I grew up in wheatbelt territory in Western Australia. It was flat countryside that, to me, was very boring. Gum trees and spinifex, and tea trees everywhere. The type of trees that grow in Western Australia are unique. Show me a photo of a piece of countryside and I know it’s Australia, because of the trees…and sometimes, the lack of them.
So for me, as I grew up, things like mountains and snow and forests were the most exotic landscapes out there. Mountains in particular, and the blue-green lakes around them and all those fir trees, were sources of wonder and delight.
Fast forward a (few) decades and now I live right next to some of the grandest mountains in the world. Oddly, I still think they’re friggin’ fantastic. I don’t think I will ever lose my awe of them.
But in the intervening years since I left Australia, my appreciation for non-mountainous countryside, deserts (which describes a lot of Australia) and ancient landscapes has developed. Which is a good thing. I can look at Australian landscapes now and understand their unique beauty. Just because they’re barren and strange and would never be put on a chocolate box top (remember those?), doesn’t mean they’re not awe-inspiring.
That’s how I zeroed in on the location for Octavia’s War.
The photos of Cañón de Santa Elena, Chihuahua, Mexico are just as breathtaking as some of the rugged Australian countryside and I found myself drawn by a sense of familiarity. The climate around the Rio and Big Bend National Park, as well as Cañón de Santa Elena, is very close to the climate in the areas where I grew up. The dryness, the summer heat, and the wide-open skies are all the same.
It made it very easy to mentally walk around that stony country and know how it would feel to be inside the rocky gorges.
As Octavia’s War was the story of Alexander’s trinity and Alexander already had south-of-the-border history, the story sort of fell together after that.
Here’s the blurb and a snippet for you.
This is not Octavia’s war.
In the deserts of northern Mexico, Octavia has been fighting her own sneaky war against the cartels, while ignoring her growing feelings for Ángel, the son of the cartel’s leader.
Ángel Garcia hates with a passion his family and the family business. Until he can find a way out of the life he hides how he feels about anything or anyone.
When Bear Dawson, an American businessman, is executed by Ángel’s crazy brother, Ángel and Octavia are forced to run for their lives into the desert, where they are found by a man called Remmy, who has lived for two hundred years. Remmy tells them of the Grimoré who make Octavia’s war seem puny.
The bonding has begun….
This is the sixth book in Tracy Cooper-Posey’s explosive urban fantasy series that reviewers have called sexy, dramatic and dangerous. Grab your copy today!
Warning: This short MMF vampire romance features two super-hot alpha heroes, multiple sex scenes, including anal sex, MM sexual play, and MMF sex. Do not read this book if frank sexual language and sex scenes offend you.
No non-humans were harmed except for large numbers of Grimoré, who died with satisfactory squeals…
This book is part of the Destiny’s Trinities series:
Book 1.0: Beth’s Acceptance
Book 2.0: Mia’s Return
Book 3.0: Sera’s Gift
Book 3.5: The First Trinity – Novellas 1-3
Book 4.0: Cora’s Secret
Book 5.0: Zoe’s Blockade
Book 6.0: Octavia’s War
Book 6.5: The Second Trinity – Novellas 4-6
Book 7.0: Terra’s Victory (September 2016)
A Vampire Ménage Urban Fantasy Romance
EXCERPT FROM OCTAVIA’S WAR
COPYRIGHT © TRACY COOPER-POSEY 2016
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Sera arrived with her arms around with Wyatt and Diego. She was carrying a half-filled coffee cup and half of a slice of toast in her hands, as well.
“I guess it’s breakfast time in New York,” Alex said, as they separated.
Wyatt kissed him. “Mia is pissed,” he warned, his voice low. “I had a devil of a time getting her to let me come without her.”
“For the sake of my nerves, I’m glad you won that argument,” Alex said, deep relief trickling through him.
“I can see why,” Wyatt said, looking at the bloody mess in the middle of the courtyard. “Only, I don’t think I won. You know what she’s like. She’ll get around us somehow.”
“As long as she does it from the sofa in the apartment in New York, she can be as sneaky as she wants to be,” Alex said.
Wyatt shook his head. “She’s just scared.”
“That’s not like her,” Alex said slowly, his heart giving a little, hard thud.
“You great lummox,” Diego told Alex, his tone pithy. “You’re back in cartel gangland, where you got yourself killed the first time around. You’re really wondering why she’s scared?”
Wyatt grinned and shrugged when Alex glared at him.
Diego pressed his toe against the remains curiously. “Vampeen damage. The locals really think it’s a dude with a knife that did this?”
“There’s no other explanation that comes close to making sense for them,” Alex said.
“There are teeth marks,” Diego pointed out.
“The biggest carnivore around here is the size of a football,” Wyatt added. “That is, if you’re not including vampeen on the list.” He looked around. “They were here for a reason.”
What do you think?
Let me know in Comments, below!
Octavia’s War will be released on October 25, 2016. For various reasons, this title will not be available for pre-order.
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Looks like I need do some serious catching up on some reading. I also love mountains, deserts, etc. My mom worked for over 20 years at Big Bend National Park and each of my 3 children spent a year with her. They attended what was then a one room school house, which currently has expanded greatly and even has a gym now. Every time I drove into the park it awed me; it was like the hand of God just smacked into the earth bringing the mountains up and the surrounding land into deserts. My mothers house backed up into a mountain and she and whichever grandchild was with her would go hiking. Another time I called during the day and my son answered, I asked him why he was home and nonchalantly says “we couldn’t go to school because there’s a pregnant mountain lion eating in the ravine we cross to go to school. Another time another son called all excited, explaining that he and his grandmother were mowing the front yard and they found a nest of baby rattlers. I could go on forever; I miss her being able to visit her there.
It sounds like some great memories you have there, Dina!
That sense of majesty and awe is the same as some of the wasted landscapes in Western Australia. They’re stunning in their own very special way.
Cheers,
t.