5/17/2012

Maxine Mansfield: A Debut Author with a Fun and Unexpected Twist on Adult Fairy Tales


I’m pleased to introduce my very good friend and fellow writer Maxine Mansfield. Maxine and I met when I lived in Alaska and we joined the same critique group. We’ve watched each other grow into excited and talented (certainly in her case) published authors. Maxine’s debut novel “Touched By the Magic” is an adult fantasy erotica that you might, just might, let your mama read! Yes, it’s hot. It’s also slightly voyeuristic and more than a little unusual. BUT, it’s also sweet and fun and completely entertaining. You’ll laugh out loud at the crazy antics of her gnomes and wild characters, but you’ll fall in love with hero and heroine Uthiel and Briar. I guarantee it’s a book you won’t forget. So help me welcome, Maxine Mansfield. -- Liz

About Maxine
Maxine Mansfield writes romances in many different forms from her easy chair in the far northern state of Alaska, where the summer days are long and the winter nights even longer. She has one very special man, three equally special adult children, and six delightful grandchildren in her life. Not to mention a very bossy and verbal African Grey parrot called Gabriel.


About “Touched By the Magic”
New to The Academy of Magical Arts, Briarlarn Tumbleweed wants to learn the art of a True Healer, but her nerves get the best of her when she’s paired in the sexually dynamic healing class with Uthiel Stoutheart, Paladin of the Realm. Between burning off his eyebrows and overturning a candle on certain exposed male parts, she isn't making a very good impression. But how can she focus when Uthiel is strong, brave, and touches Briar in a way that leaves her weak in the knees, quivering with pleasure, and begging for more?

Falling in love with the accident-prone but talented Briar was not what Uthiel had planned, but life with the sexy healer is adventurous, hilarious, mind-blowingly stimulating, and clearly his destiny. His soul awakens while taking her to new heights of ecstasy, yet he can't allow his own pleasure. There’s no getting around it—he must leave The Academy and pursue his quest to right the wrongs done to his people if he can ever hope to find happiness with Briar.

But is their love strong enough to mend the magic so desperately needed to preserve their world, and that touches both their souls with a searing heat?


A little excerpt for you:
What good is studying to be a true healer
if you can’t heal the one person who holds
your heart in his hands?
Briar gulped once more and shifted until she was directly in front of him. Standing on tiptoes, she whispered, “I’m still a virgin.”
She stepped back and watched all the color drain from Uthiel’s face.
“You’re a what? How on Albrath did that happen?” He stared at her as if she’d grown an extra head. A slight twitch in his left jaw became more pronounced.
“I told you, there wasn’t anyone around to take care of that tiny detail.”
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and her throat tightened so much she could barely breathe. If she lived to be a thousand, she didn’t ever again want to see the look of horror Uthiel leveled at her. She felt like a freak in a carnival sideshow.
The paladin sat heavily on a stool. “I’ve never known a twenty-one-year-old virgin. How did you even get accepted into the Healer program? I mean, for God Draka’s sake, Briar, Healing the Soul is almost entirely sex, in one form or another.”
Briar swallowed her tears. “They didn’t ask, so I didn’t tell. Well, really, they didn’t ask directly, and I figured what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt anyone. So, will you help me, or not?”


And now some fun questions for Maxine

(Note: Maxine has a fabulous gift basket of goodies including a copy of TOUCHED BY THE MAGIC, a mug, a dragon, a gnome and other wonderful gifts to one lucky commenter today!)

LIZ: Welcome, Maxine. I’m so glad you’re here!  How often do you get lost in a story?

MAXINE:  I am such a romantic at heart, and I almost always find myself lost in whatever story I’m reading. Especially if it’s well written and the characters are engaging. Whether I find myself in Julia Quinn’s Regency England, or in Monica McCarty’s Highlands of Scotland, or Lizbeth Selvig’s small town Minnesota, it’s the wonderful escapism of the story that draws me in. For just a little while, I can put away my own day-to-day concerns and glory in the trials, tribulations, and finally, the ultimate triumphs of others.   

LIZ: What’s the first book you remember reading?

MAXINE: Believe it or not, lol, I was kind of a strange child. That is to say, I didn’t care for the typical kid’s books. I was completely and totally hooked on biographies. My favorites were every single book I could find about the life of George Washington Carver. The adversities he overcame, and the determination to make something of himself no matter what, are lessons I’ve never forgotten and have taken to heart. And, even today, at my age, I absolutely love a good peanut butter sandwich! 

LIZ: What’s your favorite “love” word?

MAXINE: It’s not really a word so much as it is a sound. I absolutely love a sigh. I love the connotation of the breathiness, of warm air flowing across skin, of the idea of satisfaction it denotes. I even enjoy simply reading the word, because I know exactly what emotions it portrays for me.

LIZ: What’s your favorite fairy tale?

MAXINE: How could anyone be expected to choose? I love them all. I grew up on The Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Cinderella. Then, with the help of grandchildren, was introduced to Ariel, and Mulan, Fiona, and Princess Tiana. One of the reasons I give my own books a fairy tale quality is because I appreciate what they represent. Strong, intelligent women, overcoming adversity and finding true love along the way.  What more could anyone possibly want from a love story?  

