Kidnapped

Once again, A Reader's Respite has been bound, gagged, and tossed into a closet with only a book and a small reading light (jealous, are you?).

This has been done so that author Alexandrea Weis, a real writer and not a hack like A Reader's Respite, can talk to you about her fabulous debut novel, To My Senses (missed the review? Check here).....

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To My Senses has been called a romance by some and more than a romance, a love story if you will, by others. Is there a difference between a romance and a love story? I believe so, but do not get me wrong I support the romance genre. There is a formula for the characters and plot that is followed much to the relief of romance fans around the world.

But a love story gives us much more, emotionally from the characters and engages the reader on a deeper level. Romance brings predictability but a love story does not because as many of us know from experience love is never predictable. Some romances may be forgettable but a great love story will live on in the reader’s memory for many years to come.

But why are love stories so engaging? Perhaps it is because of the nature of love itself. Love changes us and can change our direction in life, as Nicci Beauvoir was changed by David Alexander’s love in To My Senses. Such great love can act like a sudden wind upon a calm sea, righting the sails of a ship, giving us a new course and a new horizon to aim for. We are penetrable souls, influenced and defined by whom we love.

When looking back upon our lives it has never been the house, car or other material things we reflect upon or long for, it has always been those individuals most cherished that we hold in our hearts forever. In that final moment of life we remember those we have loved and hope to carry that love with us to the other side.

And it is not to say that the love shared between the characters of an always happily ever after romance novel is any less sincere than the emotional ties binding two star crossed and sometimes tragically torn apart lovers. Maybe it is that when characters are taken to heart and become embedded within our psyche, they move from the light fragrance of a romance to the rich bouquet of a love story. Where romance may tweak at our hunger for passion and adventure, a love story reaches down to the inner workings of the soul and touches us in a way never expected.

And that is what I hope To My Senses does for the reader. Takes the reader on Nicci’s journey through the highs and lows of love, teaching her that it is the attainment of life’s greatest endeavor that matters most, everything else we garner simply pales in comparison.

And did Nicci’s tale mirror my own experiences with Cupid’s arrow? I have been asked that question a great deal by readers and friends alike. Suffice it to say that many author’s first novels are mostly autobiographical. And To My Senses does contain many elements of my own life experiences.

And David, you might be asking, did he really exist? Yes he did. He was as he is written. But who he was and what he meant to me will be forever sealed within the confines of my healing heart. To do otherwise, would be remiss of my own sweet remembrances.

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You can visit Alexandrea's website here. And don't forget to enter the drawing for a giveaway of her book, To My Senses!

We're very pleased to report that Alexandrea will be releasing a sequel for To My Senses. You can read an excerpt at Amazon!