Dark Romance Behind the Scenes
Happy Thursday! I’m excited to share some behind-the-scenes info on the Condemned series. If you like action-packed romance with a serious dose of darkness, then you’ll love Alex and Rafe’s twisted love story. Rafe Mason is the ultimate antihero alpha male, and he’s out for revenge against the woman who had him wrongly convicted eight years ago. What follows is a six-book rollercoaster ride of sexy times, dark secrets, and shocking revelations, along with a cast of villains our antihero and heroine don’t see coming until it’s too late. Alex and Rafe overcome a lot of obstacles to reach their Happily Ever After, but in the end, love prevails.
Behind the Scenes
Rafe seeks revenge by kidnapping the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Alex is terrified of water (we’re talking about a serious phobia that interferes with her ability to live a normal life), and Rafe, being the twisted man he is, takes her to his private island to get his deviant payback.
When I began writing the first book in the series, I went looking for inspiration—a privately owned island with a single cabin on it. Google turned up Eighteenmile Island, which just happened to be in the state of Oregon (where the story is set). I took a drive with a friend one day, and we checked it out from the highway. The island is located on the Columbia River just outside Mosier, OR, and I learned from the locals that they call it the Tom Selleck Island because it’s rumored the actor owned it at one point. Whether that’s true or not, I have no idea, but it was the perfect place to use as inspiration for Mason Island in Condemned.
I took this picture a few months later when I went back with my hubby, and we explored Mosier Twin Tunnels for the first time. If you live in the area, or plan to visit anytime soon, the tunnels are worth the trip, and you’ll have the perfect view of the island from the tunnels.
Excerpt
This scene is from Torrent (book #1), when Alex tries to escape and realizes she’s on an island…
“Let me go!” I lifted a knee and aimed for his balls, and when he doubled over with a groan, I took off running. Time seemed to slow, and every footstep felt as if I were forging through mud. I reached the door, flung it open, and lurched into the cold. I didn’t dare look back. He could have been a foot behind me and I wouldn’t have known, and I was too scared to find out.
Breaths coming in shallow gasps, I raced over rough ground. Rocks bit into my feet and wind whipped hair into my eyes as rain drenched my body. At this point, I didn’t care that I was running naked in the middle of nowhere, exposed to the weather.
A streak of lightning lit up the sky, and I saw a break in the trees.
“Alex!”
My heart pounded in my chest, as loud as the thunder overhead as I recognized the fury in Rafe’s voice. He sounded much too close. I buckled down and made for the trees, hoping to find a road on the other side, the source of the highway noise I’d noticed before from inside the kitchen.
“Stop! Alex!”
I broke through the line of Douglas firs in a full out sprint, but it wasn’t a road beyond the trees. Lightning lit up the sky again, and for that mere second, I saw the water. Rain pounded the surface, causing a choppy and violent scene. I skidded, my bare feet scraping over pebbles and dirt, and tried to halt forward motion.
I was too late.
With a terrified shriek, I tipped over the edge, my body twisting around as I fell in with a splash. More lightning streaked the heavens, and I saw Rafe’s horrified expression. I screamed for him, arms reaching and thrashing as I sank into the freezing depths. Water closed over my face, and the murky void pulled me under.
Pulled me away from him. Away from my only hope of being saved. I sure as hell couldn’t save myself. I couldn’t even swim.
No Comments