Rituals & Runes Author Feature Posted on August 25, 2022 | by C.D. Gorri Find your next book boyfriend in the pages of this limited edition collection of paranormal romance and urban fantasy tales. You can read about one of those book boyfriends in this author interview with Roxy Matthews. We’ll be talking her upcoming book, Unlikely Trio, which comes out only in the Rituals and Runes Anthology. Author: Roxy Matthews Book: Unlikely Trio R&R: Wonderful to have you today. What is the inspiration behind the talking monkey in your story? Roxy: That’s actually a funny, alcohol-induced story that starts with a cover deadline and me not even having a story yet. So, here I am, sitting on the living room floor, my laptop on the coffee table, Canva loaded, and a cooler in hand. I had two people I really liked from earlier cover-hotty searches and got to work creating. They fit well together, the background was colorful, the title brainstormed and accepted with a shrug of ‘why-not’. But something on the cover didn’t look right. Ahhh, there’s a space there that I could fill. Takes a sip of bubbly. Why not a monkey, like a spirit animal or something? I have a small one. Let’s see. Plops said monkey in empty space. BAM! Hey, why not a talking monkey? And the rest is history. Lol. I have worked with prompts in my life before, when I was early in my writing career, flexing my creative juices. So I could do this, right? R&R: That’s pretty funny and I bet it adds some excitement to the story. Are any other talking animals in your stories? Roxy: Hmm… good question. I feel that Unlikely Trio definitely raised the bar for me in my storytelling comfort zone. I’ve done magic in my Pale Bay Treasures series, have hit tender points in some, if not all of my previous pieces, even time-travel in a sci-fi short. I’ve always enjoyed crossing boundaries and genres, but to bring bits of humor and pieces of emotion together with that element of magical realism was not only fun, but intense. As for talking animals, never, aside from my shifter pieces. R&R: Stories with talking animals do push the boundaries of human imagination but that’s also what makes them neat and engaging. What is your favorite beverage, and what fuels your writing? Roxy: Favorite beverage is definitely coffee. Swap that to a cool drink in the evenings, and I’m a happy author. R&R: Coffee is definitely a must for a lot of us authors. And time to relax fuels the imagination. If you had magic, what type would you want to have? Roxy: I’m probably the most curious person you will meet, a people watcher at heart, so definitely the magic of super hearing. 🙂 Not a valiant magical request, but it would appease my nosey-spirit. R&R: Great balance of satisfying your curiosity but still keeping your distance. You could get some incredible material for books! What personal item would you want to have if you were stranded on a deserted island? This island has everything you have for survival already. Roxy: Definitely my bed. It’s outfitted with several layers of foam, the softest sheets known to man, a thick duvet and soft, lavender infused pillows… need I say more? R&R: Sounds heavenly. If you could go back in time and meet someone, who would you meet and why? Roxy: Oooh, just one, eh? Tricky. I would have to say, Ed and Lorraine Warren. I am a huuuge fan of things that go bump in the night, and their basement is loaded with them. I’d love to hear the stories firsthand while they give me a tour. R&R: What books do you have coming out that are not involved in the anthology? Roxy: Betrayed, the third piece in my Eternal Enemies shifter series will release in August 2022 in the Shift Happens: A Shapeshifter Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Anthology which I am super excited about. After that, I think I will be taking a break for the rest of the summer, then I have a few more stories for the shifter series, and a side-secret-project I’ve been working on… we’ll have to see come fall. 