Hello, everyone! I’d like to thank Dani and the lovely folks at Love Bytes for hosting me today. I’m Ari, half of the writing duo Ari McKay, and I’m here to talk about our latest release, Forged in Fire, book two of the Asheville Arcana series from Dreamspinner Press.
I’m sure everyone has had times where they’ve felt they weren’t good enough for something. Maybe not smart enough for some job, or dedicated enough for a particular hobby. I know my daughter says she’s not patient enough to every be a parent, so she isn’t putting herself in the position of having children. Sometimes people are right, and they’re doing the best thing given their preferences or circumstances. But it’s always sad when someone believes they aren’t good enough to be loved, isn’t it? Everyone deserves a chance to find happiness with someone (or someones!) special.
In Forged in Fire, one of our MCs is Harlan Edgewood. He’s a lycanthrope – born human, bitten by a possessed wolf shifter, he’s now cursed to change at the full moon, a painful process and one in which he takes no joy. Having had his life touched by darkness, Harlan doesn’t believe he’ll ever find anyone to love him. He’s also trapped in the supernatural world, since he can’t let on to humans what he is, but his curse means he isn’t fully accepted by the shapeshifters, either. He’s spent three hundred years living on the fringe of paranormal society, never really being a part of it.
Things change, however, when he meets Whimsy Hickes. Whimsy is a mage, born into his abilities and specializing in transformation magic. When he meets Harlan, all he wants to do is find a way to help him through his painful changes, and perhaps find a way of lifting the curse entirely.
Harlan is grateful, but also worried because the lupine part of himself wants Whimsy as his mate. As a human, Whimsy doesn’t feel the pull of a mating bond, not the way Harlan does, and Harlan worries that Whimsy will feel pressured to be with him. Adding to the complications, there is a band of possessed shifters in the area operating under the orders of a demon, and it seems like someone within the Asheville paranormal community is helping them. Even worse, the possessed shifters are looking for a magical artifact, and will stop at nothing to get it.
Forged in Fire covers a lot of ground, but the central focus is definitely Whimsy and Harlan’s relationship. When Harlan’s very soul ends up in peril, Whimsy is the only one who can save him — and if he doesn’t, the demon who has made Harlan his vessel could end up killing not only Whimsy, but everyone Whimsy loves.
Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today! I hope you’ll give Forged in Fire a chance, and happy reading!!!
BLURB:
The magic touch.
Ever since Harlan Edgewood was bitten by a possessed werewolf, his monthly shifts have been agonizing. When he meets Whimsy Hickes—a mage who specializes in transformation—the attraction is mutual. But Harlan believes his curse is too great a burden to inflict on any romantic partner.
Fortunately, Whimsy thinks he can help.
When Harlan is provoked into an unexpected change, Whimsy uses his magic to help ease Harlan’s pain, but with an unexpected consequence. While he’s shifted, Harlan’s wolf claims Whimsy as his mate.
As they draw closer, suspicious events in the Asheville magical community escalate. Shifters are disappearing, others are murdered, and Harlan’s curse makes him an obvious target. It will take all of Whimsy’s magic to force back the rising evil—and if he fails, Harlan will lose not only his life, but his very soul.
BUY LINKS:
Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who have been writing together for over a decade. Their collaborations encompass a wide variety of romance genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and action/adventure. Their work includes the Blood Bathory series of paranormal novels, the Herc’s Mercs series, as well as two historical Westerns: Heart of Stone and Finding Forgiveness. When not writing, they can often be found scheming over costume designs or binge watching TV shows together.
Arionrhod is a systems engineer by day who is eagerly looking forward to (hopefully) becoming a full time writer in the not-too-distant future. Now that she is an empty-nester, she has turned her attentions to finding the perfect piece of land to build a fortress in preparation for the zombie apocalypse, and baking (and eating) far too many cakes.
McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.
AUTHOR CONTACTS:
Website: http://arimckay.wordpress.com
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ari-Mckay/266185570179748
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ari.mckay.7
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AriMcKay1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6153630.Ari_McKay