Bouncer Round 6 #19

Title: Secretly Enchanted

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Word Count: 94,000

Query:

With fierce intelligence and impeccable charm, world-renowned biological researcher James Blackburn leads scientists to discoveries that expose the very secrets of the universe. When a windstorm shatters a laboratory on a perfect spring day, even he can't explain it. He will discover the culprit.

With the power to defy physics' uncompromising laws, Kyla leads a double life. To the world she is assistant professor Dr. Kyla Conley, but to her people, she is the most powerful enchantress of all time. At all costs, she must protect her people's secret. To do so she must convince one professor that sorcery does not exist.

With no choice but to infiltrate his investigation and derail his mission, Kyla fights to prove the supernatural lives only in dreams and fairytales, all the while resisting the inexplicable attraction that grows every day. As the masterful scientist grows closer to her greatest secret, she can only wonder…

What will he do when he discovers the truth?

Secretly Enchanted is a paranormal romance and is complete at 94,000 words in length.  My manuscripts have seen success in various RWA-sponsored contests including First Place in the Sweet Spicy Spooky Contest, Unsinkable Heroine Award in the Molly, Third Place in the Southern Heat Contest, Third Place in the STAR Contest and two semi-finalist showings in the Molly Contest.  I am currently a finalist in the FRW Golden Palm and the RWA Emily competitions.

I have written seven manuscripts in addition to Secretly Enchanted, including three paranormal romances, three contemporary romances and one children's fantasy. My freelance articles on the web garner more than 20,000 clicks a day. You can view descriptions of all of my manuscripts on my website, www.anenchantedland.com.

First 250:

Muscles tightened and flexed. Powerful biceps pushed against a snow white lab coat, taut across an expansive chest. Long legs stood tall, confident and at attention, shoulder width apart. Capable hands moved in expert fashion across the most volatile substances known to man, intent on exposing naked the very laws of the universe. Focused with the intensity of a thousand suns, Dr. James Blackburn knew no nerves, yet his concentration never wavered.  Few projects held such danger − or potential rewards − as this moment's journey.

The surroundings were but a blur, all but forgotten. The warrior of science ignored the inquisitive glances of students peering through the glass pane windows, most certainly more curious about a celebrity in their midst than in the scientific breakthrough of the year. A serenely smiling sun splashed golden rays into the sterile room of white and space age silver, over state-of-the-art equipment who price soared far beyond seven digits. The baby blue Florida sky tolerated neither a cloud nor a gust of wind as it presided over the manicured green lawns and stately brick buildings of the University of Orlando.

Not once did James lose his focus. Not with this experiment and most certainly not with these compounds. One wrong move and an explosion would rock the science lab like homemade fireworks on the Fourth of July, taking him and the better part of his million dollar lab with it.