Another #Eggcerpt for the Eggcerpt Exhange Authors Blog Tour! Today I’m featuring Trevann Rogers with the book HOUSE OF THE RISING SON.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Sex. Rebellion. Rock and roll.
Living After Midnight, Book 1
Cheyenne is a half-human incubus whose star is on the rise in the Unakite City rock scene. His father, the leader of the supernatural races, would prefer he keep a “low profile”, but screw that. Cheyenne has as much music in his veins as royal incubi blood.
Alexander’s future is all set—finish law school, join the family firm, and marry someone who’d be good for business. Not that he has a say in any of it. He’s barely met the woman his father expects him to marry.
As Cheyenne’s musical career takes off, his carefully constructed life begins to unravel, exacerbated by an ex-lover who can’t let go, a crotchety barkeeper with a dirty mind and a pure heart, a drag queen who moonlights as a nanny, and Alexander—who’s not sure if he’s falling for the incubus or the rocker.
Cheyenne denies who he is, while Alexander hides what he wants. Together, they learn that getting what they truly want means being who they truly are.
Excerpt
The blue-gray glow of the synthesizer’s lights increased with the music’s crescendo and tugged him to the edge of his seat. The beginning of a show was one of his favorite parts. He was also partial to the middle and the end.
But Alexander didn’t applaud and stomp and scream in anticipation like the rest of the crowd. He was grateful to be able to keep his composure, but the truth was, it was all he could do to remember to breathe.
With a burst of light and a thunderous chord, Cheyenne appeared at center stage, arms out from his sides. An ethereal white light illuminated him. A rock and roll messiah.
Trevann Rogers writes urban fantasy and LGBT paranormal romances. Her stories incorporate an unquenchable addition to music and her love for vampires, Weres, incubi and rock stars. Like these elusive creatures, Trevann learned long ago that sometimes being yourself means Living After Midnight.
Today, I am featuring Mari Manning, author of Stranger at My Door.
Character Interviews
Dinah Pittman, heroine of Stranger at My Door
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a small town in Texas. I’ll tell you the name, but it doesn’t matter since no one’s ever heard of it. It’s El Royo. For the first 17 years of my life, I loved it, then a crime destroyed my family, and I couldn’t get away fast enough.
When is your birthday?
I’m 25, so you do the math. I was born on November 1, and my mother, who believed in the stars, painted the night sky at it appeared the day I was born on the ceiling of my bedroom.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Pay back the money my father stole.
Rafe Morales, hero of Stranger at My Door
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on Hacienda Osito, which means Little Bear Ranch in Spanish.
Worst fear or nightmare?
I’ve lived through my worst fear – I watched someone I love die before my eyes. Something broke in me that night. Most people call it my nerve. My mother swears it’s my alma, which means soul. Whatever it is, I hope it mends, but I don’t believe I will ever be whole again.
About “Stranger at My Door” by Mari Manning
The only thing standing between Dinah Pittman and a murderer is a man she’s afraid to trust …
As far as Dinah Pittman is concerned, men can’t be trusted. Especially cops. Her own father was a cop and a convicted felon who stole a small fortune before dying in prison. The best part? No one knows where the money is…and someone is willing to kill off everyone who knows anything about it.
And Dinah is next.
Rafe Morales left the Dallas police force to settle down to a simpler life in the small Texas town of El Royo. Instead, he finds himself protecting an infuriating, tough-as-nails, oh-so-sexy victim—and driving himself crazy with a thoroughly unprofessional desire.
But as the body count rises, Rafe and Dinah must find a way to trust each other…before they both end up dead.
From the Book
The front door rebounded and clipped Rafe’s shoulder. He kicked it closed with his boot before raking his flashlight beam across the unlit entryway. The hall was clear. His heart thumping against ribs, he burst into the living room. His light hit the figure of a woman, and his feet froze. He tilted the beam up and framed Dinah Pittman’s expressionless face.
