MUSE MONDAY
Please join me in welcoming Darcy to Muse Monday on Discover... We authors find our inspiration all sorts of ways. Darcy lives with hers, and he's cute and cuddly. Share with us, Darcy.
The music loving dragon, Torkel, in the third book in the Dragons Return series, SHE WAKES THE NIGHT, is based on my black, ten-pound toy poodle, Bandit. When I brought him home as a teeny-tiny puppy, he had a white chin and his middle claws on his back feet were white. I always wondered what he thought of that…so when I created Torkel, I patterned him after Bandit’s coloring. Bandit loved being held and putting his head on my chest and I imagined him listening to my heartbeat. Why not create a dragon who liked listening to music? That’s how a writer’s mind works sometimes.
Blurb:
Trell Langois
escapes a thousand-year-old curse. Being trapped as a tree wasn’t on her bucket
list, but now she can continue as a healer. Traveling with her dragon, Torkel,
she seeks out new cures to help others and meets Gren, an unfortunate soul who
suffers from a dreadful disease.
Gren Oyg Har is a
prince on a mission. In order to rule his father’s kingdom, he must first find
a healer. Not just any healer, mind you, but one with a dragon. Yet, it is
Trell who finds and rescues Gren, but wants nothing to do with him. If not for
Torkel, she would leave him behind.
Separate goals soon become entangled, and both Trell and Gren are on their way to falling in love until secrets better kept hidden become known—and threaten to destroy all they hold dear.
“The music. The human stopped playing. ‘Tis all your fault.”
Trell shook her
head. Sometimes… “Return to the dragon
circle, if you dislike my methods.”
“I follow where you go.”
She gave up and
paused to listen. Sure enough, the sounds returned to normal where people
conversed with one another. The stomp of iron-hooves striking the ground added
a low tremor as they continued to nicker.
Squaring her
shoulders, Trell replaced the lantern to where she round it. She put water on
the fire and wiggled under the wagon. Gren sat with his legs crossed, the flute
in his lap.
“You must be
weary,” she said. “I didn’t expect you to play while I was away.”
“I missed you, and
playing allowed the time to pass quicker.”
Her heart
fluttered at his flowery woods. “How do you feel? I’ve put a kettle on for
Grandmother Lurri’s tea. I could make you some chamomile as well.”
“That’s
unnecessary,” he answered. “My neck is just still, is all.”
“Allow me to make
you feel better while the water heats.” She reached for him.
He jerked back.
“Touching me is unwise.”
“Don’t be silly,”
she said, continuing to scramble over to him. Her fingers brushed over his neck
and shoulders. Much to her surprise, his muscles felt like the cords of a
warrior, not those of a sick man.
He scrambled away
and stretched his arm to prohibit her from getting closer. “Stay back.”
That fleeting
touch caused a tingle to run up her fingers like warm water. The sensation
flowed up her arms, seeping into all her pores until her head spun.
How sick was he?
The disease caused a person to lose extremities due to repeated injuries and
infection. They had to be amputated. Some people died within five years, others
lasted for several decades. No one knew why.
She liked Gren and
wanted to help him. Yet she was sure he hid something from her. How sick was
he? Or was he sick at all? She hated having doubts. His feelings mattered to
her. It wasn’t fair such a kind, decent man suffered. She watched him tuck away
the flute with care. A task hampered by rags covering his large hands. Yet those
same hands created beautiful music.
She eyed him and
smiled. “I would say you have magic in your hands.”
“What you do
mean?” He repeated her earlier words.
“You create
powerful music. It brings joy to all who hear.”
She examined the
back of his head from under her lashes as if her gaze could pierce his ragged
cowl. His music tugged at her heart with its appeal, but something deeply
earthy pulled her to the man himself.
That was wrong.
Author Bio:
Award-winning author, Darcy Carson, grew up reading everything her mother brought home from the library. Reading romances became her favorite genre. Eventually her love of those novels led her to start writing them. She resides in a Seattle suburb with her husband and a prince of a toy poodle.
Author Social Links:
Website:
https://darcycarsonbooks.com/
Facebook:
https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr
Thank you, Brenda, for having me.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brenda, for having me.
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure, Darcy. Fun post!
DeleteThis book sounds fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Dee.
DeleteThanks, Dee. It was fun to write.
DeleteFantastic post! Congratulations Darcy on a priceless piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here, Vali.
DeleteThanks, V. Glad you like the bit about Bandit. He's precious.
DeleteThe blurb really hooked me, the books sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jan. I'm sure that will please Darcy.
DeleteHi Jan, Just saw this post. Thanks for showing interest. it was a fun story to write.
Delete