Guest Author: Alice Renaud

Music for a Merman, a Sea of Love novel

Blurb

Rob Regor knew that humans were trouble. All the shape shifting mermen of the Morvann Islands knew it. And human women were double trouble… especially when they were lying on the road in front of a digger.

Rob has a mission. Go to the mainland. Work as a policeman. Spy on humans. Report back to his father, the head of the Regor Merman Clan. It should be easy. Until he has to arrest Charlie. Rob can’t fight his attraction to the sexy eco-warrior, and it puts him on one hell of a collision course with his family and his Clan. Will he break the rules – or break her heart, and his?

Love ‘em and leave ‘em, that was Charlie’s motto. It had served her well until now. But Rob is different… Can she open up her heart to Rob – when a secret buried in her past surfaces and changes her completely?

Excerpt

Charlie chewed on the Welsh cake and swallowed. They were her favourite treat, but her mouth refused to register the buttery taste or the crumbly, raisin-studded texture. She finished it and stuffed the empty bag in her pocket. There’d be more Welsh cakes, more swims in the sea, more gorgeous summer days. More guys like Rob.

She wouldn’t listen to the insistent voice that told her she’d never meet another man like him.

She slipped on a patch of seaweed and threw out a hand to regain her balance. It hit a boulder covered in barnacles, and the rough surface scratched her palm. She welcomed the discomfort. It proved that she wasn’t dreaming. Instead of waking her up, the walk to the cove had increased the air of unreality that permeated the twilight. The damn song was still going round in her head. At times she even thought that she could almost grasp its meaning. It sounded a little like the old language of the Morvann Islands, but without any human words.

In fact, it didn’t sound like anything a human would produce.

She looked up at the rocks towering over her head and tapped the granite surface. This was real. So was the sky above, painted peach and cherry-red by the sunset. No, she was fine. Just a little overwrought and tired. Nothing a swim couldn’t cure. She’d be fine.

She’d be fine if it killed her.

The haunting song grew louder the closer she got to the sea. Now it seemed to be outside her head, rising from the peaceful water below to weave its magic around her. The meaning shimmered, just beyond the edge of her comprehension. It was like trying to read words reflected in a mirror. If she could only break the surface of the glass, enter the other side, she’d understand it fully.

But in some obscure way, she knew that the melody spoke of love.

Buy Links

https://amzn.to/2ZkU5wR

https://books2read.com/u/mdG7Bw

Bio

Alice lives in London, UK, with her husband and son. By day she’s a compliance manager for a pharmaceutical company. By night she writes fantasy romance about shape shifting mermen, water monsters and time-travelling witches. Her first book, “A Merman’s Choice,” was published in January 2019 by Black Velvet Seductions. It is the first book in a fantasy romance trilogy inspired by the landscapes and legends of Brittany and Wales. The second book, “Music for a Merman,” is out now and the third, “Mermaids Marry in Green” will be released later this year. Alice has also written a short story, “The Sweetest Magic of All,” included in the BVS “Mystic Desire” anthology, out now. Alice loves reading and writing stories, and sharing them with anyone who’s interested!

 Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliceRenaudAuthorRomance/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alicerauthor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-renaud-author-4219b6166/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alicerenaudauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18670218.Alice_Renaud

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alice-renaud

Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Renaud/e/B07L52P17B

Find out how to make Welsh cakes, Charlie’s favorite treat!

Welsh cakes are traditional griddle cakes from Wales, my mother’s homeland and the country where my book Music for a Merman is set. My grandmother used to make them and we’d scoff them hot and buttery, straight from the oven! I still love them. They’re easy to make and perfect for baking with children.

Ingredients: 225g plain flour, 85g caster sugar, ½ tsp mixed spice, ½ tsp baking powder, 50g butter cut into small pieces, 50g lard, cut into small pieces, plus extra for frying, 50g currants (raisins), 1 egg, beaten, a splash of milk.

Tip the flour, sugar, mixed spice, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Then, with your fingers, rub in the butter and lard until crumbly. Mix in the currants. Work the egg into the mixture until you have soft dough, adding a splash of milk if it seems a little dry – it should be the same consistency as shortcrust pastry.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of your little finger. Cut out rounds using a 6cm cutter, re-rolling any trimmings. Grease a flat griddle pan or heavy frying pan with lard, and place over a medium heat. Cook the Welsh cakes in batches, for about 3 mins each side, until golden brown, crisp and cooked through. Delicious served warm with butter and jam, or simply sprinkled with caster sugar. Cakes will stay fresh in a tin for 1 week.

Recipe from Good Food magazine,  BBC website