Undertow (Undertow #1)
by K.R. Conway
Release Date: 10/18/13
Synopsis
High school senior Eila Walker knows that good luck skips over her like
an Easter Bunny on Speed. So when she inherits her grandmother's million-dollar
Cape Cod home, she is downright shocked. And yeah, her new town isn't perfect:
the cheerleaders are heinous clones, the local undertow can kill ya, and her
Great Grams was supposedly fried by lightning in the harbor square. Still, Eila
is hopeful her luckless days are in the past . . . until history decides to
repeat itself.
A self-proclaimed loner and previous-social reject, Eila thinks she's hit the
jackpot when drool-worthy Raef O’Reilly becomes her friendly, yet weirdly
protective shadow. But being hauled beneath the waves by an unnatural undertow
slams the brakes on bliss – especially when Raef storms to her aid with
coal-black eyes and iron-like strength.
Eila, entirely freaked, demands an explanation and Raef comes clean, revealing
that neither of them are average humans but rather the genetic remnants of an
angelic pissing-match gone wrong. Eila supposedly can channel the power of
human souls, while Raef is quite adept at stealing them. Even worse, the legend
about her ancestor isn't such a myth, since Eila’s grandmother was one kick-ass
warrior until her lightning-like power backfired. A power that is written all
over Eila's DNA.
Now sought by Raef’s own family for her destructive ability, Eila must trust
him to watch her back. But when a quest for information goes terribly wrong,
Eila is suddenly left with only two options: become a weapon for the enemy or
follow in her Gram’s fearless footsteps to save those she loves. Unfortunately
she needs a willing enemy to ignite her suicidal energy and the only one she
trusts has been guarding her butt and scorching her lips.
Good Reads Link
Excerpt
Mae appeared in
the parlor doorway, her arms crossed over a stained plaid apron. “I need to
talk to both you girls. Now, please.”
That didn’t
sound very promising. I glanced at Ana, who gave me a curious look, but we
followed Mae back into the kitchen where feast preparations were in full swing.
“Sit,” Mae
instructed as she poured herself a fresh cup of coffee. She added some sugar
and slowly turned to face us as she stirred the caffeine. The soft clink of her
spoon against the cup seemed to echo ominously in the silent room. What was she
up to?
“Um – did I
forget to take the trash out or something?” I asked, daring a nervous glance to
Ana. Mae cleared her throat, a sure sign of whatever she was about to say was
not going to be enjoyable.
“Raef and Kian
are lovely young men. They’ve helped me out enormously while the two of you
have been laid-up, and I am very grateful for all they have done. However, what
I am about to say is non-negotiable.”
Oh please –
don’t say it. Don’t go there.
“Sex should be
between two people that are in love and are mature enough to understand the
ramifications of such an activity.”
Yup. She went
there. I’d bet the deed to the house it was because Raef had been curled around
me, too.
The color
drained entirely from Ana’s face.
“Mae – you
really don’t . . .” I started, but she raised a hand to silence me. It
was very possible I would never recover from this conversation. I was sure
Ana’s ears were shriveling off her head as Mae spoke.
“I am not so
naïve that I do not see how you four act around each other. It’s obvious that
there are feelings that go far beyond friendship between you two and the boys.
All I ask is that you girls are careful, use your head. Don’t do something
you’re pressured into. And for heaven’s sake, if you are determined to do it,
DON’T do it under this roof and always, always be protected.”
Silence
descended on the room, as if a black hole had opened up on the table, sucking
all gravity and sound from the kitchen. Mae stood there, glancing at the two of
us. I was so mortified. I slid my eyes to the kitchen door that Raef had passed
through minutes ago. If he was still anywhere near the side of the house, his
supernatural hearing would have just offered him an earful. Kill. Me. Now.
Ana, no doubt
ready to perform a self-inflicted mental exorcism to erase the past few
moments, hopped up from her seat as if she had been scalded. “Right. Good talk.