Most girls would have screamed or hid when he kicked in the door. Not this one. She had balls, he’d give her that.
Her forearm lifted to shield her eyes from the light. “Who are you? What do you want?” She sounded tired. “I already told Teke, I don’t know where the money is.”
Rafe lowered the flashlight and rolled his shoulder to loosen a tight muscle. There were about two dozen abandoned bungalows in this part of town. When he saw a candle flickering in the window, he’d expected a confrontation with teenagers or maybe a squatter.
He stepped into the candlelight. “Officer Morales, ma’am. Got something against electricity?” As soon as the words were out, he regretted them. The pink flyers. She’d needed money to turn on the lights.
Her mouth tightened. “Get out.” Turning to a small table by the window, she gathered up scattered cards, probably her tarot cards. Had she found customers already?
He studied her as he summoned up an appropriate apology. She wore cut-offs and a white T-shirt. His eyes swept down her slim legs to her bare feet and red toenails before he could stop himself. Why were pain-in-the-ass women always hot?
“I didn’t mean to upset you—”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
“That’s tough to do with you around.”
Her hand stilled for a moment, then returned to its task. “You could have knocked.”
“Sometimes we get squatters in these abandoned houses. They’re more likely to be discouraged by a show of force.”
“I could have been a mass murderer. Aren’t you supposed to call for backup?” She glanced down at his flashlight. “If I was a bad guy with a gun, you’d be dead, Officer Morales.”
“Rafe.”
She’d read him right. He’d tried to pull out his service revolver when he broke down the door, but—predictably—his hand had turned to Jell-O. After two years, he still couldn’t get past the night in Dallas when his beautiful, daring Sam’s luck ran out, and he’d avenged her but failed to live up to his own lofty ideals. So he relied on the element of surprise and big fists.
Gathering up the cards, she set them in a neat stack. “As you can see, I am not a squatter.” Her gaze flickered to his flashlight, then back up to his face. “There’s an empty house about two blocks down if you’re determined to rescue one.”
The corner of his mouth inched up. She’d be a handful…for the right man, which sure as hell wasn’t him. Not anymore. “Thanks for the tip.”
About Mari Manning
Let’s start with the fun stuff. I love small towns, mysteries, quiet men, laughter, old-fashioned spaghetti dinners. I love boots and shopping and jokes and Hershey’s dark chocolate and white wine. I love lots of things. But my first love is reading.
I love to read. Just about anything, but it has to be well-written. I go through periods where I am into historical novels or romance or mystery or history or biography. I never know when my desires will suddenly change.
Now for the writer-ish, official stuff: Mari Manning is the author of several contemporary romances and three romantic suspense novels set in the Texas Hill Country. Stranger at My Door is the first in her A Murder in Teas series. The second, Stranger in My House will be published by Entangled later this year. The third book in the series is Stranger in My Bed. Currently Mari is working on a series of cozy mysteries.
Anne’s relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.
The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world–one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil’s vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve’s soul from its torment.
Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?
A touching, compelling story of tragedy, loss and the power of endless love and good magic.
The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.
Excerpt
The peal of the church bells from the abbey tower startled Genevieve. The sound added to her mounting anxiety.
The massive abbey loomed over the stone paved path. All the nuns were at evening mass. With a bit of luck her disappearance would go unnoticed for a few more hours. The Abbess would assume she was cleaning the toilets as ordered.
Fear skittered through Genevieve when she turned away from the abbey towards the path leading to town. Nothing stirred. She hesitated. Evil emanated from the forest surrounding the abbey. With a shiver, she leaned against the solid oak gates that flanked the abbey’s main path. They had hidden her from detection for the past couple of hours, but how much longer would she be safe?
The mountain shadows grew thicker and closer.
She moved her weight from one leg to the other. They ached from so much standing, but she lacked the strength to return to the gardener’s cottage and wait for Andrew’s arrival as planned. Genevieve closed her tired eyes. The image of old Ryan, slumped dead in his chair in his cubicle, caught life in her mind and made her whole body ripple with fear.
