She’s sharing tidbits from her new release, Amazon Sunset, which I was privileged to critique.
Trust me when I tell you, you’re in for a real treat!!
WHAT MAKES A BOOK MEMORABLE?
by
Marie Higgins
I’ve been writing for many years, and this question is always at the top of my mind when I start a new story. Granted, I know authors can’t please every reader—although a lot of us try—but I still would like to know the answer to this question. I’m sure other authors would like to know as well.
Just the other day, I had a reader finish reading my newest release “Amazon Sunset”. She emailed me and told me this… “Amazon Sunset has everything that I could ask for in a novel—romance, mystery, drama, good pace, intrigue, and good balance. This is a book I can’t put down!” I was thrilled when I read this, because she was actually saying that my story was a good read?
So I took a second look at what I had written. Did I have romance? Well, considering that’s all I write, it there had better be romance in the story! (hahaha)
Excerpt:
A low growl rattled in Felix’s chest. “And…would you kindly refrain from storming into my room without an invitation?”
“I knocked, but you didn’t hear me.”
“Forgive me, my lady, but I assure you, my only purpose was to close your window and keep you from being attacked by masses of mosquitoes.”
Lifting the sheet to her neck, she straightened her shoulders. “Fine. You have done what you came to do, so now leave.”
Felix couldn’t believe how alluring she looked right now with her glorious brown hair swirling around her shoulders. Her amazing green eyes radiated so much fervor she could melt him from just her stare. He wished his memory would erase the sound of her sweet humming, and his body would not remember what it had felt like to have her hands on him. It must be the heat causing him to think such thoughts. However, all he wanted to do right now was hold her and feel the soft surrendering sigh of her breath against his lips right before he kissed her.
“Actually,” the tone of his voice lowered as he slowly moved toward her, “I haven’t done what I came to do.”
She hitched a breath as her feet shuffled backward toward the wall. When the barrier stopped her, she didn’t try to move away. Her eyes widened as he neared, and just before reaching her, she moistened her lips with her tongue.
Felix’s heartbeat whacked against his ribs so hard he feared it would jump right out of his chest. Desire crept over him the longer they stared in each other’s eyes.
Blast it! This was not a good thing! He could not get involved with a woman like Miss Landon no matter how much she tempted him.
Mystery
“Knightly, are you listening?”
Felix was pulled out of his thoughts by Carlo’s question. “Pardon me. You were saying?”
The shorter man shaped like a brick pointed to another man sitting at the table—a man Felix didn’t know. “Knightly, this is Mr. Faro. He lives around these parts.”
Felix nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Faro. How long have you lived here? I thought I knew everyone.”
The other man gave a pleasant smile. “I have been here a couple of years, but I rarely make it into town.”
Carlos continued, “I was telling Faro about Suzette and the fire ants. He, too, has experienced odd happenings in the jungle as of late.”
Felix took a long drink of his whiskey. Either the alcohol was too watered down or his body had become immune to the sting as it slid down his throat. “Indeed?” he asked, focusing on Faro. “You have noticed as well?”
The other man nodded. “I wish I could explain why these things are occurring, but it’s almost as if everything is out of its element.”
Felix frowned and leaned his elbows on the table. “Do you mean to tell me there is more?”
“There is. The howler monkeys are everywhere now, and it’s hard to tell where the fire ants are making their hills. I’ve seen poisonous snakes in fields where they have not been before, and even crocodiles are too far inland.” Faro turned his attention toward the nearest window and continued. “The further into the jungles you go, the worse it gets.”
Dread formed a lump in Felix’s throat, making it harder to swallow. “What do you suppose is causing all of this mayhem?”
Shaking his head, Faro peered back at the group of men around the table, moving his gaze slowly from one person to another. “There is no explanation. It’s almost as if something—magical,” he whispered the last word, “has taken over the jungle.”
Drama
Felix took a different path out of Manaus, one that wasn’t as well-traveled on. More times than not, he and his men unsheathed their machetes to cut the hanging white yiel-yiel leaves and branches out of the way as they advanced deeper into the jungle.
Katrina stayed between him and a couple of his men, which was exactly what Felix wanted, mainly since he had a hard time keeping his hands off her. Now that he had tasted her sweet kiss, he worried he would want to sample another one soon.
Because Manuel remained in town with Suzette, the other men volunteered to help carry supplies. Even Katrina gave Felix permission to load her pack with more items. Every so often, he looked over his shoulder to make certain she was doing all right, and it surprised him to see her forging on without any difficulty. Usually, pampered women couldn’t handle such laborious tasks, yet Katrina seemed to deal with things quite well, surprisingly.
