Title: Magic's Muse
Release
Date: 27th August 2012
Author: Anne Barwell
Genre : M/M,
Fantasy, SF, romance, drama
Blurb: Sequel to Cat's Quill.
Tomas and Cathal have
escaped from Naearu, Cathal’s mystical homeworld, but happily ever after is
never as straightforward in real life as it is in books. Then again, most
people don’t deal with the complication of a lover who’s magically bound to a
tree or have an interfering cat for a cousin.
With Naearu’s police
force, the Falcons, still after Cathal, he can’t go home. Now that he and Tomas
have consummated their relationship, Cathal’s abilities are evolving and
changing to the point that Tomas can sense them. And until the oak portal
closes, Cathal—and his new life with Tomas—are in limbo as Cathal can’t expect
Tomas to stay with someone who can never venture past the property line. Will
he and Tomas ever get to follow through on their engagement?
1-Welcome the talented Anne Barwell! It is great to have you here today, I have enjoyed reading your books and look forward to your new release.
Tell my readers about your hot new release?
Hi, Heather, and thanks again for this
opportunity to chat with you and your readers. My hot new release is 'Magic's
Muse' and is releasing from Dreamspinner Press on the 27th of
August. It's the sequel to my first novel, 'Cat's Quill.'
2- Can
you tell us a little about yourself and your books?
I live in New
Zealand, and my day job is working in a library, so I'm surrounded by the
temptation of books, DVDs and the like all day. I work evenings and weekends
which might not work for some, but does for me, although it is difficult at
times to mesh with stuff going on online. I remind myself that it would be
worse if I worked 9-5pm, Monday to Fridays, as then I'd never see a soul on
here. At least this way I get to sneak on for a bit before I start work at
lunchtime during the week. I also play violin for a local orchestra – we're in
the middle of Beethoven's 9th at the moment, then it's practice for
a proms concert for the end of the year.
I write M/M and am
published with Dreamspinner Press. I dabble in a few genres. The Hidden Places
series (Cat's Quill and Magic's Muse) is a contemporary fantasy /SF series, the
Echoes series (Shadowboxing and the two books to follow it) are historical set
during WW2, and Slow Dreaming is SF/time travel. But in saying that, they're
very character driven and have a good dollop of romance and action/drama in
them, as that is what I like to write.
3- Have
you ever used events or stories contemporary or historical in your work?
Yes. Shadowboxing is set in 1943 in Berlin,
and as such is very grounded in what was happening at the time. Many of the places and buildings used in the
story are real, although some were destroyed later during the war, and the
bombing raids that take place during the story are real historical events. The
research for this story was fascinating and I learnt a lot. I've since been
reading about the involvement of NZ flight squadrons in the war as one of the
characters in 'Winter Duet', the sequel to 'Shadowboxing', will be a Kiwi.
There are also references to the Christchurch
earthquake in 'Slow Dreaming', as one of the characters, Sean, is originally
from there.
4. Is there anything you find particularly
challenging/ rewarding about writing?
One of the most difficult things is sending
off the submission to the publisher and then waiting to see if they want it. On
the flip side, receiving a new contract is a great feeling, and a confirmation
of myself as a writer. We all seem to be bad at second guessing ourselves,
especially in post submission mode, I've noticed.
The other challenging thing is finding enough
hours in the day to write, and everything that goes with it. I find I need to
be very organized and disciplined with my time and most days I feel very
scheduled out. It's very worth it though as I see a story take shape on the
page and the characters take on almost a life of their own. And then there are
the days in which those characters seem to 'dictate' and I type and just go
along for the ride.
HC. This is an echo of me. I love the way the characters come to life in my head, it's something only another author experiences. Yes, letting go of a story to submit to a publisher is one of the hardest things to do as an author and the most stressful. I believe our readers think publication is a given when every manuscript we submit has to earn publication on its merits.
5. As a child, what did you want to be when
you grew up? How has that childhood dream affected your current career?
I've been interested in reading, writing, and
books for as long as I can remember. I wrote stories by myself, and with
friends, at primary school, and helped out after school at the local library.
It has taken me a while to work out what I wanted to do with my life, and a lot
of years were spent as a stay at home mum raising three kids, while working as
a part time music teacher, and later training as a primary/secondary teacher. In
hindsight, these were all steps leading me to where I am today – working in a
library and writing. The two 'jobs' complement each other, and my colleagues
and friends at the library are very supportive of my writing. I love seeing my
books on the library shelves, and knowing they're being borrowed fairly
regularly. I got to do an author talk at one of the community libraries a
couple of months ago too.
Q: Do you have a writing schedule?
Because I start work at 12, I set an alarm on those mornings so that I
have at least an hour's writing time before work. I also try and write on the
weekends, although sometimes that doesn't pan out with other calls on my time
from house and yard work, kids, and my parents who are needing a lot more help
than they used to. Of course, in saying that, depending on deadlines, and how a
story is flowing, often the schedule goes by the board and I'll write in the
late evenings too after I get home from work at 9pm or wherever I can snatch
extra time.
Q: What kinds of books do you like to read?
I'll read anything that catches my interest, but I do read a lot of
SF/fantasy. As long as a story has a good plot, good writing and the characters
draw me in, I'll give it a go. Add in
some time travel and anything involving psi powers and I'll definitely give it a
go. I also love stories set in the late 1800s and the time periods around that and
the two world wars, and read a fair amount of graphic novels and manga.
Q: What can readers expect from you in the near
future?
My current WIP is 'A Knight to Remember' and is a fantasy story with
dragons, swords and a quest, but with a few twists. After that I'm writing 'Winter Duet' which is
the sequel to 'Shadowboxing,' and 'Shades of Sepia', the first book of an urban
fantasy series, 'Sleepless City' which is a joint project between myself and
Elizabeth Noble.
