As part of my Colorado series of posts I will feature an author from the colorful Centennial State every month.

I recently had the pleasure of attending the book signing of four Denver area authors, one of which was Melissa Mayhue, author of the Daughters of the Glen and her new Warrior Series. Both series are time-travel romance with hunky highlanders.

Melissa is part of my local RWA chapter, Colorado Romance Writers.

Thea: Melissa, can you tell us about yourself?

Melissa: Faced with telling you all about me, I realized…I’m not very interesting! So, rather than bore you with useless trivia about my life, [I was an only child, born and raised in Texas], I’ll share the story of how I came to be a writer.

First and foremost, I am a reader. Some of my best memories are of my mother taking me to the local library every week during the summer to check out armloads of books. I could hardly wait to get home, dive into the stories, and get lost in a whole new, wonderful world. My prized possession as a girl was an entire shelf of Nancy Drew Mysteries. I adored Nancy Drew.

My first experience with writing a book came at age 13. I developed a fascination with genealogy and, after spending time visiting older relatives to gather information, I found I had all sorts of wonderful family stories. What on earth could I do with all those [mostly false] tales? Why, I’d write a sweeping, 600+ page novel of course! A tale of life through several generations, spanning two centuries. It would be fantastic.

Armed with purpose and enthusiasm, I sat down at my big typewriter, [yes, I’m dating myself…typewriter, not keyboard], and began Page One. Hours later I had almost completed two whole pages. [double spaced, of course]. Hmmmmm… An entire day and I had barely two pages to show for it? [rather boring pages, at that].

Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be an author after all.

In spite of my writing setback, I retained my passion for books. I simply concentrated on reading other people’s books. Lots of books. All kinds of books. Until I discovered Romance. Finally, a world I could escape to where I knew I’d always find a happy ending! I devoured them, literally reading hundreds.

Years passed before the writing bug seriously bit again. I was working in downtown Denver and, as so many writers advised, every lunch hour I took my pad and pen [actually, I preferred a pencil] and headed for my favorite coffee shop to spend my 50 minutes writing.

Unfortunately, my favorite coffee shop was in a book store. Invariably, I’d end up writing nothing. There were too many fascinating people to watch, too many interesting conversations to hear and then, of course, there were all the books to distract me.

Still, I had these two characters living in my head, wanting their story told…

Then came the summer we took our second family vacation to Scotland. On the Black Isle [ which isn’t black or even an isle ], near the pretty little town of Rosemarkie, we parked our rented car and hiked back into a magically beautiful placed called Fairy Glen. Resting on a large rock at the edge of a waterfall and pool, lulled by the lush nature of the setting, I suddenly realized THIS was the place for Cate and Connor. For the remainder of that trip, I’d catch glimpses of them, in a castle, standing at the foot of a crumbling staircase, or riding through a highland meadow.

Once I finally sat down at my keyboard and decided the time had come to give those two life, I found, amazingly enough, they weren’t the only characters running around in my head. There were a bunch of them… all clamoring for their own turn!

My GOAL, as a writer, is to give each of those noisy characters a life in their own story.

My HOPE, as a writer, is that you’ll enjoy reading their stories as much as I enjoy writing them!

Thea: Great story, Melissa. I love your goal and hope. What’s your latest release?

Melissa: Warrior Reborn is the third story in my new Warrior Series.

Former special ops agent CHASE NOBLE has been searching his whole life for the place where he belongs. As a descendant of Fae, he senses fate has more in store for him. And he will not rest until he discovers what his true purpose is. When he travels back in time to medieval Scotland, he discovers his mission is to save a beautiful woman — the same woman he is destined to be with.

CHRISTIANA MacDOWYLT possesses the gift of foresight. Prisoner of her evil half brother, Christiana has visions that show her that only one warrior can rescue her — a man she is mysteriously drawn to. The only problem is, he’s in the future. Now she must rely on the magic of a Faerie to transport him to the past. And when Christiana finally meets Chase, the sparks between them set off a smoldering desire. But will the magic that brought them together also tear them apart?

Thea: Ooh, I can’t wait to read Chase and Christiana’s story. For everyone who is new to Melissa’s Warrior series here is the first book. You’ll love it.

Warrior’s Redemption

Warrior Series – Book One

Release Date: December 29, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1-4516-4087-8

Excerpt

Will the magic of modern romance help him defeat an evil ancient power?

MALCOLM MACDOWYLT sees himself a failed warrior, haunted by the death of the woman he married to become laird of Clan MacGahan. Neither his Viking heritage nor his claim to descend from Norse gods can restore his confidence in his ability to protect his people. His sister is held captive, her life in jeopardy, and his Magically powerful half brother wants him dead. The last thing he needs is more responsibility, but that’s exactly what he gets when his Faerie mother-in-law arrives seeking justice for her daughter in the form of an enticing woman from seven hundred years in the future.

DANIELLE DEARMON has waited fifteen years to discover the life she is supposed to live. She just never dreamed she’d end up in the thirteenth century with a handsome Scot bent on saving everyone but himself.

With the lives of those most dear to him hanging in the balance, Malcolm sets out to battle a powerful evil Magic, only to learn that the redemption he seeks exists only in the arms of the woman he loves.

Thea: And one of my lucky readers is going to get a signed copy!

Readers, just leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win a signed copy of Melissa’s book, Warrior’s Redemption. I’ll randomly select a winner from the comments on Monday, March 18th. Check back then to see if you won and to claim your prize.

Tell us readers, If you’re already a Melissa Mayhue fan, which is your favorite book of hers. If you’re new to Melissa’s stories, what do you think of that hunka hunk on the cover of Warrior’s Redemption?

Enjoy,

Thea