She’d rather wait for Andrew here, outside.
Had he forgotten his promise? What if something terrible befell him during the last three days, or he had changed his mind? Why should he risk all for an ordinary nun?
Had his folks talked him into giving her up, made him see reason? Helping her out of her predicament meant a huge risk for him — losing his family, his friends and his position among his peers. His words echoed in her mind. “I will risk everything for you, even life, if necessary.”
* * * *
“Anne, Anne, wake up. Wake up, please,” the insistent voice whispered next to her ear. The touch of a hand, on her shoulder, startled Anne.
She opened her eyes, still half between sleep and reality. Her gaze stopped on a stranger, a woman, by her side.
The moon’s pale face, the only light, filtered through a small gap in the tent’s entrance; yet the stranger’s whole body emanated a kind of soft ray, a yellowish halo making her figure and face easy to discern.
A long, dark robe, similar to those worn by nuns in monasteries centuries ago, covered her body. No traditional headdress covered the woman’s red hair, which fell loosely over her shoulders in long, heavy tendrils and continued down her chest and back.
Anne stood up and studied the intruder with open curiosity. The stranger’s wax pale face looked corpse like. Anne opened her mouth to ask her who she was. She looked Anne straight in the eyes, placed her forefinger on her lips and whispered, “Hush, come. Follow me.”
Anne’s eyes widened.
The woman, moving away from the sleeping bag, appeared to glide above the ground. Her bare feet didn’t make a sound.
As if hypnotized, Anne followed the illuminated silhouette heading into the forest, without questioning her own actions.
An onrush of sensations unfamiliar to her followed. Dizziness and a malevolent feeling of unreality suffocated her. The presence of evil, creeping up and enveloping her, became almost palpable. Her throat turned dry, and she gasped for air.
Please, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable Miss…
“Genevieve. My name is Genevieve, but Sister Clementa, the Abbess, and some of her followers call me The witch.”
Tell me, Genevieve, where are you living?
Genevieve ( a small sigh escapes her lips. Then she shrugs) “Well, for the moment I reside at St. Mary’s Abbey. On top of a mountain in Britain, in the…cursed forest.”
Do you have any schooling?
Genevieve (nods and pats and invisible crease of her dress) “Kind Old Bertha, who took care of me after my family perished, taught me to read and write. Not only English but also Latin. And, most important, she taught me how to prepare healing potions from plants and herbs. Perhaps that’s why the Abbess hates me so much. A peasant girl of the 13th century is dangerous if she knows more than her superiors, I think.”
What are your worst fears or nightmare?
Genevieve (throws a shy look around her. She shivers and her voice is small) “I fear the cursed forest. This forest is responsible for what happened to my family. My father’s odd behavior, the death of my siblings. All the evil that lurks in it.
My nightmare – the Abbess, sister Clementa, who threatens me all the time with sending me to the stake. I can’t understand why she wants me out of the way.”
Is it anything that you secretly desire?
Genevieve (blushes and wrings her hands. Then she looks me directly in the eyes. Her voice is strong now. ) “To become Andrew’s wife and grow a family. If his family agrees….If the Abbess lets me go… If God forgives me for giving up being a nun…..If I escape alive from the forest…. If….”
Author bio:
Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble – the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.
Teacher of English and German in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the books.
She has dreamed all her life to become a writer, but many of the things she wrote during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s regime in 1989, and the opening of the country to the world meant a new beginning for her. She started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in English.
Shadows of the Past, paranormal/light romance/light mystery/light horror was released at the end of 2012 by Wild Child publishing, USA.
Hi and “WELCOME” to Rave Reviews Book Club’s BACK-TO-SCHOOL BOOK & BLOG BLOCK PARTY at Kim’s Author Support Page!
Location: Asheville, North Carolina, USA.
