The Dancer and the Masks by Bea Paige
Author Note
Well phew, can I take a breath now?
I’m telling you, The Masks have been my single most difficult characters to write so far. Their story was always going to be dark. I knew it the moment they were mentioned back in Lyrical, book two of the Academy of Stardom series. Way back then they begged for my attention, but I couldn’t give them what they needed until I’d finished writing that series and even though The Dancer and The Masks was one of the toughest books I’ve ever written, I’m so glad that I persevered.
As you might have guessed, this is a dark romance. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to indulge the darker side of my writing, and this book really took me through a whole gamut of emotions. I’m not going to lie, some scenes were hard for me to write, but none were written just to be provocative. Every scene, every dark act by The Masks needed to be told in order to really unveil who they are. I don’t write those kinds of scenes lightly and I always knew that Christy wouldn’t be the type of character to accept her fate or just roll over.
She was always going to fight back, she was always going to take ownership of what was happening to her and she was never going to let The Masks forget that their behaviour was unacceptable. That was really important to me as a writer and a woman. I think she is a remarkable character.
In book two, The Masks and The Dancer I will be delving even deeper into their relationship, it will be just as twisted, just as dark and you will be seeing some familiar faces (Grim and Beast and a couple of misfits *nudge, nudge, wink, wink) and further introduced to some characters that I know many of you can’t wait to read about… The Deana-Dhe *cough, cough. It will also be cathartic. There will be redemption, healing and of course, eventually, a hard won HEA.
* * *
If this is the first book you’ve read by me, then you’re in luck! All of my contemporary books so far are set in the same world and characters often cross over from one series to the next. If you want to get lost in the world of Bea Paige, here is my recommended reading order:
The Brothers Freed trilogy- start with Avalanche of Desire
Academy of Misfits trilogy- start with Delinquent
Beyond The Horizon standalone
Academy of Stardom series- start with Freestyle
Finding Their Muse series- start with Steps
The Dancer and The Masks duet
Before I go, I’d like to thank my beta readers, Janet, Gina, Jennifer, Lisa and of course, last but by no means least, my gorgeous PA and friend Courtney. You ladies rock! Without your unwavering support I wouldn’t be able to do this. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Special thanks to Katie Friend for coming up with The Menagerie! It was absolutely perfect.
Of course without you, dear reader, none of this would be possible. I get to write every day bringing these worlds and characters to life because you continue to have faith in me and read my book babies. I am eternally grateful! Thank you for picking up my books and for giving this indie author a chance.
Lastly, I hope you enjoyed this book and trust me to give you all a satisfying happy ending when The Masks and The Dancer releases in a few months time. Until then, make sure you come on over to my Facebook Group, Queen Bea’s Hive, to keep up with new releases, teasers, book news and more.
Much love, Bea Paige.