Elemental Fire Paranormal and Urban Fantasy, Romance Paranormal & Urban Fantasy
Buniac Entertainment, LLC
October 21, 2022
Kindle
233 pages
Sin Marston is a rare human who can see through glamor. With the veil with the treaty of 2010, the magical visitors flowed into the Terran realm. With her unique talent, Sin's services are in demand from businesses and law enforcement with hidden problems. She also has a growing clientele of hidden visitors wishing to avoid confrontation with the Human Protection Society and other anti-hidden Terrans.
After thwarting a daring art heist, Sin encounters a stunning fire elemental who reveals the heist was something very different. Everything she thought she knew changes.
Radzik Cray has lived for centuries, building his magical and political power base. The appointment as the Elders’ Council warden for the Eastern United States comes with untold wealth and power, as well as untold danger. When he meets Sin Marston, he is interested in a pleasant distraction. Instead, he discovers that Sin is not all she appears and his control over his territory is not as absolute as he thought.
2022 RCA Author Interview with EG Manetti
Interview by Sherry Perkins
EG Manetti took a Halloween Party writing prompt and turned it into this Paranormal Romance Guild 2022 RCA nominated, sparks-flying-in-every-direction paranormal/urban fantasy book, Elemental Fire.
It started as response to a flash fiction book prompt during a Halloween Party in one of my GoodReads groups. I liked the heroine so much, I just had to give her a story.
Prompt: A black-eyed demon saves you during your raid of those poisoned elixir traffickers.
Dawn should keep the ghouls deep in their caves. I’d be happier with a flame thrower, but between the weight and the bulk it’s not getting through the narrow opening. The stench is unbelievable. Part ghoul and part the poison they’ve been lacing into the rejuvenation elixir. Ever since it hit the market the little scumbags have been going hungry. They prey on the weak and the sick. Not much of that with the elixir going around.
One hand on my Ruger, the other holding the canister, I follow the stench. Just as I suspected, the still is at the back of the crypt. I pull the lid from the alcohol and start to splash it on the works.
Angels and Demons, pain rips through my butt where a ghoul has latched on. I swing around and smash it into a wall. It drops off, but it’s one of many. Why are they out with the crypt so well lit? They should be cowering in a hole. Three more rush me and I drop them with the Ruger. Six more materialize and I’ve only got two more bullets.
They look odd. Eyes flashing colors. Moving faster than normal for their kind. They’ve been drinking elixir. I start to run. Pain sears my shoulders. I’m going to die.
Fire bursts around me, the gray light burning red. The little buggers scream and turn to charcoal.
Black eyes, a fanged mouth, horns, and cut body that makes me drool.
I grab the crimson the hand, “Took you long enough.”
Radzik grins, “You owe me dinner.”
Reach out and network with other authors. They understand the struggle and, at least within sci-fi and paranormal romance, are supportive of each other. There are no better resources for tips on structuring time, marketing, and readership cultivation.
Budget for editing and a good book cover. Other authors are wonderful referral sources.
One of the reasons I wrote Elemental Fire was to forge a new path within the conventions Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. Following the urban fantasy convention of a plot/situation-driven story, the core tension comes from the heroine (Sin) and hero (Rad) facing off against the forces of darkness. However, the book diverges from convention with significant plot points hinging on Sin’s and Rad’s character development. Consistent with paranormal romance expectations, Sin and Rad experience instant attraction and have intense chemistry, but the story does not use the “fated-mates” trope or anything similar. Instead, Sin and Rad stumble forward into love while trying to manage their lives and combat the villains.
All in all, I believe that in Elemental Fire, I have created a unique and captivating narrative that meets readers’ expectations for the genres while offering new twists on both urban fantasy and paranormal romance.
AN EXCERPT FROM 2022 RCA ROMANCE/PARANORMAL/FANTASY NOMINEE ELEMENTAL FIRE:
I peer over the lip of my glass, mesmerized by the tiny flames dancing on Rad’s fingertips. But then, I’ve spent the last hour mesmerized by every aspect of Rad. I’ve become accustomed to his power print, finding it fades at arm’s distance and intensifies with contact.
I’ve heard of elementals, but he’s the first one I’ve met. He’s been a Terra resident for several years, engaged in the lucrative Terran-Veil import-export trade. Half turned on the love seat to face him, I lean forward for a better look. With the Viking helmet discarded, his glossy black hair catches the light from the dozen candles scattered around the balcony. The power of his presence coupled with his playful attitude is pushing all my buttons in the best way possible. “Are there earth, air, and water elementals?”
