Connections DEC 2014 | Page 19

Melanie P Smith Paranormal/Romance Melanie's Facebook Melanie's Twitter Melanie was born and raised in Utah by a loving LDS family. She attended Dixie Collage and the University of Phoenix where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management. She also has a Postgraduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution and Negotiation from the University of Utah. One summer she got a part time job as a Student Intern for the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. She never left. She is currently assigned to the Special Operations Division and is part of the support staff for the SWAT team. She responds on call-outs and mans the radio in the SWAT command post. She is also on the logistics team of the Child Abduction Response Team. In addition she works closely with Search & Rescue, the Mounted Posse, K9 and the Motor Unit. She has always had an adventurous spirit and has been sky-diving and rappelling. She owns an ATV, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and several guns. For years Melanie has used her creative writing skills for office related tasks such as awards programs and web content. Working a forty plus hour week, attending college, and spending time with family left little time for anything else. Then one day, she decided it was time to start writing for fun again. Hopefully you will enjoy reading about this exciting new world as much as she enjoyed writing about it. DUSK is the story of Alex Deveraux. It begins with Alex rushing home to say goodbye to her dying father. Her mother died of a heart attack the previous year, at least that’s what Alex believes. She’s been depressed and living in Italy, trying to cope with her loss. Alex returns to New York to discover her world is not what it once seemed. Shortly after the death of her father, Alex’s brother introduces her to a world their parents kept hidden for twenty eight years. A world in turmoil. She soon discovers that her mother was the Fae Queen and upon her death, Alex inherited the throne. Her absence has made her people vulnerable and divided. Vulnerable because the assassination of her mother has broken a long standing treaty with the local vampires and divided because the people have been left without a leader during this time of war. To make matters worse, the vampire king just happens to be Alex’s half brother. As the oldest child, he believes he should inherit the Fae kingdom, not Alex. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to claim his kingdom and destroy his sister. Amid her struggle to embrace the unbelievable, Alex must accept her role as leader of an entire people. As she attempts to understand this new world, she soon discovers she has special gifts. Alex immediately realizes she must develop and hone these powers if she’s going to protect her people from extinction. If that wasn’t enough Alex is falling for a man that seems to despise her. Well actually, Dimitri is a warrior who is over 400 years old. The warriors are a group of protectors developed by the Fae to guard against vampire attacks. She doesn't understand Dimitri’s instant disdain any more than she can deny her growing desire for this sexy, powerful man.