TANTALIZING TUESDAY

The Moonlighters Welcome Deena Remiel

Please welcome Deena Remiel into the Moonlight. Deena is the author of Trinity, A Brethren Novel, which will be released by Decadent Publishing. Other books written by Deena Remiel are Relic, the second in the Brethren Novel Series, soon to be released by Decadent Publishing, and Brethren Beginnings~ Rise of the Brethren, Volumes 1 and 2, free reads at Decadent Publishing.

Now, it's time to create a little mayhem and get to the good stuff by revealing all Deena’s deepest darkest secrets in the moonlight. LOL Yeah, you wish! ;-D Grab your favorite wicked drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and enjoy getting to know Deena Remiel.


MLM: The holidays are fast approaching and things always seem to get busier during this time of year. Do you have a relaxing technique that helps you de-stress? If so, please share, because this is advice we all need!

DR: Well… lists. Lists are good. Whenever I get stressed over gift-giving I make lists. Once it’s on paper the stress level immediately goes down. Then, when I get to cross someone OFF my list, well that just makes my day and I feel 10 pounds lighter. If only those 10 pounds were real!  I also buy extra gifts just in case we have an unexpected guest with an unexpected gift of their own. Not a technique, but a proactive de-stressing strategy. Now, deep breaths, hot cocoa, and a great story help to ease me into a wonderfully relaxing evening.


MLM: Not everyone celebrates Christmas, but most of us still have traditions we participate in, such as attending holiday parties, decorating your house, baking cookies, etc. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

DR: My family loves decorating the interior of the house in shiny silver and blue. From garlands to obnoxious hanging paper lantern-like hangings, we have on occasion given the Griswalds of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation fame a run for their money. We love celebrations, so we usually invite all of our friends over to celebrate Chanukah, with potato latkes, donuts, falafel, chocolate money, and presents. Then we go over to their houses to decorate their Christmas trees and watch the kids open presents on Christmas Day.


MLM: In the south, holidays are centered around food, with huge meals and lots of baked sweets. Do you have a favorite holiday recipe you'd like to share with us? If not, how about an all-year-round favorite recipe?

DR: I’d love to share my potato latke recipe with you. It’s a meal that we eat often, but especially during Chanukah. So, if you’re like me and enjoy semi-homemade cooking, you’ll appreciate this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 bag Simply Potatoes, shredded 2 eggs
1/3 cup – ½ cup of flour 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp pepper
Vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. In large skillet, heat ¼ inch of vegetable oil on medium heat. Use a large serving spoon to scoop out some of the mixture and mold it to the spoon. Gently turn mixture into the heated oil. Repeat until skillet is full. Put spatter cover over skillet. Turn latkes over when the bottoms are golden brown. Remove from skillet when both sides are golden brown. Place on a cookie sheet covered with paper toweling to drain. Lightly sprinkle a little more salt over the latkes. Repeat process until mixture is all used up.
Serve with sides of sour cream or apple sauce. Enjoy!


MLM: There's another way to cook that's not semi-homemade? ;-) Have you ever made your own holiday presents and/or decorations? If so, what were they? Were they successes or failures? Did you have fun while making them?

DR: We are not particularly crafty people over here, but I can think of one or two things we’ve made for the holidays. On a couple of Thanksgivings, when my girls were much younger, we actually made name card holders that looked like Pilgrim hats and decorations that looked like ears of corn, but were made with candy corn. We had a blast making them and setting them on the table for all to enjoy. We also made real butter for many years. That had its ups and downs. We’d laugh hysterically because we looked like idiots shaking the jar. Sometimes, the jar wasn’t so good and we’d get splashed with the liquid that had separated from the solid. Yuck! But when we got it right, mmm, that butter was the most delicious butter we’d ever eaten.


MLM: If "Santa Claus" could bring you any gift you wanted, what would be your ultimate gift? (Please refrain from saying "money" because who doesn't want more of that!)

DR: Oh please, oh please Santa, I’d love a vacation home in Hawaii, and the means to get there anytime at all.


