Marked Under the Midnight Sun
Black Rock Guardians, #3
by Susanna Strom
Date of Publication: May 21, 2024
Publisher: Cougar Creek Publishing, LLC
Cover Artist: Lori Jackson
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781960382092
ASIN: B0CKKXFYFC
Tagline: He was loaded for bear. And he still wasn’t ready for her…
BLURB
Viggo
I do jobs no one else in my pack can do. Dirty jobs.
Like kidnapping Liv Hagen.
I didn’t want to do it. I was just following my alpha’s orders.
I never thought my bear would think she’s ours.
But there’s no way I can keep her. The consequences are too dire.
So, when the time comes, I’ll have no choice but to surrender her to fate.
Even if it kills me…
Liv
Kidnapped, held captive, and used as a bargaining chip against the Black Rock Guardians.
Yeah. Seems about right for my luck.
But if the big, bad bear shifter thinks I’m going to submit to his—or anyone’s—will, he’s got another thing coming.
Which is why I’ll just have to ignore my attraction to the sexy jerk. It’s probably Stockholm syndrome, anyway.
I mean, it’s not like he’s my fated mate or anything… right?
Marked Under the Midnight Sun, Book 3 in the Black Rock Guardians Series, is a lightly angsty, enemies to lovers paranormal romance with plenty of spice and tense moments, and just the right amount of suspense, action, and adventure. Download today and get ready for the supernatural romance you didn’t know you needed.
Excerpt:
Liv huddled next to the campfire, a flimsy Mylar sleeping bag wrapped around her shoulders. Soaking wet, her cheeks flushed scarlet from the frigid air, the human was in trouble. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the temperature was plummeting.
I glanced at my shivering captive. “Gimme your coat, dress, and boots.”
“What?” she sputtered. “Dude, I’m not stripping in front of you.”
My lip quirked. Nobody but this feisty, gotta-be-freezing-her-ass-off woman would dare call me dude. Most pack mates cringed in my presence, and referred to me as Mr. Creed, or sir.
Not Liv.
“You’ll never warm up if you spend the night in wet clothes.” I pointed at the sticks wedged into the ground next to the campfire. “I’ll put your things close to the flames to dry out.”
“Forget it.” She yanked the emergency sleeping bag up to her ears.
I bit the inside of my cheek. I never got a good look at her body underneath the sodden down parka, but her legs were shapely and I bet her figure matched.
What the hell am I doing?
Was there any thing more pointless, more self-destructive than being attracted to the woman I’m turning over to my heartless alpha?
Time to shut this shit down.
I stepped toward her and deliberately shaped my features into an intimidating scowl.
“You telling me you’d rather freeze to death than take off your wet clothes?”
She didn’t answer, probably realizing how foolish she’d sound if she said yes.
“My orders are to bring you safe and sound to Medved. I can’t let you get hypothermia.”
“And a flunky like you doesn’t dare disappoint his alpha, right?” Scorn dripped from her voice.
“That’s right.” No point in taking offense when she spoke the truth. I lowered my chin and put command into my voice. “So either you strip or I’ll do it for you.”
Color returned to her cheeks in an angry flush. “Try it, buddy, and you’ll lose a hand.”
I could easily overpower the mouthy woman and peel her clothes off. Grizzly shifter versus human? Hell, no contest. Liv wasn’t stupid. She had to realize how powerless and vulnerable she was. Still, she jutted out her chin, and her pretty brown eyes shot sparks.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I debated how to handle the insolent human. I’d ripped her away from everybody and everything she knew. Her next few days were bound to be rough, especially if she shot off her mouth in front of Medved. Why not cut her some slack? If she saw me as a reasonable man, she might be more willing to listen when I warned her to mind her manners in front of my alpha.
“How about I turn around and look the other way while you undress?” I proposed.
The fingers clutching the top of the sleeping bag had turned bone white, and she trembled from the cold. “Fine,” she said reluctantly. “Do it.”
I put my back to her. “Just don’t get any crazy ideas about picking up a branch and clobbering me.”
