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Spotlight New Release and Interview | MYSTIC MAPLES by Tena Stetler

Delighted to share a new release by a sister Rose (The Wild Rose Press), Tena Stetler! Mystic Maples is part of a multi-author series (I highly recommend reading) called the Deerbourne Inn. The Tavern is serving ale and some maple pecan tarts. Grab a chair and let's hear what Tena has to say...

Thanks for having us Mary. I hope you don’t mind, I brought Mercy along with me. She just finished up her recent project and could tell you a little about Mystic Maples.

MM: Sure, I’d be delighted. Tell us about the real you.

My name is Mercy Rose, I’m an earth/fire witch with a bit of Fae in my blood so I recently found out. I grew up in my parents’ flower shop in Colorado. As a child, plants of all kinds intrigued me. In college I majored in plant genetics, botany and biology.

When my parents retired and left the flower shop to me and my sister, Hope. I began creating one of a kind roses, and other plants to sell in our shop. They were very popular. With popular came deceit. I was dating the owner of another flower shop. It turns out I’m not a very good judge of character. On night, be broke into our shop, stole several of my prize new creation we were readying for sale and claimed them as his own. We took him to court, but the long drawn out court battle took its toll on the flower shop and me. Intimately, we won, he had to pay attorney fees and damages. But my magic was gone along with any desire to work with plants.

My sister suggested I take a vacation. She found this quaint little place in Willow Springs, Vermont. The Deerbourne Inn was perfect. Even better, supposedly there was enchanted land on the outskirts of town. That’s how I found myself at The Deerbourne Inn.

Tell us three things we’d find if we looked under your bed? Not much but maybe a pair of muddy shoes. I’m a bit of a neat freak when it comes to my living space. Now my work and garden space are entirely different but what do you expect when you work with dirt. <giggle>

What makes you laugh out loud? My niece and nephew. Oh, yeah and Raga’s antics.

What makes you angry? People taking advantage of other people. Thieves.

What do you sleep in at night? Tank top and shorts, usually.

Who were the biggest role models in your life? My mom and dad. They are hard workers, compassionate and instilled in us right from wrong and the love of nature.

What kind of man do you want to spend the rest of your life with? Funny you should ask, a few weeks ago, I’d told you I was finished with men. But Deerbroune Inn, Mystic Maples, and a mysterious man and his dog have changed things.

What kind of man would you never choose? A deceitful one.

What is most important to you in life? Family and friends. I’ve also learned that magic is a big part of my life too.

What is your biggest fear? Letting my family down.

Tena, tell us a little about writing this story. Was it fun or difficult? It was fun. Though the characters tested me at every turn. About the time I thought I had things figured out, they’d thrown a cog in the works. It was also fun working with other authors using the same setting and characters of the town to enhance my story, Mystic Maples. Writing a book with less than 40,000 words, I’ve discovered, is very difficult. I guess I’m long winded.

Do your characters always act as you expect? I wish! They seem to delight in frustrating me to no end. LOL

Are you a plotter, or fly (write) by the seat of your pants (panster)? Try as I might, I can’t plot my way out of a paper bag. I’m a panster through and through.

Thanks, Tena and Mercy for stopping by The Tavern today. Wishing you all the best!

 

Backcover blurb from Mystic Maples

Earth/Fire witch Mercy Rose's insatiable curiosity always gets her in trouble. After a break-in at her Colorado flower shop, and a court battle that comes to a screeching halt in her favor, she arrives at Deerbourne Inn for a much-needed getaway. Looking for peace and quiet, she finds just the opposite in a startling handsome but mysterious man and his dog.

Silvanus Forrest's gypsy/fae heritage is a double-edged sword. The land he inherited from his parents is rumored to be enchanted. But when Mercy discovers the truth, his well-ordered life unravels, and they're catapulted into the past to right a wrong. Along the way their lives intertwine, and they discover the true meaning of family and love. Will they change the past in time to save their future?

 

A sneak preview from Mystic Maples

Still he couldn’t get the meddlesome woman out of his head. Maybe I should give her a chance to explain what she was doing on my property—well after dark.

Returning to the ATV, he turned to his dog. “People don’t run if they’re not guilty of something.” He scratched Rag-a-Muffin behind the ears. She leaned into his hand.

Technically, she didn’t run. He shook his head, raking his fingers through his hair. One minute she was standing there bathed in the silver of the full moon reminiscent of a yoga pose. The next, poof she disappeared into thin air. At the location he’d spotted her last night, he parked the ATV, got out, and examined the area. Two deep barefoot prints in the dirt remained, as if she’d dug her feet into the earth on purpose. Picking up a handful of soil, he crumbled it, and let it sift through his fingers. His palm and fingers tingled. No doubt she was a magic creature. But what was her angle? How much did she know? Still sore, he absently rubbed at his lower chest where she’d zapped him, unsure of his next move.

It had been a long time since he’d used his talents or the gypsy intuition that his mother swore by. There was more to this woman than meets the eye. He could feel it.

Getting tangled with a woman would only lead to misery, especially with the kind of secrets he kept. Yet there was something about that redhead—worse, she probably had uncovered one of his secrets already. Did she have something to hide? Why was she here? Why did she want to stay so long?

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About the Author ~

Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance novels. She has an over-active imagination, which led to writing her first vampire romance as a tween to the chagrin of her mother and delight of her friends.

With the Rocky Mountains outside her window, she sits at her computer surrounded by a wide array of paranormal creatures, with a Navy SEAL or two mixed in telling their tales. Her books tell stories of magical kick-ass women and strong mystical males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.

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