Where Did That Idea Come From?

When hubby's parents first retired they left Brooklyn and moved to a home in Greenville, NY--upstate as New Yorkers say. Compared to Brooklyn, it was rather quiet. However, there were things to do. Next to them was a small resort complete with a small lake where we would go boating. Not far away, was the Catskill Game Farm where our daughters enjoyed feeding and petting the animals. (The Catskill Game Farm closed in 2006.)

Most interesting to me was the town of East Durham, an Irish enclave. In the evenings, hubby and I would drive to East Durham and enjoy the entertainment at the Shamrock House. During the daytime, we browsed through the small Irish shops where I found books on Irish legends.

That's where the idea came to me for PRINCE OF THE MIST, which is set in the Catskills of upstate NY. In Ireland, the Sidhe are the human-sized fairies of legend, but there are other countries in the world with similar legends. Why couldn't human-sized fairies live in upstate NY?

The misty Catskill mountains made the perfect setting for my story and Wildon became THE PRINCE OF THE MIST.  I had a great time writing this story. It makes me long to go back to the Catskills! :-)

Sidhe in the Catskills

There are two more days to enter the Pot o' Gold Bookish Event at https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/pot-o-gold-bookish-event. You could win a $15 Amazon giftcard. 

You could also buy PRINCE OF THE MIST for only #99cents.  I saved a bunch of reviews Prince of the Mist received when it was released the first time. For the second edition, it is the same great book. The only difference is the cover. 😁

Now is the time for you to download Prince of the Mist because it's almost St. Patrick's Day and this is a story about one of the large, human-sized Irish fairies known as the Sidhe--except the hero of this book lives in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Sidhe in the Catskills you might ask? Of course! While the legends about the Sidhe come from Ireland, there are fairies in other countries. You can find a wealth of information about mythical creatures at http://www.kelleyheckart.com/FaeryLore.html

This book was fun to write and many reviewers enjoyed it as well. Read below to see what some reviewers said about the first edition.

Candy, reviewing for Coffee Time Romance, gave PRINCE OF THE MIST 5 Coffee Cups and said, “The conflicts between Tia and Wildon are full of humor and pathos. Their lovemaking is explosive. There is action and suspense as Tia fights her mother’s enemies. I enjoyed this book and I hope this is the beginning of a new series by Penelope Marzec. I look forward to reading more of her books.”

Julie Bonello at ECataRomance Reviews gave PRINCE OF THE MIST 4 Stars and said, “Penelope Marzec’s novella Prince of the Mist is an enchanting paranormal romance which will keep you enthralled from the first page to the last sentence!.....Prince of the Mist is a page-turning story which you will find very hard to put down. Penelope Marzec is a very talented author who keeps her readers hooked with this fabulous story which is full of fun, passion and intrigue.”

For PRINCE OF THE MIST, Valerie at Love Romances said, “Penelope Marzec has written a good book with a good plot. This reviewer was drawn in with the first page. There is lots of action and the opening is quite exciting. When Tia is running away from the car jacker, the reader feels her panic and fear. Tia is a heroine who the reader can relate to.”

The book received Four Angels from Brandy at Fallen Angel Reviews who said, “Ms. Marzec has created a sweet story that covers the full range of emotions. The plot is simple, but effective; the characters are likable and easy to relate to….. All in all, this is an excellent story and well worth reading.”

Brenda Thatcher, Reviewer at Mystique Books gave it Four and One Half Moons. She said, “PRINCE OF THE MIST is a wonderful book, a tender tale of love set against a politically hot topic….PRINCE OF THE MIST is highly recommended. It is a beautiful story of love that shows how two people from vastly different cultures can find unity.”

Wendi at Road to Romance said, “PRINCE OF THE MIST is so well written and spellbinding, my attention was grabbed from the beginning. I read the story all at once.”

Romance Junkies Reviewer Billie Jo awarded PRINCE OF THE MIST a Blue Ribbon Rating of 4.5 and said, “PRINCE OF THE MIST is a charming, sexy, and fun read. Penelope Marzec outdoes herself again with another magical love story that kept me enthralled from the beginning to the end. …I chuckled throughout this delightful tale. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Marzec’s books."

Susan from Enchanted In Romance gave PRINCE OF THE MIST 4 Unicorns and said, “Prince of The Mist is a 64-page story that will transport the reader to a magical realm. The author has written a fast paced and highly sensual story that will capture the readers’ imagination. The lead couple’s story and their struggles will draw you in and not let go until the very end.”

So there you have it. Lots of happy reviewers enjoyed Prince of the Mist. Give it a try. You don't have much to lose. It's less than the price of a cup of coffee. :^)

You can download it at https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Mist-Penelope-Marzec/dp/1467901288

The Irish In Me

My last name is Marzec because I married a man from Brooklyn whose parents came from Poland. So while he is definitely an American, he grew up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn—which is a lot like being in Poland. He went to a Catholic bilingual school (English and Polish). Marzec translates into the month of March in Polish. You can find it on a Polish calendar. 

I’m not Polish. On my mother’s side I’m Czech and Slovak. Those countries are close enough to Poland so that some of the words are similar. At the time my mother’s parents left their home country it was part of the Austrian Empire. However, my grandfather said he lived near Prague. Thanks to Ancestry, I know the name of the town where my grandmother was baptized and that she came to the United States when she was three years old. She and my grandfather met in this country and had seven children. My mother was Daughter #2.  

My paternal grandparents were Irish and German. This makes me a mere one quarter Irish, but as luck would have it, I resemble the Irish side of the family—except for my height which undoubtedly came from the German genes because my father’s relatives were all rather slight leprechauns.

