Strangers in our midst--I’ve
always been intrigued by that idea--whether the strangers were foreigners or
aliens or... Neanderthals. What could be more fascinating than a story about
ancestors of modern man--primitive by our definition--freely walking among us,
escaping detection and thumbing their collective noses at us? Neanderthals are
the ultimate underdogs. The very word has become synonymous with crude,
boorish, and uncultured. So what would happen if a vulnerable young woman
unexpectedly comes in contact with a mysterious tourist? What if she discovers
the truth about his secret world? What if she falls in love with a Neanderthal?
Here you have the basis for
COMPETITORS!, my popular paranormal romance. COMPETITORS! is a mystery too,
with a serial killer on the loose--a killer who just happens to collects
skulls.
AN
IMPOSSIBLE MEETING!: Vivianne Quinn is staying at her brother’s apartment to
recover from a personal tragedy. Her visit is anything but tranquil, for soon a
serial killer targets her as the next victim, she has to “babysit” a valuable
artifact, and she falls in love with a stranger, Max, who is unlike anyone she
has ever met. How will Vivianne react when she finds out just how different he
really is?
NEANDERTHAL’S
NEMESIS: It’s common knowledge that Neanderthals are extinct, vanished from the
face of the planet about 30,000 years ago. What remains a mystery is how or why
this sudden disappearance occurred. Sometimes, however, common knowledge can be
wrong....
Anthropology enthusiast Vivianne Quinn gets more than
she bargained for when she makes a date to “meet” a Neanderthal!
For some reason,
COMPETITORS! isn’t available as an eBook at Amazon.com. If you’d like this book
available there, please contact Awe-Struck
Publishing (Mundania Press) at inquiry@mundania.com!
This paranormal romantic
suspense has been published with Awe-Struck
Publishing from the start. It has appeared as #1 on the
Fictionwise.com Best Seller List, gotten great reviews including 4 ½ stars from
Once Upon A Romance Reviews, and was a Dream Realm Finalist for Best
Speculative Fiction Romance.
In addition, I was named as
one of the best eBook authors on the Internet by NightsandWeekends.com because
of COMPETITORS! (among other books, too!)
Plus, my book trailer for
COMPETITORS! was honored as one of the Top Ten Favorite Romance Books. Here’s
the review:
“Competitors! by Susanne Marie Knight comes in the third spot for
my favorites. If it had been in the form of a mini-movie I think it could
easily have taken the first or second slot! I'm assuming the author created
this trailer herself, and she did a fantastic job, I will be purchasing this
book at the earliest opportunity. The pictures absolutely match the story, and
the text frames that have been inserted before them. This doesn't always happen
with book trailers that use static pictures and text frames. The creator also
put outlines around characters, and objects in colors that really brought out
what the pictures and text were trying to convey. A great book trailer and one
I would love to see put into a mini-movie. You can view this book trailer here. --My Top Ten Favorite
Romance Book Trailers from YouTube--Regina Paul
Music is by Kevin MacLeod, Zombie Hoodoo.
Here are some real life connections in COMPETITORS! My
major in college was anthropology; my area of interest: physical anthropology.
This certainly helped with the premise of COMPETITORS! The book’s setting is in
the Bronx, New York--my old neighborhood, in fact. And my apartment also was
Number 17, same as Vivianne’s brother’s place.
The inspiration for Max’s cat in COMPETITORS! was my
beloved Siamese kitty. He always liked to “sun” himself under the lamp on my
desk and give advice whenever I got writer’s block.
Below is a passage from
COMPETITORS! Scene Setup: Vivianne had just met a stranger, Max, and his
“cousin” Nilda. He treats her to lunch and has a favor to ask.
The server returned and placed the charges on the
table. Vivianne leaned over to get her bill.
"Nein. No, you must allow me." Holding
out his hand for the bill, Max waited for her to obey. His eyebrows descended
even further, almost hiding the color of his eyes. "You are my guest. I
insist."
Nilda sat back down, transferring her gaze from Max
to Vivianne. "Yes, you will quite insult him if you refuse."
Whoa. Vivianne fingered her earring a little
nervously. "I thank you, really but I would feel better if I pay--"
"No. This is my, how do you say, my treat."
He snatched the paper, then reached into his pocket and removed a hundred
dollar bill out of a money clip.
Gosh, he was awfully high-handed, wasn't he? But why
fight about it? "Well, thank you, Max. I enjoyed lunch."
Nilda had a one-track mind. She stood. "Now we
go."
Vivianne glanced at the hundred. The total charge had
come to around sixty bucks. Surely he wanted change?
Max smiled again, but this time, he looked amused.
"You are concerned about my finances, ja? Too much of a tip, is that it, Vivianne?" He tugged on
Nilda's arm, pulling her back into her chair. "We wait for change."
Nilda looked as though she was readying to snort fire
at Vivianne, but the woman restrained herself.
"Besides," Max leaned over, this time
grasping Vivianne's hand and sandwiched it between his two huge ones, "I
have a favor to ask of Vivianne."
Now Nilda squirmed in her chair.
Omigosh! Vivianne must've blushed vivid scarlet. His
body warmth traveled up her arm and down her chest to settle in the most
indecent places! Just what kind of favor was he asking?
"It concerns my cat."
"Your cat," she repeated, taken completely
off guard.
"Ja. My cousin is kindly letting me stay with
her during my visit, but the problem is my cat, Eins. I am afraid he is not
used to sharing space with other animals, and Nilda has a dog."
Nilda made a gurgling noise, then quickly drank from
a glass of water on the table.
With her hand still trapped, Vivianne wasn't able to
think. She removed it and placed both hands in the safety of her lap.
"Eins? Doesn't that mean 'one' in German?"
"True, number one. Eins thinks a lot of
himself."
She laughed. She couldn't help it. Who would've
imagined this mammoth guy under the paws of a housecat?
I hope you enjoy this
intriguing tale and Vivianne and Max’s unusual story.
Happy reading,
Susanne Marie Knight
Read outside the box:
award-winning Romance Writing With A Twist!
