Eliza discovers her roots in Voodoo
royalty, but claiming her throne means giving up her soul mate.
After learning that she is adopted, Eliza
begins her search for her biological family and is propelled into an
underground world of witchcraft, seances, and sacrifices where she is worshiped
as the descendant of the last great voodoo queen of the bayou, Marie Laveau.
From her great, great, grandmother, she has inherited the ability to heal the
souls of others by a simple touch of her hands.
Using
this gift, Eliza is expected to return the voodoo community and religion to
glory. A task not so terrible if it could be lived beside the devastatingly
endearing Samuel Mueller. But Samuel is her Keeper; his charge is keeping her
safe and according to tradition he is not permitted to mingle romantically with
his ward. The two struggle to smother the flame that grows between them while
Samuel meets his demands as Eliza's guardian, keeping her from those who would
sooner have her killed than let an outsider rule the Bayou.
Tell us a little
about your writer's journey so far:
It's
actually gone a lot quicker than I had anticipated, thanks to pitch
contests. I entered this manuscript in
Pitchwars and was selected as an alternate, but ended up withdrawing because I
received an offer via Pitchmas. About a
month and a half later I signed a contract for another book, which is part of a
series. Needless to say, there has been
lots of squealing as of late in my house :o)
Okay, let's hear
your Twitter Pitch! (140 characters or less.)
Eliza
discovers her roots in Voodoo royalty, but claiming her throne means giving up
her soul mate.
What inspired
you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write?
Originally,
this was supposed to be a historical fiction.
That was the genre I had always written as a hobby. I started researching Marie Laveau, a famous
Voodoo Priestess, and wondered why, if she was so powerful, none of her
children carried on the tradition.
Somehow, my imagination concocted this elaborate conspiracy and I had
to write it down.
What's your favorite
thing about writing?
It's
so cathartic! If someone ticks me off, I
change their name, write them into a story, and wallah: I've gotten my
revenge. Don't worry, though. Those
stories are for my eyes only.
What's your
least favorite thing?
Because
of how releasing it can be, it's so difficult to keep from letting your
emotions bleed into your work. If I have
to write a love scene after having a fight with my husband? Good luck.
Now it's time to
brag a little--What do you love most about your book?
I'm
really proud of how I snuck some education into this one. I tried to clear up a lot of misconceptions
about the Voodoo religion in general (I had the same ideas when I started out),
but I did it in a way that is exciting so you won't even notice you're
learning.
Who was your
favorite character to write? Why?
Sorry,
Eliza. Camille has my heart. She has every reason to be bitter about the
Voodoo community, but chooses to come from a place of understanding instead of
resentment.
Okay, now a
little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio
with James Lipton.)
What is your
favorite word?
Wicked
What is your
least favorite word?
Screwed—it's
just so crass!
What turns you
on?
If
you can make me laugh, you can skip the foreplay *wink wink*
What turns you
off?
Arrogance
What sound or
noise do you love?
Thunder—it's
so dramatic and eliciting.
What sound or
noise do you hate?
Chewing. And my son is the loudest chewer!
What profession,
other than your own, would you most like to attempt?
As
a kid, I always said I was going to be a paleontologist. I'd love to give it a go.
If Heaven
exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly
gates?
“See? You weren't so bad!”
Finally, what's
the one question you've always wanted to answer in an interview? (And of
course, you have to answer it!)
“If
you could go back to your pre-published self and leave a message, what would it
be?”
You
don't know as much about grammar as you think you do....study up, sweetheart!
Mary Bernsen is a southwest Florida native currently living in Punta Gorda with her two beautiful children and a third, much larger child that she affectionately calls husband. She is a stay-at-home mother and spends her days creating characters on the good side of twenty-five because she is in serious denial about the fact that she is now on the bad side of it. She has a passion for fantasy of any kind along with historical fiction. If she isn't having conversations with her made-up friends, you can usually find her clipping coupons or out on the boat enjoying the muddy waters of Peace River (as long as it isn't below 80 degrees).
Thank you for having me, Dannie!
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