MLM: Oh, me too! Somewhere warm and sunny and out of this freaking arctic chill that's gripping my southern state! Brrr….Odd question, but my 9 year old thinks Rudolph and the reindeers "guiding Santa's sleigh" have GPS navigation. So, if you could give Santa and his sleigh any one modern technology, what would it be and why?

DR: Ha! Love it! I think I’d like to get his sleigh on the show, Pimp My Ride. They’d pimp out his sleigh with the latest in stereo systems, tv, gaming and dvd systems. Then they’d put a sick paint job on it.


MLM: ROFLMAO Too funny, Deena! Now, let’s get to your writing, Deena...what genre do you write and what is the draw for you?

DR: I write paranormal romances. I absolutely love the idea of creating a new world and a group of characters with compelling backgrounds. Fantasy stories and romance novels have always been a part of my life, so putting the romantic and the fantastical elements together in my writing seemed destined to be.


MLM: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

DR: Ferocity of spirit. At the core of all of my writing, whether novels, short stories, or poetry, is the desire to empower others, to send the message that no matter how bad things get, we are not alone and Good will prevail. In addition, we are our own advocates and responsible for making our own choices that lead us through the hardest of times to the definitive, desired outcome- success.


MLM: Ooo…I like that! With the current movement to encourage people to give books as gifts, what, in your opinion, makes your story unique? What makes Trinity stand out among all of the other books out there?

DR: Well, when was the last time you prayed for help, and wound up falling in love with the very angel sent to help you? Trinity is a story of love’s loyalty and faith tested, of forgiveness, and of ultimate sacrifice.


MLM: Do you prefer throwing snowballs or serving hot cocoa? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

DR: I prefer serving up the hot cocoa, for sure. I’m a nurturer by nature, so there’s nothing I enjoy more than watching everyone playing in the snow, then suddenly seeing they’re snow-caked bodies rush toward the house. They can’t peel off they’re sopping wet snow coats fast enough. The droning hum of the dryer harmonizes with the yummy sighs of people as they sip on their steaming mugs of hot cocoa. This definitely shows in my writing because I’ve given Emma, my heroine, those nurturing qualities as well. The Brethren Protectors send energy surges of comfort and peace. The Brethren Saviors heal not just body, but mind and soul.


MLM: If you could give any of your characters a holiday gift, which character would it be and what would you give them? Why do they deserve this gift?

DR: Hmmm. I think I’d like to give Michael a Nikon digital camera. He seemed so taken by the photographs on Emma’s fireplace mantle that I bet he would appreciate the opportunity to take some of his own and to be in them as well.


MLM: Who decides what your characters do, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one stuffing the stocking?

DR: Ooh, great question! I decide and my characters laugh! Ha ha! Actually, my characters and I work as a team. I start the ball rolling with some key ingredients and ideas and then my characters chime in and take over for a little while. On rare occasions I have had to take control back, but they’re pretty terrific about discussing and deciding what should happen and why.


MLM: Dear Muse…I want Deena's Muse, so take notes! What character did you have the most fun creating and why?

DR: No doubt about it, Agremon! What an evil, sarcastic SOB! Whenever I had to write a scene with him in it, I would have to physically and mentally change myself. My relaxed sitting position changed to one of aggression. I had to let all good thoughts out of my head and let creepy ones enter so I could think and speak like him. He reminds me a bit of Freddy, from Nightmare on Elm Street, with his sarcasm and his ability to create nightmares that people don’t usually come out of alive.


MLM: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why?

DR: I’d like to meet Michael because I believe in angels, but I’ve never met one.


MLM: Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

DR: Both Namirha and Agremon can stay good and far away from me! I don’t ever want to come face to face with pure evil, and they, my friends, are pure, unadulterated evil.


MLM: If you were interviewing yourself, what is the one question you would ask yourself and please give us the answer to that question?

