Alex Heart wakes up one morning to have her entire world turned upside down. Announcing they are going on a trip without her father, Alex’s mom swiftly takes Alex away from her home and the boy she has loved all her life, Nix. With this sudden news of Alex leaving, Nix does something he has been wanting to do for years– he kisses her. Realizing now is her chance with her crush across the street, Alex vows to tell Nix about her feelings when they return from their trip. Only, this isn’t a vacation. It turns out Alex is on the run with her mother. But she has no idea from who. .
Now, she learns that she is a magic being! Finding herself back in her hometown of Cliffhaven, the journey to discovering who she really is begins and also a romance with the boy, who is a man now. But he has his own demons and he can’t forgive himself for the man he became as he grieved her. But Alex refuses to accept that he isn’t good for her. As they reconnect, Alex falls for an evil plan and her life is in danger. As her family tries to save her, secrets and truths are revealed and the happily ever after for so many seems like it may or may not be obtainable. With heartbreak, mystery, and betrayal around every corner, Alex must fight for her life…and those she loves.
Mary Dean
Give us the one to two sentence tagline for your book.
The True Power Is Inside Of You
What is your favorite scene/moment in your book?
The moment Nix discovers that Alex is alive.
How do you use magic in your book?
The characters are Magic Beings and they use their powers to help each other. Alex just discovers she has powers and she has to get used to living with them. But there are also evil people after her for those powers.
Would your hero enjoy pumpkin spice lattes, candy corn, or apple bobbing?
Alex is totally a pumpkin spice latte girl.
What costume would your heroine wear to a halloween party?
Alex would totally go as like Joan Jett.
What scene did you adore writing in this book?
I love writing the moment that Nix and Alex see each other and really know it’s each other.
Is this book a spooky/scary PNR, or a cozy/snuggling with a monster PNR?
Cozy with mystery and suspense.
What is your favorite monster to write?
Evil magic beings. It shows the human size of evil.
If you had to pick, would you rather have fangs, claws, or wings?
Fangs.
Halloween’s coming. Do you do anything special to celebrate?
Halloween is life! I celebrate all month long. But I do enjoy handing out candy day of and seeing all the costumes.
Excerpt from The Secrets Within
“You poor thing. Your parents kept you in the dark. And your mother should be ashamed of herself. Being a magic being is a wonderful gift.”
I let out a laugh. This guy was nuts. What the heck is a magic being?
“This probably sounds crazy. But you are a magic being. A special one. Your mother, father, grandparents and those before them were too. And that’s why you are here. You are going to give me your power,” he stated with a smug smile.
“Um ok. Here,” I stated as I pretended to throw something at him. I would play along. The last thing I ever expected to happen was to have a spark shoot from my fingertip and hit him in the chest. He flew back off the chair onto the ground. His bodyguard started to go toward me but the man put up his hand. Shock and confusion coursed through me.
“Back off, Ronnie. She is fine.” The man stood up and looked excited. “This just confirmed everything.”
Suddenly, we heard a car pull up outside. The tall man stopped smiling and looked at Ronnie with concern. Ronnie nodded and headed outside. There were voices of other men and then gunfire. Ronnie didn’t come back in.
“Dammit! Come with me.” The man stood up and grabbed my arm. I suddenly felt bolder. I pulled my arm out of his grasp. If he thought I was going with him he was crazier than I thought he was. I started looking around for a way out. I could take this man now that Ronnie was gone. But I had no idea who was outside.
“We know you are in here Vincent! Just give it up!” A deep voice was entering the house. The voice sounded just like my dad’s voice. Maybe it was him!
“You must come with me now. I have worked too hard to find you. You will help me!” He went for my arm again and I felt my body heat up. I put my hands up to push him away and felt my hands go numb and a purple light shot from my palms sending him flying across the room, hitting the wall. I stood there shocked. I was thoroughly freaked out. How is that even possible? I must be hallucinating. That’s it. This is a dream. I’ll wake up any minute. I shut my eyes and then opened them again. I was still in this broken-down house. But now there were two men in the room with guns pointed at me. I couldn’t see their faces since they had on black ski masks. Vincent, I assumed that was his name since that’s what the men yelled as they looked for him, was gone.
Mary Dean is a wife, step mother, blogger and author from Orange County, California. She has been a bookworm since she learned to read at a young age. Her life long dream was to share her stories and enjoy them with others as she is also a fan of so many authors. When she is writing she can be found with her nose in a book, enjoying time with her family and friends, trying to stay active, watching a movie or rocking out to music preferably a live concert. She is also a blogger for Rabid Readers Book Blog. She loves to interact with other reading fans.
Ellen Mint 