Giveaways are available internationally in English language only!
***
AND THE WINNDERS ARE
Here’s What I’m Giving Away Today:
*($25) Amazon Gift Card – MARGARET DALY
*One (1) e-book copy of ALL THIS TIME – TRACI SANDERS
*One (1) e-book copy of HAUNTED HEARTS – RICHIE GERBER
***
# of Winners for this stop: 3
To enter for prizes, please leave a comment at the end of this page. If you’re leaving a comment for the first time, your comment will need to be approved. But if you’re a returning visitor, your comment will go right through.
I’d like to introduce you to my books and to me as a person as well as an author.
First, I have a relaxing video; second, an interview between the characters from two different book series. Third, is the Story of Kim Cox, and fourth, I’ve included a short blurb on each of my books to help you make the perfect decision in your next book selection. You can also click on a link to read an excerpt of each book. If you like what you read here, please share with your friends, fans, etc. There’s also a surprise cover reveal. I hope you enjoy the (mostly) fall pictures in my header. They were all photographed near my home in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
***
This video isn’t a book trailer. It is the first and only video I’ve ever done. I hope to produce a few book trailers around the first of the year. This one was created for a class project in Web Technologies in 2012, and it portrays some of the gorgeous waterfalls of Dupont State Forest in Transylvania County, North Carolina–only about an hour from our home. Our final project consisted of many multi-media projects that ended with a full Web site about hiking trails. I chose Dupont for its beauty. The voice isn’t mine but that of a friend of my youngest son’s. I hope you enjoy the video and find it relaxing. It sounds better with earphones on my computer.
Dupont State Forest – Video
Unique Trails and Amazing Waterfalls
The below video is an introduction to the Dupont State Forest, which offers almost 100 miles of unique trails with amazing waterfalls, pristine lakes, and other attractions. Some trails pass over large expanses of solid rock on large granite domes.
***
ABOUT THE INTERVIEW
Jenny Morgan Drake and her husband, Trevor Drake, from my book, “All This Time” of the Style & Profile series, visits Lana Malloy to interview Lana for Jenny’s family magazine, Morgan Fashions. This interview will take place between books 2 & 3, GET OUT OR DIE and THE WEDDING CRASHER, from the LANA MALLOY PARANORMAL MYSTERY series.
***
A Little Backstory
Trevor reluctantly accompanies Jenny on the trip to James Island in South Carolina. He agrees to go only because Jenny refuses to wait, and he doesn’t want her to go alone in her much pregnant condition.
Trevor doesn’t believe in ghosts roaming the earth, much less someone who can see and talk to them. He expects to see a rundown witch/voodoo shack in the swamp. He’s done his research and knows Lana’s fiancé, Tony Calabria is a man of means, but he figures Tony probably hides his girlfriend out in the boonies as to not scare the town folk.
On the other hand, Jenny has read all about Lana’s experiences and believes she is exactly who she claims, a private investigator for the unusual.
Lana is in the process of moving stuff into their getaway home on James Island, near Charleston, South Carolina, where they will live part-time after they’re married. She loves the house and wants to show it off.
***
The Interview
Lana meets them at the front door. “Hello. Jenny, Trevor, welcome to my home. Please come in? And help yourselves to the tray of iced tea and cookies here in the den. Please forgive the mess. I’m in the process of moving a few things into this house.”
“Lana, how lovely you are.” Jenny touches her belly as she wobbles inside.
Trevor stands in the doorway listening and looking around the house as if something might jump out at him.
“Thank you.” Lana says, as she leads them to the den.
“You have a lovely home. It’s exquisite and huge, but also has a homey feel. I love all the porches.” Jenny elbows Trevor playfully in the ribs. “Doesn’t she, Trevor?”
Trevor clears his throat nervously. “Yes, it’s very nice. The Weeping Willow trees along the long drive are nice.” He straightens his tie.
“Tony bought the house as a wedding present to me. He’s a sweetheart. He knows how I hate living in the city.”
