THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY - BEYOND THE TIDE Series by N Dune

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Beyond the Tides

 

Get a behind-the-scenes all-access pass to Beyond the Tide series by N Dune!

***Synopsis***

Beyond the Tide follows a group of friends as they find love and uncover a terrible murder that threatens to wreck what they have built together. Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Cornish Coast, this steamy series will have you on the edge of your seat.

Each book focuses on the love story and chemistry between the couples as they journey towards a happy ending. The books follow on from one another and must be read in order.

There are references to domestic abuse, violence, kidnapping and torture. If these are a trigger for you, do not read these books.

What is the sub-genre and trope? Did your characters lead you to this genre or was that decided before the story began?

The books are romantic suspense as they have a suspense story running throughout them. Book one is best friends to lovers, second chance romance, Book two is brother’s best friend, close proximity and Book three is an age gap romance but also angsty. They are all angsty to be fair.

My characters decided what was going to happen and where the story was going to go.

Are you more character or plot-driven?

Most definitely character driven, I’m just along for the ride.

With many main and secondary characters, how do you keep them separated in your mind? Do you have a story/vision board above your workspace?

I have a notebook where I write down relevant character traits especially important as some of my side characters insist on having their own books.

I know from previous interviews that characters take on a life of their own. Were any of the characters in this series determined to take their own direction instead of where you initially wanted them to go?

There was a lot of that going on, particularly in the last book when I thought Marcus was a certain sort of guy and I tried to convince him to be that guy, he refused to speak to me and that’s how my PNR series started because I took time off writing Chased Beyond the Tide and started writing Within Her Magic. Eventually he forgave me and we got the book sorted in the end the way he wanted it.

Are any of the male POVs based on anyone you know?

No not really, my characters are unique to themselves but there is a little of my husband in Jay from Escape Beyond the Tide.

Are any of the female POVs based on anyone you know?

I don’t think so, not intentionally. I like to write feisty strong female characters and I feel like we all have a little of that inside us.

Was there any one character/scene that was harder to write about than the other?

Some of the more angsty emotional scenes were hard to write but I went with what my characters wanted and what they were feeling.

What is your favorite book in the series?

I love them all but I would say Escape Beyond the Tide is always going to hold a special place in my heart.

I know that we aren’t supposed to have “favorites” as far as our children, but seriously, who’s your favorite character and why?

I love all my characters, but Jay and Lou will always be special to me as they were the first to be written and published.

Series question - Who is your favorite couple and why did you decide on their dynamics?

Jay and Lou, I love their friendship and the way they find each other again. Their love for one another. I didn’t decide what they were going to be to each other they decided it all by themselves, I just wrote their love story.

How do you get inside these characters’ heads to find their perfect HEA?

I find it difficult to describe how this happens, it’s as if I am them while I’m writing their stories. Sometimes I don’t even know if there will be a HEA and I’m just as shocked as the next person about the things that happen to them. I get all warm and fuzzy when the end finally makes itself known.

What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for you? Why?

I would say there are a few that stick in my mind. I particularly love the epilogue in book three though.

Series - Were any of the books harder to write than others?

Books one and three were the hardest because of the emotional trauma. Book three is the darkest of the trilogy but not as dark as my PNR series. It was still hard to write some of the scenes.

How long did it take you to write this book/series?

I started Escape Beyond the Tide in lockdown and it took a year to write the trilogy and release then release it.

How did you come up with the title for your book and series?

The series was always going to be about the ocean and the Cornish coast, so the titles needed to reflect that. Each title relates to the books and what happens to the characters.

If you met these characters in real life would you get along?

I’m sure that we would get along yes, I might get a little tongue tied if I got to speak to Jay or Connor.

Series question – Did you know in advance that you were going to write this as a series or did one of the characters in book one demand their own story?

I knew that I was going to write Escape but not necessarily where it was going to go, I didn’t know it was going to become a trilogy until I started writing and the side characters got so loud.