She snorted. “We’re in the middle of godforsaken nowhere.” I heard rustling as she dropped the sleeping bag and shed her wet clothes. My imagination filled in the details as I imagined her naked behind me. “Even if I managed to knock you out, where would I go?”
Author Info
Susanna loves to read―and write―stories full of complex characters who find love, hope, and connection while navigating through an exciting and dangerous world. Susanna lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and two very spoiled cats.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Susanna Storm . . .
How would you describe your style of writing to someone who has never read your work?
I write steamy paranormal and post-apocalyptic romance. My books have a lot of action and emotion. Even when I write about supernatural beings or the end of the world, I try to make my stories and characters feel grounded in reality. My heroes tend to be strong and protective men who love hard. They’re never alpha jerkwads or bullies. My heroines are strong, smart, determined, and not afraid to go after what they want. Readers tell me that they love the family dynamics in my stories, whether it’s the relationship between siblings, cousins, or found family. More than a few badass elders appear in my books. Third act breakups aren’t my thing. I prefer that the black moment come from an outside force trying to tear apart a committed couple. I like to write first person, past tense, with dual POV.
Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
Hmmm… Everyone’s writing process is unique. What works to lubricate the storytelling gears for one author may not work for another. My brain isn’t wired for the words to flow easily and naturally. Vomit drafting—pushing out a rough first draft—doesn’t work for me. My creative muse goes on strike if I try to move forward in a story while leaving behind plot holes, typos, or anything my intuition tells me isn’t right. This means I write slowly, but produce fairly clean first drafts.
Learning how to placate my internal editor while making progress with the story took time. I eventually developed a writing system that works for me. I write first thing in the morning before my mind is distracted by anything else. After my first cup of coffee, I sit and visualize myself staying on task and reaching my word goal. I journal. Something about putting pen to paper helps me brainstorm what I want to write that day. I meditate, then go to my desk. While writing, I listen to the sound of thunderstorms. I don’t allow myself to look at email, social media, my book rankings, or anything else until I’ve written at least 1000 words. This system gets my creative juices flowing.
Do you take character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page?
When I first started writing, I did a lot of prep work. I filled out character sheets and asked myself every question I could think of about them. I quickly figured out that doing so didn’t help me craft better or more compelling characters. Now, I usually start writing with only a vague sense of the plot and the characters. I ask myself “What does this character want and what’s keeping them from getting it?” The story and characters comes to life as I write.
Do you people watch to help with character development? Or do you build upon your characters during story creation?
When I start writing a new book, everything I know about it would fit on a note card. I have a general sense of the two romantic leads and what the book is about. I’m an intuitive/discovery writer. Nothing stalls my creativity more than outlining and planning. Over time, I’ve realized that my subconscious mind—what I call my back brain—does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to creating plot and characters. Story ideas percolate in my back brain and emerge when they’re ready. Often, my conscious mind doesn’t know a character exists until they pop out on the page almost fully formed.
I’ve always been a people watcher and fascinated by personality. I’ve benefited from studying the nine Enneagram personality types and learning about each types’ fundamental fears and motivations. Once a character appears in the story, I use that knowledge to enrich and build upon their characters.
Can you share your next creative projects(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
Now that Marked Under the Midnight Sun is finished, I’ve started work on book #4 in the Black Rock Guardians series, Beneath a Shifter’s Sky. I’m looking forward to watching Remy, the wolf pack’s tech guy, find his happy ever after. I introduced the female main character in the epilogue to Marked Under the Midnight Sun. Skye is a woman on the run. Trouble will follow her to Belle Reve and will reveal a major new threat to the Black Rock Guardians. The plot is simmering in my back brain. I have faith that the story, words, and characters will come together in a satisfying way.
I plan to revisit my post-apocalyptic World Fallen series with a novella set in Portland during the early days of the pandemic. I’m considering releasing it on Vella first, but haven’t made up my mind.
Thank you Susanna Storm for joining and giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated.
Website: https://susannastrom.com/
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Susanna’s Stormers, Facebook Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1572291033136914
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20463245.Susanna_Strom
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