

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-catered-romance-cara-marsi/1111097928?ean=2940014388399

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-catered-romance

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/172007

Print: http://www.amazon.com/Catered-Romance-Cara-Marsi/dp/0991597567

Logan's Redemption:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040JI3PG/?tag=carmaraut-20

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/logans-redemption-cara-marsi/1100715248?ean=2940011320637

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/Logan's-Redemption/id841170077?mt=11

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/62693

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/logan-s-redemption-redemption-book-1

Amazon print: http://www.amazon.com/Logans-Redemption-Book-Cara-Marsi/dp/0991597559

Visit me at www.caramarsi.com. Please consider signing up for my newsletter. I post a new recipe each month.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Escape Into Romance & Danger

Did you ever have one of those days? Or a lot of those days? Days when you thought your head would explode at the monotony of your life? You rise at the same time each day, go through the same morning ritual, then it’s onto your job. Maybe you’re a corporate drone and cubicle dweller as I was. Mind-numbing. Boring.

Many a morning as I drove to work, I’d fantasize about something extraordinary happening to relieve the boredom. I don’t mean any earth-shattering event, or anyone’s getting hurt. Just something different. Like I’d come upon a bank robbery in progress and be taken hostage by one of the robbers. Oh, wait, I could get hurt. I didn’t want to escape my cubicle-dwelling world that badly. Maybe the robber is really a sexy undercover FBI agent. That led to other kinds of fantasies I won’t go into. But you get my drift.

Escape, romance, danger. Don’t we all need a little of that in our lives? My life isn’t altogether boring, and of course, I’ll take mundane over dangerous. But isn’t it fun to escape once in a while?

That’s where reading comes in. It gives me the escape I crave. As a child, I devoured everything I could find to read – cereal boxes, billboards, clothes tags. It didn’t matter. If it had words on it, I was hooked. Reading opened a whole new world to me and allowed my imagination to soar.

Within the pages of a book, we can be the FBI heroine fighting a deep secret from her past while trying to bring the bad guys to justice. Or we can be the ordinary woman thrust into extraordinary circumstances, caught up in international intrigue and murder. Or we can go back in history and be a young, unmarried daughter of a duke who wants freedom from the constraints of the rigid mores of her class.

And then there are time travels. I love them. Don’t you? I love fantasizing about going back to a time before modern conveniences and learning to deal with a more primitive way of living. I’d probably fall apart if I time-traveled, but the heroes and heroines in the time-travel romances I read always cope with their new environment. And they find love along the way. Pure escapism.

Paranormal books and movies offer another hot escape. There are the Twilight movies and books, Harry Potter, the vampire shows on TV, and the very popular zombie apocalypse shows. Some pop culture experts say the uncertainty in the modern world makes people gravitate toward the supernatural. Maybe they’re right. Or maybe the paranormal taps into that dark part of us that civilization can’t completely suppress. I enjoy reading paranormal romances. I love witch stories and shifter stories and fallen angel stories. Vampire stories—not so much. I’m afraid of vamps and believe they exist.

Regardless of what sub-genre I read, a good love story is central. I crave happy endings as much as I hanker for escapism. If, in addition to the romance, the book also has twists and turns, a mystery, maybe a murder or two, and a ghost, werewolf, or witch, that’s even better.

Do you sigh when reading a hot romance and imagine yourself in the arms of that handsome rake of a duke, that sexy tortured werewolf, that pirate who wants to plunder your charms? Then you know what I mean.

Do you ever fantasize about escaping your routine world? And when you do, do you pick up a book and allow it to fly you to exotic places? I hope you do.

If I feel like going to Regency England today, I’ll read that book about the duke’s restless daughter. Tomorrow I might want to sigh over a sexy werewolf. And after that, I may just meet that hunky FBI agent who’s working undercover and takes me hostage.

What about you? What are you reading?

To help you escape into danger and other worlds, two of my books are on sale now for only 99 cents, for a very limited time.

Murder, Mi Amore, multi-award winning romantic suspense.

Italy. Danger. Desire.

Murder, jewel thieves and terrorists intrude on an American woman's Roman holiday; can she trust the sexy, mysterious Italian man who comes to her aid?

Lexie Cortese is in Rome to forget. The last thing she expects is to meet a sexy Interpol agent who suspects her of being part of a terrorist plot involving a stolen diamond. Suddenly thrust into a world of murders, muggings, and kidnappings, Lexie doesn’t know what to think—or who to believe.

Dominic Brioni’s assignment is simple. Befriend the American and bring her to justice. Only Lexie seems the most unlikely terrorist Dominic has ever met. Sweet, determined, and direct, she faces life with courage and fire, a fire that sparks his protective instincts and a longing for something more—something he allowed himself to hope for only once before.

But that woman betrayed him, and his boss isn’t about to let him forget it. With his career on the line and Lexie in danger, will Dominic learn to trust his heart before they both get killed?

http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mi-Amore/dp/B009UEVVP0/?tag=carmaraut-20

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-mi-amore-cara-marsi/1103364955?ean=2940016033266

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/murder-mi-amore/id599801756?mt=11

Cursed Mates, dark shifter romance.