Jenny asks, “But didn’t I read somewhere that you did live near the beach front in Charleston?”
“Yes. I’m transforming it into a full-time office.” She glances at Jenny’s girth. “How far along are you?” Lana asks. “Have a seat, please.” She motions them toward a sofa near the picture window.
“Oh, I’m a little over six months.” Jenny sits on the couch as Lana sits in her favorite chair opposite them. Trevor slides in beside his wife.
“If you’d like, after we finish our snacks, we can go out on the back porch for the interview. It’s shaded from the hot sun this time of day.” Lana takes a bite of her chocolate chip cookie.
“That sounds nice.” Jenny sips on her tea, already having finished off three of her own cookies.
Lana ushers them to the back porch overlooking the pool in the back yard. She turns on the porch’s ceiling fans to stir the air and guides them toward the four rocking chairs lined up across the porch.
As they get settled, Lana feels a kindredship to Jenny. She senses the loss of Jenny’s mother and sister. And that her father, although still alive, had a health scare a couple of years ago.
Jenny positions her pen above her pad to take notes, but asks, “Do you mind if I record our interview?”
“Not at all.” Lana spreads her hands over her sundress to smooth out the wrinkles.
Trevor takes the small recorder from his pocket and presses the on button.
“Jenny, I hope I’m not overstepping, but I was told to tell you that your mother and sister are pleased and thrilled that you and Trevor chose to name your daughter after them. Caroline Beth Drake, isn’t it?”
Trevor almost chokes on the mouthful of tea he’d just sipped. “What!”
“Oh and Trevor, your father hopes you’ll name your son after him. It doesn’t have to be your son’s first name but a middle name would be nice.”
Jenny appears shocked. She believes that spirits are all around them, and she believes in Lana, but just to have her come out and say that was chilling. She never figured her mother and sister would contact her like this. Tears come to eyes and she pulls a tissue from her purse. “Thank you, Lana, and can you tell them I love and miss them. And tell Alfred, we’re not giving our son his first name but we may give him the name David which is Alfred’s middle name.”
Lana smiles. “You just told them.”
Both women look at Trevor who has turned three different shades of red and his eyes are watering. Lana isn’t sure if he’s crying or if it’s from where he’d choked. “How do you, or my father for that matter, know that we’re having a boy this time?”
“Trevor!” Jenny gives him her most furious expression. “Don’t start.”
“No. I’m not trying to . . . I just need to know.”
“That’s okay. Trevor, the spirits know many things that are unknown to us. They give me bits of what they know when they want me to know about it. In this case, you father wants you to know how he feels.”
“Okay. That sounds like my father. Tell him I love and miss him, please.” Trevor sniffs and wipes his nose with a handkerchief. He loosens his tie and opens the top button of his shirt.
“He can hear you, Trevor.” Lana looks at him with concern. She hopes she hasn’t said too much.
He runs both hands through his hair. “I’ve got to take a walk. Will you be okay?” he asks his wife.
Jenny touches his hand as he stands up. “Are you okay, Honey?” she asks him. Concern is evident in her voice.
“I will be, I just need to rethink everything I’ve ever believed.” He walks off the porch and around the corner of Lana’s house.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset him,” Lana says, regretting she’d let Alfred talk her into telling Trevor about his presence.
“It’s okay. His father has always been a sore subject for him. He and his mother lost him when Trevor was only ten.” Jenny searches the area to see if she can see Trevor but he’s out of sight. She picks up her pad and looks at Lana. “Shall we get on with the interview?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Lana, you have been one busy psychic.”
“I suppose so.” Lana smiles.
“How do you do it? Do the ghosts just appear to you and help you solve whatever problem there is at the time?”
“Not exactly. Sometimes it’s hard to get them to talk and other times you can’t shut them up. An example of the latter would be my Aunt Lucy.”
Both women laughed.
“I heard that,” Lucy chimes in.