“There are.” He mirrors my position, our knees touching, intensifying my awareness of both his power and his maleness. “I would know more about Sin Marston. Your ability to penetrate glamour suggests Hidden ancestry. Do you know the species?”
When the hidden realms’ elders revealed themselves, the school authorities stopped trying to medicate me against my ‘delusions’ and had me checked for Hidden DNA. It turns out that psychics, among others, are descendants of one type of Hidden or another. Generally, the Hidden DNA is so diluted, they aren’t acknowledged by a species or clan, but the genetic blend means they are also not human. These realm-mixed are why inhabitants of Terra are classed as Terrans as distinct from the subset that is pure human. “I was tested at seventeen and they found nothing.”
His fingers trace my kneecap. “Odd. Are there many like you?”
“A few.” HRAC claims to have a dozen, but I only met two. As his fingers dance close to my skirt hem, I realize I should come clean about my affiliation. “I met two during the five years I worked at the HRAC.”
His fingers still. “You said you weren’t with HRAC.”
“I’m not. Almost five years now. They recruited me out of college. I learned investigation and security protocols there, but it wasn’t a place I could make a career.”
His black eyes narrow. “Why not?”
“Too bureaucratic. Too paranoid. Too much of ‘us versus them’ groupthink.”
He blinks and nods. “The Hidden are susceptible to the same. What do you do now? You mentioned clients.”
“Private security and investigations. About half of my clients are Terran companies and law enforcement agencies who suspect Hidden of criminal behavior. The other half are Hidden visiting Terra wishing to avoid behavior that will bring them into contact with law enforcement. Next week I’m escorting a group of goblins on a tour of Salem.”
His eyes widen and he barks a laugh. “How did you encounter goblins?”
“A referral from some djinns I escorted to New Orleans for Mardi Gras one year. I have social media accounts, but most of my work is from repeat customers or referrals.”
He slides closer, his hands finding my waist. Delicious ripples of pleasure expand from the point of contact. He’s back to being interested. Am I? The Hidden limit their involvement with Terrans to hook-ups or brief affairs. Not because they don’t value us, but because our lives are so short compared to theirs. I’ve known of a few instances of committed Hidden-Terran couples, but they are rare. Of course, the minute we kiss, this intense attraction could fade to nothing as it has with guys in the past.
His thumbs stroke my waist. “And law enforcement? What do you do for them?”
His lips are so close. Another inch and I can brush them with mine. “Today, I caught the imp behind the medieval gold thefts.”
His head jerks back. Ruby flares in his eyes. “You did what?”
“Caught an art thief?”
“How long ago?” Those are definitely flames in his eyes. “Where is the imp? Does HRAC have her?”
“Her? How did you know the imp is female?” Doesn’t like HRAC? Import-Export? Knows about the art thief? “Are you part of some kind of Hidden mafia? Because I don’t care how hot you are, that’s a nonstarter.”
He chokes a laugh. “Hidden mafia? Not a real thing.”
ABOUT EG MANETTI:
Award-winning author EG Manetti has always enjoyed a vivid imagination and occasional scribbling. Her epic science fiction series, The Twelve Systems Chronicles, has received four Paranormal Guild Reviewers Choice Awards, seven InD’tale RONE (Reward for Novel Excellence) nominations with five volumes award finalist badges. Shield Bearer: Thornraven, Volume 2 received the 2021 RONE for Science Fiction.
Elemental Fire: The Hidden Realms #1, her first venture into fantasy, combines her favorite aspects of the urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and action/adventure genres.
A former information technology project manager, EG resides in Florida with her beloved (often confounded) husband and their severely OCD Jack Russell Terrier. She writes as often as possible, cooks exceptionally, and gardens adequately.
CONTACT EG MANETTI AND ORDER ELEMENTAL FIRE AT:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBSH8LF4
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BBSH8LF4
Amazon CN: https://www.amazon.co.cn/dp/B0BBSH8LF4
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.co.au/dp/B0BBSH8LF4
I-books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/elemental-fire/id6443318920?ls=1
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/elemental-fire-eg-manetti/1142239002?ean=2940185759332
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/elemental-fire-3