Gracie C. McKeever
ISBN: 9781587492549
Earthling Press
Reviewed By Josee Morgan
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
After being separated for ten years, Sean and Echo are suddenly reunited – and the flames of passion between them are just as quickly reignited. Despite the fact that they’ve been apart for so long, they soon discover that the smoldering heat from their adolescent fling remains just as strong and powerful as it was prior to the abrupt breakup that forced them apart.
However, each of them has taken on “significant others” during their time apart, which threatens to prematurely spoil their reunion. For Sean, it’s his fiancée, Deirdre, a high-powered attorney accustomed to getting exactly what she wants – and who will fight to the death to prevent another woman from stealing him away. For Echo, it’s her beloved son, Athan – who just happens to be Sean’s, as well – but, due to the circumstances of his conception and birth, she’s forced to keep his true paternity a secret.
Most importantly of all, both Sean and Echo possess hidden, dark secrets buried deep within repressed memories they’ve strived their entire lives to move past; however, when those secrets re-emerge and begin to affect the new life they’re attempting to build together, it could have disastrous consequences for them both...will they be able to reconcile their dangerous pasts with the promising future they both so desperately crave?
A priceless jewel from early in her writing career, Flames Past displays the trademark literary excellence for which acclaimed author Gracie C. McKeever has become well known. In it, she seamlessly weaves such topics as love, heartbreak, family dynamics, relationship politics, and, of course, the mercurial workings of the heart, into a well-crafted tale reflective of the multi-faceted tapestry of human experience. Despite their God-given “unique” abilities, Sean and Echo are nonetheless flesh-and-blood beings prone to the same feelings and inclinations as us all, and their individual and collective struggles present the reader with a realistic snapshot of the difficulties we all face when confronted with both natural and supernatural challenges.
Also, in her signature fashion, McKeever embodies her characters with the same full-on, lifelike qualities as all the players in her ever-growing body of writings. In so doing, she prevents the reader from reaching snap judgments about any one in particular – and even manages to evoke feelings of sympathy and compassion for the supposed “bad guys” of the tale.
Compelling and enlightening, Flames Past is an excellent introduction to what has become a long, outstanding career of one superlative tale after another. Kudos to McKeever for continuing to provide readers worldwide with stories guaranteed to keep them hooked from beginning to end. Highly recommended.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Gracie
C. McKeever (Flames Past)
Apex Reviews: Gracie, thanks for joining us for this interview. We're looking
forward to learning more about your book and other efforts.
Gracie C. McKeever: Thanks for having me, Apex! I look forward to discussing my book and other efforts!
AR: Why does Echo initially consider giving Athan up?
GCM: Athan’s “uniqueness” scares and intimidates her. Also, because of her own past abusive childhood she doesn’t believe she’s capable of raising an emotionally healthy child, that her own experiences at the hands of parents who didn’t understand or know what to do with her, make her the worst kind of candidate to be a good mother, the kind of mother that a special child like Athan deserves.
AR: Why does she hide the truth of Athan's paternity from Sean for so long?
GCM: Initially, she hides the truth for the financial support that is offered to her to raise Athan with the stipulation that his existence remain a secret from Sean. She hides the truth out of necessity. But as time goes by and she becomes self-sufficient enough to reject her “benefactor’s” support and stipulations, she realizes she has dug herself a hole that will not be easy to climb out of, even once she is reunited with Sean. The more she is around Sean the harder she finds it to tell him the truth and her part in hiding his son’s existence from him. If not for Athan’s insistence and desire to know his father, Echo might not have ever gone in search of Sean to begin with.
AR: What's the real reason that Sean became a firefighter?
GCM: Ostensibly, fire is the enemy that Sean must defeat. But really it’s a metaphor and the profession is more a way for Sean to redeem himself, make up for the tragic mistakes of his past. Fighting fires is also a way for Sean to heal the emotional wounds after the death of his parents and brother. Before firefighting, Sean just drifts from job to job, running from his problems. Firefighting is a means to fight his demons as well as save himself as he saves others.
