Maria Shield has dropped in to have a short chat with us. Grab a cup of tea and come on in!
SC:
Tell me a little bit about your the main
character of this your book.
MS:
Since it is a romance, I have two main characters in this story. The first is
Claire, a woman driven by logic, who has taken on the stressful task of
starting her own restaurant. Claire definitely doesn’t believe in the
supernatural, or anything she can’t see with her eyes. When she finds a man
claiming to be an immortal hero who wronged a goddess, she is inclined to
believe he is crazy. That is, until she comes face to face with animal-shifters
from Circe’s island.
Her
love interest is Argos, an immortal hero from Ancient Greece. He’s been trapped
on Circe’s island for five hundred years and has finally made his escape. He
comes from a time when gods and monsters ruled the land, but the modern-day
world doesn’t seem to have those concerns. Luckily, he has Claire there to help
guide him.
SC:
Do you believe in the paranormal, and if
so, do you have an experience you can share?
MS:
I definitely believe in the paranormal and have always been obsessed with ghost
stories and the supernatural. Unfortunately, I’ve never experienced anything
personally, but I do have two fun facts I can share. My home state of Kansas
has one of the world’s most haunted houses in the US, “Sallie House.” I also
went to university at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, home of the
Winchester brothers from Supernatural.
SC:
Hang in there. If you're open to something Supernatural happening, it probably will. What titles are you working on now that you
can tell us about?
MS:
Holding Out For a Hero is my first in the Order of Olympus series. I’m
currently working on a novella that should be coming out in Spring 2020 and
Book Two, which will explore the monstrous side of the Mythos world. Fans can
expect to see some classic Greek monsters in Book Two and how they’ve adapted
to the modern world. I hope you will all join me on this adventure!
SC:
Thanks for stopping by, Maria. Let's take a look at your novel now.
Holding Out For A Hero
Order of Olympus
Book One
Maria Shield
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Order of Olympus
Book One
Maria Shield
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Shield Publishing
Date of Publication: 31 Jan 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7343533-1-0
ISBN: 978-1-7343533-0-3
ASIN: B082DBMWRT
Number of pages: 320
Word Count: 84,000
Cover Artist: Damonza
Tagline: She will face gods and monsters to save the man she loves.
Book Description:
A hero cursed by the gods…
Once one of the greatest heroes Ancient Greece had ever known, Argos is a far cry from the immortal warrior he used to be. After five hundred years of captivity, he is finally free—but a curse from a goddess has left him woefully mortal. In order to become a hero again, he’ll need the help of the gods and the seductive nymph who saved his life.
The only woman who can help him…
Claire Winters is definitely not a nymph, despite the assumptions of the half-naked man whose life she saved . Taking care of a delusional man while a storm rages is not what she planned – especially not as she gets ready to open her dream restaurant. She doesn’t have time for the tall tales of her handsome rescue. Yet, here she is.
When it turns out Argos’s claims are real, Claire finds herself thrown deep into a hidden and ancient world. Now, the two strangers must rely on each other to survive. Together they will face the gods, and the fiery attraction between them, as they work to reunite Argos with his ancient powers.
Will strength and wit be enough to protect them? Or will love prove to be the most powerful weapon of all?
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO is the first novel in the ORDER OF OLYMPUS series. A sexy, action-packed romance series based on Greek Mythology and set in the modern world.
Ancient heroes never looked this good.
Excerpt
1: (Steam Level- Smoking)
We should help
each other…
Gods, more
precious words had never been spoken. Argos cradled them, cherished them, just
like he did the small leaf of a woman who offered them up to him. She did not
need to emphasize what she meant; the hand that firmly grabbed at his front
made everything very clear.
His body could
not help but react. What it had been starving for was finally offering itself
to him. Eager and ready. He did not even realize his hand had grabbed hers in a
solid grip, pulling it away from his aching cock. Claire blinked her owlish
eyes at him, her lips parted in surprise.
A groan worked
its way up his throat as he forced himself to stay in control. “You are already
helping me, Claire.”
“You’re right,”
she said stubbornly, “I am.” She trailed her free hand up his arm and across
his collarbone. Her lips followed, pressing a trail of kisses against his
heated skin. Argos watched in fascination as each kiss sent a jolt of lightning
threw him. He wanted those lips against his own. He needed her to look at him.
Finally, she
did, her eyes beseeching. Her lips parted, silently begging for him to claim
her.
Defiant little
nymph. She was not an innocent. How could he ever think that? The Claire in
front of him matched the confident seductress who infiltrated his fantasies.
The woman commanded attention and refused to let it go.
Argos could not
help it. His body leaned forward, aching for her touch. He sucked in a sharp
breath, feeling his control slip.
Of course, it
was at this moment that Claire pulled back, startled by the noise that escaped
him. “I want this to be good for you as well,” she amended softly, looking
torn. “Tell me what you need.”
“I need you not
to tease me,” he nearly growled, swooping down to capture her lips. It was a
proper kiss. The thing he had been wanting since first laying eyes on her lush
lips. As he had dreamed, they parted easily for him, allowing his tongue
entrance. An delightful noise arose from Claire and his curse ached for more.
“I need you. All I need is you.”
Claire gasped as
he picked her up. Her body hardly weighed more than his old shield. He easily
tossed on onto the bed, her nightshirt hitched up, revealing unmarked white
skin.
Looking down on
her turned his entire body into a burning flame. He worried it would burn them
both alive. It felt like a century since the last time he’d touched a woman,
though it had been only a few days. He wanted to ravage her, but that would not
do.
She was helping
him. The least he could do was make the experience one she would never forget.
“What are you
doing?” Claire propped herself up on her elbows, looking at him with excited
eyes. Her hair was disheveled from their escape, but it only made her more
beautiful to him. In a few moments, it would be even worse. He wanted her to
fall apart under the pleasure he gave.
“I fear that
once I start, I will not be able to stop,” he breathed, giving her one last
chance to quit while they could.
Her lips parted,
but the words refused to come out. Slowly she pulled herself into a sitting
position and reached for her top. The air left Argos’s lungs as she pulled it
over her head, showing two perfect, pale breasts. They were the most beautiful
things he had ever seen. Small and soft, barely holding on to the same tone of
color as the rest of her body.
“I don’t want
you to stop.”
About the Author:
Maria Shield writes romance, and science fiction. She was raised in Kansas but has since lived all over the world, from Korea to Japan, finally ending up in her current location in Hawaii with her husband and pets. She is passionate about Japanese culture, ancient history, and feminist activism.
She also loves helping other writers find their communities and sharing craft tips and tricks. This often means she's participating in a critique group somewhere or starting one herself.
When she isn't writing, Maria can often be found doing the 3 R's: Reading, Running, and Researching.
Website: https://www.maria-shield.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Maria-Shield-104673951003589
Facebook Group for Readers: https://buff.ly/2PDwHTB
Instagram: https://buff.ly/2LKqvbE
Twitter: https://buff.ly/34d2Wyv
Amazon Author Page: https://buff.ly/2PcBSuN
Goodreads Page: https://buff.ly/2rrXLxq
No comments:
Post a Comment