2024 COVERS

2024 covers

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We are writers mainly from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.

Wednesday 9 April 2014

A Bite Of... World Change


This fortnight it is always a pleasure to welcome Maggie Mundy with A Bite Of... World ChangeBook One in the Earthbound Series.


Can you, in less than five words describe your book?
World Change is time travel renaissance, vampire, romance, gypsies.


Who is your favourite character in this book? Who would you get to play your hero?

Trevi is my favourite character.

Alex Pettyfer he might be a bit young but he has that haunted look about him. He is a vampire but the only one that exists in his world. Clare, the heroine from Earth knows more about vampires than he does. He battles with his bloodsucking side of his personality and wants to be like everyone else.


What inspired you to write it?
I did a writing session at a local speculative fiction group and came up with the concept. I like the idea of someone reading vampire books and then getting transported to another world where they really exist. It was also messing with the idea that if Clare comes back to Earth she will make myth a reality here.

And here's the snippet!

In the light of the room she could see what Trevi looked like. He had wavy brown hair, blue eyes and a somewhat angular pale face, a sad face. Then she thought about what he looked like when his blue eyes turned white. Fangs. Remember, this guy has fangs.

"Please help yourself. Hyfa, prepared this food for you, but we were uncertain what you eat in your world. I hope this is acceptable."

Hyfa placed the tray down beside her on the bed, bowed and left. Clare looked at the food. It was fruit bread and milk, which made her think she needed to be more imaginative in future dreams. Trevi moved a chair beside the bed.

I'd like to take this opportunity to properly introduce myself. I am Trevi Foveae. You are in my home. I took the privilege of bringing you here last night when you were unwell."

She was having none of this. Then she remembered something he had said.

"What do you mean? In my world."

"You are like the offworlder who was brought through the portal for High Priestess Sari. From your appearance, I assumed you were sisters."

"I have a sister, Tina." Clare's stomach was starting to feel like it had a rat chewing away. What was going on here?

"I feared as much, I'm so sorry for your loss, Clare."

"What loss? What are you talking about?" Clare didn't like where this conversation was going. She didn't want to lose Tina, even in a dream.

"Your sister is dead. High Priestess Sari needs the life of offworlders to survive. Your sister was sacrificed."

"That's not funny, Tina isn't dead, this is a dream and you're not real. You're a vampire, and vampires don't exist except in myth. You were created to show how the aristocracies were bleeding the peasants dry. Not really bleeding them dry. How did you know my name?"

Clare looked at the room. The food, everything around her appeared real. She needed to wake up now. Grabbing the glass from beside the bed, she smashed it on the tray and scraped it across the palm of her hand. The pain hit immediately as beads of blood formed along the cut.

This wasn't meant to happen; she was meant to wake up. This felt too real, and what was even more real was the look on Trevi's face. His pupils were almost colorless and he opened his mouth in a snarl to reveal fangs. He was on top of the bed crouching above her. It was difficult to see anything of the man who had spoken to her a moment before. He bent down and laid his face next to hers. His cheek cool against hers. As he straddled across her middle, he grabbed her injured hand. Holding it to his mouth, he licked the blood away. Clare fought him and pulled away but he held on tight. Her hand was stinging but when he moved his head away, it was healed. As quickly as he had jumped on the bed, he was gone across the room and crouched in a corner.

He may have healed her but she needed to get away. Clare glanced at the door wondering if her equilibrium had restored itself enough to not pass out before she made her escape. The room spun as she tried to leave the bed, and she felt the bile rise in her throat. Her knees hit the floor as she started to throw up.

Trevi was beside her within seconds, holding a bowl for her to empty her stomach contents into. He held her hair out of the way as he rubbed her back. Vomiting had never felt so real before. She was shaking from head to toe. When the heaving stopped, she tried to get her thoughts back together. One minute he was trying to bite her, the next he was helping her. This couldn't be happening; she must have had an accident last night. Maybe she had fallen off the balcony when she had gone to find Tina. Maybe she was in a coma in an intensive care unit.

She had read books where the hero is fatally sick and believes they are in another world. She glanced at her body. She was wearing a white cotton nightgown she didn't recognize. She peered sideways at Trevi, his face full of concern. He picked her up and placed her back on the bed.

"I fear I've caused your discomfort yet again. My behavior was unacceptable. I offer no excuses except your blood. It's so different. I'm sorry. As to how I know your name, your sister appeared to me after she died and told me to find you. She said you would follow."

Her hand still stung. It had healed but the mark remained. She touched the raised area, it was tender. If the wound was real and what was around her was real, then what Trevi had told her was true too. Both she and Tina had always had an ability to know when the other was ill or worried. Once Tina had been in Sydney on a holiday when Clare had known something was wrong. Tina had been admitted to the hospital with a ruptured ovarian cyst. She tried to feel within herself for any sign of some pain coming from her sister. There was nothing.


If you would like to know more about Maggie and her work, check out the links below.



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