There was something about her he couldn’t put his finger on, yet he didn’t have time to dig deeper into her past to find out what made her so unusual. He couldn’t let her distract him from his focus. Because of the dangers lurking, Felix had to concentrate on every step and keep the group moving forward. He kept his gaze scanning ahead and his ears alert to anything out of the ordinary just in case Mr. Faro’s predictions came true.
They had come upon a swampy area, so being particularly cautious were necessary. He paused and called out to his men as he waved his arm high over his head. “Keep a watchful eye out.” Stumbling across crocodiles or even snakes was not something he wanted to do.
Another branch hung low, so he whacked it with his machete and threw the branch away from the path. As he readied his arm to cut another, Katrina’s terrified screech made him jump and turn toward her.
She stood frozen, pointing to a tree. Ready to become the warrior she needed and battle whatever unknown creature had threatened her, he raised his machete prepared to attack. When he realized what had frightened her, relief poured through him and he lowered his arm. “This?” He pointed to a purple and yellow amphibian sitting on a leaf. “Is this, what scared you?”
“Yes.” Her voice shook. “It fell from that tree.”
He stepped closer to her. “My dear, Miss Landon. This is a frog.”
The other men nearby laughed.
She tore her gaze from the frog and looked at Felix with confusion. “A frog? Since when are frogs purple and yellow?”
Felix chuckled. “Frogs that live in the rainforest are odd colors. You will find many different colored frogs as well as odd-shaped ones. Some will have huge eyes and others will be so small you almost cannot see them. Some will have very long arms and look like they belong to the monkey family. I assure you, Miss Landon, there will be many things in this jungle you are not used to seeing.” He shrugged. “That’s what makes this place so spectacular and unforgettable.”
Intrigue
Off in the distance, in the midst of the chatter of monkeys and the chirping of birds, came the roar of a jungle cat through the air. Chills ran up Katrina’s spine and fear froze her legs. Even Felix and the men stopped and listened.
She focused more on Felix’s expression since he was her guide. He looked as startled as Katrina felt, which didn’t make her feel any better.
“Felix?” she asked in a low voice as she slowly moved toward him. “What is going on?”
He met her stare with worried azure eyes. “That was a jaguar.” He shook his head. “The jaguars are very dangerous, but we have all killed before, and we’ll do it again if necessary.”
“Then what worries you?”
“Those cats are not supposed to be in this section of the jungle. They usually live deeper.”
“So why is the animal here?”
“I don’t know.” He stepped closer to Katrina and withdrew his machete. “By the sound of his growl, I can tell he’s still far away, but we want to keep a wary eye out for anything peculiar.”
When the group continued, they took softer, unhurried steps. Katrina stayed as close to Felix as she dared, and thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind this time.
Her heartbeat knocked crazily against her ribs, and she feared the others could hear it as well. A few times she caught herself holding her breath, so she slowly released it and tried to keep quiet. She wasn’t the only one trying to be silent. Even the choir of monkeys and birds she’d heard earlier had hushed to almost nothing.
This was not a good sign.
Suddenly, the branches to the right of them started rustling, getting louder and louder. Standing in front of her, Felix shielded her with his body. She grabbed a handful of material from his shirt. All the men surrounded her in a circle, holding their knives and machetes as if ready to attack.
Terror crawled inside of her, turning her blood to ice. The closer the noise got to them, the more she felt like screaming. Instead, she held her breath again.
So in conclusion, here is what I decided…
HOLY MOLY! Maybe I do have a pretty interesting story after all. But I want you to be the judge.
Please leave a comment and let me know what makes a story memorable to you!
Watch the book trailer, too! http://youtu.be/b4CtWmHz1Ic
Blurb:
Katrina Landon’s life is about to change. The wealthy father she has never known wants to meet her, but she has to travel from the slums of Boston through the Amazon rainforest to his plantation. As if that’s not bad enough, her guide is the handsome, self-assured, too confident for his own good, Mr. Knightly, who immediately stirs her temper.
Felix Knightly isn’t looking forward to escorting a spoiled rich girl through the jungle no matter how much her father pays. Yet when he meets her, he finds Katrina’s distracting innocence and charming demeanor unsettling. She makes it nearly impossible to concentrate on his job—a problem he’s never had around women. He’d rather fight off the fire ants, howler monkeys, and crocodiles than risk losing his heart to her, since he’s never met an honest wealthy woman.
As they delve deeper into the shadows of the rainforest, they discover they weren’t just wrong about each other, they were wrong about the dangers of the jungle. Someone wants them dead and they have to find out who and why before it’s too late.
Buy from Kindle – http://amzn.com/B00JST2I0O
About the author:
Marie Higgins is a best-selling, multi-published author of sweet romance; from refined bad-boy heroes who make your heart melt to the feisty heroines who somehow manage to love them regardless of their faults. Visit her website / blog to discover more about her
Find her on Facebook – facebook.com/marie.higgins.7543
And Twitter – @MarieHigginsXOX
