Gemma K. Murray shares her Latest Dragon Story

Today I'm excited to have a local author visiting. It's always fun when you find a fabulous author right in your own backyard! I know that you are going to love her book, so let's find out more about Gemma and her story.
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Hello and Welcome ! Please tell us a little about yourself. My
name is Gemma K. Murray and I write urban fantasy/paranormal romance which is set along the shores of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

I have been married to my own knight in tarnished armor for almost 19 years and we have 5 canine kids who are spoiled rotten.

I’ve been writing since I was 12 years old, but only got serious about writing romance 10 or 11 years ago. I never dreamed I could become published, but here I am, living my dream.

What song best fits your life? And Why? The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert- I grew up in this amazing farmhouse. My great-grandparents had lived there, my grandparents lived there, and my parents raised me there. The history of this place definitely made me the woman I am. I spent so many years learning the nooks and crannies. I haven’t been in that house for over 20 years, but I can still see it in my mind.

If you were a cartoon character who would you be and why? She-Ra. (grin) She was gorgeous, a princess, but was able to take on the evil of the world.

If you had to live without your car or your computer, which would you choose? Oh my goodness! I live in the middle of nowhere so a car is essential, but my computer holds my life in its memory. (thinking) I would have to go with car.

Do you have any funny stories from growing up that you can share? I grew up on a dairy farm. Our property had a creek that was deep in the property. I didn’t realize how close the creek ran to the road (it was hidden by trees) and I tended to skinny dip…a lot. (I thought I was hidden.) I learned a lesson one summer when one of my guy friends noticed a girl skinny dipping in the creek and hollered “Hello!” Scared the bejeebers out of me!

What’s your favorite thing to do to relax? I read…A LOT!

If you had to be one of your characters, which would you be and
why? At this moment, I’m working on the third book in my Cedar River series. I’d have to say I’d like to be my
character, Silver. She’s a sexy red-headed witch who is having so much fun torturing (playfully) my character, Brady. She seems like a bad girl, but she’s really got a heart of gold.

Did you always want to be an author? My senior English teacher, Mrs. Schmidt, told me I should become a writer. I truly never believed I had the talent to be an author. Even back that far, Mrs. Schmidt believed I could do this.

What is your favorite part about being an author? What is your
least favorite? My favorite part about being an author is getting to live in a fantasy world for most of the day as I
write. The least favorite would coming back to reality:)

What has been your favorite part about getting published? I get to share my world with readers and they seem to like it.

Where do you write?  Do you need anything to help you get in
the mood for writing? My oak dining room table with a view of the lake. It’s cluttered and messy with space enough
for the computers, but it works for me. In order to get in the mood to write, I have to clear my head of the day to day nonsense. I put in my earbuds and open my Windows Media player. The music sets the tone for the writing for the
day.

Tell us about your latest release:

Blurb- The Upper Peninsula of Michigan seems like it is another country. The rawness and beauty of the land draws people from every walk of life. What most people don’t realize is there is a little town nestled on the banks of Lake Superior that an entire group of supernatural beings call home. Shifters of every shape
and size live there. They raise their families there. Tourists come from near and far to visit the quaint town of Cedar River, Michigan. The tourists never realize they are walking among some of the most unusual beings on earth.

Bowie Golden is a dragon shifter who is in charge of Cedar River’s safety. Until now, the biggest threat to anyone’s safety was Anastasia Plum, a witch/puma-shifter. She has been the town hellraiser since she was a teenager. Now someone has
discovered the secret the residents of Cedar River keep for one another. These radicals are determined to eradicate the entire town. It’s up to Bowie to keep them all safe.

Ana has always idolized Bowie. She may have stirred up trouble from time to time, but Bowie or one of his brothers would always get her out of the trouble she was in. One day, it happened. The unthinkable, the unimaginable occurred. Anastasia Plum fell for the “golden” boy. What an unlikely duo- the sheriff and the hellraiser!

Just as these two discover their passion for one another, a group of people is determined to keep them apart. It’s up to Ana to prove that she is the only Keeper of the Golden Dragon’s
Heart.


