Thursday, June 11, 2015

Loving the Enemy by Charmaine Pauls Excerpt, Interview & Giveaway


Loving the Enemy
Seven Forbidden Arts
Prequel
Charmaine Pauls

Genre: Erotic Action Romance

Date of Publication: 8 May 2015

ISBN: 978-0-620-65578-1
ASIN: B00W224OHY

Number of pages: 258
Word Count: 71 000

Cover Artist: Adara Rosalie

Book Description:

If your father is a powerful criminal, you can’t trust anyone, especially not the stranger who saves you.

Lily is on the run for her father’s sins. Having escaped a brutal attack on her home that left her dad’s small army and her beloved nana dead, she finds a job and a cheap room in Camps Bay, South Africa. When the men from Sky Communications track her down, she’s forced to flee again. This time, Lily ends up homeless, alone on a bench under a brewing winter storm in a violent city. It’s a lucky coincidence that Jacob appears through the mist just before a gang finds her in the dark, deserted park. Or is it?

After offering Lily shelter for the night, Jacob’s flat is destroyed in an explosion. With Jacob’s help, Lily tries to locate her father in search of his protection. In a whirlwind escapade from Africa to France, danger always a step behind, Lily learns about desire, love, survival and trust. Eventually, she’ll also learn about betrayal … and the truth about the savior to who she gave her body and heart.

This novel is a prequel to the Seven Forbidden Arts series, but reads as a stand-alone. There are no cliffhangers.

* This book contains frequent, consummated love scenes and explicit language. It is recommended for an adult audience.


Available at Amazon
Excerpt:
Chapter One

Mist rose from the ground in the dark park on Green Market Square, enveloping Lily Reid up to her knees. She shivered on the bench under the yellow spotlight of a lamppost. Heavy clouds moved in front of the moon. The loss of light should have made the South African night blacker, but in Cape Town, the evening sky always had an artificial glow that reflected the vastness of the manmade illumination below.
            A searchlight reached up from afar, a beam cutting wedges into the heaven. Another crime had been committed somewhere. Another trespasser was being chased. Lily clutched her backpack to her chest. It held her meager possessions–a change of clothes, a passport, a flashlight, a toothbrush, and her empty purse.
            The brittle winter air penetrated her denim jacket and jeans. A sudden gush of wind shook the leaves around her and bent the treetops low. Its iciness told her it came from Table Mountain’s side. Biting her nail, she considered where to shelter from the imminent storm. Already she could smell the earthy odor that served as warning of the rain. Soon, the city would be drenched and howling with gale force winds. 



About the Author:

Charmaine Pauls was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. She obtained a degree in Communication at the University of Potchestroom, and followed a diverse career path in journalism, public relations, advertising, communications, photography, graphic design, and brand marketing. Her writing has always been an integral part of her professions.

After relocating to France with her French husband, she fulfilled her passion to write creatively full-time. Charmaine has published six novels since 2011, as well as several short stories and articles.

When she is not writing, she likes to travel, read, and rescue cats. Charmaine currently lives in Chile with her husband and children. Their household is a linguistic mélange of Afrikaans, English, French and Spanish.


Interview

Charmaine Pauls (Author of Loving the Enemy – Prequel, Seven Forbidden Arts series)

Where are you from?
I was born in central South Africa in a city called Bloemfontein.

Tell us your latest news?
Regarding my novels, Loving the Enemy, which is the prequel to the Seven Forbidden Arts series, has just been published. Pyromancist (Book 1) and Aeromancist, The Beginning (Prequel novella to Book 2) are already on the shelves. Aeromancist (Book 2) is due for release this summer.
I also have a couple of literary short stories and a sweet romance that will soon appear in anthologies in England, Nigeria and the US. Whereas my novels are pop or goth romance, my short stories are literary and darker by nature.

When and why did you begin writing?
I always wrote from a young age, but the first time I set my mind to writing a book, was when we moved to Chile from France in 2009. The kids were old enough to go to preschool and with the free time I gained in the morning, I decided to follow my dream and write fulltime.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I held my first book in my hands, I felt like I had accomplished something, but it was only after I had written the second and third that I could confidently introduce myself as a writer when people asked about my occupation. In hindsight, I think you are born a writer. When it is in your blood, it is a passion that will always be part of you.

What inspired you to write your first book?
While living in France I wanted to record all the breathtakingly beautiful scenery and romantic experiences so that I would never forget a single, astonishing detail, but I don’t enjoy keeping a journal, hence I decided to write it like a story instead. That story grew into a book with imaginary characters in the enchanting setting of southern France.

Do you have a specific writing style?
Readers and the members of my writers group tell me that my voice is very South African. My first editor told me the style of my first romance is literary. Subsequently, I have worked with other editors, such as acclaimed sci fi author John DeChancie and romance novelist Terri Valentine, who said my writing is fast-paced, action packed and descriptive. My strong points are character building and dialogue.

How did you come up with the title?
The heroine, Lily, falls in love with Jacob, a stranger who saves her from a gang in a dark park in Cape Town. Lily’s father is a powerful criminal with many enemies who would like to get their hands on her. And Jacob is not what he pretends to be. Soon Lily discovers that she has fallen for her enemy. Loving the Enemy summed it all up for me. It says that the book is about powerful love and hurtful deceit.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I often have themes in my books, but this one was written for entertainment only, with no underlying message, at least not intentionally.

How much of the book is realistic?
The settings (Cape Town and other areas of South Africa, Mozambique, Algiers and France) are real, but the characters and the story are purely fictional.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Not at all. This is a product of my imagination.

What books have most influenced your life?
Spiritual books by Gary Zukav gave me a new perspective on life in the 80’s, whereas classic literature such as Wuthering Heights and Dracula inspired my love for gothic romance.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Definitely Lora Leigh. I love her ability to create realistic situations that I can relate to, while building likeable and believable characters with brilliant dialogue and super-hot love scenes.

What book are you reading now?
I am re-reading The Bad Girl by the Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa, an old favorite of mine. (It won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010.)

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I love Anna Zaires’ work. Her writing is emotionally gripping and she keeps you hooked until the end.

What are your current projects?
The Seven Forbidden Arts series is on contract until 2017. There will be eight books in total.

What would you like my readers to know?

I am a romantic by heart who believes in everlasting love and who would live in a castle if I could. My stories are meant to be passionate and deeply emotional, and I hope that this will show in Loving the Enemy.



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Tour giveaway

1       $20 Amazon Gift Card
 5  eBook copies of Loving the Enemy


2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for having me on the blog!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Another great interview Charmaine! I am so inspired by your work!

    ReplyDelete