The
Ghosts of Rue Dumaine
Alexandrea
Weis
Genre:
Paranormal Romance
Publisher:
World Castle Publishing
Date
of Publication: 9/1/2013
ISBN: 1939865646
ASIN:
Number
of pages: 240
Word
Count: 82,000
Available
for purchase at:
Book
Description:
Ready
to get her life back on track after ending a painful marriage, Danica Giles
returns to the Creole cottage where she grew up in the New Orleans French
Quarter. Danica is anxious to rekindle her friendship with a former resident
from her old neighborhood, the seductive Gaston Deslonde. But Gaston isn’t
exactly a normal guy.
The
charming man has been dead for over a hundred and fifty years, and the childish
crush Danica once had on her ghostly playmate quickly turns into something much
deeper.
When
a handsome new man enters Danica’s life, Gaston vows to do whatever he can to
hold on to her. Danica soon discovers that the most forbidden of all desires
cannot be satisfied without paying a grave price. Love can blur the lines
between life and death when you are living among The Ghosts of Rue Dumaine.
Alexandrea,
please tell us about yourself and your writing.
I am a nurse by education, a certified wildlife rehabber by
choice, and a writer by design. I have been in nursing for over twenty-five
years and taught at several universities, but did not really immerse myself in
writing fiction until six years ago. When I am not writing, I usually am caring
for a house filled with all types of wildlife. Next to writing, animals are my
second passion, and I use all my medical training to care for those injured and
orphaned wildlife brought to me by the public. There was no single moment or
motivation that inspired me. Words always appealed to me, or more to the point,
the way words could express emotion appealed. I was encouraged throughout my
early years by my parents and teachers to write. By high school, it became
something of a calling; something I felt compelled to do. Despite pursuing a
career in medicine, writing was always in the back of my mind as my dream job.
Fortunately, that dream turned into a reality.
What
does your writing space look like?
Cramped. I have a laptop, desktop, lamp, sticky notes everywhere,
and pictures of New Orleans on the wall. Plus, access to a lot of gum. There
are the first copies of my books to the side, and my writing awards are framed
and on the far wall. I write on a small desk, and there is not a lot of room.
There is always a Chihuahua under my chair, as well.
How
long have you been writing?
I began writing at the age of eight, but did not write my first
novel until I was in my thirties. That book, To My Senses, opened up a
new door for me and I have been writing ever since. The Ghosts of Rue
Dumaine is my 9th published novel with contracts on more well
into 2016. I write in Romance, either paranormal, suspense, or contemporary.
What
inspired your current book?
Growing up in New Orleans and the French Quarter ghosts are a way
of life. Everyone has them, and I wanted to show that in a story where it was
not considered odd, but just part of New Orleans. In addition, I have always
loved a good ghost story. I grew up in a cottage in the French Quarter and that
was the setting for the book. I wanted to write about the place and the warmth
I always felt there.
Please
tell us about your current work in progress.
The next book is called Cover to Covers and is coming out
2/1/14. It is a contemporary romance tale about a romance writer who pens
novels with the heroes based on the one man she loved and left behind. Many
years after the failed affair, that man walks back into her life, and she
begins living the romance she has always written about. Soon, her writing
changes because of him, and so does her life. They have problems to conquer, failed
marriages to put behind them, but what they initially felt for each other long
ago is still there. It is a tale of rediscovery and second chances. Find out
what happens when a romance book moves out from behind the cover, and comes to
life between the sheets.
Has
anyone in particular been an influence on your writing?
Ian
Fleming. His James Bond character (from the books, not the movies) was so
detailed and interesting that you could see the guy come to life from the page.
He was a master at character building.
Do
you have a favorite character from your books? Who is it and why?
Dallas August from the Nicci Beauvoir series. First, he is sexy as
hell, handy with a gun, and interesting. I would love to see him in the flesh
and get to know him. I think also, if I were in a dangerous situation, he would
be the man to have around.
