Guest Author Thursday: Marica Meara with The Emissary 3: Love Hurts #newrelease

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red quill pen on a piece of old parchment paper, with an ink well with words Welcome Guest in script

My guest today has a lot of pluses in her corner—she’s a good friend, a Story Empire colleague, a gifted writer, and has been blessed with a wonderful sense of humor. She’s also a fabulous supporter of others. I have gobbled up everything she’s written, including her first two Emissary novels—and this one! You can find my 5 STAR REVIEW HERE. I thoroughly love these characters! You’ll find out why soon enough as you read the blurb and excerpt she’s sharing. Take it away, Marcia!

Banner ad for Emissary 3 by Marcia Meara shows Kindle with book cover displayed lying next to red rosesThanks so much for having me here today, Mae. It’s a great pleasure to be sharing the news of my latest release, The Emissary 3: Love Hurts, with you and your followers. I hope you’ll all enjoy this excerpt from Chapter 2. Dodger is battling a panic attack as he tries to get ready to visit the library where he’s just discovered the girl of his dreams works. I think it’s a pretty good example of the unofficial father/son relationship between Jake and Dodger, the bedrock of this series.

But first, let’s start with the blurb, so those unfamiliar with the novellas can get an idea of what’s going on overall.

Blurb

Header ad for The Emissary 3 by Maricia Meara

The archangel created his emissaries to help mortals avoid choices that would doom them for eternity. He hadn’t planned on the youngest member of his team falling in love with one.

~~~

Azrael’s emissarial program was growing daily, but it still met with stubborn opposition from many on the Council of Angels. Dodger’s request to be allowed to experience what falling in love was all about didn’t help matters, but Azrael thought the boy was onto something. He agreed emissaries who’d shared a loving relationship during their mortal lives would have a deeper understanding of human emotions and motivations, thus enhancing the skills they needed to do their jobs.

With that in mind, Azrael gave Dodger one chance to search for true love. He then laid down a daunting set of stringent rules and guidelines that could not be broken under any circumstances lest dire happenings occur. But while the angel sincerely hoped Dodger would find a way to make this endeavor work, he feared an avalanche of unintended consequences could be in store for his youngest emissary.

Sometimes even angels hate to be right.

~~~

Will Azrael ever tire of popping up behind Jake just to see his first emissary fall out of his chair in shock? Will sharp-eyed motel owners ever notice a big red and white semi mysteriously appearing and disappearing from their parking lots overnight? And will Dodger be able to track down the mystery girl who caught his eye two weeks earlier to see if she’s really The One?

To find the answers to these and other angelic or emissarial questions, come along on one last adventure with Jake, Dodger, and that ginormous, glowy-eyed archangel, Azrael. They’re waiting for you!

Excerpt

In the Somewhat Cool Trailer of Their Big Semi,
Gulping Down Coffee While Talking Over His Shoulder
And Hunting Everywhere for His Cleanest Pair of Jeans.

“WHERE THE HELL are the good ones? I only wore them to dinner the other night. They shouldn’t be in the laundry yet. And have you seen my belt? Or my other sneakers?”

Jake studied Dodger’s frustrated grumbling and frenzied search. “I don’t suppose it’s me you’re trying to impress, is it? Or maybe you think Azrael will be dropping in today?”

The boy didn’t answer, but an embarrassed flush spread across his cheeks.

“Okay, kid. If it isn’t either of those, I’m going to take a wild stab and say you’ve finally worked up the nerve to stop by the library.”

Shoulders slumped, Dodger glanced back at Jake, his eyes filled with panic. “That was my plan. Of course, it was my plan yesterday, too. And the day before.”

“So, what happened then?”

“Same thing that’s happening now. I start thinkin’ about all the ways I could screw this up, and I chicken out and put it off to go lookin’ for folks you and I can help, as usual.”

“But today, you’re not going to give in to the temptation to overthink this, right? You’re just going to jump in feet first like you always do with everything else and figure it out on the go.”

No answer.

“Dodge? Please tell me you’re going to quit driving yourself insane with needless worry and go talk to the girl. You don’t have to do more than that, you know. Just stop by to say hi and see how it goes.”

Still no answer.

“Look, kid. I understand how you feel. I do. Trying to have those first conversations with someone you really want to get to know is one of the hardest things in life, even without all the complications Azrael added into the mix. But I think you’ve put your own roadblocks in the way now, by inventing things to worry about that probably won’t happen at all. It’s time for you to trust your instincts and go for it.

book cover for The Emissary 3 by Marcia Meara shows silhouettes of couple gazing an ocean, angel wings over sky“You don’t have to settle every rule and regulation and goal for this relationship right off the bat. All you have to do is drop in for a quick visit. I have a feeling she’ll be happy to see you. Everybody likes to know others enjoy chatting with them, right?”

