A few years ago, when my friend and I were on holiday in Mexico, we went to a deserted stretch of beach so that we could sunbathe away from the crowds. We spent an hour or so lying in the sun then went for a dip in the sea to cool down. The water was a lovely temperature but after ten minutes or so we noticed we were drifting away from the shore. We didn’t pay much attention at first and played in the waves for a while longer until we realised we were even further from the shore. Both fairly strong swimmers, the distance didn’t faze us, but as we swam back, we were fighting against the tide. The waves seemed to get bigger and the tide strong, it became so strong in fact that each wave pulled us under the water and it took all our energy to fight our way back to the shore. We soon got tired. That was the first time, I’d been afraid of drowning and the fear grew until it was all consuming. There was a moment where I was certain I wouldn’t make it back to the beach. We did of course, but it was a close call and for a long time afterwards I was nervous about getting back in the water.
There is a scene in A Merman in Miami, book three in my Huntress Chronicles series in which the lead characters Drew and Mia need to go to the merpeoples’ underwater realm to search for one of the lost grimoires. The only way down is to swim. While writing this scene I thought about my own experience and how afraid I’d felt. I decided to give Drew a phobia of water, knowing how difficult it would be for him to get to the underwater realm.
Most people have some sort of phobia and sometimes that fear can be crippling, but it’s amazing how we’re able to overcome our fears to accomplish something important to us, isn’t it? Often, it’s our partners who are there to help us through such difficult experiences and in this case, the same is true. Mia only wishes that Drew would see her as more of a work partner. Thanks so much for taking the time to learn more about me and my books. I hope you enjoy this short excerpt of A Merman in Miami.
Mia Harding has been hunting vampires since she was sixteen years old—almost as long as she’s been in love with her overzealous hunting partner Drew Caine. Unfortunately, the only thing Drew seems passionate about is his job. Tired of longing for someone she can’t have, Mia makes the heart-breaking decision to find a new partner and cut all ties to Drew. But before she can make the request to the council, Mia and Drew are sent to Miami to retrieve one of the lost grimoires. Mia is determined to make it their last mission together—but first they have to survive it.
Drawn to the dark magic of the book, vampires and warlocks begin congregating in the city adding extra pressure to an already difficult mission. When the marine biologist thought to be in possession of the book turns up dead, the trail leads to the highly secretive merpeople. Entering their underwater realm will be problematic, but getting back out will be nearly impossible, especially when the merman king decides he wants Mia as his queen. Lonely and unhappy, Mia at first warms to the advances and the magnetic allure of the king, but maybe Drew isn’t as far out of her reach as she has always believed.
Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series but can be read as a standalone.
We followed Anwen along the beach and as we neared the water’s edge, Drew took hold of my hand again. He was shaking.
“You’re gonna be fine,” I said quietly when Anwen was out of earshot. “I’ll be right beside you all the way. I promise.”
The seconds ticked on as Drew stared at me. Suddenly, he pulled me into the cradle of his arms and hugged me tightly. The gesture caught me off guard and I stumbled backward, but he held on tight and steadied me.
“Thank you,” he whispered into my hair.
When he pulled back, he stared at me for a few seconds. Even in the darkness, I saw an intense gleam of emotion in his eyes—vulnerability lurked in their depths, something that Drew had never let me see before, but there was something else present, a more complex emotion that I couldn’t identify.
“Are you guys ready?” Anwen called.
“Are we ready?” I asked him.
He flashed me a shaky smile. “Yeah, yeah, we’re ready.” It seemed to take all the energy he possessed to let go of my hand and walk the last few steps so that the gentle waves crashed over his boots.
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Amy Armstrong is a Brit that loves chocolate, prosecco, and sunshine. She lives and breathes paranormal romance and urban fantasy, but is also a fan of the classics and pretty much anything else she can get her hands on, including but not limited to contemporary romance, thrillers, horror, dark fantasy and young adult fiction.
Amy writes stories filled with heart, heat and passion. She loves to read about strong woman, but believes heroes come in all different shapes and sizes. She is happiest when writing or soaking up the sun with a pina colada in one hand and her kindle in the other. Her family and friends are an important part of her life and she loves meeting new people with similar interests. She is a full time, multi—published author and loves to hear from readers. She writes M/M romance under the pen name Lavinia Lewis.
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