Veronica sez: Alexis
and I first ‘met’ on the Weekend Writing Warrior snippet hop and I really enjoy
her smoothly written books! She’s here with her latest – take it away, Alexis!
Alexis: Thanks
for having me on Here Be Magic. I love
fantasy in all its forms, both as a reader and writer. The inspiration for Gryffon Hall came as a response to a call for submissions from my
publisher, Loose Id. They ran a poll on their website asking readers to vote
for their favorite tropes. Then they collected the top ten and challenged
authors to "give the people what they want". When I saw "fairy tale revisited"
was on the list, along with "marriage of convenience", the idea of a
reimagined Beauty and the Beast type tale completely took over my mind. I've always wanted to play with a twisted
fairy tale and this story was ridiculously fun to write. I've also been drawn
to writing shifter stories, and this certainly falls into that category as well.
As I was writing Gryffon
Hall, I really came to appreciate
once again the depth and breadth of this supposedly simple tale. I'm a big fan of Clarissa Pinkola Estes, who
wrote Women Who Run With Wolves, the
book that first exposed me to the modern psychological underpinnings in ancient
folk tales. There's a reason the stories have hung around so long and why we're
drawn to reliving them again and again. They are both frightening and
satisfying and we love to read them, if even we know how the stories will end,
or think we do. Kind of like Tarot
cards, the symbolism speaks to something deep inside us. With Beauty and the Beast, I believe we
relate to both characters, the innocent thrust into a dangerous situation with
all his preconceptions challenged and the misunderstood "dark man"
who craves love but is afraid of his own wild nature.
Sprinkle on a little magic, add a gay romance, some humor
and hot sex, and voila, an ancient tale made new once again. I hope you enjoy
reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
The Story: Fated
to be born the useless fourth son of the Lord of Glimmerveen, Wryler dreams of
getting married and escaping the rustic confines of his father's castle. A
wealthy merchant's son seems to hold the key to Wryler's safe if somewhat
dreary future. However, the arrival of a mysterious stranger on the eve of
Wryler's betrothal sends his plans into disarray, and Wryler finds himself
traded off in marriage to one of the most notorious rogues in the land. Is Lord
Aeric Rouchet the scoundrel he appears to be, or is he something much worse?
Separated from his family and thrust into a strange and
dangerous new life at the foreboding Gryffon Hall, Wryler must unravel the
secret of his husband's shadowed life and defeat the curse which threatens not
only his growing affection for the barbarian in his bed, but the lives of
everyone the Lord of Gryffon Hall is sworn to protect.
In this excerpt,
Wryler is on his way to Gryffon Hall. He
has his first encounter with a magical being and finds out just how tricky and
capricious they can be.
The rain had finally stopped, and a brisk breeze tore rents
in the clouds. Wryler was amazed to see how many more stars speckled the sky
this far from the lights and dust of the castle and village. He’d left behind
his telescope only after Krull assured him that Gryffon Hall had an entire
chamber full of such “nonsense,” plundered along with books, artwork, and all
sorts of useless things.
Wryler shivered but couldn’t help moving just a little
farther away from the campfire and deeper into the shadows of the trees. A
small brook gurgled and splashed, muffling the voices of the men who prepared
for sleep. At the brook’s edge, a wider gap between the treetops made
stargazing easier.
Wryler looked into the water and was pleased to see the face
of the moon bobbing and dancing on the stream. This might not be much of a
forest in Krull’s eyes, but it was still a magical place. Something long
constrained unlocked within Wryler, and a sense of peace flooded through his
bones. Maybe he was just tired. He leaned against an oak overhanging the stream
and felt as if he might fall asleep standing upright.
“What a pretty thing to leave lying about. Why, someone
might come along and snatch him up!”
Wryler shook his head, sure he’d momentarily slipped into a
doze. He looked around for the source of the voice and wasn’t much surprised to
see a man even smaller than himself crouching next to the stream.
“Why is it I’m not startled to see you there?” Wryler asked.
“Because I’ve cast a bit of a sleep spell over you so you
won’t scream and run away.”
“A spell, eh?” A prickle of alarm poked at Wryler’s
lethargy, but not enough to goad him into resisting. “Who are you, then? Or
rather, what are you? An elf?”
The man snorted and stood upright. “Those do-gooding fairy
lovers wouldn’t dare come this far into the lands of men. They call me Rumple.”
He pointed at himself with his thumb. He was thin as twig. Black hair framed a
gaunt, pale face. He was young, near Wryler’s age or thereabouts, and handsome
in the devious way of cats, with a languid grace and hungry eyes.
It might have been the moonlight or the spell, but Wryler
could see no color in Rumple’s eyes, only a clear light that reminded him of
gazing into a crystal goblet of water.
“What do you want from me?” Wryler asked. He knew he should
try to flee or call for help, but his limbs were heavy, and he was comfortable
leaning against the tree. Besides, Krull would miss him soon. There wasn’t too
much mischief Rumple could cause before Wryler was rescued.
“I don’t want anything from you, Wryler Glimmerveen. I want
to give you something. Advice.”
“And why would I listen to a creature who pops up out of the
woods and casts spells on people?”
“Because I know the truth about your groom. Lord Aeric
Rouchet.” Rumple turned his head and spit into the stream.
“And what truth would that be?” Wryler asked, heart beating
faster.
Rumple sauntered up to Wryler and leaned in close. He
smelled of wild mint and wet moss. “He’s a monster,” he whispered.
“So people keep telling me,” Wryler said. “That word is open
to interpretation. Do you mean monster literally or figuratively?”
Rumple stared at him, narrow eyes widening, then snarled and
tapped Wryler on the chest. “You’ll find out soon enough. The only question is,
are you smart enough to survive, or will you vanish like the others?”
Buy Links: Amazon All Romance eBooks
Author Bio:
Alexis Duran was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest.
At the University of Oregon, her fascination with people and relationships led
her to major in Sociology, but her main love has always been creative
writing. She's worked in museums, finance,
film production and for several performing arts organizations. Her favorite job
so far has been inventorying the collection of a haunted Victorian
Mansion. She is the author of the Masters and Mages and Edge of Night m/m fantasy series as well
as several stand-alone romances. Her
fiction has won several awards including the Rupert Hughes Award from the Maui
Writers Conference and First Runner Up from Love Romances Cafe. She lives with
one dog and four and a half cats. She is
always working on the next novel and has several new ideas brewing at all
times.
You can connect with Alexis at www.alexisduranblog.com, http://twitter.com/AlexisSDuran. http://www.facebook.com/alexis.duran.18294
and https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8332457.Alexis_Duran
