Guest Post by Rachel Firasek, author of The Last Rising

Hi, everyone!

I am thrilled to participate in The Last Rising Virtual Book Tour sponsored by Entangled Publishing. We will be joined today by Rachel Firasek, author of The Last Rising.

Author Bio:

Rachel Firasek grew up in the south and despite the gentle pace, she harassed life at full steam. Her curiosity about mythology, human nature, and the chemical imbalance we call love led her to writing. Her stories began with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairytales, before she settled on a blending of the two. 

Today you’ll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded by bleating sheep and barking dogs, with her husband and children. She entertains them all with her wacky sense of humor or animated reenactments of bad 80’s dance moves.

She’s intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this crazy thing we call life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and lights the shadows…or at www.rachefirasek.com.

 Guest Post:

To Marry or Not To Marry by Rachel Firasek 

Darlene, thank you for having me on today! I’ve decided that today I want to talk about weddings in romance. I’ve found that I’m much more prone to writing HFN than HEA. But, that’s okay. Because even with HFN you can imagine that the couple will be together. 

When I thought about why I haven’t written the big marriage proposal or at least the promise of forever, I realized that it’s because I’m not so sure that I believe it. I want to. In a few more weeks I’ll celebrate my 15 year anniversary and boy, does that seem like such a big number for such a short amount of time. It seems like only yesterday hubs was asking me for that first dance that led to the HEA.

But, I’ve lived through my parents’ divorce, great friends around me divorcing, and witnessed some friends stay in a marriage that just seems doomed. So why do it? Why write about something that may or may not happen.

I have to remind myself that in romance, we are looking for the hope.

I sat in a beautiful winery for a good friend’s wedding this summer and enjoyed the festive occasion without once thinking about the odds of the marriage lasting. So, why then is it so hard to write it? I thought I’d pose the question to you guys. Do you believe in the HEA? Do you want to?

If you have had a HEA moment in your life, please share. I look forward to seeing all the comments. 

Thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of your tour, Rachel! 

To read my 5-star review of The Last Rising (Curse of the Phoenix, Book #1), please click HERE.

CURSE OF THE PHOENIX - Book One

Title: The Last Rising
Author: Rachel Firasek
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella
Release Date: September 2011
ePub ISBN: 978-1-937044-28-2
Mobi ISBN: 978-1-937044-29-9

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/the-last-rising/

Book Description:

After paying two millennia’s penance to Osiris, world-weary Phoenix Ice has had enough. Saving souls without any hope for her own redemption isn’t how she imagined spending eternity. Fed up, she decides her next death will be her last. But when she sacrifices her own life for a sexy Texan in a catastrophic plane crash, she has no idea the consequences will be so great…or that she’ll end up back in his life for her next assignment.

Now that Turner Alcott has survived the worst, finding a wife and mother for his son matters more than ever before. When the mysterious Ice comes into his life, Turner knows she’s the one—but love is the last thing Ice wants. If he wants to win her heart, Turner must teach Ice how to forgive herself, and prove that love is the ultimate sacrifice.

Excerpt:

“Why is it I can’t get you out of my mind? You say we haven’t met, but my dreams remember you.”

Oh yeah, he’d dreamt of a woman for months now. She resembled his dream woman in so many ways, but he’d never seen his fantasy lover’s face.

She struggled against his clutch. “Mr. Alcott, I assure you we haven’t met. And for your other question, I don’t know why, but you need to release me.”

Why did that quivering bottom lip make him suspect she was lying? Turner rested his forehead against the top of hers and sucked in her scent. “Please, tell me I’m not losing my mind. Tell me you don’t visit me every night and I’ll promise to leave you alone. I just need to know.”

He sounded like a crazy man but she had to tell him. She was the only one who could put a stop to his mind’s constant fantasizing, and this feeling of déjà vu every time he saw her.

Ice wriggled in his arms, her thighs chafing against his slacks. “Mr. Alcott, you need to let me go.” She glanced around his shoulder. “Brodie is probably staring out that glass window and I would hate for him to get the wrong impression.”

She was right. He needed to get ahold of himself, but he didn’t have the strength to walk away. His hands traveled up and over her shoulders, stalling on her neck. Brushing his thumbs against her jaw, he pressed her head back and stared into hard eyes—no emotion. Couldn’t she see the battle he fought?

He teased the corner of her mouth with his thumb and her breathy gasp pleased him. So, she wasn’t completely immune to him. He dropped his head until his mouth hovered over hers.

“Mr. Alcott—”

“Shhh. I just need a taste of the sunshine.”

 

CURSE OF THE PHOENIX - Book Two

Title: The Last Awakening (Curse of the Phoenix, #2)
Author: Rachel Firasek
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella
Release Date: November 2011
ISBN: 978-1-937044-44-1
 
Book 3 coming January 2012!
 

http://www.entangledpublishing.com/the-last-awakening/

Book Description:

For three hundred years, Arabella’s life has been one meaningless death after another. In a cruel twist of fate, Osiris gifts the phoenix her mortality and long-gone voodoo magic with a warning that she must save her next soul within a week without using magic, or she’ll lose her power forever.

Ex-soldier Greyson Meadows desperately wants to be freed from the nightmares and guilt that haunt him. Confronted by a waif of a woman who forces him to face the truth about his past, he runs fast and hard, fighting the need to prove himself worthy despite his perceived failures.

When Ari becomes the target of her own magical blunder, the weak will find strength and the strong will fall. One will have to give up everything so the other can have peace, but will love’s magic withstand the loss?