Meet Australian Author, Maggie Mundy

I am delighted to welcome Maggie Mundy, an author from Down Under who specializes in romance involving mythical creatures. Maggie, please tell us a bit about yourself.

I live in Adelaide, Australia with my husband, two cats, two dogs and a snake. I have a motorbike that I would like to ride more than I do, and I love walking at the beach and listening to the waves crashing on the shore.

This is a picture of me and my husband on our motorbikes. We have pink bras on our bikes because it was the pink ribbon ride to raise money for breast cancer

 I've always loved reading all forms of speculative fiction from high fantasy and paranormal to horror and decided the stories in my head needed to be written down. It was either that or start on medication.

So glad you opted for writing rather than medication. 

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Unlike many who have been writing since childhood, I didn't know I wanted to be a writer until a few years back. I started doing a degree in drama but soon realized my love was in writing, though there is a play lurking somewhere on my computer. My day job is as a nurse in the operating room which helps with research for my gory scenes. I believe romance can be fun to read and write but it’s exciting to spice it up with the uncertainty that comes with the worlds of mythical creatures where the rules can be broken.

I love firsts, so tell me about the moment when you found you’d made your first sale. 

I was away on a trip on the River Murray in Australia, on a houseboat. We had very poor reception and managed to get some emails for a short time. I had to wait a few more days before I could reply to them. When I received the email for my first full length book I squeaked so loudly I woke my daughter up. It still feels great when I get an offer. I still find it amazing someone loves my books. I hope the thrill never goes away.

If it isn’t too nosy . . . (well of course it is!) How about the first time you kissed your true love? 

I was young and had been in a long relationship and it had ended badly. I then met someone and we both were attracted to each other. He had been jilted at the altar. We went on a date out to a country pub and when he dropped me home I was just about to get out of the car when he said.” Can I have a kiss before you go?” He got one and it was wonderful. Unfortunately it was a case of right people wrong time. I still wonder sometimes what happened to him.

Other than your own, who are your favorite (heroes/heroines/writers) in your genre? 

My heroine is easy. Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, and I don’t care if that is clichéd. I love the fact that she believed in herself at a time when woman had a difficult role in society without any power.
My favorite hero would be Frodo Baggins. I think I fell in love with magical worlds and incredible things after reading Lord of the Rings. Just needed a little bit of romance in there.

What is the most exciting moment, so far, in your writing career?

Getting an email with my first cover. I think it even beat getting the contract. I have been so lucky with all of my covers.

Yes you have! What a gorgeous cover! Blood Scent is available on Amazon for a mere 99cents.
What is your favorite pastime, other than writing? 

Walking on the beach with my dogs. I need to walk lots because of the chips and chocolate.

What’s your snack of choice while writing? 

Chips and chocolate. Not so good for the waistline.

Got a recipe you want to share?
Dingle Delight as mentioned in Hidden Mortality by Maggie Mundy
Bailey’s Chocolate Orange Baked Cheesecake

Ingredients:

2 packets of Light Philadelphia cream cheese. 250grm packets

2 100 grm packets Lindt Orange chocolate intense bars

1 packet dark chocolate biscuits.

100grms margarine or butter.

2 eggs

½ cup or 50 grms castor sugar.

1 teaspoon orange essence

30mls Bailey’s Irish Cream

Method

1 Crush to crumbs. Melt butter and pour on to crumbs and mix well.

2 Grease flan tin and then push crumb mixture into base.

3 In a mixing bowl put cream cheese, eggs, sugar orange essence and Bailey’s Irish Cream

4 Melt the Lindt orange chocolate and add to mixture.

5 Beat well with an electric mixer until all ingredients are combined.

6 Pour mixture into flan tin and palace in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for one hour.

7 Turn oven off and let cheesecake cool in the oven. This prevents the top from cracking.

8 Place in fridge and cool for three hours prior to serving.

9 Grate Lindt white chocolate on the top and serve with a dollop of cream.

Serves 8 large pieces or 16 smaller. Is a very rich desert.

Wow! Sounds beyond decadent.