Excerpt- My name is Anastasia Plum. I’m the only living child of a puma shifter and a witch. I grew up in this incredible community of supernatural beings on the shores of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. From the tall pines
that grace our forests to the most amazing body of water I have ever seen, there is no better place on earth. My earliest memory is of laying my head against my father’s chest and hearing him purr. I was three years old. Two years later, hunters killed my father, who was hunting in puma form, leaving my mother to
fall into a deep depression. I was twelve when a spell my mother had worked for a human went wrong and the person returned in the night to burn our home to the ground, killing my mother. Looking back, I think she was ready to meet my father
wherever his soul was wandering, especially since she was able to get me out of the burning cabin. At the age of twelve, I was alone in the world except for a family of dragon shifters who had befriended my parents before I was born. Bernard Golden took me to the puma shifters who lived on the edge of our village. The pumas turned me away because I was a half-breed. There were no other witches in the community so the Golden family took me in as one of their own. With four boys, Lorelai Golden welcomed another female presence. To me, she
always smelled of sugar cookies and cinnamon. Bowie, the oldest son, was my chief defender. He is seven years older than me and he took my protection very seriously. Brady, the second son was my trainer. He taught me to fight and hunt, which is hard for a dragon to teach a puma, but he did his best. Callum and Colin are the youngest. A set of twins, a rarity in the dragon world, they were allowed to get away with a lot. Being only a year older than I am, we three managed to get into the most trouble. They were, and are, my best friends.

The dragon nest was not very receptive of a cat living in their midst. I was teased and tormented by the dragonlings. 
Luckily, I had the Goldens. Bernard is the head of the Dragon Council so not many dragons were willing to cross him. Arthur Smythe and his family were one of the few families who dared piss off Bernard. The Smythe boys ambushed me and padlocked me in a metal dog crate. What their intentions were I did not know, but it was lucky for me, Callum and Colin were always close by me in those days. When Lance and Cameron Smythe went home to wait for nightfall, Colin turned me loose and helped me home. Callum had run ahead to tell Mama and Papa what had happened. Mama met us in the yard, crying.


How did you decide on your story plot? I dream my books so, in all honesty, my characters tell me where the story goes. It can be little scary when they quit talking to me. (grin)

How did you choose your characters names and location for your story? Once again, Ana introduced herself to me which led me to Bowie and the rest of the town of Cedar River. The location was funny because I had never been to the
Upper Peninsula. I only saw the sign for Cedar River in my dream and Bowie told me where to put the town. What I didn’t realize until I moved here was that there really IS a Cedar River and I had picked up the entire town and moved
it.

Do you have a favorite scene? Why? My favorite scene is when Ana finally has had enough. She dresses up and sets off to seduce our handsome (though pig-headed) sheriff. She puts on her see-through blouse, her shortest skirt (sans underwear), her gladiator platform heels and steals Bowie’s muscle car. Knowing he’s on duty that night, she leads him down a deserted dirt road and…well, you can guess where it ends up.


Let our readers know how they can get a hold of you…
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/GemmaKMurray


Cedar River series Facebook Fan Page- http://www.facebook.com/CedarRiverSeries


Website- http://gemmakmurray.com


Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5781668.Gemma_K_Murray


Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/Keeper-Golden-Dragons-Series-ebook/dp/B007KWKMTU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343697299&sr=8-1&keywords=keeper+of+the+golden+dragon%27s+heart


Barnes and Noble- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/keeper-of-the-golden-dragons-heart-gemma-k-murray/1109566142?ean=2940014312714


Coffee Time Romance & More- http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookStore/pubs_product_book_info/leap-of-faith-publishing-c-131/keeper-of-the-golden-dragon-s-heart-p-7367


Leap of Faith Publishing- http://leapoffaithpublishing.com/#ecwid:
category=2613677&mode=product&product=11799692

 
Is there anything else that you want to share… feel free!!  I’d just like to say thank you to Melissa for allowing me to share my book with her readers. I hope you all have had as
much fun with me as I’ve had with you. Blessings on you and yours!