Fateful by Cheri Schmidt

Kindle Price:
$0.99
Available From:
Amazon US Kindle
Amazon US Paperback
Author Contacts:
www.cherischmidt.net
cherischmidt.blogspot.com
Twitter - cheriaschmidt


A huge fan of Jane Austin, Danielle hopes to find her own Mr. Darcy when she leaves Colorado to attend art school in London. Of course she knows it’s silly to wish for that, naive even. But she’s met enough males who lacked respect for women, a growing trend it seemed. And at nineteen...well.... However, on only her second night there she gets lost and is threatened by a stalker who proves to be immune to her martial arts training. Before she is completely overpowered, she is then saved by Ethan Deveroux.

While Danielle does find the romance she seeks in Ethan, he’s no Mr. Darcy. Her hero is held by a spell which fractures their chance at a happy ending. During the day Ethan is closer to mortal than immortal and can date her like any other man. Yet, as the sun sets the powerful magic of an ancient curse returns and the evil of that spell is revealed. When that magic begins, Danielle's fairytale romance ends because Ethan Deveroux is a vampire. 

Excerpt from Fateful:

“There’s a maze here too. Let’s go do that next, shall we?”

There’s a maze? Distraction was definitely his plan, and it worked. Disturbed by the idea momentarily, she finally decided that as long as she was with him she wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost, and went along when he tugged her to the right.

“The maze contains over a thousand full-grown yew trees. It’s my favorite part,” he said as he pulled her along swiftly.

Danielle found it difficult to care about the yew trees, but he was apparently thrilled. Just the sight of it was troubling when they arrived at the entrance, and she hesitated, digging her feet in as she tried to slow down his momentum. Not that he noticed.

Pointing to a tall gothic tower in the center, Ethan said, “Meet me there, and we’ll go to the top of it.” Letting go of her hand, he stepped into the maze.

“What! You’re leaving me?”

“It’s a race. We’ll see who gets there first,” he said, emitting a chuckle from a challenging grin.

“Okay then. I had fun … this was nice … I’ll see you another time.” Danielle waved goodbye. She knew she’d never make it to the tower. It would get dark and she would still be wandering aimlessly through that thing. Walking into a maze was like asking to get lost, at least in her opinion.

Some of the excitement fell from his expression. Seemed he was catching on to the fact she didn’t like this part of the garden so much. “Please, Danielle. It’ll be fun. I promise.” When that didn’t get the response she figured he was hoping for, he changed tactics, moved close and then used his eyes on her. At the sight of those baby-blues, the feeling of daze returned and another surge of familiarity hit her. Danielle tried to shake it off, but found she couldn’t resist because this gaze of his was actually more convincing than his gentle words.

It took her a moment to realize he’d gathered both of her hands and already drawn her in well past the entrance. Panicking now, she spun around when he released her and found she already didn’t know which way to go. “Don’t worry, darling. You’ll find your way.” The soft words came to her like the whisperings of a spirit and she couldn’t tell which way they’d come from. Surely she couldn’t already be lost. With shoulders drooping, she thought,He’s going to be so disappointed when I don’t actually show up.

Wondering what she should do next, she heard a low, husky chuckle as he apparently moved further away. Danielle merely glowered at the jovial sound and turned back the way she’d come ... or thought she’d come. Which way had she come? Great, she really was already lost.


Bio: Cheri is a mother of four beautiful girls, a wife to a loving computer geek, a writer, an artist, a photographer, a lover of words, and a lover of reading books.

Cheri went to Brigham Young University in 1988 where she majored in photography and design. She has worked as a portrait photographer and artist for twenty years. She has only recently realized that she can share the stories constantly playing through her thoughts, and added writing to her list of creative endeavors. She always did well in English, but never realized she could write as her other talents seemed to overshadow that hidden skill.

She has always had an interest in fairies, mermaids, vampires, witches, and, in truth, just about any type of fantasy or myth. She started out in elementary school drawing mermaids, fairies, and witches, and has since sold paintings of them on eBay. As computer technology advanced, she began digitally enhancing photographs into those magical creatures as well.

When stories of these beings continued to entertain her thoughts, to the point of almost haunting her, she decided it was time to start writing them down. FATEFUL is her first finished work, though other stories had come to her before that. She has eleven other books in the plans, including: some on vampires, some on fairies, and all of them with a romantic twist.



What will readers like about your book?
Fateful is a vampire tale for those who are sick of them, but will also appeal to those who aren't, and to those who may actually be suffering from withdrawals of those sexy fanged creatures. It’s unique, it’s romantic, and as of yet, no one has been able to guess how the story is resolved.

Why did you self publish?With the changes in the market I felt this was the best place for my vampire series. I feel like I can better cater to my niche audience by self-publishing than going the traditional route.

What is your writing process?
The stories just start playing in my head and I have to write them down. Often this occurs while I'm in bed trying to fall asleep. If I'm focusing on one story that one seems to come at me the hardest. However I have written two different novels in completely different voices at the same time and somehow managed to keep them from blending into each other.

I begin with a basic plot idea. Many times I write the climatic ending right after I’ve finished the opening of the book. Then I begin filling in the gaps between those sections. By doing it this way I know where I'm going with the story and can then build the plot up to the climax.

How long does it take you to write your first draft?
I think about three to four months.

What inspired you to write this particular story?
I kept finding myself frustrated with other books I read. With original stories playing out in my mind, I kept reading hoping to quench the thoughts. Yet the more I read the more they sparked new ideas that simply had to be written. When I finally committed pen to paper, or more accurately fingers to keys, these thoughts came to rest in the books I've written.

What are readers saying about the Fateful series?

Delicious and addictive!

Wow!! If I had any doubts that the Fateful trilogy was like Twilight they got squashed as soon as I started reading Fractured!! Cheri Schmidt has created a unique twist to the common vampire story and I loved the new ideas!! I was taken on an emotional roller coaster and the ride has left me thinking of the book hours after I finished it!!  - By Courtney

Loved it!
I REALLY enjoyed this book. It was very well written. I am constantly on the lookout for a really good story, with great characters, well developed plot and of course a melt your heart romance. Believe me it doesn't happen often. But I was soooo happy to find Fateful met and exceeded all of my criteria. I'm still smiling about it :). O.k as for the comments that it is a Twilight copy. Please. Yes there are some similarities. There is a vampire who is good, who falls in love with a human and there are some bad vampires. And that's about it. Everything else (which there is a lot more) is not only unique to Fateful but makes it so much more and different than anything else out there. Lastly, for all of us thousands of readers who were searching for something as good (if not better) to read after Twilight. This is IT! - By Malomia

Wonderful Romance
I could not put this book down! The story, character, and plot will delightfully surprise you. The romance built steadily in a natural way. The editing -get this- was fantastic. I loved the setting as well. I'm an American who has visited London and this story felt genuine to the city's atmosphere and culture. That also gets extra brownie points for a job well done. - By Winterlove97

A Very Good Read!
I absolutely LOVED this book. I was looking for a romance book that WAS clean to read. (I have a passion about reading books, but am easily disappointed when I find that it has filthy content). I truly wasn't disappointed with either book. I found that I couldn't put my Kindle down. I just had to keep reading. When I finished Fateful, I hurried on to Fracture. - By Roxana.