Will keep it under advisement. Gotta get dressed,” she declared, bolting from
the room. I think her little feet actually left a smoke trail in their wake.
Her leg was definitely all healed.
I glanced at Mae
and she eyed me over her steaming cup of coffee as she took a sip.
Somebody save
me.
Guest
Post
Are your books pure fiction or are some
aspects inspired by your own life or someone close to you?
The series is based on a REAL version of
Cape Cod. In
fact, one of the characters owns an ice cream shop named The Milk Way. While
“The Milk Way” is fictitious, it is 100% based on Four Seas Ice Cream in Centerville
(a REAL town, were fictional Eila lives). Four Seas knows they are in the book
and they host book signings. Other things in the book that are real to Cape Cod
(so you can basically visit here and do all the things that Eila and her crew
do) are:
1. Eila’s
house
– The home the main character inherits, and thus sets off the chain of events
for UNDERTOW, does exist in the historic area of Centerville, not
far from Four Seas Ice Cream. It used to be owned by a friend of mine and we
hung out in it all the time when we were young. She now resides in Hong Kong as
a pilot, so we catch up on Facebook and she gives me more secrets about how the
house was built. FYI – don’t go knocking on the door, because someone else owns
the house now.
2. Barnstable High
School – Totally real and totally cool public high school
that does some crazy thing. The
students and faculty know they are in the novels (and even decided to begin
building their own book trailer based on the series), so they allow me to come
in and walk the halls as needed to make sure I stay true to the story. And yes
– it is so huge that I need a GPS to find my way out. 2000+ students go there.
Their award winning
theater department became part of a major TV network
series known as High Drama a
few years ago. American Idol contestant Siobhan Magnus was
a student there.
3. The
Jeep Subculture – Again, totally real. On Cape Cod, Wranglers are
the most beloved vehicles of all. Most families have one, and if you drive one,
other Wrangler drivers will wave to you when you pass each other – like Harley
riders do. And yes – you can drive them out onto some of the beaches (MAKE SURE
YOU KNOW WHICH ONES!)
4. Witch
Balls, The Crimson Moon, and Eila’s Bracelet – All real.
Witch Balls are made at any one of our beautiful, glass-blowing shops (and
yes – you can watch them actually blow glass, which is so cool). The Crimson
Moon was based on The Lavender
Moon, which is no longer in business. It was owned by a
real coven of witches and when you would go in there, you could buy healing
stones, herbs, crystals, oils, etc. Don’t worry – Dalca didn’t work at the real
version! Eila’s bracelet is a staple of Cape Cod and there are several
variations, though the original is simply called a Cape Cod
Bracelet. They come in various sizes, so having a
two-year-old with one is not unusual. The ball screws the bangle together,
which means that sucker ain’t coming off, so don’t get it caught on anything or
your arm may go with it.
5. Town
Neck, the Bonfire party, and the infamous bridge – All real,
though I did take a few creative liberties. So, Town Neck beach is
part of the town of Sandwich. It has the boardwalk,
just as described, and the long beach at the end, AND, yes, the river. Kids can
jump from the bridge (yup, I’ve done it too, and IT IS FREEZING). However, you
cannot drive a car out on Town Neck and you are not supposed to bonfire there –
all those things can be done on SANDY NECK or NAUSET
(where Raef hunts), so I kinda sorta blended the two beaches.
6. Barnstable
Harbor and the Ferry –
Totally true and yes, you can sit and people watch. You can also catch a Cape Cod
Baseball League game in the nearby field. The Cape Cod
League is famous because so many players get called up to the Majors.
Q
& A with KR Conway
If you could be any character in your
book (and receive their powers as well, if they have any), which would you
be and what would you do?