With a shaky sigh, Dodger plopped down on his bunk. “I know, I know. But I can’t help it. When I think about her, nothin’ works right. My heart beats too fast and my mouth gets dry and my knees shake. I can’t mess this up! I just can’t.”

“Oh, ye of little faith. In all the things Azrael said, did he once mention you’d screw up this possible relationship due to being too scared to carry on a normal conversation?”

“No, but—”

“No buts about it. It sounded to me like our angel wasn’t worried about how things would start out. His concern was directed at how it might end up, and the potential for future scenarios you wouldn’t like. I didn’t pick up on a single thing about you messing up right off the bat. Only that finding a way for it to turn into more would likely be pretty tricky.”

Jake rose, stepped to the little bookcase they used for storage, then grabbed a pair of jeans from the top shelf. “Here.” He tossed the jeans at the boy. “Are these the ones you were digging all over creation for?”

As Dodger caught the jeans, his embarrassed smile morphed into a sheepish grin. “Yeah. I guess I wasn’t lookin’ very hard.”

“Fear makes us blind, Dodge, and not always just about the big things. Get dressed so we can grab a quick breakfast. You’ve got a library to check out.”

~~~

Buy The Emissary 3: Love Hurts HERE

Bio

Author, Marcia MearaMarcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years and four big, spoiled cats.

When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds, to furry critters, to her very favorites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore, since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.

Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish her first book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?

CONTACT MARCIA HERE:
marciameara16@gmail.com | The Write Stuff | Pinterest | Twitter: @marciameara

Find Marcia’s Books Here: MARCIA’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

90 thoughts on “Guest Author Thursday: Marica Meara with The Emissary 3: Love Hurts #newrelease”

    • Thanks for the well wishes, Harmony! I really appreciate them, and I’m so glad you are planning to read the rest of the series. I loved your review of The Emissary 1, and I’m looking forward to hearing what you think about the rest of the trilogy. Thanks so much for stopping by this morning! 🙂

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    • Thanks, Mae. I have a soft spot in my heart for father/son and brother/brother relationships, so it was a real treat to have a man whose biggest regret in life was that he and his wife (who died young) had never had a child meet a young man whose father had never given him a moment’s love or affection. It wasn’t in my mind as I started the series, but that bond between them grew with each book, and made them each stronger characters, I think. Azrael played his part in that, too, as only a honkin’ big, white-winged archangel can. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by today. I really appreciate your support.

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    • Thanks, Teri! I hope you’ll really enjoy this trio of very different characters if you find time to read the trilogy. It was great fun to write, and filled with every emotion I could cram in there, from heartbreak and despair to love and joy, and lots of what I hope are laugh-out-loud moments. And thanks so much for stopping by today, too. I really appreciate it! 🙂

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  9. Thank you so much for having me here today, Mae. It’s such a pleasure to be a guest on the blog of my fellow Penderpal and Dresdenphile. 🙂 And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that lovely introduction, along with your kind words about my books. The Emissary series has been more fun to write than I ever imagined, and I’m thrilled you enjoyed it. I hope some of your followers will discover my ginormous, glowy-eyed angel and his first two emissaries for themselves, and see just what it’s all about.

    Thanks again, Mae! You ROCK, my friend. And now I’m off to let folks on The Write Stuff know I’m visiting you today. Hope they’ll ALL swing by! 🙂 ❤

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    • It’s always such a pleasure to have you on my blog, Marcia. I am delighted to take part in spreading the word about Emissary 3. It was such an engaging and heartwarming story, and you know how I feel about that glowy-eyed angel 🙂

      Wishing you a ton of sales and new fans, my friend!

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  10. Reblogged this on The Write Stuff and commented:
    Good Morning, Everyone! Today, I’m visiting with Mae Clair to get the word out about my latest release, The Emissary 3: Love Hurts. I’m sharing an excerpt from a scene between Dodger and his “adopted” father, Jake, and I’d be super happy if you stopped by to check it out, and took a moment to comment and pass it along for others to read. Thanks so much, everyone, and my heartfelt thanks also to my very good friend, Mae, for helping me launch the final novella in this trilogy. 🙂 ❤

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  11. I have just finished reading this book by Marcia and will be posting my review today! Great story. I love the entire concept and will be going back and reading books one and two. Thanks for hosting Marcia today, Mae!

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    • WAIT!!! (Gasp!!) You know how it ENDS before reading how it began?? I’m sitting here mouth agape! Well, what’s done is done, but I hope you’ll still enjoy reading about how it all began, even if some of the shocks will likely be lessened considerably, I think. I’ll be very interested in knowing if the first two still hold together when read out of order, Jan.

      Now, having said that, I’m very pleased that you enjoyed #3 all by itself, even if I don’t recommend reading it that way. And I’m super happy you love the concept, too. Fingers crossed that TE1 and TE2 will still be fun for you! 🙂 And thanks so much for taking a moment to comment here today, even if you almost made me spit out my Earl Grey! (I can’t tell you how many keyboards Earl Grey has cost me! 😀 )

