CONTEST and blog with Renee Vincent!!

Popular author Renee Vincent’s at my site today and she’s got a great contest (more on that later!).

For now, here’s Renee!!!

Hello everyone! I’m so glad you joined me because I pleased to announce that my Irish hero, Breandán Mac Liam, is also here with me today. And we’re going to get the opportunity to interview him. Now, I’ve asked Breandán a few questions to start us off, but if there’s anything you’d like to know, by all means, ask away in the comments section. And anyone who does pose a question for Breandán will be eligible to win a free ebook copy of  Mac Liam!

 

Here’s the blurb:

A tortured soul…

Breandán Mac Liam, the strapping young hunter from Ireland’s lush forests, is in love with Mara, an ineligible beautiful princess. For seven long years, he has been vividly haunted by her memory, taunted by the throes of his heartache. And not even the thought of her marriage to a Northman can extinguish the fierce, burning desire running rampant through his heart and soul.

An innocent heart…

Mara, the spirited Connacht princess, has no idea she is the object of the Irishman’s longing. She is living out her days on Inis Mór, raising a troubled son and trying to endure the cruel loneliness that afflicts her.

A deadly secret…

Ordered by the king on his deathbed, Breandán must return to Mara and bring her through the perilous lands of Connacht to fulfill her father’s last dying wish. But as their worlds collide, Breandán not only finds himself wrapped in the arms of Mara’s embrace, but thrown into a struggle to defend his honor.

With Mara caught between the family she loves and the father she knows, can Breandán uncover the mystery of her past and still protect her from a secret that threatens them all?

Renee: Now that we gave the readers a little taste, Breandán, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself, for those who’ve not had the opportunity to meet you in the first book, Ræliksen.

Breandán: It would be my pleasure, Renee. But before we begin, I would like to thank Tina Donahue for this great honor of letting us borrow her blog for the day.

Renee: That is very kind of you, Breandán.

Breandán: Go raibh maith agat.

Renee: That is ‘thank you’ for those of you who are not fluent in Irish.

Breandán: Oh, I forgot, we are not on the Emerald Isle, are we?

Renee: No, we aren’t.

Breandán: Forgive me. I am not accustomed to this area of the world. I barely could wrap my head around the winged boat on which I journeyed to get here.

Renee: You mean…the plane.

Breandán: Aye, that would be the one.

Renee: A bit frightening for you, huh?

Breandán: Not as frightening as the swarm of men who tackled me to the ground and stole my bow and quiver upon my arrival.

Renee: Oh, my! *cringing* I guess I should’ve warned you not to bring your weapons with you in the airport.

Breandán: That would have proved to be helpful to me, aye.

Renee: Can we just forget all that and start the interview? I know there are a lot of people anxious to meet you.

Breandán: Of course. Well, if your readers haven’t guessed yet, I am an archer from the 10^th Century. By trade, I hunt and trap meat and furs for my people in Connacht, Ireland.

Renee: Is this how you met Mara, the Irish princess?

Breandán: You could say that. The first time I laid eyes on her, in Ræliksen, I was hunting and she came trotting up on her horse, unaware of my presence. I would have liked to have introduced myself to her then, but—as you say in your strange language—“all hell broke loose” and she was taken by a Northman, Dægan Ræliksen.

Renee: I believe Dægan would rather refer to his actions as ‘saving her.’

Breandán: He can say whatever he likes, but from where I was standing, she did not look as if she wanted to go with him. If I remember correctly, she broke his nose in the struggle.

Renee: Fair enough. So, you’ve been in love with Mara ever since?

Breandán: Of course. A woman like that is hard to forget.

Renee: But Mara married Dægan.

Breandán: She did, and yet my heart knows not the difference. Believe me, I tried to get her out of my head, but I could not. Even after seven long years, she still had an immense hold on me.

Renee: And this is where the book, Mac Liam, begins…right?

Breandán: Aye.

Renee: And in those seven years, you never pursued her?

Breandán: Nay. As far as I knew, she was a married woman and I am a Christian man. I was not about to sever what God had joined.

Renee: That is very noble of you.

Breandán: Noble or not, it almost killed me to be without her. ‘Twas as if I could not breathe.

Renee: In Ræliksen, you had to walk away from her because she was in love with Dægan. But in Mac Liam, you finally had reason to see her again, a reason you couldn’t ignore.

Breandán: Indeed. Her father was dying and all he wanted was to see his daughter one last time.

Renee: Then why didn’t her father just send for her? Why did he ask you to take her to him?

