Happy Thursday, Everyone!
Today, I 'm thrilled to have my friend and fellow Crimson Romance author, Lynn Crandall visiting. Lynn is here to tell us about her new paranormal release, Heartfelt.
I asked Lynn to tell us a little more about Heartfelt than we can read from the blurb. Well, she has gone above and beyond my request by asking her hero, Conrad Pike and her heroine, Asia Blue to join her for a little sit down. I'm going to get out of the way and turn this blog space over to Lynn. I hope everyone enjoys meeting these amazing characters that will touch your heart.
Take it away Lynn Crandall ...
Thanks Nancy. Were-lynxes
Asia Blue and Conrad Pike have been BFFs for years. BFFs without benefits. But
things are changing. Asia’s telepathy with animals is now expanding to enable
her to read the minds of humans. It’s all very confusing for Asia to learn to
manage her new ability, especially since she’s trying to develop a romantic
relationship with a human, Gavin Strong.
Conrad Pike is right there
to help her learn to adapt with thoughts of humans invading her mind. He
believes the change that is driving Asia crazy is something she brought on by
opening herself to a human. But he’s changing, too. He’s never wanted a
romantic relationship with his best friend because they’ve agreed it could
jeopardize their friendship. Plus their differing beliefs about humans stand
between them: Asia respects them; Conrad believes they are irrational and
dangerous as a species. But stirrings inside him,
whenever Asia was around, are prompting questions about their
relationship.
Let’s listen in on a brief character interview.
Me: Asia, how long have you
and Conrad been good friends?
Asia: (smiles and looks at
Conrad) About eight years. We met back when Mr. Bad Boy here was not yet 21 and I was 18. He was sweeping floors at a
soup kitchen, serving community service instead of going to jail.
Me: Conrad, jail? What was that about?
Conrad: (Glares at Asia)
Underage drinking. Thanks, Asia, for mentioning that.
Asia: Well, it’s the truth.
My mom and I were barely scraping by, and
we frequented that same soup kitchen. Conrad and I both knew by scents that the
other one was a were-lynx. It was a lucky encounter for me. Conrad helped me.
I’ll always be grateful. (Asia leans her head to rest on Conrad’s shoulder.)
Me: So what brought you
together were your similar secret identities? The fact that you were both
were-lynxes?
Conrad: That. Plus, we both
had issues and found solace in each other. It just happened, and we’ve been
friends ever since.
Asia: Just friends.
(Exchanges a glance with Conrad)
Conrad: (Runs his fingers
through his blond hair) Right. Besides, Asia is interested in a quote, normal
relationship with a human male, not with a were-cat.
Me: Is that so, Asia?
Asia: (Narrows her eyes)
Yes. I’m weary of all the drama and danger our were-lynx colony seems to run
into all the time. I want normal. I’ve
never had normal, not with my mom’s alcohol abuse. I mean, I’ve always had to
take care of things: make sure food was
in the house, the bills were paid, stuff
like that.
Conrad: And now she has to
learn how to manage her expanding ability to read minds. It’s not easy for her
to have a relationship with a man. Humans’ thoughts are more invasive and
complex than animals.
Me: Interesting. Tell me
about that, Asia.
Asia: Animals are very
straightforward. If they’re hungry, they find food. Humans get hungry and they think about what food sounds
good to them, can they afford to eat out or should they make dinner at home? Can
they eat something high in calories or should they stick to carbs? I’m learning
to filter out all the many, many thoughts floating around me. Since it’s a new
thing for me, my brain is frequently overwhelmed, painful. But why are we
talking so much about me? Conrad’s life hasn’t been a cakewalk, even though he
comes from a very wealthy family. People don’t understand the pressures of
wealth and status on children of wealthy parents. (She drops her gaze.) He
almost committed suicide years ago.
Me: How awful.
Conrad: Things are better
now. Thanks in large part to my best friend.
Me: You mean Asia.
Conrad: Very mush so. She’s
beautiful in body and spirit, and she
saved my life. I’ll always be grateful.
Asia: You nut.
Me: You two appear to share
something deep and meaningful. Are you sure there’s no romance in your future
with each other?
(Silence as they stare at
each other)
Here’s an excerpt of Heartfelt taken from a scene in which Conrad and Asia are rescuing her mother
from danger via The Nexus Group:
A burst of gunfire split
the air.
Asia jumped. “My God, that sounded like it came from
trees to the north. I don’t like that.”
“I don’t like the sounds of men coming closer, either.
The radio has been silent for a bit, so I’d say they either found Demetri or
deduced Demetri was unavailable for some reason. Either way, they’re on to us.”
Asia glanced around. “How much farther to the Rover, do
you know?”
“I don’t know. How are you doing?” He glanced down at
her, concern knitting his brow.
“A few scratches, that’s all.” With the voices nearing
minute by minute, urgency pushed Asia’s adrenaline. She looked up into Conrad’s
eyes and felt for him. Fatigue darkened his beautiful eyes. His pants were torn
just at his knee and the rip revealed a bloodied patch of skin. Sweat
glistened on his forehead, and dirt smudged his face. “How about you?”
He chuckled quietly. “A few scrapes and some sore
muscles. Nothing I can’t handle.”
The voices, talking amongst themselves as they trudged
through the forest, sounded about a third of a mile away and coming closer. “We better move.”
“Can you take your mother for a spell?”
“Of
course. If you’re tired you’ll slow us
down.” She opened her arms and Conrad laid her mother there gently. “Now
listen, please. You take your mom and get to the Rover. The others will
probably be there waiting. I’m going to draw attention away from you. I’ll join
you as soon as I can.”
Her
heart jumped into her throat. “What? No. We stick together.” She couldn’t catch
her breath. He was going to sacrifice
himself for her and her mother? No.
“Separating
gives us the best chance we have for helping your mother. If I need help I’ll text you. Now, you need to get
going.”
Everything
seemed close up in that instant. Life and death, love and friendship. She
quickly bent to the ground and laid her mother on a soft patch of grass.
“What
are you doing?” Conrad’s face contorted into confusion.
She
turned to him and placed her hands on his sweaty, soiled face, holding it
cupped in her hands. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. Hard, fast,
intense emotions filling her. “You come
back to me.”
She
dropped her arms and turned halfway to her mother. Conrad grabbed her and
pulled her close. Their eyes held for a whisper. He pressed a solid, passionate
kiss to her lips.
He
brushed a lock of her hair back from her face. Then he headed away from her,
sprinting just off to the left of the voices, thrashing loudly through the
trees and pounding a thick branch against the brush.
~~~
Lynn, thanks so much for being here with us today. Heartfelt sounds like a thrilling read that I'm not going to be able to put down. You can find Heartfelt here:
If you would like to keep up with Lynn and her books, you can follow her HERE:
As always, if you have any questions for Lynn, please leave a note in the comment section below. We both love hearing from readers so feel free to ask us anything.
Hugs to all,
Nancy C. Weeks
