I jumped at the chance to feature this series from Month9Books because of its amazing premise, as well as how it portrays grief. The covers are breathtaking also:
No one should ever go into the woods alone.
Brielle has grown up listening to tales of a beast that attacks humans, leaving behind only a scattering of bones and limbs. It’s probably the elders’ way of keeping little children in line, but it doesn’t explain her grisly premonitions of blood, claws, and severed heads.
But when Brielle finds a mangled body in the woods, she begins to wonder if the grim stories may actually be true. Soon, Lord Kenrick, Knight of the Crowhurst Order, arrives asking questions about the legendary monster. Brielle’s attraction to him is immediate and undeniable. She volunteers to help him search for clues to the creature’s existence, despite her suspicions about his timing.
As her seventeenth birthday approaches, Brielle’s nightmares worsen and more villagers go missing. If Brielle doesn’t figure out the connection between Kenrick, the beast, and her visions, more people will die. As Brielle falls deeper in love with Kenrick and deeper into the snares of the abominable beast, she’ll become part of a legend so great, no one will ever question its validity again.
With the Curse of the Beast broken, Brielle Healer thought she’d left her bloody, gruesome past behind her. She thought she’d finally be able to have her happy ending with Raul, the gypsy who saved her life and she’s betrothed to. But when a new batch of dead bodies are discovered on her property, she doubts whether the curse was truly broken. Not to mention, Lord Kenrick’s brother, Daedric has shown up in town seeking information about his missing brother, who was last seen with Bri. He and other Knights of the Crowhurst Order want answers, answers that could very well endanger Bri’s life once more. But an encounter with Daedric has her wondering if perhaps Kenrick isn’t truly dead after all. That there might be a way to bring him back from wherever it is his spirit slipped into. However, as they delve deeper into research they discover an attempt to get Kenrick back will likely mean a trip through a hellish realm more powerful and dangerous than either can handle. But when tragedy strikes, Brielle knows she has nothing left to lose. And this might be her one chance to redeem herself for past failures and crimes.
Raul Tinker spent his whole life trying to outrun his past. But the darkness has finally caught up to him, in the form of his vengeful sister Yalena, who blames him for their family’s downfall amongst their gypsy clan. She wants to destroy everything he loves, starting with Brielle. Although trained in magic, he knows he’s no match for the evilness she’s dipped her fingers into. Yalena promises not to harm Brielle, if Raul agrees to do her bidding. Which means people will die and the world will be opened up to unimaginable horrors. Raul knows no matter what he chooses, he’ll lose a piece of himself. Because the only way to stop her would be to allow the same darkness that consumes Yalena to consume him as well… But he will do anything necessary to ensure Bri’s safety. Anything.
Outside writing books for young adults, you work full-time for the court system. How do you find balance between both professions, and what inspiration, if any, has your day job given you?
Sometimes it’s super hard to find a perfect balance, especially when I have deadlines. I will often use my lunch hours to do writing, and I have a really great boss who is flexible and allows for me to take days off when I’m on a deadline crunch. But when it’s time for marketing and such, it’s not always easy to be online during the day during book releases, so I’ll try to also use my breaks for that as well.
Hmmm…as far as any inspiration from my day job in my books, maybe a little bit, just because I am familiar with the court environment, but mostly I try to keep a fine line between the two (LOL).
Sounds like you’ve been able to maintain it! TRAGEDY OF ME is the second book in the Legend of Me series. What was the most challenging part of continuing Brielle’s story?
I think the most challenging part of continuing Brielle’s story was knowing that some of the characters change drastically, meaning we see beloved characters struggle more. But we also get to see more of Brielle’s growth and strength as well. There were definitely some dark moments in the story itself, which were hard to write, as during the writing of this book my husband passed away from cancer. So I was trying to process the grief, while working on scenes where my character was also trying to process through it.
I am so sorry to hear about your husband. I also have no doubts that your books will reach others who are confronting grief and loss. In addition, you’ve written for multiple publishers. What has been the most rewarding part of this process?
I love working with multiple publishers. I think each one brings something just a little different to the table. They have different visions and ideas, and find new ways to help you grow as an author. For me, one of the most rewarding things is learning more about the process and my stories. Then to finally see that finished product and know that “this is my book.” People are going to read my books. It’s still surreal even after all this time.
I’ll bet! What are some of your current projects?
Other than the Tragedy of Me, which is coming out on January 28, 2020, I have another YA Fantasy book that’ll be coming out later this year as well. I’m in the midst of finishing up edits on that one. I’ve been kind of slow on the writing front the last year and a half/two years, so I’m excited to get working on something new as it’s been so long since I’ve been able to really sit down and write. So hoping to write 1 to 2 new books this year (one will likely be a contemporary and the other a fantasy). I’d also like to try my hand at writing an adult romance as well.
Buy: BookPassage ~ Amazon.com ~ Barnes & Noble ~ IndieBound
Buy: BookPassage ~ Amazon.com ~ Barnes & Noble ~ IndieBound
Thank you so much for having me!!!
Rebekah’s books are amazing, my daughter’s and I enjoy reading them, once we start one of her novels we struggle to put it down. Can’t wait to read Tragedy of Me and continue Brielle’s journey.