“Lucy has shown up, by the way. Go away, Lucy. I’m a bit busy here.” Lucy for once does as Lana requests and leaves without another word. “Go ahead. She’s gone.”
“I would love to have your gift, Lana. To know the things you do. To be able to help people, both the dead and the living.”
Lana clears her throat. “You mean you would like to never be alone, hearing people telling or showing you information all the time. And this information may or may not be something you can do anything about. When you least expect it, you’ve got a crisis to take care of. It doesn’t matter that you’re having a romantic dinner with your fiancé, you’re out with friends, sound asleep, or in the middle of a shopping mall. It doesn’t matter. They are demanding your attention.”
“Oh wow! I didn’t realize you’d have no control over the when.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. Probably just wedding jitters. I’m very thankful for my gift, but it can be very disrupting to my life. I like being able to help people, and I love being able to talk to those I love after they’ve passed on, especially my Aunt Lucy. However, spirits can be very impatient. Their time isn’t like ours and it all seems urgent to them for some reason, particularly those who have recently passed. Those who have been gone for a while seem to be a little more tolerant.”
“I see.” Jenny wrote on her pad. “Did I hear you correctly? I think you mentioned twice about getting married.”
“Yes, Tony and I are getting married.”
“When?”
“In two short months, and I’m both excited and terrified about that.” Lana smiles and takes a sip of tea.
“I know the feeling. You met my husband, Trevor.” She laughs.
“Yes. He’s adorable. I could tell right off he’s a skeptic.”
“That’s stating it lightly. Trevor doesn’t believe in much of anything that he can’t see or touch unless he’s experienced it for himself.” She glances toward the edge of the yard but Trevor still hasn’t returned. “So, why are you so nervous? Don’t you know that your marriage is meant to be? If Tony is the one for you?”
“I do but not in the way you mean. I once caught a glimpse of our lives together.” She wrings her hands together. “But lately . . . I don’t know. I’ve not been sleeping well, and I have a strange feeling that something bad is about to happen.”
“Oh, and what’s that?”
“That’s the problem. I have no idea.” Lana stands and walks to the edge of the porch, placing one hand on the railing.
Jenny leans a little forward. “But you’re psychic. I don’t understand. Don’t you know everything?”
Lana turns to face Jenny and leans against the post. “Most people don’t understand. I only get pieces of things I need to know in order to help someone else. Sometimes those pieces are hard to interpret. Every once and a while, I’ll get a premonition or see someone’s past. Sometimes it may be for no other reason than it’s something I need to know myself. But most of the time it’s to help someone else. I rarely see anything beneficial to me personally. My one vision of my life with Tony was an exception.”
Jenny writes furiously. “Oh, and can you give me an instance of a premonition you’ve had.?”
“Yes. When I was about twelve, I saw my grandfather’s death before he died. He was old and I thought I was dreaming it because he’d been under the weather for the last few days, and I was scared for him. He died within the week.”
“That must’ve been terrifying for you as a child that young.”
“It was. At the time, I didn’t believe in my own gifts. And I thought perhaps God thought my dream meant I wished it. I blamed myself.” Her eyes moisten from the memory. “I see how silly that was now. At times, I feel blessed to have this gift, and yet, cursed at others.”
“Since you didn’t believe in yourself, how did you come to terms with knowing and seeing things that no one else could see or hear?”
“Aunt Lucy and my best friend, Demi, helped me.”
“Demi?”
“Yes. Demi Lancaster.” Jenny clears her throat. “Off the record, please?”
“Sure.” Jenny turns off the recorder.
“I don’t want to get her into trouble. Her boss knows I know things, but he doesn’t want to know about spirits.”
“I understand.”
“Demi’s a Charleston Police Detective and a godsend to me. She helps me figure things out sometimes and gets information for me when I need it if it is a life and death situation.”
“She sounds like a good friend.”
“She is.”
“Back on the record, now?”
