Fixed Moon
by Katie Groom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
After breaking her engagement and traveling
800 miles to start her life over, literature student Zoie is ready to live her
life within the books she reads and the worlds she creates on the page. She
will live her life solo — only her stuffed animal Judy by her side.
Werewolf and literature professor Hugh has long
been wary of letting people into his life, even for someone who’s almost 200.
His life in Birmingham, Alabama, and his only two friends in the world are
enough to keep him content. Not happy, but as near as he figures is possible.
Neither is ready for the literal sparks that fly
when they meet. But Hugh knows those sparks mean his heart belongs to Zoie,
whether she wants it or not. Desperate to prove he’s worthy of her, Hugh takes
Zoie to places mortals are forbidden, drawing dangerous attention to them both.
Now, together with their closest friends, Hugh and
Zoie fight against ancient foes and even more ancient laws for their lives and
their love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
Stevie placed her hands in front of her as if she was holding a big beach ball and closed her eyes. The boat shook ever so slightly and then the water started to rise above the sides of the boat.
Terrified that they were going to take on water, Zoie latched onto Hugh’s arm. She watched as either the water continued to rise above the boat or, maybe, the boat was sinking below the water.
As the water arched over their heads and created a ceiling, a fish fell at their feet. “Do I release it back or will that be an issue?” Zoie picked it up and waited for the signal — a nod from Stevie. Then she tossed it back towards the wall of water before it wiggled out of her hands.
The boat travelled further down into the depths of the ocean, slowly at first — as Stevie gauged Zoie’s potential reaction to increased pressure around the boat. The water grew a darker and darker blue until the only light was what was held in their own bubble.
Zoie was standing at the edge of the boat, holding the railing, when she saw a small light. She leaned forward to get a better look. Squinting her eyes, she tried to make out what was holding the light. She leaned further forward only to be inches from the wall of water — and inches from many rows of giant, pointy teeth.
Jumping back, she gasped and placed her hand over her mouth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST
What was the inspiration behind this story?
Inspiration is always a tricky thing for me. I feel like there’s a connotation that inspiration is one thing. But there were a lot of things that inspired Fixed Moon for me, and I think with most things, that’s how it is. A lot of people will have one big moment that pushes them to do something but there were a lot of little things that lead up to that moment.
For me, the big moment was really feeling unsafe in the relationship that I was in. I felt like I had no way out, and I had been feeling like this for a while. Also, I was in a job that was really taking the very soul of me — working me 80 hours a week and never allowing that be enough. A job that wanted to turn us into machines. So I created Hugh to protect me, as strange as that seems. I wanted a world to go to when I needed to escape, so I created the little secret world for the supernatural characters.
Hugh is based, actually, on the song Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon. This character is, in a nutshell, a dedication to the people that I can always go to when things get awful. Who are those people? My family. When I was a little girl — back in the times before all cars had air conditioners and automatic windows; back before they even came with a cassette player as standard — my family would take a yearly trip to Myrtle Beach, in our 1991 Chevy Lumina van shaped like a handheld Dustbuster vacuum cleaner. And every year, without fail, we would hear Werewolves of London, and, windows down, we would howl (“Ah-oooooo Werewolves of London”) without shame. Those memories are the sole reason that I began writing Hugh as a werewolf.
Nightbrook/Tenatoria/whatever-your-part-of-the-magical-world-calls-it is inspired by my favorite place in the entire world: The Scottish Highlands. The cobblestone streets. The puddles of rain. Fog. Moss growing on the buildings. Constantly at least slightly damp. This safe haven for the supernatural is a place stuck in time, and when I want to escape, I really do want it to be free from time and the people that could never understand what I’m going through in the moment.
So, when I started writing about Hugh and his life, it really was to escape to a place that I felt safe and surrounded by those that actually do care about me. So, while I dedicated Fixed Moon to anyone that needed to escape — and it is dedicated to all of you, it’s also low-key dedicated to my wonderful family: Mom, Dad, Crabby, & Steviebopper (and our cocker spaniel that’s waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge: Buffy), because they inspired me to sing like no one’s listening so that I could write without fear.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Katie Groom grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Business Management from PITT and her master’s in Employment and Labor Relations from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 2016, she decided to move to Alabama in order to avoid as much snow as possible (and to advance her career in Human Resources).
When she isn’t working, Katie enjoys reading, writing, jokingly critiquing movies and TV, and campaigning that the plural of moose should be meese. She also loves to take in live music (especially Hanson) and traveling, with the goal of reaching each of the continents. Katie’s favorite pastime, however, is spending time with her beloved Shih tzu, Delta.
https://cinnabarmoth.com/katie-groom/
https://twitter.com/vintage_katie_
Book links: https://cinnabarmoth.com/fixed-moon-katie-groom/
Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Fixed-Moon-Katie-Groom-ebook/dp/B0B5656L24/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY :
Katie
Groom will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn
winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really good book.
ReplyDelete