Reminiscing with Gemma K. Murray

Over the weekend, I got a message from my old elementary school. Because March is Reading Month, they wanted me to come in and speak to the kids. I live 9 1/2 hours away so that just isn't possible, but I began to reminisce.

I attended a school where kindergarten through 8th grade was all in one building. Most kids looked forward to the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday physical education days. Not me. I couldn't wait until Tuesday and Thursdays. These were the days we got to visit the library and choose new books. I never forgot to return my books because that meant I couldn't get anymore :D 

There were lower shelves for the younger kids and until you reached 4th, maybe 5th grade, you couldn't go to the tall shelves. Because of my voracious reading habits, I was allowed to check out books from the tall shelves when I was in the 3rd grade. I was reading 1 1/2 to 2 years ahead of my classmates. By the time I reached 6th grade, I was venturing to the public library and checking out 6 books a week. Yeah, I was the kid who would stand in the library and look around in wonder.

It probably wasn't too much of surprise to anyone when I became an author. It seemed like the natural progression of things. Toni Morrison said, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” That is exactly what I did.

I wrote the books I enjoy reading. Cedar River is a series I can pick up again and again because it feels like I'm visiting old friends. Each new book I write takes me back to the place and the people I love.

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan seems like it is another country. The rawness and beauty of the land draws people from every walk of life. What most people don't realize is there is a little town nestled on the banks of Lake Superior that an entire group of supernatural beings call home. Shifters of every shape and size live there. They raise their families there. Tourists come from near and far to visit the quaint town of Cedar River, Michigan. The tourists never realize they are walking among some of the most unusual beings on earth.

Bowie Golden is a dragon shifter who is in charge of Cedar River's safety. Until now, the biggest threat to anyone's safety was Anastasia Plum, a witch/puma-shifter. She has been the town hellraiser since she was a teenager. Now someone has discovered the secret the residents of Cedar River keep for one another. These radicals are determined to eradicate the entire town. It's up to Bowie to keep them all safe.

Ana has always idolized Bowie. She may have stirred up trouble from time to time, but Bowie or one of his brothers would always get her out of the trouble she was in. One day, it happened. The unthinkable, the unimaginable occurred. Anastasia Plum fell for the "golden" boy. What an unlikely duo- the sheriff and the hellraiser!

Just as these two discover their passion for one another, a group of people is determined to keep them apart. It's up to Ana to prove that she is the only Keeper of the Golden Dragon's Heart.

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Cedar River, Michigan is a wonderful place to fall in love. Some people see change as a good thing, but there are a few others who can’t let go of the “old ways.” “Breeds should stay within their breeds,” they say. 

Adam Thomas is the deputy sheriff in Cedar River. His black puma shifter side got him released from the military and sent back home. His demons followed, but they are nothing compared to the ones within his pride. 

Luna McIntyre is the only daughter and shaman to the McIntyre pack. She is tired of being smothered and told what to do in regards to her life. She’s opened a sweet shop and moved forward with her life. However, the love of her teen years is back in town and her family is trying to rein her in again. 

Someone in this small town is so set in their beliefs that they can’t see how love is sometimes simply love. Cats and canines may be natural born enemies, but love may be enough to get past the differences.

Over the weekend, I finished the third book. The tentative title is The Golden Dragon's Treasure. This story took me a long time to write, but I learned a lot of lessons while I was writing it. I lost two very important people in my life while I wrote it, but I pushed on. Here is a brief excerpt for you:

Silver bounced from table to table, laughing and teasing the customers. She was a natural for this job, but it irked me to no end when Jake Fox patted her luscious backside. The damn witch just laughed and patted Jake on the head.

I watched her walk our table with a wiggle in her step. “If you would stop wiggling your ass, men wouldn’t feel obliged to grab it,” I said in an angry whisper.

Silver leaned over the table and said, “What’s the matter, fire-breather? Jealous?”

I could feel my face turning bright red. “No, I’m not jealous. It just looks like you’re inviting trouble.”

She leaned in closer to me and her scent flooded my brain. “Baby, I am trouble. More trouble than you can handle.”

Blaze choked on his water as he tried to swallow and laugh at the same time.

My heart was racing a mile a minute as pornographic thoughts poured into my mind. I swallowed hard, found my balls, and said, “I guess we’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?”

Silver smiled that sexy smile of hers and replied, “You name the place, stud, and I’ll be there. I can’t wait to see your spring sprung.” She gave Blaze a slap on the back as he choked on his water again and walked away from our table.

“What the hell does that mean?” I asked Blaze. “My spring sprung? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Blaze snickered, “It means she thinks you’re wound too tight. Tighter than a spring? She’s wanting to make sure you come unwound.”

“She’s saying I’m uptight? I’m not uptight.”

Blaze took another drink of water and glanced out the window of the diner. “Yeah, you kind of are. Oh hell, there’s no ‘kind of’ to it. You’re as uptight as a person can be without having a stick up their ass.”

Tell me what you think. If you've read my books, whose story are you waiting for? If you haven't, what types of shifters are your favorite? Talk to me!