Breandán: Because Ireland had grown to be a very dangerous place. There was a rival king looking to overtake Connacht and if he got word of Mara’s travels, he would likely take her and use her to get what he wanted. Her father knew of my familiarity with the land and entrusted me with her safety. I was not about to turn him down and let some other inept man try to protect her.

Renee: Now you realize there are some pretty die-hard Dægan Ræliksen fans out there. What would you say to them about this story?

Breandán: *laughing in spite of the subject*  I can see why the readers would be enthusiasts considering the kind of man Dægan is. He is the bold warrior chieftain of this trilogy, and if Mara can fall in love with a man like that, then I find it not hard to believe other women would as well. But I can only hope the fans of romance will read my story and walk away feeling a bit of admiration for what I bring to the table. I may not be the blond-haired, blue-eyed Alpha male by nature, but I can be dominant and fearless if the duty calls.

Renee: And would you say an event such as this comes up in Mac Liam?

Breandán: *crosses arms to chest and smiles proudly* Aye, it does.

Renee: Hey, Tina…I think now would be a fabulous time to post that excerpt!

Excerpt from Mac Liam:

Breandán held poised, his own dismay keeping him frozen in his spot. Whatever reasons he feared in seeing Mara again, they were still at the forefront of his thoughts, and he dared not incite her by reacting too hastily.

Mara stared at him with a look of bewilderment, a gaze that was hard to decipher between awe and hatred, but damn if she wasn’t as beautiful as ever.

Her dark hair trailed her back in one long, thick braid with a few loose strands framing her perfect face. Her lips, slightly parted in wonder, were full and lush. Her body was still dainty. And her waist hardly gave proof she had ever birthed a child.

Those were the few things he noticed because all he could really focus on was her eyes. How could he forget their brilliance? They were the color of emerald fire with flecks of golden sun behind dark feathery lashes.

And God, if they didn’t look right through him now!

Breandán swallowed, feeling a prickling heat rising from his chest and up his neck. Despite that his clothes were soaking wet from the ocean waves and cold against his skin, he was burning up inside.

Mara was absolutely mesmerizing. And when he thought he was finally capable of speech, her mouth slowly curved into a bright smile. His heart slammed out of beat as he watched her beautiful face light up like a flame, her jade eyes dancing with glee.

Mara ran to Breandán, not even noticing Nevan, or the five others standing in her home. There seemed to be no thought in her actions, just an uninhibited determination to run straight to him.

Before she could reach him, he threw his hands in front of him with a hasty warning. “Mara, I am soaking wet!”

But it was too late. Her body, though tiny compared to his muscled form, crashed into his, her arms immediately wrapping around his back, undeterred by the dampness of his clothes.

Breandán stood there, his arms open and suspended away from her as if he had no idea what do with them. He wanted to bring them down around her, to envelope her with all his might, but he was afraid to allow himself to touch her. That if he made the slightest motion toward her, she’d dissipate into thin air like in his many tortuous dreams.

Eventually, against his nagging reservation, he found the will to let his arms fall, and with it came an immense relief as he felt the warm, delicate mass of her body remaining within his grasp. His breath escaped him in a long drawn-out respire, and with it, all of his fears. Mara was finally in his arms and she was real.

Breandán’s emotions were at the highest they had ever been. He wanted to close his eyes and revel in this moment, yet amid the company he shared, he held his excitement within, a feat taking all he had.

Despite the success of restraining his outward body movements, he had absolutely no control over his involuntary bodily responses. Her faint fragrance coupled with the bold feel of her body against him made his heart pound and his blood race. She smelled of expensive oils, quite exotic to his nose, but it was the sweetest aroma he had ever encountered. He drew in a slow breath, savoring it as if it were the last blessing with which he would ever be gifted. He trembled with excitement.

“You are shaking,” Mara said, pulling slightly away from him. At that moment, she seemed to remember how much taller he was compared to her since she had to tilt her head back in order to meet his gaze. “Come, warm yourself by the fire,” she insisted, taking his hand.

Little did she know the simple act of placing her hand in his warmed Breandán to his very soul. Even if he had been totally submerged in the icy waters of the sea, her touch would have lit him afire.

*** CONTEST ALERT *** CONTEST ALERT *** CONTEST ALERT ***

Renee: Well hopefully we’ve peaked your interest with this character interview. And remember, if you’d like to win an e-book copy of Mac Liam, just ask Breandán a question. A random winner will be chosen this evening at 8pm.

Thank you so much, Tina for allowing us the time to interact with your readers. You are very generous for letting us hijack your blog for the day.

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