DR: Question- Are there any authors who have inspired you along this writing journey? If so, who are they? Answer- Yes, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Jayne Ann Krentz. Before I embarked on my own writing career, I came across their books and never looked back. Sherrilyn has inspired me to create my own world, the world of the Brethren, where angels really do exist on Earth. I’ve created a whole team of Brethren with a solid purpose and compelling stories. Jayne Ann’s romance and depth of emotion, in any time period, squeezes my heart and takes my breath away. So I look to these authors as mentors.


MLM: Thanks so much for joining us, Deena! It's been a treat getting to know you better!

DR: Well, it’s certainly been a pleasure being here and chatting it up with you. Thank you so much for having me here today. Before I go, I would just like to add that one reason why I love my publishing house so much, Decadent Publishing, is because of the vigorous fundraising they do for the American Cancer Society. I am part of the team for Relay for Life, and I’d like to ask your readers to join me in our efforts to help cancer patients see their next birthday, and the next. All we need is a moment and a donation of any amount. It would be so appreciated! Just click on this link, and it will take you to my page. Thank you all! =D http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=18312701&fr_id=31130&pg=personal

Website: http://www.deenaremiel.com/
Buy Link: to be announced
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http://brethrenbeginnings.wordpress.com/
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BLURB:

One way or another, terror will reign tonight.

Emma Livingston, a single mom, has been through hell—and back, so she thinks. While dealing with her five year old daughter’s night terrors, she attempts to live a normal life. That is, until the being from those very nightmares comes to visit her. Has her child been dealing with a real demon while she thought he was only a figment of an active imagination?

Michael D’Angelo is known to everyone in Prophet’s Point, Arizona, as their loving elementary school principal. But to The Brethren, he is known as the most powerful Protector. Immortal and angelic does not mean he’s without doubts or fears. While trying to protect Emma and Hannah, his tortured past comes back to haunt him. Can he overcome it? Or is he doomed to repeat a failure he has lived with for what seems like an eternity?

As Emma and Michael come together to protect Hannah, ancient secrets are revealed and faith is tested. When a prophecy is exposed, questions must be answered… Can Emma learn to trust enough to love again? Can Michael believe in himself enough to show Emma how? And will they be able to protect an innocent child, not to mention save the world as they know it, from total annihilation?


EXCERPT:

A blood-curdling scream shattered the peaceful silence of the wee hours. She roused, instantly alert. Her soul, rocked by the echoing scream, seized up like a blown car engine.

“Ow! Son of a bitch!” Emma swore under her breath. She kicked aside the inconsiderate Malibu Barbie. “Hannah, I’m coming! Mama’s coming!”

Her stomach roiled at the terror and desperation in her daughter’s panic-stricken voice echoing through the hallway.

“I won’t go! I won’t go! No! I’ll never let you take me! I won’t do it! You can’t make me do it! Mama! Help me! Mama!”

Well hell, this is something new. Usually, when Hannah was having one of her nightmares, she shrieked until Emma talked her out of it and put her back to sleep. Now she’s talking in her nightmare, too? Completely at a loss, she raked her hands through her hair as she rushed to her daughter, writhing on the bed.

“Hannah, I’m here. You’re ok. Mama’s here. Wake up, honey. Sweetie? Mama’s here.” She repeated these phrases like a mantra, trying to keep her voice as calm and soothing as possible. But who was she kidding? This newly added dimension of these nightmares was sending her over the deep end herself. She hoped her little one couldn’t sense it.

“Mama! He’s got me! Save me, Mama!” Hannah pleaded in a frenzy of emotion. It looked as though something was tugging on her arms and she was trying to pull them back. And her eyes were open.

Crap! She’s never had her eyes open before, either. What the hell was going on?

She sat next to her frenzied body and waved a hand in front of her face. Hannah looked at and past her, as though there really was someone else in the room; as though this someone was seated right next to her. Crap, crap, crap! As she turned to look beside her, she saw a hint of a shadow, but then figured it to be her own. Get a hold of yourself.

“Honey, wake up. It’s only a dream. You’re ok. You’re safe.”

Hannah looked back again at her, and foretold in a chilling tone, “I’ll never be safe, Mama. Not anymore.”