Maggie Mundy

Spotlight on Hidden Mortality with Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway by Maggie Mundy

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Hidden Places from my Past

People often say write what you know. If you are writing epic fantasy in a make believe world this is not so easy. The first book I wrote which is still sitting on my computer was one such fantasy. In Hidden Mortality, the second book I wrote I decided to stay nearer to home.

I grew up in Bristol, England a long way from Australia where I currently reside. Cara is the heroine in my book and lives in Bristol. Bristol has a colorful past as a seaport. It was a major dealer in the slave trade where many a fortune was made. The port is now outside of the city at a place called Avonmouth, which is where one of the bodies is found in the book. The killer had hoped the tides would take the body out to sea.

The antagonist Vincent lives on The Downs in Bristol. It is a beautiful grassed area surrounded by woodlands. People play in the day but there have been murders and assaults under the cover of darkness. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a great engineer in the 1800’s and built The Bristol Suspension Bridge. To this day people still go there and throw themselves off to commit suicide. One lady who did survive was at the beginning of the last century. She wore a crinoline that acted as a parachute. Bristol is now a modern thriving city with great nightlife.

The City of Bath is featured in Hidden Mortality as well. Think Jane Austen and you have Bath. It has historic buildings in the Roman Baths where Car’s ancestor Rosie was last seen before her death. There is also beautiful honey colored Bathstone architecture such as the world famous Crescent where Cara and Seth share their first kiss.

My parents were Irish and when I grew up I would visit the Emerald Isle frequently. In Hidden Mortality Cara runs a business called Celtic Dinners where she taps into her Irish heritage. The farmhouse called Waterfall House actually exists and was my grandparents’ home. It is still in the family. You can actually visit there for a farm stay. Dingle is a small fishing village in Ireland and is where my father came from. If you get the chance to go to Ireland put it on your list.

Seth lives just outside of Trowbridge and the cottages you see in that part of the country are reminiscent of his forge and home. You also have the famous White Horse and Stonehenge nearby. If you were like to find out more about the places in my book I have a Pinterest page set up for Hidden Mortality. http://www.pinterest.com/maggiemundy/

Excerpt

Cara kept searching but couldn’t find the book she wanted. The assistant at the empty counter smiled politely as she approached.

“I’m looking for a book called Immortality and Witchcraft, Fact or Fiction,” Cara said.

The woman typed the title into her computer. As Cara waited, someone walked up to the other counter beside her. She turned to look. Her world stopped as she met the slate grey gaze of the man staring straight at her. This wasn’t possible. He couldn’t exist. He was just a dream lover. Yet there he was, standing next to her as big as life.

She tried to smile, but it probably came out as more of a grin. He didn’t smile back. Her legs turned to jelly. If she didn’t breathe, she would pass out. She reached out and gripped the counter. One of them had to look away but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Someone was talking to her and the moment was broken.

“Excuse me.”

“Sorry.” Cara replied, as she forced herself to look at the salesperson. She was afraid if she glanced back, he would be gone. Her imagination must be playing tricks on her.

“It looks like we should have one copy left,” the woman said.

“I think I’m just about to sell it,” the other shop assistant said coming up to the register. “We could order it in for you. It might take a couple of weeks.”

“Please, take my copy.” The man at the other counter held out the book. His voice was deep, exactly as it was in her dreams. She was caught again in his gaze. The world disappeared and for a moment they were the only two people alive locked in the gaze they shared. Her hand went to her chest. She could feel her heart racing at the thought of him being near.

“Thank you, but no I couldn’t. You had the book first.”

“Please, take it. I have plenty of time to wait for another copy to come in.”

She found it hard to say no. Perhaps, it was the fact he was about six three and wore grey bike leathers. They added to the effect of making him look powerful. The shaved head and the stubble on his face gave a menacing look, but she wasn’t afraid of him. This wasn’t right. Her life was wild enough without dream lovers becoming real.

Plus, she wouldn’t want her other dreams to become real as well. She needed to say something, or he would think she was an idiot standing there with her mouth gaping. He held the book out to her. As she took it, her hand touched his. It was such a tiny touch and yet it meant he was real. She felt the heat rising up her neck as she blushed. She also sensed another heat inside her. It was the same way he had made her feel in her dreams.

“Thanks.” Cara paid for her book and listened as he confirmed his contact details. Seth Scanlon. She had a name. She wasn’t really stalking. Taking another book off a shelf, she flipped through the pages. He glanced her way before he left and caught her gaze once more.

She couldn’t fool herself. The look he gave her was so intense she felt he was seeing inside her soul. Her breath caught. She shivered although the shop was warm. For a split second, she considered following him and saying he must remember all the times they had made love.

She could just imagine the expression he would give her. He didn’t know her. She was a stranger. The shop became suffocating as she pulled at the collar of her jumper. She needed to be outside. There was no sign of him on the street. For a moment, she wanted to cry. At this rate, she would give the silly schoolgirls in the shop a run for their money.

Hidden Mortality
Maggie Mundy

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Soulmate Publishing

Date of Publication: 6th February 18, 2014


ISBN:-13:978-1-61935-329-9

ASIN: B00I911NI0


Number of pages:281
Word Count: 85,000


Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

Purchase at Amazon

Book Description:

A witch is murdered in 1850 in a ritual that will grant longevity to four men. What they are not aware of is that she has bestowed the same power to another called Seth to avenge her death.

Cara lives in present day Bristol, and is a descendant of the witch. Having been unlucky in love she fills her days with food with her Irish themed catering business. Her nights are another matter; they are full of erotic dreams of a mysterious lover, or nightmares with mutilated bodies. So this wasn’t the best time for her Nana to tell her she is coming into her power.

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About the Author:

Maggie Mundy lives in Adelaide, Australia and is a member of Romance Writers of Australia, and the local chapter SARA (South Australian Romance Authors). She recently completed a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and English at Flinders University. She had a short story published in the RWA Topaz Anthology Little Gems in 2010 called Sea and Vines. Over the past year she has had stories on line with Alfie dog in the UK and Antipodean SF in Australia. She has also performed for many years in corporate entertainment for which she wrote her own sketches, which probably explains why her head is so full of characters. She loves writing romance but thinks falling in love can be scary, especially in her stories where creatures of the night really exist.

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