WIP Blog Challenge

An author friend of mine, Natasha Ahmed, has tagged me in the Work-in-Progress Blog Challenge.

So first of all, I’m sending my thanks for including me in this interesting tour. Do take your time to check out Natasha’s blog and her book “Butterfly Season” that is drawing rave reviews from all and sundry. I find it fascinating what insights on life in Pakistan this author weaves into her stories.

Here are the rules for the WIP Blog Challenge:

1) Provide the link back to the post by the person who nominated you (see above).
2) Write a little about your work-in-progress.
3) Give the first sentences of the first three chapters of your current WIP.
4) Nominate four other writers for the challenge.

In Deep Water

I am currently working on "In Deep Water". It will be Book 2 of the '4 Elements of Love' series. Book 1, "Playing with Fire", is already available.

Blurb

What if all the legends about mermaids and the lost city of Atlantis carry a nugget of truth inside them?
When Wendy is hired by a dubious multi-million-dollar corporation to investigate the corals covering a ship wreck off the island of Serendipity, her world gets turned upside down. She discovers a lost city under the ocean – and falls in love with Calder, the partner she has been assigned. The shocking truth about the hidden underwater world leads Wendy to self-discovery.
Should she give in to Calder’s persuasive charm? Can they use their magic to prevent a tragic disaster?


More insights:

"In Deep Water" is a paranormal romance novel. It can be read as a stand-alone book with a happy end.
I've always been fascinated by the ocean, and by myths of legendary ocean creatures, sea monsters and of course mermaids. This is my take on what wonders might lurk beneath all that water.
I am trying to make this book more action-loaded than "Playing with Fire", and I'm focusing less on the heroine's interior battles and dark past.
Once again, both protagonists have magic powers. The only problem is that Wendy doesn't really know about hers, and to whom she belongs. Calder changes that. Of course there's a love story full of hurdles, the greatest being that the hero seems to be part of a greater scheme, and that Wendy will have to make a fatal choice in the end. Enter a despicable villain - who has more in common with them than they realize - and the tourist hot-spot Serendipity Island, and you'll have plenty to keep you hooked.

I love writing this book, but it brings a few challenges with it. I have absolutely no knowledge of or experience with diving and marine biology, so I need to research much more than for my previous novels. The mermaid legends as well as the Atlantis myth play an important role, but I don't just want to copy what has been written about so often.


Chapter 1
For the first time in her life, being underwater made Wendy uneasy.

Chapter 2
An hour later, they were standing on the beach, rows and rows of luxury resorts and crowded hotels pressing in on their backs, the many-hued blue satin cloth of the ocean spread out endlessly before them, stretching all the way to the soaring sky.

Chapter 3
How could the presence of one man delight and frustrate her so much?
Using her long hair as a curtain, Wendy indulged in some more staring at Calder.

And here are the 4 wonderful writers I tag to take up the WIP Blog Challenge:

1) Marie Lavender: http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
2) Adite Banerjie: http://aditebanerjie.com/
3) Kirsten S. Blacketer: http://kirstensblacketer.com/
4) Kandy Shepherd: http://www.kandyshepherd.com/