Saturday 10 November 2012

Author Zrinka Jelic is on my blog today!

Today I am delighted to welcome author Zrinka Jelic on my blog.

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Hello fans of romance and thank you, Marie for hosting me on your blog. I’m glad to be here today when we take time to remember those who laid their lives for the better future.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

As you can see from the poster and the first two verses of McCrea’s “In Flanders Fields” poem, I’m Canadian. But my home country is Croatia and therefore all my novels take place there, partially or in whole. My debut novel “Bonded by Crimson” is set partially in Croatia and the hero is a three centuries immortal from a well-known Croatian legend whose forbidden love ended tragically. It was only natural that the hero experienced a few wars along his long life.

Here’s a short excerpt:
“May, 1942 – Three weeks since we arrived at the underground hospital of Petrova Gora and Matthias immersed himself in the work. I am yet to get used to him carrying that blasted gun holstered to his belt. He is exhausted, and although he hides it well, I can see the sorrow on his face from the lost lives of those in his care. The supplies are running short, forcing him to relive the horror of when he had to operate without sedation. This war has made animals of the best of men, with brothers, willing to kill each other. What for, I ask? When will all this needless dying end?”
Kate shivered at the horrors of war and flipped to the next page. Matthias stared at her from a sepia photograph. She smiled and ran her finger over his image captured in time. Two large golden stars on the epaulets of his jacket indicated his rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. The five point star was displayed on the tilted wedge cap nestled in his thick hair. Then Emina’s diary took Kate to a different world once again, and she lost any sense of time until Matthias’s hand caressed her neck, sending sensuous shivers down her spine. She placed the diary on the table and looked up at his face. He held the phone pressed to his ear. Over sixty years ago, during the Second World War when her parents were children, the man she was about to marry fought as a Partisan. Would she ever get used to his real age?

Blurb:
Love isn’t in the cards for her…
After her short, failed marriage, Kate tries to rebuild her life and takes a position as a nanny to three small boys. She quickly grows to love them, but their father terrifies her, while igniting a passion she didn’t know she possessed. Disturbed by his distant manner with his sons, Kate struggles to make him more involved in the boys’ daily lives. Her efforts are mysteriously supported by an entity that cannot really exist. Or can she? And if she does exist, is she really trying to help Kate, or just take over her body?
But when he deals the hand, all bets are off…
Six years after his beloved wife passed away, Matthias Zrin is still trying to become the father she wanted him to be. Not an easy task for a three-centuries-old immortal. His search for the ultimate nanny ends when Kate Rokov stumbles to his home and into his arms. The immediate attraction he feels for her seems like a betrayal of his dead wife, a love he’s harboured for over three hundred years. But when Kate is stalked by a deadly stranger, the life he clung to in the past begins to crumble and break down. Can Matthias learn to trust and to love again in time to save his family from disaster, or will his stubborn pride destroy everything worth living for?






Biography
Zrinka Jelic lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two children. A member of the Romance Writers of America and its chapter Fantasy Futuristic &Paranormal, 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.”
Website

Watch the book trailer here:


Also watch for my second novel “Treasured Chest” a pirate’s romance, coming out November 24th.


Thank you Zrinka for coming on my blog today. Good luck with the release of your latest novel.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for being such a great hostess, Marie. I love to reach out to new readers.

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  2. Hi Zrinka and Marie.
    Enjoyed your post. Thank you for honouring our veterans.
    Sending you best wishes with Treasure Chest.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Bev. And best to you too with your newest release. Glad you stopped by.

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