Oh
dang . . . Ummm. I’d be Ana Lane I guess – car fanatic, surfer girl, and
basically an emotional psychic on crack who is pursued by a gorgeous and
devoted guy named Kian. But I am lucky enough to have a real crew of teenaged
models who I get to see on a regular basis. I found Cape Cod teenagers from the
real Barnstable High School on Facebook that looked like the characters (at
least, in my mind) and they were brave enough to become the models in a
fancy-shmancy studio we use. So yeah – Raef, Kian, MJ, Ana, and Kian text me
all the time – LOL. The entire “cast” will be at Stormfront’s book launch on
August 3rd here on Cape Cod (yup – you can get an early copy on Cape
Cod that night, otherwise it is August 13th).
Do you incorporate yourself into your
characters' personalities? If so, which character are you most like?
I
think all authors pull from what they “know” so yeah, I’d say Eila’s dry humor
is me, the craziness of MJ is me, and Ana’s take-no-crap attitude is me. Of
course, all those personality traits help in my other job: driving a school
bus.
What do you aim to teach your readers
through your books?
Strength, perseverance, and devotion. I want my
female readers to be bold and strong, and my male readers to understand that
being protective does not equal being controlling. I want teenagers to see
relationships painted in a positive light and that every relationship must be a
balance of one another.
Where did you get the inspiration for
your characters' names?
Kian, Raef, and Christian were all on my list of
boy names for my son (he ended up as “Finn”). Jesse was a dear friend in high
school as was MJ. Nikki is my niece’s name, and Mae is my daughter’s middle
name. Ana, Eila, Rillin, and Collette were all just made up, though they seemed
to fit the characters.
Have you always known that you wanted to
become a writer?
HAHAHAHAHA – NO. I have a degree in Forensic
Psychology from Mount Holyoke College (Criminal Minds type-thing), but while I
was in college professors would say I had a “knack” for writing (I figured they
were all high on something). Then I came out of college and was asked to
interview an artist. From there other magazines and newspapers began
approaching me. That was 16 years ago and the rest is history. I now teach
fiction craft to teenagers at libraries and high schools. Truth = no one is born a writer, but you CAN be born
a storyteller. Learning HOW to tell the story – that’s what I teach.
Do you have any routines before writing
to get the creative juices flowing?
Walking and driving actually allow my mind to
wander and thus, begin writing in my head (I occasionally have missed a bus
stop or two, LOL). I am a rocker-girl at heart, so I listen to music non-stop
while I write and blog. I just saw Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and New Politics in
Mansfield. AWESOME!
Which scene(s) did you enjoy writing the
most? -- in Undertow or Stormfront, or both.
Oh man . . . The
bonfire scene in UNDERTOW I enjoyed writing because I had just been at the
boardwalk the night before with my daughter. It is also that crazy turning
point in the book when readers suddenly realize I am a seriously deranged
writer. I had a lot of fun writing STORMFRONT, but I laughed myself silly
writing the scene where MJ convinces Eila to become a criminal. I also spent a
great deal of time writing a certain scene between Eila and Raef on the yacht.
I think I rewrote it 10 times. The next book I hope to have out is Kian and
Ana’s story known as CRUEL SUMMER.
If you could give one advice
to every human on earth, what would it be?
Never
judge someone if you have never walked in their shoes. So much hate is based on
ignorance of the other person, race, or country. All it takes is a moment to
step back and realize you may not know where the other person is coming from
and that your hate is unwarranted.
About the Author
I have been a
journalist for 15 years and serve on the Board of Directors for the Cape Cod
Writers Center. I also drive a 16-ton school bus because I am ENTIRELY NUTS.
In addition to working jobs that should come with a warning label , I hold a BA
in Psychos (Forensic Psych), torment the tourists about Jaws, and occasionally
jump from the Town Neck bridge in an attempt to reclaim my youth.
I live on Cape Cod with two smallish humans who apparently are my kids, my
fishing-obsessed husband, two canines (adept at both flatulence and snoring),
and a cage-defiant lovebird that sleeps in a miniature tent. Nope - that's not
a type-o. The bird is quite the indoor camper.
Follow the Author on these Links
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