Cold Water Bridegroom is on *SALE* now at Amazon!! ---> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013ATMXT8 Get it today. Seriously. I LOVE this book. I love all the mermaids, but this one is one of my favorites. One of the more interesting aspects is that it's a clean read (totally outside my normal fare). Check out all the neat info below and a mini-interview with Bokerah Brumley, the amazingly talented debut author! (and awesome friend/writing buddy. Yes, I'm biased, but she is a fabulous writer. See for yourself below. ;) ) <3  I am pleased to announce that she'll be back to visit us soon with an exclusive interview, so stay tuned for that as well. ;)   Cold Water Bridegroom by B. Brumley
Blurb:
  Having grown up in San Francisco, Calder Brumen is drawn to the ocean, and he's spent his life trying to capture the beauty of the Pacific on canvas. Over time, he has become obsessed with painting the image of a dark haired mermaid named Gaire, and Calder struggles to explain his devotion to these portraits to his best friend. When Calder finds sandy footprints leading to the edge of his bed, he suspects that the haunting siren is real.
Pursuing the truth, Calder is dragged into a murderous, underwater plot that could destroy them all. And he must choose – is the possibility of a lifetime with Gaire worth risking death for himself and everyone he loves?Excerpt: She’s back. Every nerve ending pricked beneath the silk dragging across his skin. Breath left his body as he strained toward the shapely figure now standing at his bedside. He groaned, but did not move. Her bare belly button hovered at eye level nestled just above the two curves of her pale hips that sloped down behind the edge of the mattress. Shadows hid her torso, but her green eyes glowed. The limited light illuminated only her silhouette, highlighting her womanly shape. “Gaire.” He spoke her name as a command, enunciating the hard “g” sound and sighing on the “air” sound in her name. She frowned. “Stay.” Don’t make me wait again.She leaned forward so far that her ebony hair splashed across Calder’s middle. With each falling strand, Calder’s abdomen pulled tighter and tighter with anticipation. His eyes fixed on the moonbeam face, thirstily drinking in the view of her bottom lip clutched between her white teeth. When her tongue swiped across her mouth in a nervous gesture, he moaned. This is so real… This must be real. Keep her talking. Stay awake.Moonlight glinted on the scales covering her hips. “Tell me about your tattoos.”“Tattoos?” Concern crossed her features, and she asked, “How do you remember my name? You shouldn’t be able to remember.” He reached for her. “Last night, you said… You told me your name. Gaire.”She only whispered, “Hush.” Pulling the bedding from the floor, she slipped into the bed, covering them both. Her full length pressed against his side. He rolled toward her. “You’re dreaming. Go back to sleep.” The edges of the room twisted inward when Gaire’s fingers fluttered up his thigh. The scent of saltwater, coconuts, and jasmine grew stronger, lulling him and clouding his mind. His thoughts fell silent, swallowed by the warmth of her gentle lips on his. She murmured something against his mouth, but he could no longer understand the words drifting in the confusion her nearness wrought. Calder snorted and threw back his head as consciousness startled him. “Gaire,” he bellowed, already knowing. He glanced around the room through squinted eyes. The glaring sun streamed through the open sliding door. The white chiffon curtains fluttered in the wind, no other movement in the room and no response to his call. When he propped himself up on his elbows, bits of sand jumped along the edge of the king-sized bed. Real. She’s real, she’s always been real. He scrubbed a hand across his face. Small sandy footprints led toward the bed from the balcony, but none led away. Flashes of softness, warmth, bright red lips calling his name, feathery kisses on his chest, and down… Need crept across his body. I think I’ve finally gone insane.  
About the Author:

Bokerah Brumley is an award-winning freelance writer. In her spare time, Bokerah enjoys climbing trees, photographing peacocks, and writing flash fiction. Two novellas and one novel are planned for 2015. She lives with her husband, five kids, and three dogs in West Texas where she serves as the blue-haired publicity officer for the Cisco Writers Club. 
Follow Bokerah:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/bokerah (@bokerah)Twitter / Periscope: https://twitter.com/msbbrumley (@msbbrumley)Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bokerah Ello: https://ello.co/bokerah website: www.bokerah.comblog: www.superbokerah.com


Mini-Interview:
What is your favorite mermaid story or myth?I included the Blue Men of Minch and 1830 Mermaid of Benbecula. Both are briefly mentioned in history, but they were great for my novella.