If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors do you see as playing your characters?

Now this one I’m not so sure of they would have to have British accents and the men talk all husky. Maybe Chris Hemsworth for Jay, if he had a British accent and tattoos.

Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect next? Whether a new book and series or a sequel to an existing series? Can you share a small tease?

Well I’ve left this series alone for a while but I’m hoping to release a duet this world next year. I wrote an MM romance for the side characters of Chased Beyond the Tide and whilst I was doing that it became apparent the characters in that story were the characters in two stories I’ve had on the back burner. 

The duet deals with some heavy subjects, they are incredibly angsty and it is particularly hard to write but I can tell you the male characters are delicious.

A little unedited snippet from Sawyer: 

“You can’t make someone stay with you. If they choose to stray, that’s on them, not you. You deserve to be someone’s number one.”

Check out all my interviews/reviews for N Dune!
https://readingbydeb.blogspot.com/2023/11/author-at-glance-n-dune.html

N Dune is a British author who lives with her husband and three children in the South West of England. Having spent years ignoring the voices in her head, she is finally letting them out to tell their stories. A true pantser, she allows her characters full rein and takes you on their journey with little control over what they want to happen.

N Dune writes steamy contemporary, fantasy and paranormal romance, often with a dark twist and usually full of angst. All of her books are written, for the most part, in British English, with occasional word exceptions in some.

Connect with N Dune:

Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/nduneauthor 

Website: https://nduneauthor.com/

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ESCAPE BEYOND THE TIDE by N Dune

Beyond the Tide - Book 1

https://amzn.to/3TwPh2n

I remember like it was yesterday, how he promised he would find me if I ever tried to leave him...

Lou has only one plan-run as far away as possible from her abusive boyfriend. She chooses the only place he wouldn't think to look. Seeking refuge with the only person who has ever made her feel safe. As Lou tries to put the broken pieces of herself back together, a need for her best friend reignites.

Jay has loved Lou since they were building sandcastles on the beach. When fate throws them back together, he is determined not to let her go a second time. Can he keep her safe and convince Lou that she belongs on the Cornish Coast with him?

Escape Beyond the Tide is a friends-to-lovers, second chance romance and book one in the Beyond the Tide trilogy, which should be read in order. 

Trigger warning: This book contains references to and some scenes of domestic abuse and violence.

FOUND BEYOND THE TIDE by N Dune

Beyond the Tide - Book 2

https://amzn.to/4avvWEU

Can one kiss change everything?

Tilly’s feelings for Connor have always been complicated. She has been fighting them off since she was a teenager, believing that he couldn’t feel the same and would never see her as anything other than his best friend’s little sister.

That is until they kissed…

Connor refuses to acknowledge his feelings for Tilly. She can’t be anything more than a friend. However, his feelings of friendship morph into something more when his protective instincts take over after a maniac nearly kills her.

Could there be something more between them?

Can love and friendship triumph over the obstacles thrown in their way? Will they find love beyond the tide?

Found Beyond the Tide is a friends-to-lovers, brother’s best friend, steamy romance with a mild suspense twist. It is book two in the Beyond the Tide series, which should be read in order, and it contains some scenes of violence.

 CHASED BEYOND THE TIDE by N Dune

Beyond the Tide - Book 3

https://amzn.to/4awYJsH

Since she was a teenager, Chloe’s had one goal—to track down her sister’s killer and bring him to justice.

Chloe never believed that her sister had run away, she knew that Leah had been killed, there is no way her sister would have left without a word. What Chloe hadn’t planned for was falling in love with the emotionally shut off detective who was put in charge of re-opening her sister’s case.

Marcus had always needed control in all areas of his life. He has no time for a relationship and no need for the feelings that Chloe was evoking deep inside him. But once she gets under his skin, all bets are off. Marcus thought he could control it. He thought he could protect her. He was wrong.

When their worlds are turned inside out, and all hope appears to be lost, will their love for one another persevere and heal them … or will it be too late?