😉 R&R: Love it!! Would you rather read your writings to an audience of ten people who love you or to 10,000 people you don’t know? Roxy: Definitely 10,000 strangers. Then if I bomb the entire thing, I can go home and pretend it never happened. People who like me, I’ll still have to face after. Lol. Understandable. Thank you for the interview. Ahead we have more information about Unlikely Trio, and a juicy snippet from the book. Book blurb: Trinity Masters knew better than most—that time was fleeting, yet infinite… with the right spell, of course. For sixteen years she hid in the shadows of the home she was raised in, secretly learning the ways of the warlocks. Armed with the final strands needed to complete her spell, Trinity takes a headfirst leap into the past, only to end up facing the present. Oscar never had a one-day bathroom-stall fling get under his skin as much as the one he had with Trinity Masters. Daughter of the Puck clan, she intrigued him, yet made him wary, especially when he finds out she used him for a time-travelling spell meant to bring back the dead. Face to face with the demons of Trinity’s past and present, Oscar must decide which time to save and which to end, or forever be caught in an endless loop of pain and death. Excerpt: Trinity stood outside Puck’s office door, her hand hovering over the doorknob, while she struggled to focus her thoughts. Not only was her mind muddled from lack of sleep, but also from the images burnt into her mind, the memory of the heat of the fire on her skin, the scent of burnt wood on the air. It was all too real… still. From the other side of the door, she heard Puck’s cell trill. Trinity pulled her hand back, leaned closer, her ear inches from the hardwood. “Hello.” The silence to follow had her heart skip. “When? Just now? Is she okay?” Trinity pulled back, cursed. Max was many things, but too true a friend at that moment. “What does she remember?” She leaned in closer. “No, it’s not the time to tell her.” “What are you doing?” The booming voice from behind her had her jump and round in place to a broad chest covered in a black leather and fur vest. She looked up, met the dark eyes of Oscar Kemp, a sly grin on his lips. The sight of that smug look had her core heat, a growl build in her throat. “What are you doing?” His grin widened. “I asked first.” She huffed, pivoted in place and reached for Puck’s doorknob. The man was hot as hell, and she knew firsthand what he tasted like… in a lifetime that seemed not her own anymore. But she didn’t have time to think about Oscar or anyone for that matter, because she had questions to ask. Now, more than she’d first come with. She pushed her way inside Puck’s office, stopped just inside the door, her hands fisted on her hips. The sight of her, had Puck’s eyes widen. “She’s here now. Thank you,” he spoke into the cell at his ear. Ending the call, he pushed his chair back and stood. “You gave Max a fright.” “Oh please.” She released her hands from her hips, closed in on the desk, and placed both palms down as she leaned over it, her gaze fixated on Puck. “It’s not the time to tell me what?” Puck opened his mouth to reply, then closed it, shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Trin.” “Don’t call me that. I’m not a child anymore,” she snapped. “I heard what you said to Max.” She pushed herself up off the desk, rubbed her brow with one hand. Author Bio: Roxy Matthews, a member of the Silverleaf Writers Guild, is a self-published author of full length novels in the Romantic/Suspense and Fantasy genres. In 2018 she was named one of Canada’s Best Writers of the Year by Polar Expressions Publishing. Her work has been featured in several anthologies, including ‘The Way Through’ by Polar Expressions Publishing, The Charmed Writers Flash Fiction Anthology 2019, Naughty Night’s Press’ Sweeter Than Chocolate: Valentine’s Day Anthology, and Sultry Shifter Nights: A Shapeshifter Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Anthology. Roxy’s dark, twisted side can be read under her alternate pen name R.M.Sackville, where she tests the boundaries of taboo with Dark Fantasy, Sci/Fi, and Thriller pieces that include novellas, novelettes, and short story collections that delve into the dark and twisted. Her work has been featured in Suspense Magazine and LitFest Magazine. Where to find her: https://bluebaloo79.wixsite.com/roxymatthewsauthor https://www.facebook.com/OtherworldlyInfluenceFiction/ Tweets by AuthorRoxy https://www.instagram.com/roxy_matthews_author/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxy-matthews-a5849a114/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17060600.Roxy_Matthews http://roxymatthews.allauthor.com/ https://www.bookbub.com/profile/roxy-matthews?list=about Get more magical & paranormal-themed stories like this in Rituals & Runes! Universal: https://books2read.com/rituals Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oz9aGJ