Introducing Heather Waters

Heather Waters’s debut novel The Devil’s Possesion is available now and I just had to invite her to come and introduce herself to you all. She’s a sweatheart, and a talented new writer you should check out…especially if you like your fiction hot, and with a paranormal twist.
Now, meet the author….

CHILDHOOD FANTASY COME TO LIFE
from Heather Waters

“I would like to thank the Academy… my mother, my father….” Right. Never mind. This isn’t the Oscars. But come on! Haven’t you ever fantasized about holding that goofy statue and feeling as though you finally accomplished something?

That’s what preparing to see my debut, The Devil’s Possession, on bookshelves next week has been like for me. I grew up as an Air Force brat, moving every two years, three times to Turkey where I lived for six years of my childhood. Growing up there (which is basically what I did) gave me things that I’m so blessed to have. Like imagination. There were no Gameboys, no weekend trips to the mall. Instead, the question on Saturday morning was often, “What castle are we going to go climb?” I believe this is where my love for anything historical came from. My love for books, however, stemmed elsewhere.

Because we traveled so frequently, I very rarely kept friends for longer than two years. I started detaching myself and turning inward at a very young age, and turned to books for companionship. Authors like Julie Garwood and Johanna Lindsey created for me worlds of friends that I could take with me each time I moved. My mother had an enormous library of romances, and I still remember snatching The Princess Bride by Jude Deveraux off her nightstand and instantly becoming infatuated by romances in the sixth grade.

Now I’m older, with a family of my own, and I still re-read those books every couple years to remind myself what I love so much about the genre. Strong men, imperfect women, true love. I just had to create one myself, and since I’d been writing stories since elementary school, I just knew I could do it.

And I did. Badly. Three or four times. But I’d finished three or four 100,000 word manuscripts, so I was proud regardless. Then in 2005, I couldn’t think of any story ideas. I was a has-been before I’d ever gotten the chance to be a has. EEK! Someone told me I should try free-writing, which had always seemed like a waste of time to me. But I was desperate, and I did it. The very first thing I jotted down was:

It took ninety-seven lashes to bring the first cry of pain from Draven Cameron.

This remains the first sentence of The Devil’s Possession. Never touched or tweaked or fussed with. Why? It’s not an amazing sentence. It’s not even active. It’s pretty passive. But it was the sentence that pulled from me an entire book, because I had no clue why Draven Cameron was being whipped or how he managed not to cry out for ninety-seven lashes.

I was well into the second scene of the book before I had any general idea of what I might be writing. Sadly, that happens to me a lot! But once I figured out what was happening to Draven and why, I had a path to follow. I had on my hands a woman who had been physically raped and left with the shame of a bastard, and a man who’d spent his life being emotionally raped by people who should have loved him. Boy, what a mess!

But I think it worked out just find. Two people in need of great healing find love and strength in one another and are able to mend. AND, I finally had a chance to become a has! WOW! I’m coming out of my skin waiting for it to hit bookstores, and I’ve been thrilled by the excellent reviews it’s been given so far. If you’re brave enough to try a new author and you check it out, please let me know what you think. You can contact me at HDW@Heatherwaters.net or visit my website at www.heatherwaters.net.

To Sasha:
Thank you for inviting me to you brilliant blog.

To the world:
WELCOME TO MY DEBUT!

Heather

She saved his life…and he captured her soul.

She was a woman called to lead
Ordinarily, women do not become Highland chieftains. But Faith Maitland is no ordinary woman-until a violent encounter in the forest crushes her courage and leaves her pregnant. And now, because no clan will accept a sullied woman, she must find a sire for her bastard…

He was a man they called a witch
When Faith names Draven the Devil as the father of her child, she thinks she is blaming a dead man. Instead, her accusation halts his execution for witchery. When he is released from the stake to the Maitlands’ custody, Faith realizes that she has affianced herself to a silent man with frightening powers…

Theirs was a devil’s bargain
Draven has no reason to relish his escape, having long since wearied of the fear and hate that has been his lot. Yet he finds himself unable to renounce Faith and expose her to the same shame. Fascinated by her beauty and strength, Draven is drawn to Faith even as she is warmed by his tenderness. But their growing trust will be tested by the threat of true evil…

Reviews for The Devil’s Possesion

“Strong emotions and exciting actions make this one of the best books I have read this year. The two main characters need someone to care for them and see beyond their reputations. They draw you into their gripping tale, filled with many problems, and fascinate you with their thrilling actions. After reading THE DEVIL’S POSSESSION, I look forward to many more books by this author.” ~Top Pick RomanceReaderatheart.com

“Waters debuts with a dark, seductive tale of magic and redemption. The power of her writing comes from her well-crafted characters and the magic that showcases the healing power of love and the gift of light we all possess. A moving, sensual, magical story for Katherine Kingsley and Mary Jo Putney fans.” – 4.5 Starts Top Pick. Romantic Times Magazine