With the exception of my German grandmother, all my predecessors were Catholic. Unfortunately, my Irish Catholic grandfather could not marry my German Protestant grandmother in the church. They were married in the vestibule. (That was a long time ago. Catholics can now marry non-Catholics in the church.) My Irish Catholic great aunts were responsible for making sure my father and his siblings received the sacraments.

Genetically, I’m a mongrel. My daughters are even more homogenized since they are half Polish.

Yet, somehow it is the Irish part of me that I feel most at home with—the Irish wit, songs, legends, and myths. That’s why I’ve written three books with Irish themes, Irons in the Fire, Prince of the Mist, and Kiss of Blarney. 

Hubby asked me to marry him on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day. Daughter #3’s birthday comes close to St. Patrick’s Day. 

Good reasons to celebrate! That’s why we always enjoy corned beef and soda bread at this time of year, but no kielbasi. :-)

Only $0.99 Each!

Click on the Amazon links below! 

KISS OF BLARNEY

FALLING IN LOVE

PRINCE OF THE MIST

The books are also available at Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes & Noble! 

Reduced Price for PRINCE OF THE MIST

The price of a digital edition of PRINCE OF THE MIST is now $.99! This is a real steal! Read the reviews below.

Wendi, a reviewer for The Road to Romance said, "PRINCE OF THE MIST is so well written and spellbinding, my attention was grabbed from the beginning. I read the story all at once." See the entire review at http://www.roadtoromance.ca/reviews0506/reviewprincemist.htm

Gloria Lakritz, senior reviewer at the Paranormal Romance Guild, said, "The writing flows well and the magic is both mystical and fun." See the entire review at http://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/reviewspenelopemarze.htm

To purchase the book click on the links below.

Amazon Kindle Edition of Prince of the Mist

Kobo's Ebook Edition of Prince of the Mist

Smashwords Ebook Edition of Prince of the Mist

It's available at iBooks, too. So download a digital edition now. It's cheaper than a cup of coffee. :-)

Get a FREE Book During Read an Ebook Week

If you haven't tried an ebook until now, here's your big chance to get many of them for FREE or at very reduced prices! I read both paper books and ebooks. I like them both, but an ebook does have many advantages. If you want a list of the advantages, I found a good one. Read Ten Advantages of E-book Readers.

I have owned many ebook readers, right now I own a Nook with the Glow Light. (It's small and light--big advantage right there.) However, I also download ebooks into my phone and my iPad. I have a Kindle app for my phone and my iPad. I have iBooks on the iPad as well. I actually read a lot of ebooks on my phone. Right now I'm reading Gulliver's Travels on my phone. (Very trippy book.)

At Smashwords,for this week only, you can download for FREE PRINCE OF THE MIST, my wonderful fantasy story about Wildon Forest, one of the Sidhe, who lives in the Catskills. He's a handsome fellow.

So follow this link PRINCE OF THE MIST. Grab the coupon code on the right side of the book page at the Smashword's site. and get a FREE book. FREE is fantastic. :-)

Sunday Scenes: PRINCE OF THE MIST

PRINCE OF THE MIST  is the story of Tia. Escaping a carjacker,  she tumbles into the Sifra—home of the fairies--and wakes to find herself wedded to a Sidhe prince. While insisting their marriage is not valid, she cannot deny the passion she finds in his arms. 

Wildon, son of the Sidhe king, must stop Tia’s mother, a state senator, from voting for a nuclear plant that would be built above the Sifra. In marrying the senator’s daughter, he can get close enough to prevent the senator from voting. However, falling in love with Tia is not part of the plan.

In the following scene, Wildon brings Tia home and meets Tia's mother, Angela Glenmore...

“You are, to use another human expression, light as a feather, dear wife.” He leaned closer to her lips. He watched her lashes flutter down against her cheeks. His senses, drunk with desire could hear nothing but the pounding of his heart.

Then someone grabbed his arm.

“Didn’t you hear me! Put my daughter down, you big oaf!”

Wildon turned to see Angela Glenmore. He had seen many glamorous photographs of her with a bright smile, but she was not smiling now. She reminded him of a volcano ready to blow its top.

“How do you do, Mother Glenmore.” He smiled as wide as he could but his misgivings concerning the imperious senator increased as he saw the orchid on her lapel vibrating.

“Don’t you dare call me Mother! Put my daughter down this instant or I will call the police!”

She shouted in such a stentorian voice that Wildon winced. He gently placed Tia on her feet, but she swayed a bit so he held onto her.

“It’s okay, Mom. He saved me from a carjacker.”

“A carjacker! When? Why didn’t you call me? I spent all night worrying about you. You didn’t call last night and I knew something was wrong.”

Angela Glenmore tried to snatch her daughter away from Wildon’s supportive embrace, but he refused to let Tia go, especially since her legs continued to wobble.

“I couldn’t call because my cell phone was in the car.”

Wildon felt Tia take in a deep breath before she went on.

“And I--I passed out. Wildon revived me and brought me back here.”

When Tia glanced up into his eyes, Wildon felt the delicate thread of desire binding them ever closer together.

He also caught the way Angela Glenmore narrowed her eyes and glared at him, measuring him from head to toe.

“Well, I suppose we owe him our thanks.”

Wildon noticed the way she pursed her lips. He knew of a charm that would make her lips stay in that pose forever, but he restrained himself from casting the spell on her. He had--as humans liked to say--more important fish to fry. However, the thought occurred to him that if she did not look so appealing in photographs maybe some people would not vote for her.

“It has been my pleasure to care for your daughter. I’ve never met such an attractive woman. That’s why I married Tia. I’m sure you’ll want to be the first to wish us much happiness.”

At that point, it sounded like Angela Glenmore was choking.