What was the inspiration for your mermaid novella? Anna Albergucci, A.R. Draeger, and I were brainstorming during a Write Day at the Albergucci estate. I joked that I might do something completely ridiculous this time.  That + My husband and I really like UFC champ Coner McGregor + I like beards = Calder was born. To be different, I decided that Cold Water Bridegroom should mostly be written from Calder Brumen's point of view.
Cast your characters. If your novella was made into a movie, who would play your main characters?Calder Brumen: Gerard Butler (think: redheaded Leonidas that paints), Gaire: Ayelet Zurer or Alexis Knapp (but, man, Jenn Proske has the hair), Mike Love: Scott Evans (Captain America's younger brother) or Brett Tucker, though they are both a bit tall for the role. Venora: To be honest, she'd be much harder to cast, but I bet Uma Thurman could pull it off. If Uma was busy that year, I'd choose Cate Blanchett. I still haven't figured out the twins.
What was most challenging thing writing about mermaids?I think the hardest part was making the characters believable, while crossing from water to land, or even into the mer-city - just how to make it all work, think of and answer all the questions.
Ursula or Ariel?Ummm.... May I pick King Triton? ;)
What else should we know about your novella?Set in San Francisco, Calder is a moody artist looking for his forever, and like in all good stories, somebody dies. (:
**Thank you for joining us today, Bokerah! Can't wait to share your interview soon. <3 <3 <3 HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!!*** ***********************************************And now..it's time for the SUPER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW...some of which did appear in a local area newspaper. Here's the complete, unedited, unabridged version! 


Amber:   Thank you for joining us today, Bokerah! Cold Water Bridegroom is your first release. What made you decide to make the jump and publish?
Bokerah:  I have always wanted to publish. Late last year, I was offered an opportunity to publish alongside some successful indie authors. Their side of the publishing business looks different than the traditional side of publishing. Since my goal is to be a hybrid author (traditionally published and self-published), it seemed like the perfect time to learn.
Amber:  What are your favorite genres to write?
Bokerah:  Cold Water Bridegroom is a paranormal romance. That was fun. I am currently in a mad dash toward Twitter’s #PitchWars with a Young Adult SciFi in hand. SciFi is my favorite so far. I’m also working on a darker Noir novel that appeared in my Friday flash fiction escapades. I hope to self-pub that piece in two parts during the spring/summer of 2016 with the Blazing Indie Collective.
Amber:  Which authors and works have inspired you?
Bokerah:  I read so many different things: romance, steampunk, speculative fiction, SciFi, some horror, romantic comedy; my tastes are all over the board. I enjoy literary works, also, for the mechanics of language. To me, those stories are like watching an artist paint a work where the focus is the skill and words-as-tools, so the pacing and structure is different than in mainstream genre fiction.
Amber:  Life has a way of interfering, and we writers are notorious for procrastination and letting things stand in the way of putting words on the page. What advice would you give to others who are struggling to find the time to write?
Bokerah:  Be aware of the season in your life. I have had five babies. I couldn’t write when I was pregnant; and when I had little-littles in the house, I couldn’t keep a train of thought from derailing every few minutes. I had to learn to be okay with that. I had to embrace the belief that time would find me again, and, someday, they’d all be potty trained. I won’t always be able to kiss sticky cheeked, chubby faces. Writing was waiting for me in the next season. What do you find helps you overcome writer’s block? Music. Reading. Incredible photography from the world over. Sometimes, I have to take a few days and not write. Also, sometimes fiction will have me stumped, but I’ll be brimming with nonfiction blog post ideas. For me, it also helps to have two works in progress at one time. When the characters in one world are being sullen and won’t play with me, I’ll go play in the other world for a while.
Amber:  What inspired you to write CWB?
Bokerah:  For my first novella that I’ve taken all the way through to the public, I wanted something contemporary. I did not need the added stress of world building as I was walking through the beta readers > content edit > line edit > copy edit > proofreading  process, or even all the other things that go along with self-pub like cover design, formatting, uploading, and promotions. And I liked the idea of writing from the point of view of a bearded fellow. I needed a city with an awesome beach so I picked San Francisco because of the Glass Beach there. The waves wash multi-colored glass pebbles up on the shore. Ironically, the beach doesn’t appear in Cold Water Bridegroom, but some of the imagery was stunning.
