Who can tell what might end up in the scene of a book? The shirts that read something like “Be Careful or you’ll end up in my book…” aren’t just kidding. Inspiration can come from almost anywhere.
Earlier this year the hubby was out in our canoe trying to get rid of the lily pads and weeds along our lakefront. I was cleaning house, but every so often I’d peek outside just to check on things (I’m a mother hen – probably drives the hubby crazy, but oh well…) Anyway, as the hubby tells the story, our pup Bonnie Sue decided that she shouldn’t have been left behind on the shore, so she hopped into the water and swam out to him. Hubby picked her up and put her in the canoe with him, then went on about his business. Then at some point he reached over towards a lily pad and tipped the canoe too far.
<kerplunk> Canoe tips over and hubby and pup both go into the water.
This is about the time I look out the window. I see hubby in the water up to his neck, so I put down my broom and start to out to help him. That’s when I see this soppy wet black fur-ball doing her darndest to claw and climb her way up onto hubby’s head. He’s lucky he didn’t lose an eyeball or an ear or something because that little dog was having none of that going under water business.
To this day Bonnie won’t even get close to the canoe again.
So when Belle and Rooney were on their way to the Island Anethemusa in the faery realm, Belle let it slip that she’s terrified of water (yes, you caught that right… my characters talk to me. You did know that authors are weird, right?) And so here is a tidbit of what happened to Belle and Rooney:
Rooney thought luck must be on their side because the wind was in their favor, helping pushing them to the shore. They were only about ten feet from land when a strong gust of wind sent the boat tilting to the side. Belle screamed and clutched at the opposite side, overcompensating.
He knew what was going to happen long before she did and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He inhaled a deep breath just before the dinghy rolled over and tossed them both into the water. Rooney was an excellent swimmer, a necessary skill for water wrestling, which was the main event in the faery world Games.
With long strokes he made his way to Belle, who was thrashing under the water, bubbles of air erupting all around her. As soon as he touched her, she clawed at him, trying to use his body to climb up to the surface. Her actions were wild and panicked, and she very nearly overwhelmed him to the point where he couldn’t come up for air.
“Belle!” he gurgled, yanking at her arms to keep her from grabbing his head and pushing him back under. “Belle, stop!”
She continued thrashing, coughing, and sputtering. After she pushed him back into the freezing water for the third time, he came up ready. He slapped her cheek, not hard enough to injure her but enough to stun her. She blinked a few times just before she started to sink under the water. Rooney grabbed her by her arms to keep her up and then pulled her close to him in a hug as his legs kicked to keep them afloat.
“Listen to me, princess. I’m an excellent swimmer. Just kick your legs and hold on to me. I’ll get us to dry land. Can you trust me?”
She nodded, doing just as he said.
It took all of his energy to get them there but finally their feet were on land. He stumbled across the wet sand beyond the waves and deposited Belle there before collapsing onto his back, his arms spread wide so he could catch his breath.
A few minutes later, still panting, Rooney felt a little tickle on his arm and turned to see what it might be. A group of little pixies were standing beside him, poking him to get his attention.
About Sweet Magic Song (For Love of Fae Book 1):
Belle Bittner was sold to the highest bidder when she was just a child, sought for the magic lying dormant in her blood. She grew up as the adopted daughter of a wealthy vampire couple, and serving the child-trafficking Org seemed her only option in life. But Belle has other plans, and she won’t let anyone get in the way of her escape, even if it means betraying those who try to help her.
Desperate to stay free of an evil vampire who means to possess her no matter what, Belle decides she can use the protection of the flirtatious faery named Roon. The two of them flee to the faery realm where Rooney believes he can better protect her. What he doesn’t know is that taking the beautiful siren through the golden door will set off a cataclysm of events that will threaten the fabric of both the human and the faery worlds.
Separating myth from fact to decipher the truth about her powers could mean the destruction of the new life Belle’s trying so hard to build.
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About the Olivia:
When Olivia Hardin began having movie-like dreams in her teens, she had no choice but to begin putting them to paper. Before long, the writing bug had her and she knew she wanted to be a published author. Several rejections plus a little bit of life later, and she was temporarily “cured” of the urge to write. That is until she met a group of talented and fabulous writers who gave her the direction and encouragement she needed to get lost in the words again.
Olivia’s attended three different universities over the years and toyed with majors in Computer Technology, English, History and Geology. Then one day she heard the term road scholar and she knew that was what she wanted to be. Now she “studies” anything and everything just for the joy of learning. She’s also an insatiable crafter who only completes about 1 out of 5 projects, a jogger who hates to run, and she’s sometimes accused of being artistic.
A native Texas girl, Olivia lives in the beautiful Lone Star state with her husband, Danny and their puppy, Bonnie.
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