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Mimi B Rose
a book bubble about
Heart's Ease
Romance
Author Insight
Fated Mates and Fables
Ever since I was a little girl reading fairy tales and C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles, I have loved shifter tales. The idea of transforming one's shape and inhabiting another creature is fascinating. It also is a great theme in stories to show how characters are developing and changing, how they are disguising themselves, and how the outer appearance may reveal or hide the inner nature of someone. In my story, Charles and Chantelle are Fated Mates who are connected not only through the present but also in the past, when they were younger. In addition, they have a connection to each other through the stories Charles's clan tells and the folk tale Chantelle's granny told her. It is larger than the two of them, and they must come to understand their roles and their relationship within these expectations. It is revealed through Charles's use of the words "Caradec" and "Rouanez," Breton words for "beloved" and "queen." Charles knows these words through his cultural memory and the clan magic, and he uses them when he meets Chantelle. In this excerpt, he is still trying to figure it all out, and he asks his grandmother about the stories.
Book Excerpt
Heart's Ease
“Are you seeing anyone?”
“You know very well I’m not. Clementine said you asked her that same question last time she visited. I know you worry about me, but I’m all right.”
“That Chantelle is a lovely little thing. She was so devoted to her grandmother—it broke her heart when Ceci died. She’s seemed so lost ever since.”
“You know how important family and work are to me. There’s no time to date right now.” He stood up and walked the length of the room.
“I know it still hurts, but I don’t want you to spend your life living like a monk.”
Charles stopped pacing. “What does Rouanez mean?”
“When you were little, I would tell you a story about a Fae Queen who meets a Wolf Prince and they save each other.” Marie picked up her knitting.
“Have I met Chantelle before?”
“Her family used to live near us when she was little. When she finished grade school they moved away. Ceci came back to her house in Lac St. Patrice after Chantelle moved away for college.”
“I have something like a memory…” He shook his head.
Marie skipped a stitch and had to start again. “You might have seen her once or twice when you were little.”
“It’s something else, I think. It’s probably nothing.”
Marie dug for another ball of yarn in her knitting basket. “How are your brothers?”
“Michel is impatient to move Henri into his division. He could use some help in acquiring new properties.” Charles sat down.
“I thought Henri was going to work in security with Thomas?”
“Juana doesn’t want Henri to work in security. Says he’s acting too irresponsibly. She can’t rely on him.”
Marie snorted. “Those two have always argued. Don’t provoke your Pack Protector—Juana’s work is too important.”
“I’m glad I have my brothers. But they’ll never replace you.”
“Someday you’ll have a partner of your own to work with you.”
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