Any advice for new writers just starting out?
Bum Glue. Sit down and write. Get a critique partner and join RWA.
What genre or genres do you write? 
Paranormal, Fantasy, I am also trying my hand at a rom com and a contemporary with a bit of suspense. I can’t keep the dead bodies out of my stories

Tell us about your latest release.
Unknown Protector was published in September by Soul Mate Publishing

Blurb:Two things have helped Nicole cope since the murder of her husband. One is running her detective agency, and the other is her guardian angel, Mira. When Mira is killed by a demon, Nicole accepts the help of a Ridge, a long haired, cigar smoking diamond in the rough with wings. Things go from bad to worse when a replacement guardian cannot be found. She has to trust Ridge, which is tricky when she realizes there are no demons or angels, just parasitic aliens that humans have built the myths of these celestial beings around. Ridge isn’t an angel or a devil, but an alien half breed known as a Midworlder. He is also way too sexy for his own good, or is it her own good.

Here's an excerpt:

“Please don’t drop me, please don’t drop me,” Nicole repeated as she closed her eyes. She didn’t like flying in planes, let alone being dragged through the night sky by an oversexed scruffy angel who was too hot for his own good. Or was it her own good.

“I won’t let you fall. Look around before we go over. I reckon you’ve guessed the events of tonight aren’t the way we normally do things. Humans aren’t meant to be aware of our flying through the night sky which means I can’t let you remember any of this.”

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. His face was close to hers as he gripped her tight around her waist. It was too dark to read what he might be thinking from his expression. His lips were so close and her own were parting at the thought he might kiss her. She trembled, but not from fear anymore and hoped he couldn’t read her mind. They were being hunted and she wanted a kiss, no she longed for it. He had to be putting the thoughts in her head.

She needed to get her mind off him so she gazed down at San Francisco. Her adopted city stretched out below with steep streets reaching down to the harbor, while the lights on the Golden Gate Bridge shone in the distance, reflecting on the water below. She smiled as a tear flowed down her cheek. She had never seen it this way before. For a moment she forgot others were after them or after her in particular. She peeked over Ridge’s shoulder and glanced back over his wings as they glided through the sky. Three dark, winged shapes were following and could be seen against the light of the full moon. Maybe the full moon could explain why strange things were happening, because this was like staring at a scene from a horror movie, except it was real.

The shapes of their pursuer’s bodies blurred. She turned back to the city but the lights of San Francisco were disappearing. In the moonlight she focused on the face next to her. Ridge smiled and touched her cheek with his.

“It’s okay. I’m gonna get you a new guardian and all of this will go away. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

She didn’t want a new guardian, she wanted Mira back. It went dark and reminded her of when she went adventure-caving in Australia. The absolute darkness of underground where not even a trickle of light breaks through, no matter how hard you look. She couldn’t see Ridge anymore, but the closeness of him and the darkness amplified the sound of his wings. For a moment they were all that existed in the universe. His lips touched hers and her mouth opened to him only to have him pull away. Did he mean to do that?

“I suggest you close your eyes and give your mind over to me,” he whispered.

Nicole shook her head and tried to get herself back to reality, whatever that was. “I’m not going anywhere with my eyes shut after tonight, and from what I’m picking up at times your mind seems a bit murky to let you in again.”

“Suit yourself darling, but don’t blame me if you pass out.”

Pain sliced through her temple. She squeezed her eyes shut and instinctively hugged Ridge tighter. His thoughts were in her head again telling her to relax, but this time it wasn’t working. She tried to hold down the rising alarm of what would happen next. Somehow she had an inkling it wasn’t going to be good.

What’s your current WIP?
I am working on three things. Yes I am one of those crazy people who do that. I am working on Scarred Protector, the second in the Midworlder series. It will be the story of Heath and Evie. Heath is mentioned in book one and is a bit of a present day Darcy type. Yes, I love Mr. Darcy. I am also working on a rom com with a friend. I have never co-written before so it will be fun. Last but not least I am writing a contemporary novel called Healing Boots. It’s the journey of a woman after her husband has died and left a lot of money to another woman. It involves boots because I have a problem with too many boots, or at least my husband says I do.
His bad. Some people don't understand the value of multiple footwear options.

And finally, where can we find you?

http://www.pinterest.com/maggiemundy/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

https://twitter.com/MundyMaggie

www.maggiemundy.com

https://www.facebook.com/MaggieMundyAuthor

http://maggiemundy.blogspot.com.au

Thanks for stopping by, Maggie. 

Maggie is offering eBook copies of Unknown Protector to two lucky winners.

And I am offering an audiobook my book, Time and Forever.  Nothing wrong with an extra prize. Maggie and I welcome your comments.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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