Welcome to guest author, Juli D. Revezzo, as she talks about her latest book release! NOTE: The novel was originally published as PASSION’S SACRED DANCE, but it has been renamed to KEEPER OF THE GROVE.
The world in my first romance novel KEEPER OF THE GROVE, started out easily enough. As an Urban fantasy romance, I chose to set it in a version of modern Florida, and place a modern scholar in center stage. But that was just the springboard. Once my scholar, Stacy, thought something was odd about this year’s winter, the abnormal temperatures, the rumors of deep snow in the panhandle. The climate that usually seems to draw tourists, in this case (er… the case of my novel), it drew ancient gods into the area. Certainly a set of ancient Irish warriors wouldn’t mind a vacation in the *cough* Sunshine State. I set about building a small burg somewhere in and around Central Florida and to make it intriguing for my warriors, I had to have Something Strange happen, and what could be stranger in Florida than all out blizzards?
Chaos for sure. Stacy sees all this and knows the tales from an ancient ancestor. That knowledge brought the idea of what might those ancestors have lived through into the story. Most writers have to do some research and while I’m familiar with the Medieval periods in which some of Stacy’s ancestors lived, the idea that their battle might extend to the beginning of time? Now that presented a research frenzy! How far back did Florida exist as a populated state? Other than with Native Americans who’ve been here about twelve thousand years (according to some estimates) Stacy’s ancestors couldn’t have come over that long ago. So Stacy had to bounce not only through history but throughout the world, which presented even more questions: How far back did human villages go? How did Caesar overthrow the Celts? What happened to us at the brink of the Ice Age? 🙂
I tell you, it was enough to drive a research fiend (and her friends!) a little crazy! Oh, but I, for one, enjoyed the work that went along with telling the story of Stacy’s family history, and the immortal Celtic warriors that defend the family from mythic evil.
Mix in a little romance and ritual and voilà! The novel’s world was set.
Would you like to read more? Here’s the blurb: for Passion’s Sacred Dance:
Battling mounting debt, Stacy Macken is determined not to lose her historic art gallery. When Aaron Fielding appears and offers to help, she fights to keep the attraction sizzling between them from clouding her judgment. He may be her savior in disguise–but can she trust him?
Aaron intrigues her with tales of the Tuatha dé Danann, sworn warriors who protect humanity from the monsters seeking their destruction. If Aaron can prove what he claims, she would give up anything to help–even the gallery he claims is sacred ground. But with her property set to stage the next epic battle, she needs answers. An old family diary will confirm the ancient legend is true, if only they can find it in time.
If the battle is lost, the enemy will take control of Earth for the next five hundred years. Stacy and Aaron’s budding love might only complicate things.
Passion’s Sacred Dance is Available at Amazon
Juli D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of Michael Moorcock, and the classics and has a soft spot for classic the “Goths” of the 19th century. Her short fiction has been published in Crossing the River: An Anthology of Sacred Journeys, Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted Dreams Magazine and Luna Station Quarterly. She also has an article and book review or two out there. But her heart lies in the storytelling. She is a member of Independent Authors Network and Magic Appreciation Tour. Passion’s Sacred Dance is her first paranormal romance novel.
All works are available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Juli-D.-Revezzo/e/B008AHVTLO
You can find out more about her at her homepage: http://julidrevezzo.com/
Blog: http://julidrevezzo.com/blog
Like her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/JD-Revezzo/233193150037011
Follow her on Author’s Den http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?AuthorID=167318
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/111476709039805267272/posts
On Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5782712.Juli_D_Revezzo
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a1002694572/Juli-D-Revezzo/
On twitter: @julidrevezzo