Amber:  CWB is a romance that has it all – art, love, mermaids, underwater majesty, magic. What was the biggest hurdle for you when writing it?
Bokerah:  The biggest hurdle was not allowing my over-description to get in the way of the story flow. I over-write, so it’s a job to hack it down to essentials. After that, it was hard to write Calder Brumen in a way that made him a hero-artist without being a jerk or a wuss.
Amber:  Are you an outliner or a ‘pants’er?
Bokerah:  For Cold Water Bridegroom, I was a pantser, for sure. Throughout my twenties, I tried to learn to be an outliner, but that killed a lot of the creativity for me. I recently discovered writing to beats. It’s more free form than outlining, but less hippie pants-er than I was. I think it’s a happy middle ground that gives me freedom to dream between the important plot points and the productivity an outline can afford.
Amber:  What writing books or resources would you say have helped you grow as an author?
Bokerah:  Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. Story Trumps Structure by Steven James is on my To Read list. I’ve also read many articles on different aspects of writing. I have Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott on my Kindle, and I also plan to read Stephen King’s On Writing. I think those are my short list of writing helps.
But, really, it comes down to writing. Writing like mad, and then being brave enough to lay yourself out there for people to judge and criticize. Swallow your pride and tell them thank you for their time. If you keep all your writing to yourself, you’ll never discover what works and what doesn’t. Also, find an editor. Don’t imagine you don’t need one. That sort of arrogance has no place in the industry.
Amber:  Hindsight is always 20/20, and even though you are newly released, I’m sure you are already seeing things that you wish you would’ve done differently. What will you do differently next time you publish?
Bokerah:  I would like to have more “curing time.” I would like to write, finish, and let it sit for a few weeks. When I go back to do the next step, I’d like to give that step a few weeks to settle. I need that curing time to help distance myself from my new favorite little darlings. I can write all the time, but if I want a career and business, I have to cut the feelings I have toward my words. If a section doesn’t work, cut it. If it detracts from the pacing, cut it. Allowing myself that curing time gives me a chance to fall in love with a new idea so I weep and bleed a little less when I cut whole sections of a work in process.
Also, next time I self-publish, I plan on having my eBook ready for pre-sale months in advance. That would really cut the stress at the end. I’m already a procrastinator. If I can figure out how to procrastinate in advance of my deadline, I might add a few years to my life.
Amber:  What has been the easiest part of the publishing process? The hardest?
Bokerah:  The easiest part of the publishing process has been the promotion side of it. So far, I enjoy that part. The hardest part was the line editing and proofreading. And proofreading again. And again. By the time you get through your work that many times, you hate it. To date, that part was hardest.
Amber:  What would you recommend (resources) for anyone looking to publish their work?
Bokerah:  Read good books while reading good books about writing. A writers group that will critique your work is key. They push you. They flag things that slow the story, don’t make sense, or seem inconsistent with the characters.
Amber:  What advice would you have for anyone looking to publish?
Bokerah:  On a product note, go to the trouble to put out the best work you can – even though it is tedious and takes a lot of time. Get a good cover. 
On a personal note, don’t return ick for ick. Be a cut above, and always look for a way to help. Doors open when you least expect them, but the industry won’t let you in if you are jealous or territorial. And if you do manage to get your foot in the door, they won’t let you stay if you’re an emotional sourpuss. Yes, that means making nothing for your work for a long time or being okay with being fifth in line or not shoving your way into the limelight with a hotshot author, but I’d rather have nothing and no connections than step on people or hurt people to get those things.
When your increasing skill meets with a bit of success, and you are kind throughout the process, those connections and opportunities happen naturally.
Amber:  What many may not know is that while you are new to publishing, you are not new to writing. What advice would you have to those who are just starting to put pen to paper?
Bokerah:  You’ll never have fame. You’ll never have fortune. (Believe me, I won’t either.) Don’t set yourself up for discouragement by setting your hope on these things. Keep a firm grasp on this reality, but…
Keep writing. Don’t quit. Take a sabbatical, if you must, but always return. And, truly, if you are a writer, you’ll find that the act of writing orders your world in a way that little else can.

 ***Very well said, Bokerah! Thank you so much for taking the time out to visit with me! Be sure to check out Bokerah's awesome blog (where she interviews amazing authors all the time): www.superbokerah.com***