I've got Amy Mullen with me this week not only talking about her new book, but also about her passion to take photos of her family.
I've suffered from depression on and off throughout my life. At times, when a person is depressed, they feel like giving up. I think the focus of this book (other than the romance) was the heroine's journey past immense loses. Rayne lost more than most of us ever will and yet she still found a way to wake up in the morning. There cannot always be happy endings in life, but I hope Rayne can be a reminder to never give up no matter how drab and dreadful life seems to be. There is always hope and there will always be someone out there who will care. While Rayne's story is exceptional, she found hope in the end. When things looked the worst, her life changed. I guess the idea was to never give up because you never really know what will happen next. I wanted to find a way to tell that story and this book was the result.
1 – Tell us how you came up with the idea for Redefining Rayne.
I've suffered from depression on and off throughout my life. At times, when a person is depressed, they feel like giving up. I think the focus of this book (other than the romance) was the heroine's journey past immense loses. Rayne lost more than most of us ever will and yet she still found a way to wake up in the morning. There cannot always be happy endings in life, but I hope Rayne can be a reminder to never give up no matter how drab and dreadful life seems to be. There is always hope and there will always be someone out there who will care. While Rayne's story is exceptional, she found hope in the end. When things looked the worst, her life changed. I guess the idea was to never give up because you never really know what will happen next. I wanted to find a way to tell that story and this book was the result.
2 – The name Rayne has a special
meaning to you. Please tell us why.
My little girl, Rayna, has met some challenges in her life that
no one should face so young - or ever for that matter. She's as tough as nails
and while this can lead to some battles-of-will in our home, this trait will
suit her well later in life. When I thought of my heroine, I thought of my
Rayna. While her struggles are nothing like the heroine's in the book, and the
character is not based on my little girl otherwise, I felt the underlying
spirit of the heroine was the same. Redefining Rayne is a medieval romance. I
could not name the character "Rayna" because the name was not in use
back then. However, I found the name Rayne with a slightly different spelling
(Reine) that was used during this particular time period. I tweaked the
spelling of the name in honor of my little girl.
(Happy Birthday Rayna !!!! - IB)
3 – One of your past times is
“to snap pictures”. What do you like to photograph the most and why?
Most of the pictures I take are of my children, my husband, and
our extended families. I like to find unique shots that show off their
personalities. I do some nature shots, but most of mine are of the people that
mean the most to me. I have thousands of shots of my kids tucked away on CDs.
My son was a preemie, born three months early. It was touch and go for a while.
I think this was a huge reminder to me of how precious every single breath we
take is and how we should never take anyone for granted. I took pictures every
single day while he was in the hospital. Pictures freeze moments in time,
moments that will never happen again. This is why I take far too many pictures.
I lost my grandmother a few years ago. She meant everything to me. I have
a picture of her sitting where I can see it from where I sit and write each
day. When I look at it, I can feel her arms around me again. I can't think of
anything more wonderful than that.
Tag Line:
Will her most painful secret be the key to her greatest joy?
Blurb:
Rayne de Latham, cousin to King William
Rufus, should be enjoying a life of privilege. Instead, she has only known
misery. Her disastrous first marriage yielded nothing but pain, suffering, and
three stillborn children. She believes she is cursed and is certain another
pregnancy will end in another tragedy. When the king seeks to get rid of her by
sending her to marry one of his knights, she will do just about anything to get
out of her betrothal.
Widower Andre de Grelle is father to two
small boys who came to him by marriage. When his first wife jumps off the
castle walls in a fit of madness, he keeps the boys he has grown to love as his
own. When king sends him a new bride, the lovely but troubled Rayne, he vows to
have more patience with her than he had with his first wife.
Once Rayne arrives at Cuxton Castle, Andre
realizes there is much more to her than meets the eye. She does everything she
can to force him to send her away, but nothing works. Frustration grows as
Andre discovers his betrothed is hiding something from him about her past,
something so devastating she cannot speak the words out loud.
In the midst of a siege on nearby Pevensey
Castle, a truth comes to light that changes everything. As the real story of
Rayne’s past emerges, lives change forever. Will love be enough, or will it be
easier to walk away?
Author Bio and Links:
Amy Mullen is a freelance writer and romance author living in Corning, NY, with her husband, Patrick, her two children, and an orange cat named Steve. She has written two medieval romances called A Stormy Knight and Redefining Rayne.
Amy has been writing about love both lost and regained since she was old enough to have her first broken heart. Her love of history and her intermittent jaunts into amateur genealogy led her to a love affair with writing historical fiction. When not writing, she snaps pictures, gets nutty over football, enjoys the company of her family, and when time allows, loves to bury her nose in a good book.
Amy has been writing about love both lost and regained since she was old enough to have her first broken heart. Her love of history and her intermittent jaunts into amateur genealogy led her to a love affair with writing historical fiction. When not writing, she snaps pictures, gets nutty over football, enjoys the company of her family, and when time allows, loves to bury her nose in a good book.
She can be found online at www.authoramymullen.com or www.facebook.com/authoramymullen.
Buy Link: Amazon Barnes and Noble Astraea Press
Teaser/Excerpt:
Andre moved closer to her. His body was
mere inches from hers as he lifted his other hand and slowly tilted her face
toward his. Cupping her cheek, he wiped away a tear with his thumb. "You
have no idea how fascinating you are," he whispered.
Involuntarily, her eyes closed and she
tilted her chin up. She felt his soft lips brush hers and she started to
tremble. The short, light touch of his mouth stirred something in her. A young
maiden's dream of love, of being loved and cherished, welled up from a place
where she had hidden her hopes a long time ago. She returned his kiss, but just
for a moment.
Her eyes flew open, and she pulled her head
back. This was all wrong. This was not how this was supposed to happen. In a
rush to break the spell, she stammered out the first thing she thought of,
"Someone will see us! Odo may come."
An expression of disbelief washed across
his features and was replaced by irritation. "Odo? What has he to do with
this? He is my guest but hardly has a say in what I do with you."
"You…" she stumbled over her
words, "you… he is your…"
Andre stood and stepped away from her. He
stared down at her, but she could no longer read his face. "Do your
affections lie with Odo, Lady Rayne?"
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