This week I have the honor of introducing a fabulous nebut noveliest, Zrinka Jelic. Zrinka lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two children. A member of the Romance Writers of America and its chapter Fantasy Futuristic &Paranormal romance, as well as Savvy Authors, she writes contemporary fiction—which leans toward the paranormal—and adds a pinch of history. Her characters come from all walks of life, and although she prefers red, romance comes in many colors. Given Jelic’s love for her native Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, her characters usually find themselves dealing with a fair amount of sunshine, but that’s about the only break they get. “Alas,” Jelic says, with a grin. “Some rain must fall in everyone’s life.”
I am delighted to be your guest today, Danica. My debut novel “Bonded by Crimson” has been released on January 28th, and it is available in all formats at Black Opal Books, Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and All Romance eBooksI didn’t realize how much I like to write until I started to write seriously, about four years ago now. Even the high scores on my school assignments couldn’t convince me I was any good. But I’ve decided to give it a go and from there on I found myself. Though I’ve dreamt of becoming a published author one day, I never thought it would happen, let alone this fast. There were speed bumps on my path and high and low days. The days when I wanted to throw in the towel, but the secret to success was simple – perseverance. Strange as it may sound, the characters simply refused to give up and pushed me forward. But thankfully, they allowed me a few days break to gather my thoughts and start anew. Their story needed to be told. All of this may sound strange to those who don’t write, but every writer has same experience.Now that I’m published, my friends and family think I live a high life of rich of famous. Their remarks how they would be able to say “I knew her when …” make me laugh. I know they’re just joking and they mean well, but my life had not changed. At least by not much. Other than playing with imaginary people, aka characters, my day is the same. Juggling kids, household chores, and my part time college studies, there’s little time to plot and work on my next book. And writing being sedentary work, I try to squeeze a workout each day if I can, at least half an hour. But the characters are pressing me forward until I put that scene on the paper (or rather screen). Well, I can’t say that I didn’t have a tiny taste of glory. The other day one lady hugged me, saying she can die a happy person knowing she hugged someone “famous”. That act made me feel so accomplished and I know many aspiring authors could do it, too. I don’t have a crystal ball (actually, I do but it’s just a dust collecting ornament) and I can’t foresee my future, but if fame and fortune is in my cards … well, I’m not cut for something like that. I would never write a book for money, I’m sure it would show in the quality of writing.Of course I couldn’t leave you without a short excerpt from my novel, Bonded by Crimson:They strolled through the narrow streets of the medieval town and arrived at the old hotel by the sea. Waiters bustled around the tables on the terrace. A few couples twirled on the dance floor as the band played a version of Save the Last Dance for Me. Her feet stopped, and she stared at the dance floor, longing to be in his embrace and move her body in sync with his.As if on cue, he cocked his head toward the patio. “Shall we?”She wrapped her hand around his bicep. Thrilled as she was he wanted to dance with her, she was nervous, sure that she would be clumsy and awkward. Suddenly, scaling the medieval wall had seemed easier.He led her though the maze of tables and chairs on the hotel’s terrace. When they reached the clear area in front of the small stage, he slipped his arm around her waist. “We can do better than these other couples. Come on, let’s us show them how dancing is done. Just relax and follow my steps.”His left hand pressed on her hip, pulling her close as the fingers of his right hand wrapped around her left. When she placed her free hand on his solid shoulder, her fingers fumbled, but his warm, reassuring smile eased her tension. Her feet wouldn’t cooperate for the first few swings. A funny frown appeared on his face when she stepped on his foot for the third time. She glanced at her feet. God, he must think she was terribly uncoordinated.He squeezed her hand. “Look at me.”Their eyes met. Lost in his mesmerizing gaze, she forgot what her feet were doing and her nervousness disappeared, replaced by a sense of peace as she picked up his rhythm, following him with ease. Even when he twirled her under his arm, her feet didn’t falter. Before she knew it, the song had come to an end.“We were good,” she said, joy and wonder filling her voice.He hugged her. “We were.”The band leader strummed the guitar and stepped up to the microphone. “And now, it’s ladies’ choice.”He turned back to the band and they joined in with his song. Many left the dance area with the slow melody. But Matthias wrapped his arm around her waist. “I hope I’m your choice,” he murmured.When the vocalist joined in with the three guys from the group, Kate turned her attention to the lyrics. Every single word of the song “I’ll Leave the Light On” struck a nerve. Memories she had suppressed for years flooded to the surface as the band played on. Her chest tightened, constricting her breath. Tears stung her eyes. Matthias stopped his feet, but kept his body swaying. Kate stared at his shoes. Sobs spasmed her shoulders, betraying her attempts to hide her emotions from him. Four hours earlier, she had boldly stood up to an enraged bull, but the words of this song reduced her to a wimp.His hand inched behind her neck and pulled her head onto his chest. She prayed the tune would end, but the band kept playing.When the beat of the next song sped up, and people poured back onto the dance floor, Matthias kissed her hair and led her away from the loud music. “We should sit this one out.”And feel free to watch the book trailer for Bonded By Crimson.To visit Zrinka Jelic's blog click here or here. Or Find her on Facebook! 