      Always nice to see you, Jan! 🙂

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      • Lol, Marcia. In my defense, I didn’t realize it was the final book of the trilogy until I was already deep into the story. 🙂 I’m sure I’ll enjoy books 1 and 2. 🙂 Maybe you should put protective plastic over your keyboard. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

      • It’s okay. I forgive you. But I’m sorry you didn’t realize it was the last part of the story. I do hope you’ll enjoy the first two books. I think there was a lot of character growth over the arc of the tale (at least that was my intention) and I know Jake’s and Dodger’s relationship was profoundly impacted in that first book. Azrael morphed along the way, too. Hope you’ll enjoy seeing how it all started. And yes, I need to invest in a plastic keyboard shield. I’m forever choking on a mouthful of tea. The good Earl has a lot to answer for! 😀

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    • Funny you should mention that about angels, Judi. My next stop will be at John Howell’s blog next Thursday, and angels in fiction is the subject of that post. (I can’t use excerpts at every stop, or I’d tell the whole story. 😀 ) Hope you’ll stop by and check out that one, too. I’d be interested in your take. And I’m glad you enjoyed the scene between Jake & Dodger today. Thanks for coming by and taking a moment to comment! 🙂

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    • Thanks, Sue. I do like moments such as this one, but there’s bloodshed now and then, too. And heartbreak. And lots of laughs. But for especially for you, mostly bloodshed. 😀 😀 😀

      Thanks for stopping by today and taking the time to say hi, Sue. I really appreciate it! 🙂

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    • Aw, thanks, Darlene. It’s great to be here on Mae’s blog, for sure. And I’m so glad you’ve liked the series. Hope you’ll be happy with the way I wrapped it up.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a minute to say hi! I really appreciate it! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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    • I remember it, too, Robbie. 😀 It was a great treat to find it on Amazon for this final book of the trilogy. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and taking a moment to say hi. I really appreciate it! 🙂

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    • I don’t often get to post a review of a book before I host the author, but in this case, I couldn’t wait to crack open Emissary 3, Robbie. I’ve been following this series from book 1, and just had to see how it wrapped up. So glad you dropped by to cheer on Marcia!

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    • I’m so glad to hear you are checking out Azrael, Jake, and Dodger, John. I hope you’ll enjoy their shenanigans. It was sure fun to write, and in some ways, I’m sorry to say goodbye to them. But sometimes, it’s a good idea to know when to stop, and I felt like I was there. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by today and taking time to let me know you’re reading these. I’ll be interested in seeing what you think. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Yes, Balroop. Even though we have a rebel in our midst (JOKING, Jan!), I definitely recommend reading these in order. There are things you should read in depth to appreciate what these guys have gone through together. I hope you get a chance to check out the trilogy. Each book is right at 100 pages, so they are quick reads, and I’ll be eager to hear what you think, if you give them a go. Thanks for stopping by today and taking a moment to comment! 🙂

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    • Thank you, Jacquie. I think that line is indicative of the type of thoughtful, caring person Jake is. He’s a deeper person than some might expect, and he takes his job as Dodger’s sort-of adopted father very, very seriously. Not that they don’t give each other a hard time and joke around a lot, but when he sees his boy struggling, he does his best to be there for him.

      Thanks for adding the trilogy to your reading list. I hope you’ll enjoy it when you have a chance to check it out. And thanks, too, for stopping by today. It’s very much appreciated. 🙂

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  22. Jake is one of those characters who has the experience and empathy to understand Dodger and to support him in a caring and intuitive way. Marcia’s expert touch and humour make for a moving, thrilling and entertaining read. I love this book! ❤ 🙂

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    • Aw, thank you so much, Trish! That’s so sweet of you to say, and it does my heart good to know you feel that way. It’s why I write. I don’t have to make any best seller lists. I just want to tell stories that will reach people who will enjoy them, and you just made my night! (And all day tomorrow, too!) 🙂 ❤

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    • Wow! I’m so excited that you are reading it, Debby, and enjoying it, too! Yippeee! Thank you so much, and I hope you’ll enjoy the way I wrapped it up. Thanks so much for stopping by today and taking the time to let me know how you felt. Between your post and Trish’s, I’m off to bed with a HUGE smile on my face! (I’d go for a song in my heart, too, but it would just keep me awake. 😀 )
      🙂 ❤

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    • What a nice thing to say, Pam! Thanks so much. The first couple of years, I was writing like a thing possessed, but I confess, I’m moving at a slower pace now. Having lots of birthdays to one’s credit tends to do that after a while. 😀 But I plan to keep writing until I fall face down on the keyboard, because frankly, I can’t think of a better way to go! 😀 Thanks so much for stopping by, taking a moment to say hello, and sharing. It’s greatly appreciated! 🙂 ❤

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