AR: With all that she has going for her, Deirdre can get any man she wants - so why is she so determined to stop Sean and Echo from reconciling?
GCM: Sean has been an obsession for Deidre since they were teens and she is not used to losing, especially not to someone she considers beneath her and her lineage, like Echo. She can take losing Sean, but she can’t take losing him to Echo.
AR: How are Sean and Echo finally able to manage their respective "special
powers?"
GCM: Once they find each other, realize that being different isn’t the bad thing that they were taught it was and that together they are much stronger and resilient than they could ever be apart, they are able to reconcile their love and their powers and realize that they are not mutually exclusive.
AR: Given that he's their son, what does the future hold for Athan - specifically regarding the development of his own unique abilities?
GCM: With help from a well-rounded support system that includes two parents who’ve come together in love and understanding, but more importantly have learned from their own mistakes, the future is bright for Athan. He’s very intelligent, a basically good kid and he understands the benefits and drawbacks to what he can do from first-hand experience. He understands, too, that his “uniqueness” does not make him a freak.
AR: Flames Past is actually one of your earlier works. Are you planning to re-launch it as a newer edition?
GCM: Actually, Flames Past has never gone out of print since its initial release ten years ago (one of the many advantages and wonders of small press and e-publishing ..). I believe the edition that is currently available stands the test of time as a contemporary romance and a heartfelt story of healing and redemption. I don’t think the universal themes of love and forgiveness that run through the book ever go out of style. So no, I’m not planning to re-launch a newer edition. My latest promotional push is just one in a long line of ongoing promotion that I do for all of my books in turn. I suppose you could say it’s Flames Past’s turn in the spotlight now.
AR: Please share more with our readers about your other writings.
GCM: Flames Past was one of five published books from my pre-erotic romance phase which also includes two other Awe-Struck titles: Dancing in the Dark and Miles to Go and Fictionwise titles: Desert Dreams and New Life Incognita. The bulk of my work since has been published with premier erotic romance publisher, Siren Publishing, Inc. and includes several individual titles (Between Darkness and Daylight, Eternal Designs, In Plain Sight, Spells Cast in Shadows, The Wolf in the Mansion, and Nine Inches of Snow and the Ebony Princess) and three series—The Matchmaker, Sisters of Emsharra and Zara’s Bois.). I also have a short erotica piece—Gray Badge of Trust—published with Amira Press.
AR: You're quite the prolific, accomplished writer. Do you plan to tour soon in
order to expose your writings to an even greater number of potential readers?
GCM: I think the World Wide Web is the greatest exposure or potential audience a writer can have. .. I do attend annual book festivals and booksignings in my area, although I have nothing extensive in the name of touring planned.
AR: What's next for you?
GCM: I’m currently working on a new
erotic paranormal romance series—Protector Devas. It’s a series about angels,
but I’m approaching it from an Eastern Religion slant rather than the
traditional and widely-accepted Western Religion slant. I’m several chapters into the first book
(working title, Guardian Angel) with several books planned. Here’s the series
blurb: “A psychically
gifted family becomes an
endangered species when it is discovered that their devic essence may hold the
key to victory in a centuries-old, ever-escalating war between powerful
celestial and demonic factions.” I’m also looking forward to
seeing my erotic short story, Leap of Faith, published in Zane’s anthology,
Sensuality: Caramel Flava 2 this June 2009.
AR: Please share your website address with us so our readers can learn more
about you and your ongoing efforts.
GCM: Certainly: http://www.graciecmckeever.com
AR: Also, how can they contact you directly?
GCM: Readers are welcome to contact me
at gwiz10@optonline.net
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
GCM: I hope that your readers continue to read and enjoy my work and that I’ve piqued their curiosity about my work and the flourishing e- and independent publishing and small press industries.
AR: Thanks again, Gracie, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
GCM: Thanks for giving me the opportunity to reach out to your readers and talk about my work! All the best to you too, Apex!