UNSEEN by Meg Benjamin

UNSEEN
by Meg Benjamin

Teran Richter is in Animas, Colorado, to find members of the Folk, a simple task. But the annual Animas Fall Festival brings hordes of tourists and daily celebrations that make it frustrating. Things begin to look up when Teran meets Marika Sager. Marika’s business partner Eva seems to be a member of the Folk, only it’s Marika Teran’s attracted to, particularly after a local witch’s brew sends the two into a memorable night of passion.

But there are sinister forces at work in Animas. Teran’s attacked and his assistant is kidnapped. When Marika also disappears, Teran’s forced to confront the truth: someone is out to sabotage his mission and destroy anyone who tries to help. With an eccentric team of magical allies, Teran must rescue Marika and fight off those who want to destroy both him and the Folk. But can he find a way to confront the shadowy forces while keeping himself and his lover safe from harm?

EXCERPT
The flash of heat zapped along Teran’s backbone, branching out into the nerves along his shoulders, then into his arms. He jerked with the force of it, and the heat ripped to his sides and out. The fog glowed red as his power crashed into it.

It thinned before it gathered once again. They pushed forward quickly, but not quickly enough.

“Can you increase the voltage?” Reynard muttered.

“If I knew what I was doing, I might be able to. Since I’m playing it by ear, I don’t know. I’ll try once more.” He took a deep breath, then concentrated. This time the power snaked through his body more quickly—he felt it all the way to the back of his head. For a moment he felt as if he were glowing, and then the blast flew outward into the mist.

And shot back toward them.

“Holy crap,” Reynard cried, throwing himself flat on the ground.

Teran had time to hunch over, protecting his head. The power blast washed over him like a superheated wave. It felt like he’d singed his hair.

Terrific. What the hell kind of Seelie singes his own goddamn hair with his own goddamn power blast? A reluctant Seelie, obviously.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH MEG
-What inspired you to become a writer?

I think probably I was inspired by my love of reading. I’ve loved books since I was a child, so it was an easy transition from “I loved reading that” to “I’d love to write that.” It took me a little while to understand that romance was where I belonged, but once I started reading and writing romance, I never looked back.

-If you could visit your book’s world for a day, what one thing would you do?

Oddly enough I visit my book’s world all the time, since I set my series in Colorado and I deliberately used places I knew well. But, of course, I don’t hang out with the Folk around my neighborhood. They’re descendants of European fairies with their own customs and social organization. If I could do one thing with the Folk, I’d like to have a long conversation with Prince Bertie, one of my favorite characters, and get his views on his people. How did they develop and where do they go from here? Bertie’s trying to be a conscientious leader, but there are all these threats he has to deal with. He’d probably welcome an evening where he didn’t have to be diplomatic and where he could talk about his real feelings.

-It’s two in the morning. What does your protagonist reveal in confidence? (Don’t worry, we won’t tell.)

I think Teran would admit that he really likes being able to do a Seelie power blast now and then, even though he’s not exactly an expert. I think Marika would admit to being both frightened and sort of excited about being a healer.

-Which of your characters would you go out for drinks with?

Oh, Prince Bertie, no question. He’d be great at selecting the right wine to go with hot wings.

-You’re in a tavern, and a dwarf challenges you to a duel. What do you do?

Probably suggest we try something else, like the duel of wits in Roxanne, not that I’d be anywhere near as quick on the draw as Steve Martin’s character was.

-Is there a genre you could never write? Which and why?

I think I’d be really lousy at macho stuff, just because they usually seem so humorless. I often have a slightly ironic view of things, so I’d probably be a failure at anything where I had to fluff up my alpha hero without occasionally undercutting him. My alphas usually have a sense of humor and see the absurdity of being an alpha all the time. That’s my kind of hero.

ABOUT MEG

Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance. Her newest series, the Folk, is a paranormal trilogy set in Colorado. Meg’s Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing). Along with contemporary romance, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers. Meg’s Web site is megbenjamin.com. You can follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Meg loves to hear from readers—contact her at meg@megbenjamin.com.

GIVEAWAY

Meg Benjamin will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.