Would you like to share an excerpt?
I'd love to. This is an excerpt from 'Magic's Muse':
“Sometimes what we don’t want
to hear is what we need to.” Cathal spoke the words softly, knowing them to be
true. Christian and Will had always done that for him. Much of what they’d said
in the past he hadn’t wanted to hear, but he always took heed of what was said,
considering it before deciding whether he would act on it or not.
“Even Heidi and Donovan told
me I needed to get my head out of my arse when we first met.”
Although it wasn’t the
correct response, Cathal couldn’t help but chuckle. “Is that position even
physically possible? I know you’re wonderfully flexible in bed, but I cannot
visualize it.”
The comment earned him a lazy
swat on the side of one buttock. “I’m going to pretend you’re unfamiliar with
that saying and that wasn’t a bad joke.”
“My jokes aren’t that bad!”
Cathal rolled them more onto their sides to give Tomas more access. “But if you
want to keep your hand there I’m not about to stop you.”
“You’re still wearing your
clothes, and as much as I love the way those jeans cling to your arse, I prefer
the feel of that part of you with nothing on it.”
Cathal raised an eyebrow. For
some reason talking like this in bed seemed to always lead to more lovemaking,
although it was also the time they spoke the most openly with each other. “Are
you trying to get me to take my clothes off?”
“If you have to ask, then I’m
losing my touch.” Tomas kissed Cathal hard. Cathal parted his lips, stroking
Tomas’s tongue with his own. When they broke the kiss both were breathing
heavily.
“There is nothing wrong with
your touch, my love.” Cathal hesitated, feeling a little daring but not sure
what Tomas’s response would be.
“I can hear you thinking from
here.” Tomas propped himself up on one elbow when Cathal pulled away. “Whatever
it is, Cat, I’m sure it’s fine.” He frowned. “You do want to make love, don’t
you?”
“Yes, I do, very much so.”
Cathal slipped off the bed. He felt himself grow red. “I was wondering… umm…
would you like me to undress for you so that you can watch?”
“God, yes!” Tomas licked his
lips and looked Cathal up and down, already undressing him with his eyes. “I
would love that.” He arched his hips off the bed and undid his own jeans,
already sliding them down but not taking his eyes off Cathal.
“I wasn’t planning to undress
that quickly.” Cathal began to undo the top buttons of his shirt, deliberately
taking his time.
“I know that, but I wanted to
be ready for you.” Tomas sat up and took off his T-shirt, muscles flexing when
he pulled it over his head. His skin was lightly tanned, and for someone who
claimed he didn’t exercise much, his build resembled that of a herald. He’d
chuckled at that, saying that he didn’t run much either, although he might be
persuaded to for the right reasons.
Tomas’s boxers joined his
jeans on the floor. Cathal got a tantalizing glimpse of one bare hip and thigh
before the blankets were pulled up to just above Tomas’s groin. Cathal let his
eyes travel across Tomas’s flat stomach and down to the almost red hair peeking
out from over the blanket, teasing to what lay beneath. God, how he wanted to
touch Tomas, right there, right now.
“You are, my love. You
definitely are.” Cathal swallowed but forced himself not to speed up his own
actions. He undid the last button of his shirt, letting it slide from his
shoulders to the floor. The undergarment he wore beneath only needed pulling
over his head. He did not understand why Tomas did not feel the need to wear
one, as this world’s clothing was not as warm as his own. The belt from his jeans
came next, followed by the button fly. The denim material eased down over his
hips slowly. He stepped out of them and then removed his socks, very aware of
Tomas’s eyes on him.
Tomas’s breath hitched.
“You’re so beautiful, Cat. When we’re together I want to touch you, to be with
you. You look and feel so good.” He gestured for Cathal to come closer. “Do you
remember the first time we kissed at the inn?” He looked at the boxers Cathal
still wore, reached out and traced the outline of Cathal’s hard cock through
the cotton material. Cathal moaned softly, pushing into his hand. “The
undergarments you wore then drove me crazy. I couldn’t work out how to undo the
laces.”
“I prefer these. They’re
easier to remove.” Cathal could take a hint. Tomas wanted him, and now. “Do you
want to finish?”
Tomas hesitated, then shook
his head. “Do it for me, Cat. I want to see you. All of you.” He removed his
hand, threw the blanket off completely, and stroked himself, his eyes glazing
over with need.
“All of you.” Cathal licked
his lips, needing to touch and taste. He quickly used two fingers to extend the
elastic of his boxers, letting them slide off him to pool at his feet. Bending
over, he kissed Tomas, deepening it as Tomas pulled him into an embrace and
onto the bed. A wave of love and desire washed over him. Cathal wasn’t sure
whether the emotions were his or Tomas’s or a combination of both. He didn’t
care. He wanted this man so badly, his beloved, his mate.
“I want you.” Tomas ran his
hands over Cathal’s back and sides, touching him, caressing him. He wrapped his
legs around Cathal’s and threaded the fingers of their left hands together. “I
love you, Cathal Emerys.” He whispered a familiar phrase, his breath hot
against Cathal’s ear. When Cathal had taken the codename as leader of the
resistance, he would have never believed how hearing it spoken by Tomas in this
way could sound so good. “I believe in you, Cat. My dragon.”
HC. Thank you so much for sharing with my readers today I hope you'll drop by again soon.
Romance is a wonderful thing but what do you want in a partner?
Are you looking for an Alpha male to protect you?
What is your perfect date? A walk on the beach or snuggling
before a fire roasting marshmallows?
What is it about a guy that turns you on? His muscles? Sexy
eyes? Or, perhaps the soft growl in his voice?
I write in many
genres, so my heroes run from badass Doms to sexy strippers, from seven foot
tall Fae male’s to leopard shifters. 