LIZ: Cast your book using fairy tale or cartoon characters.

MAXINE: Touched by the Magic, and the entire six book series set at The Academy of Magical Arts is a combination of a little bit of every fairy tale I’ve ever read, I do believe. Briar could probably be best described as being a lot like Ariel from The Little Mermaid, because they both have red hair, and there isn’t anything she wouldn’t do, and no where she wouldn’t go, to accomplish her goal. Uthiel? I see him as being a lot like the beast in The Beauty and the Beast, because he is plagued with deep seated hurts that he needs to allow to be healed before he can ever let himself love again. Leeky Shortz, the rogue gnome? Well, the most I can say about Leeky Shortz is, thankfully, one of a kind. 

LIZ: What one thing about your hero drives his heroine crazy? And what one thing about your heroine drives her hero nuts?

MAXINE: Uthiel is beyond stubborn, and he has a problem trusting Briar’s judgment. In typical ‘I’m a paladin of the realm, and you are simply a…a…damsel in distress, so I must be right’ fashion, it takes him considerable time, pain, and energy to come to the realization that he just might be wrong about a certain dragon.
Briar is a klutz. She doesn’t mean to be, it’s just that being that close to Uthiel Stoutheart makes her a little nervous sometimes. She didn’t mean to burn off his eyebrows, and she didn’t mean to cause him to be knocked out by a fireball in the arena, and she certainly didn’t mean to dump hot wax…well you get the idea.

LIZ: Name three things that are, at this moment, in your heroine’s purse, satchel, reticule, weapons belt or amulet bag (or whatever she carries)?

MAXINE: Briar is a healer, so she never goes anywhere without her bag of herbs. She always has a more-than-adequate stash of agrimony, sphagnum root, and of course her precious Dak Forest mushrooms. Though she and Uthiel both would probably have benefitted more if she’d have carried a good burn ointment.

LIZ: What sound or noise do you love? 

MAXINE: Other than the sound of a sigh, or the laughter of my grandchildren? I love, love, love thunder storms. The surge of the wind, the splattering of rain on a rooftop, or against the leaves of a tree, or upon the ground, and the rumbling of thunder crashing, then rolling off into the distance is like a beautifully choreographed symphony. Relaxing, and exciting at the same time, thunder storms have always evoked strong emotions in me. As a little girl growing up in the Ohio valley, I loved lying on my bed and watching lightning streak across the sky during a good storm. It’s the one thing I truly miss living in beautiful Alaska. Though we have the spectacular northern lights, the midnight sun, and mountains that reach into the clouds, thunder storms are few and far between here.   

LIZ: What will always make you smile, even on a bad day?

MAXINE: The sound of one of my grandbabies voices, especially the little one. When my four year old grandson calls and says, “Nana, get in car, I want you come now.” I can’t help but smile no matter what else might be going on in my life. 

LIZ: What’s your favorite kid joke?

MAXINE: “Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” “Orange.” “Orange who?” “Orange you glad I knocked?” My seven year old granddaughter thinks that’s just the funniest thing ever.

LIZ HAS GOTTA ASK: What’s the most personal thing you’ve ever put in one of your books?

MAXINE’S GOTTA ANSWER: Remember the reference to being a klutz and the hot wax? Enough said.   

What’s next for you?  Later this summer I have a novella coming out called SERVED. It’s part of The Wild Rose Press’s Boys of Summer short stories. And, the next book in the Academy of Magical Arts series, Tempted by the Storm, is due out in the fall.

Do you have a question you’d like to ask your fans?
Who’s your favorite fairy tale hero and why?


Contact Maxine:
E-mail:  maxine-mansfield@hotmail.com
Website: www.maxinemansfield.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maxine.mansfield.9
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/LeekyShortz
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13631001-touched-by-the-magic
Blogs: http://www.maxinemansfield.com/blog.html

Maxine Mansfield  
Title: Touched By the Magic
Publisher: The Wild Rose Presss
ISBN: Print: 978-1-61217-370-2; Digital: 978-1-61217-371-9

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and The Wild Rose Press

27 comments:

  1. Welcome Maxine! I'm so happy to have you here! Thanks for taking time to answer so many fun questions.

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    2. Thank you sooooo much for having me. It is a great honor. I had to delete my previous comment because I was so excited to comment that I didn't check my spelling before I hit publish lol...guess it just goes to prove that no matter how old you get, that little girl on her very first day of school is still tucked in there somewhere.

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  2. although i love cinderella's story but the hero is the best for me i think the beast, no body is perfect and i loved flawed hero because with the ugly face but they have the kind of heart :)

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    1. Oh me too! I simply love everything about the beast. Though, I also really like Ryder in Rapunzel..but then, how can anyone resist a bad boy turned in the right direction by a good woman?

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  3. Oh, Maxine, I'm definitely buying your book. It sounds like a winner. What a fun interview, too!

