Eva Mitchum Interviews Her Author

Hello everyone!

I'd like to welcome guest blogger Eva Mitchum to my blog.  Eva is the heroin in A Late-Blooming Rose by Jennifer Decuir. A Late-Blooming Rose is the first novella in the Modern Magic anthology to be released in two days.

Click here to see Blurb

Eva, I  loved reading your heart warming happy ever after. I think my readers are really going to enjoy the twist on the popular fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, you are featured in.  My blog space yours.

~~~

Welcome readers. I’d like to introduce you to my creator (Oh, way to give her a swelled ego right from the start!), Jennifer DeCuir.

Jennifer DeCuir

Ms. DeCuir, may I call you that? Or maybe Mother or...what was it that Frankenstein’s monster called him? Well, you did place me in the role of ‘Beast’… I digress. Why don’t you start by telling us what made you answer the submission call when Crimson asked for a ‘twisted’ fairy tale?

Thank you, Eva. I actually had no intention of submitting a story to this collection. I was in the middle of getting my latest Scallop Shores novel ready for release and the submission deadline was three weeks away. But my muse started whispering in my ear, “You should totally do this!” I tried to ignore her, so eventually she was shouting. And that’s how I ended up writing a story in three weeks – definitely NOT my usual speed.

So let’s discuss this particular ‘twist’. You wrote a version of Beauty and the Beast, except that beauty IS the beast. Couldn’t you have made Beau, the hero of your story, a werewolf or something? What was behind this decision?

Technically, Eva, I switched the roles around. Beau is the beauty, in this case. No offense. I thought ‘What would the readers least expect?’ and that’s what I did. I could have written you disfigured, but again, I imagine that is what people would expect of a modern day retelling. So I had to switch things up. You’re bitter and hurt because you’ve lost everyone you’ve ever loved. And then on top of that, you’ve lost the use of your legs. That loss of independence, of having to completely change the way you live your life, without someone to care about you, it’s easy to lose hope, and…um…patience.

I may have been a tad cranky. Tell us about the priceless first edition Edgar Rice Burroughs collection. Any reason you chose that author?

Three reasons, actually. First, I googled (or rather ‘bing’d – hubby works for Microsoft) first editions to see what would have brought in big money. When I saw Edgar Rice Burroughs, I got excited. I used to live in Tarzana, CA – that was founded on what used to be a huge ranch, owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs. My grandfather-in-law (that’s a mouthful!) was an artist and he designed a few book covers for…you guessed it – Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Thank you for spending some time talking with me about how A Late-Blooming Rose came to be. I can’t wait to tell Beau that you called him the Beauty. *cough* Pretty Boy *cough*

Eva, play nice…


Excerpt from A Late-Blooming Rose!  Enjoy

Leaving the coffee service behind to clean up later, Beau swept an arm under Eva’s knees and waited for her to grab his neck for balance before lifting her from her chair. The sliding glass door that led out to the flagstone patio was still open. He frowned down at the track. There had to be a way to cover it, even temporarily, so that Eva could have access to her little entertaining area out here. It had the best view of her rose garden this close to the house.
“My chair was back there. Where are you taking me? Beau!”
Her tiny fists thumped at his chest as he carried her through the living room and out into the hall. With a purposeful stride, he entered the library. Intending to set her down in one of the wingback chairs in the center of the room, Beau changed his mind at the last second and dropped into the seat himself, Eva draped across his lap.
“I demand that you take me back to my chair this instant!” She struggled in his arms, as much as her upper body would allow.
Beau winced when he took a sharp elbow to the gut. “Relax. I’m not going to hurt you. Look where you are. Take a deep breath. Smell that? Leather and old paper, ink.”
“This is ridiculous. Why did you bring me in here?”
“You need a sanctuary. You need a place where it’s safe to be yourself, to let it all out and grieve for those you have lost. You can’t get to your roses, and I feel terrible about that. But you can get to your books.”
“Don’t tell me what I need! I need to be left alone. I need you to go back to Syracuse and leave me with my grandfather’s books and my mother’s ruined rose bushes. Stop making me—”
“What? Feel? You cover up the hurt by pushing people away. You replace the grief with anger. You spend so much time feeling sorry for yourself when you could be reliving the happy memories.”
“I can’t. I’m not strong enough. I see their faces in my head, and it hurts.” She was clutching his shirt now.
“Then just breathe. Close your eyes and breathe. It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
“I can’t remember the sound of their voices. Every day it’s like a little more of them fades. But I’m still here. I’m always here.”
She cried then. Great, heaving sobs that broke his heart and made his entire body ache to hear. He held her tight, not uttering a word as she finally released tears five years in the making. He rubbed her back, comforting her as he would a small child. He cradled her as the shudders became less pronounced, the sobs turning to sniffles and finally to rhythmic breathing that indicated she’d fallen asleep. Standing up once more, he brought her to her room and tucked her in for the night.

Blurb for Modern Magic: A Quartet of Fractured Fairy Tales

What if Cinderella ditched the prince's ball and sent her fairy godmother to find love in her place?

Suppose a streetwise hero hired to steal an all-powerful Genie (stuck in a flash drive rather than a brass lamp) for a tech company ended up running for his life with the CEO's gorgeous, intelligent daughter?

Or what if the bed that a certain golden-tressed girl accidentally napped in belonged to the hot and famous middle brother of a notorious boy band?

Can you envision the sparks that might fly if a bitter and downright beastly wheelchair-bound woman propositioned a handsome bookseller to stay with her in exchange for her rare book collection?

This spellbinding anthology features modern and sexy spins on four classic fairy tales that will enchant you by Jennifer DeCuir, Stephanie Cage, Andrea R. Cooper, and Nancy C. Weeks.

ORDER LINKS

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

KOBO

About Jennifer DeCuir, author of A Late-Blooming Rose.
Jennifer grew up in a small town in Maine, which provides the basis for Scallop Shores, the fictional town in Drawn to Jonah. She's busy raising two kids and a husband. She loves including children and babies in her stories, as her own provide endless story ideas. Currently residing in rain-soaked Washington, she can usually be found working on her latest book in a local Starbucks.

Where to find Jennifer DeCuir:

Website

Author Facebook Page

Twitter

Start reading A Late-Blooming Rose Monday. Until then, be safe, and as always, be kind to one another. 

Hugs to all, 

Nancy C. Weeks