Do mermaids celebrate Christmas? #PNR #anthology #mermaids @AliceAuthor

By Alice Renaud (Guest Author)

My fantasy romance series Sea of Love follows the lives and loves of three young merfolk. Each one falls in love with a human, in defiance of the laws of their Clan, and has to make a difficult choice: break the laws of their people… or break their lover’s heart, and their own. Each book is a standalone story featuring a different couple. The first book is set in spring, the second in summer, the third in autumn. I didn’t plan it that way – as I wrote each book the story shaped itself around a particular time of year. And no time of year is more special than Christmas, so I soon decided that the fourth tale in the series would be set at Christmas. I originally conceived The Holiday Mermaid as a standalone novella, but then my friends and publisher at Black Velvet Seductions floated the idea of an anthology on the theme of “second chance at love.” Now that’s one of my favourite tropes. I promptly rewrote The Holiday Mermaid so it became a tale of love lost and found again. It fits perfectly with Christmas which is a time of redemption and second chances.

I have very fond memories of my childhood Christmases by the sea in Brittany. My father used to say that the sun always came out on Christmas Day, even if only for a few minutes. So after lunch we’d go for a walk on the beach, to catch a glimpse of the Christmas sun. My father was often right, we did often see the sun, or at least a patch of blue sky. Years later, I discovered that there is a reason for this. The weather on the coast of Brittany and Britain does often turn milder and brighter around the time of the winter solstice. It’s a natural phenomenon, but I prefer to think, like my father, that it is a bit of Christmas magic.

In The Holiday Mermaid, Adam is given a chance to renew his romance with Rowena. But he is human, and she is a shape shifting mermaid, from a Clan that hates humans, so there are quite a few obstacles in their way before they can achieve their happily ever after. In this story I tried to capture the special magic of these childhood Christmases by the sea, which in my memory are always bathed in silvery light. Christmas traditions are very important to Adam, as they are for me, and he introduces Rowena to some of them, including decorating the tree. It’s all new to her, as her Clan does not celebrate the festival the way humans do… well it would be difficult to have a tree under the sea!

What about you? Do you have a special Christmas tradition? Or is another time of year more special for you? Let me know in the comments below! 

 

 

Blurb for Desire Me Again

The hopeless romantic believes that a soulmate exists for each of us. That there is one person who makes us feel how good it is to love them. For some couples, things trigger them to push that love away. They find out too late they’ve lost true-love. Sometimes genuine love deserves a second-chance at the happy ending that eluded them the first time.

Desire Me Again is an eclectic assortment of short stories exploring a second-chance at love. The collection is as diverse as the authors who wrote them. Here’s a chance to read the work of talented writers you may not have read before. Within these pages, there are blends of tender, often moving and thought-provoking stories.

The Holiday Mermaid, a seasonal fantasy romance by Alice Renaud: Adam fell for surfer girl Rowena the second he saw her. But just as their summer fling was becoming serious, she left him without any explanation. Now, with Christmas just a few days away, she’s back… and Adam discovers that she’s a shape-shifting mermaid, from a Clan that hates humans. Can he love her as she is? Can she brave her family to be with Adam for good, not just for Christmas?

Buy Links

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Excerpt

Rowena’s eyes shone. “These are gorgeous!” She pulled out a pink bauble and hung it on the lowest branch. “Is it OK like that?” The blanket fell off completely, pooling around her hips.

Adam scraped the words out of his dry throat. “Beautiful.” But he wasn’t looking at the bauble. He was looking at her shapely arms and delicate webbed fingers. What would her fingers feel like under his lips… in his mouth? Would she taste salty like the sea?

He really had to squash these fantasies. They would only increase the hunger inside him… a hunger that would never be satisfied. He rummaged in the box to give himself something to do. “This one was a present from my nan.” He held up the glittering fairy.

Rowena’s eyes widened. “You put an image of a Fae on your tree?”

“Fae?” Adam was confused for a moment. “You mean fairy? Yes… Does that surprise you?”

Rowena took the little figure from him. The tips of her fingers brushed his. The fleeting contact was enough to send a current of awareness into his skin.

Rowena turned the fairy this way and that, studying her blonde hair and gauzy wings. “Even my uncle is afraid of the Faes. But this is a very pretty image, so they probably wouldn’t take offense. They might even be flattered.”

Adam stared at her to see if she was joking. “Are you saying that fairies are real?”

Rowena smiled. For the first time he noticed that her teeth were a little sharper than a human woman’s. He wondered what her mouth would look like, in full aquatic shape. And what it would be like to kiss it. The current in his body grew stronger, heating him until he wished he could open a window and let the icy wind cool him down.

Rowena hung the fairy on the tree. “Of course Faes are real. As real as me.”

“But I bet they’re not as beautiful.” The words jumped out of Adam’s mouth without going through his brain first. He bit his lip, wishing he could take them back. He’d had no intention of flirting with her. He’d spoken what was in his heart, without thinking.

Rowena’s face darkened. “Don’t mock me. You wouldn’t think I’m pretty if you saw me in my full aquatic shape… without my human head.”

Adam’s brain lit up with intense curiosity. He’d love to see what Rowena’s mermaid face looked like. “I wasn’t making fun of you.” She could have tentacles instead of hair and horns sprouting out of her ears, for all he cared. He’d still want her, in his life and his bed.

“Anyway, everybody knows that the Faes are the most beautiful creatures in the world.” Rowena seemed keen to change the subject. She rooted in the box of decorations and selected a glass snowflake. She stretched to hang it on a high branch. Her black skin gleamed in the light, as smooth as polished marble. But marble is cold, and Adam could feel the heat of her body across the space that separated them. Or was it his overactive imagination?

“Have you ever seen a Fae?” he asked, in an effort to distract himself from the impact she had on him.

She shook her head. Her black hair swished like a raven’s wings. “No. I have seen their Queen’s pet, though. The unicorn.”

Now, surely, she was taking the mickey. Adam chuckled. “A unicorn. Yeah, right.”

“You don’t believe me?” Her eyes blazed like black diamonds. She was even more beautiful when riled. “You’ve got a real mermaid in your living-room, and you doubt that unicorns exist?”

About the Author

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” is on pre order now and will be released on 1 November 2020. Alice has also written short stories: “The Sweetest Magic of All,” included in the BVS “Mystic Desire” anthology, out now, and “The Holiday Mermaid” in the BVS “second chance at love” anthology “Desire Me Again”, out in October 2020. Alice loves reading and writing stories, and sharing them with anyone who’s interested!

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