Are you a fan of games? I am. I even set a series of books set in a fantasy
game based on Arthurian legend.
My “Perfect Heroes” series is being reissued for the first time in digital
form. In the first book, VIRTUAL HEAVEN, the heroine,
Maggie O’Brien, considers her life pretty ordinary until she plays a fantasy
game called Tolemac Wars. Of course, as the author of this romance, I made sure
something goes awry so Maggie ends up in the game where she meets a warrior
named Kered. There’s an instant attraction between them, but Maggie can’t tell
this man the truth, so she claims she can’t remember who she is or where she
comes from. Kered’s warrior code will not allow him to abandon Maggie, who
seems defenseless in his world. And when he falls in love with her, he really
can’t let her go.
This book was so much fun to write as were the sequels VIRTUAL DESIRE (available this
month) and VIRTUAL WARRIOR (available in October). I based the books on some
lesser Arthurian tales and found there’s nothing more fun than creating my own
world. Although virtual reality is not quite a reality yet, I’m happy to find
that companies are out there working hard to make it a . . . well, reality!
I’m often asked what possessed me to use a game for my “time-travel” romance.
The answer is that two things came together at one time. First, I love games.
I grew up playing board games with my family. We had huge canasta tournaments
at the shore in Ocean City, New Jersey, (where I put my game store in my
“Perfect Heroes” series). My family has moved on to pinochle, poker, and
internet fun, but I miss those canasta tournaments! And what are games without
snacks and beverages! We’ve moved on from soda and chips to beer and wine and
wings, but that’s a different story!
Exhausted Gamers
The second thing that shaped this set of stories was a science conference at
Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute. I took part in some demonstrations of
virtual reality gaming. I was utterly fascinated by the experience. That was
it for me, I had to put that experience into a story.
Here’s a picture of Ocean City, NJ’s boardwalk (Music Pier on far right) where I
set my virtual books. You’ll also see some Sandy damage since repaired.
So do you like games? What’s your favorite game? Would you like to play a
virtual reality game? (I just don’t recommend doing so if there’s a storm
outside . . . just ask Maggie O’Brien of VIRTUAL HEAVEN how that turns out!)
Virtual Heaven
An ordinary woman . . .
Nothing extraordinary has ever happened to Maggie
O’Brien until the day she plays a fantasy game for the first time. When
something goes awry, Maggie finds herself a slave in a frightening world
engulfed in war.
An extraordinary man . . .
Kered is a warrior tired of war. When he seeks
theadvice of a wise man, he finds a woman who can’t remember who she is or where
she comes from. His warrior code will not allow him to abandon her. And when he
falls in love, he knows only one reality . . . he can’t let her go.
Leave a comment and you could be one of 2 lucky winners of an ebook edition of
the first book in my series, VIRTUAL HEAVEN (winner’s choice
of digital format).
Happy Reading!
Ann
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