BLOGGING WITH BEVERLEY: Fantasy Romance with Alice Renaud

Alice lives in London, UK, with her husband and son. By day she's a compliance manager for a pharmaceutical company. By night she writes fantasy romance about shape shifting mermen, water monsters and time-travelling witches. Her first book, “A Merman’s Choice,” was published in January 2019 by Black Velvet Seductions. It is the first book in a fantasy romanceMarry in Green” is on pre order now and will be released on 1 November 2020. Alice has also written short stories: “The Sweetest Magic of All,” included in the BVS “Mystic Desire” anthology, out now, and “The Holiday Mermaid” in the BVS “second chance at love” anthology “Desire Me Again”, out 1 October 2020. Alice loves reading and writing stories, and sharing them with anyone who’s interested! trilogy inspired by the landscapes and legends of Brittany and Wales. The second book, “Music for a Merman,” is out now and the third, “Mermaids

Love comes in many shapes

Some odder than others! I write fantasy romance about shape shifting mermen and mermaids, witches and water monsters, but I didn’t start off that way. My career as a writer began when I got my first short story published in a magazine. It was a realistic, sweet, contemporary romance story. For the next 10 years I carried on writing romantic and family-themed stories for magazines and got quite a few published. Then I decided to try my hand at longer fiction. I tried to write contemporary romance, Harlequin style. However it didn’t work, I produced three contemporary novellas (two billionaires and a sheikh) and didn’t manage to find a publisher for any of them. Halfway through my fourth attempt (a prince), I threw in the (silk) towel and decided to try something different.

Fantasy is my first love. As a child I devoured myths and legends, especially those of Brittany in France, where I grew up, and Wales, my mother’s homeland. I also loved Tolkien, Ursula LeGuin, fairy tales… I still love fantasy now. Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb and Neil Gaiman are some of my favourite authors. But through my short stories I had discovered that I enjoyed writing romance too. I am a romantic at heart I guess; I was lucky to meet my soulmate in 2002 and we’ve been happily married these past 15 years. So fantasy + romance = fantasy romance. My first novella in the genre, A Merman’s Choice, book 1 in the Sea of Love series, was published in January 2019 by Black Velvet Seductions. Book 2, Music for a Merman, came out in November 2019 and Book 3, Mermaids Marry in Green, is on pre order now and will be released 1 November 2020 (each book is a standalone story featuring a different couple). I am now working on the first book in my next series, Conjuring Love, which will feature time travelling warlocks and witches, demons, evil fairies, and at least one shape shifting unicorn. I have just realized that every story I wrote since Christmas 2019 has a unicorn in it. Because why put a horse in a story when you can have a horse with a big horn on its head?

Fantasy romance is very firmly classed as romance, as it has a love story at its core. But for me the “fantasy” is as important as the “romance”. My short story “The Holiday Mermaid” marries the two elements in a tender second chance romance, set at Christmas by the sea. This tale is set in the Sea of Love universe and completes the Sea of Love series. It is included in the brilliant “second chance at love” romance anthology by BVS, Desire Me Again, on pre order now for only $0.99.

Blurb For Desire Me Again anthology

The hopeless romantic believes that a soulmate exists for each of us. That there is one person who makes us feel how good it is to love them. For some couples, things trigger them to push that love away. They find out too late they’ve lost true-love. Sometimes genuine love deserves a second-chance at the happy ending that eluded them the first time.

Desire Me Again is an eclectic assortment of short stories exploring a second-chance at love. The collection is as diverse as the authors who wrote them. Here’s a chance to read the work of talented writers you may not have read before. Within these pages, there are blends of tender, often moving and thought-provoking stories.

Blurb for The Holiday Mermaid

The Holiday Mermaid, a seasonal fantasy romance by Alice Renaud: Adam fell for surfer girl Rowena the second he saw her. But just as their summer fling was becoming serious, she left him without any explanation. Now, with Christmas just a few days away, she’s back… and Adam discovers that she’s a shape-shifting mermaid, from a Clan that hates humans. Can he love her as she is? Can she brave her family to be with Adam for good, not just for Christmas?

Buy Links

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