Excerpt:
Danica leaned against the doorframe and reflected on the various stages of childhood and adolescence she had gone through while occupying this room. The rainbow-painted walls her mother had painstakingly decorated for her had been replaced with posters of boy bands and television heartthrobs until her mother had died. After the funeral, Danica had come home and removed all the posters in a fit of rage, wanting to be surrounded once more by her mother’s rainbows. The last year she had spent in this room, she had felt comforted by those rainbows, as if her mother’s love had been forever sealed beneath the paintbrush strokes on her walls.
"I missed this old place," she whispered.
A sudden rush of cold air moving down the hallway caused Danica to turn away from the bedroom door and peer into the darkness behind her. She took a few steps further down the hall until the aroma of cigar smoke mixed with a hint of brandy wafted in the air around her. Danica remembered that smell. It had always filled her bedroom whenever the dark man would appear.
"Is it you?" she softly called into the hallway. "It’s me, Danica. I’ve come back. Just like I said I would."
Danica walked briskly past the entrance to the master bath to the final door at the end of the hall. Without hesitation, she pushed the cypress door open and walked inside the master bedroom. The light from the large picture window overlooking the courtyard shone into the room, accentuating the deep burgundy color of the carpet beneath her feet. She stepped into the center of the room and observed the ceiling fan above. Danica waited, straining with every breath to hear the slightest stirring.
"Welcome home," a man’s wispy voice resonated around her.
A hopeful smile curled the edges of Danica’s heart-shaped mouth. "Thank you, Gaston. It’s good to be home."
A few minutes later, Danica returned to the living room, where she found Pat scrolling through messages on her cell phone.
"Let’s sign the papers," Danica happily announced. "I want to get moved in as soon as possible."
Pat gave her a wary going-over with her brown eyes. "You positive about this, Danica? I need to make sure you’re aware that other tenants have had problems—"
"It’s fine, Pat. I know you said the place is haunted and people have had some bad experiences, but this…." Danica waved to the room around her. "Just feels right."
Pat gave a skeptical shrug. "I have the papers ready back at the office. The rent is eight hundred and fifty a month. Mr. Caruso wanted me to charge you the same rate he charged your father. He insisted I make this as appealing to you as possible. You must have made quite an impression on the old man when you were a kid. He never cuts anyone a deal."
"Please tell Mr. Caruso I appreciate it."
Pat replaced her cell phone in her front jacket pocket. "Let’s turn off all of these lights and head back to the office."
Suddenly, from the shuttered window beside them, three loud knocks reverberated across the room.
Pat grabbed at her chest. "Jesus! What in the hell was that?"
Danica smirked as she watched the color drain from Pat’s perfectly made-up face. "Just someone outside on the street banging on the wall…happened a lot when I was a kid. Drunk tourists would often bang on the shutters at all hours."
Pat regained her composure. "Of course, you’re right. I didn’t think of that."
Danica motioned to the pocket doors leading to the kitchen. "Let’s get you out of here, Pat, before you have a heart attack."
"Gladly," Pat offered and rushed to the doors. "I never liked this place. I just hope you know what you’re doing, Danica."
"I know," Danica asserted with a grin. "I’ve always known."
Available
for purchase at:
About
the Author:
Alexandrea
Weis is an advanced practice registered nurse who was born and raised in New
Orleans. Her first novel, To My Senses, introduced readers to
the world of Nicci Beauvoir and garnered numerous awards and rave
reviews.
Her
popular second Nicci Beauvoir novel, Recovery, won the Gold
Medal for best romantic suspense from The Reader’s Favorite Book Awards 2011,
and was named best Romantic Suspense novel by the Spring 2011 NABE Pinnacle
Book Awards. Her fourth novel, Broken Wings, won best Contemporary
Romance by the NABE Pinnacle Book Awards in 2012, was a Silver Medal winner in
the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards for Romance, as well as a
finalist in the USA Book Awards for Romance in 2012, and a finalist in the
Reader’s Favorite Book Awards for Contemporary Romance for 2012. Diary
of a One-Night Stand, was released in August 2012 and was named a
Paranormal Romance Guild’s Best Reviewed of 2012. Her last novel, Acadian
Waltz was a Readers’ Favorite Book Awards finalist for Best Contemporary
Romance and Best Southern Fiction.
A
permitted wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Weis
rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She lives with her husband and pets in
New Orleans.
Where
you can find Alexandrea Weis on the Internet:
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