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  4. Awww Thank you Loralee. It was a blast to write and I hope you enjoy it. As far as the interview.. Lizbeth made it easy and fun.

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  5. I think Sleeping Beauty is probably my favorite of the Disney-ish fairy tales, but the one I checked out from the library the most was the Golden Shoes. A mother rabbit was given a very special Easter delivery and the Easter Bunny gave her a special pair of golden shoes so she could deliver an exquisite egg to a very ill child who lived at the top of a mountain. Haven't read it in years. Need to find that book again. I know I have it somewhere...

    Congrats on your release and I look forward to many more such celebrations!

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    1. I've never read that one, I'm going to have to check it out.. Thanks Morgan

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  6. I like the Beast and Ryder too. But to be different, I will say Robin Hood. Another great anti-hero.

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  7. Yeah Tammy, there is just something irresistable about a bad boy :)

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  8. Maxine, great interview! Next time, make the hot wax chocolate, and no one will get burned. Good dark chocolste melts at body temperature :P I love Touched by the Magic. It is truly one of a kind. I envy your imagination.
    If I had to pick a fairly tale character, I think it would have to be the heroine from Beauty and the Beast. She does not wait for the hero to save her with a kiss. It is her choice to love him that saves them both.

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  9. Tam, You hit the nail right on the head, and I think that's why Beauty is also one of my favorites. Even in books, my fav heroines are the ones who are strong minded and don't sit around waiting for a prince to show up and save the day.

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  10. I love GRUMPY, of the 7 Dwarves (a cousin of Leeky's? :o) He loved Snow White, too, and would do anything to help her - altruistically!

    Had an old royal blue station wagon, years ago, and painted Disney's 7 dwarves across the tailgate - with Grumpy Front & Center (among other characters over the whole car.)
    What a Blast to drive it around Anchorage!
    (Tam helped & drove it in high school - talk about crazy fun! ;o)

    But, I digress....I LOVE 'Touched by the Magic'.....& what a great interview, Maxine!
    (I'm reading TBTM now, and it's so-o-o fun - takes me to a 'happy place' every time I look at the cover. So proud of your success!

    Unique & a 'must read', Touched by the Magic is especially for adults looking to feed their 'inner child's' craving for a good fairy tale....can't wait for the next in your six book series!!!
    ---Jae ;o)

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    1. Thank you Jae. I do so love fairy tales. I liked the seven dwares too, but I think sleepy was always my fav. I just wanted to cuddle him. And I'm so glad you are enjoying Touched.

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  11. WELCOME TO GLIAS, Maxine!

    A fairy tale hero? Hmmmm.....

    You know, I have loved ABC'S ONCE UPON A TIME. What an awesome show. But it's mixing up my feelings on characters. >>grin<< I happen to love the characters of THE HUNTSMAN, PINOCHIO, & THE MAD HATTER. PRINCE CHARMING is great as a prince, but in Storybrook...not so much.

    Can't wait for next season! Best of luck with all your releases.
    ~Angi

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    1. Thank you Angi, I'm so glad to be here. It makes me feel like I've hit the big time being featured on a blog like this. And, you are right, Once Upon A Time is awsome and I can't wait for next season.

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  12. Very fun interview. I like the Beast because he's caring.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Thank you. Yes, the beast is very caring, and there is just something about taming him that is soooo very appealling.

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  13. That story sounds fabulous!! I love it. Just when you think there cant be much really new out there....haha Congratulations!! lisakhutson (at) [cox] {dot}

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    1. Thank you Lisa..Touched was alot of fun to write, and even more fun to brainstorm. You should have seen the faces of the people at the coffee shop where my critque group meets when we were talking about gnomes and blow-up dolls :)

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  14. Hi Maxine nice to meet you!! Love the cover of your book and it sounds fabulous. You just can't beat a good fairy tale. Did you use anything from thing that happen to you in real life in your book?

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  15. Hi, and thanks, my cover artist Diana Carlise is truely awsome. As far as do I use things that happened in my real life in my books? Blushing right now, the hot wax scene is directly from my real life I'm sorry to say. Now you are going to have to read the book to see just how much of a uncoordinated klutz I am! Disclamer alert: But what the gnomes do, in any and all of my books, is and will forever be strickly imagination and should not be attempted at home. :)

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  16. I can't wait to get this book! I absolutely love a good fairy tale and the Beast is my favorite hero and Rapunzel is my favorite heroine. Love them!

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  17. Tricia, I can't wait for you to read it :) Please let me know how you liked it.. and I'm with you on the Beast!

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  18. Love the cover of the book! It's beautiful. Loved how you describe Briar as being like Ariel from the Little Mermaid because that's my favorite Disney when I was growing up. I can't wait to read the book. I'm looking forward to it.

    Samantha
    samanthahodges64 at yahoo dot com

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  19. ariel from the little mermaid is my totally absolute heroine when i was growing up. Can't wait to read this book. Always love books with a twist of fairytale;), aretha zhen, arethazhenATrocketmailDOTCOM

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