Lana nods her head.
Jenny turns the recorder back on. “But how did Demi convince you to believe in your gift?”
“Well, it was after my great aunt Lucy came to see me one night right after she died. Aunt Lucy told me to embrace my gift and stop suppressing it. That suppressing it would only make things worse.”
“I see, but how did that help you?”
“It didn’t really. Aunt Lucy told me I didn’t want to know what would happen if I didn’t accept my gift. She pretty much scared me more than anything else. Not so much her words but the look on her face when she said it.”
“What did Demi do?”
Lana sat back on the edge of her chair, turning slightly to face Jenny. “After I told her about it, she held me while I cried. She patted my back and let me get it all out. Then she said, ‘Now Lana, you know what you have to do.’ And I asked, ‘What?’ and she said, ‘You know you have to do what your aunt said. I believe in you, and you have to believe in yourself.’ She said it just as plain as that.”
“I don’t understand how that helped you.”
“You have to know Demi. She doesn’t give herself freely. She’s a very guarded person. She’s also a straight shooter. She doesn’t say anything she doesn’t mean. So, if she says it, you know it to be true. Demi has always been there for me and she’s always believed in me. She believed I had the gift. Never once did she think I’d lost hold on reality.”
“That makes sense.” Jenny jotted more notes on her pad. “So, you seem a little more relaxed.”
“I am. Jenny, you’re a natural. And you’ve made me feel at ease.”
“Thank you. Now, I want to know about some of your cases. I’m impressed with everything you’ve done.” She flipped through the pad. “You helped your Aunt Lucy and her fiancé move on, after twenty years, by helping solve their murder. Can you tell me how that happened?”
“We had a little show and tell at Tony’s house. I also had plenty of help from Tony, Aunt Lucy and Tony’s grandfather, Davide. Of course, Demi helped with that also. She and a few of her friends waited while the ghosts mostly scared a confession from Anthony’s second wife, and the rest of the family for different crimes they’d committed.”
“You make it sound simple.”
“Not really. We had to do a lot of research to figure out who to invite on pretense of Davide’s new will. Getting the family in one place at the same time was a huge undertaking.”
“Tony’s family, your fiancé, correct?”
“Yes.” Lana smiles at the memory of him from that morning, not wanting to leave her here alone to face the mean reporters. He could be overprotective at times.
Jenny jotted in her notebook again. “So, and then there was the angry ghost at a home near here, and you’ve done a lot of pro bono work for those living in the Charleston area.”
“Yes. Adam turned out to be not so bad. He just had some issues he had to work through.”
“You’re being modest, Lana.”
“Not really. I always have plenty of help from the spirit guides and the ghosts themselves.” Lana stands and pours herself more tea. “Would you like more, Jenny?”
“Yes. Thank you. Okay, so how did you help Adam work out his issues?”
Lana fills Jenny’s glass and places the pitcher on the table between them. “I saw into the past lives of both Adam and Sean. Sean was the father of the occupants of the house and Adam’s business partner. Adam and Sean had fought throughout history for one reason or another. When I explained it to Adam, it helped him mellow some. When I mentioned his wife, Kara, and how she’d loved the Ramsey’s children, and the promise he’d given to her on her death bed, he finally saw himself for what he was doing to them.”
“Wow! That took a lot of seeing into his life. Way back to previous lives. You did see his life, right. He didn’t offer you the information.”
“Right. He didn’t know about his past lives. I had a dream about that, and I think Kara showed me herself on her death bed.”
Jenny taps her pencil on the pad. “That sounds like a tough case.”
Lana smiled. “At the time, it was. I was also dealing with the reality that I could be possessed by a spirit if I didn’t prepare myself.”
“What? Possessed? How do you prepare for something like that?”
“A lot of prayer and focus.” Lana replied. Lana stood, picked up the pitcher of tea and her glass and carried them into the kitchen, in hopes that Jenny would take the hint that the interview was over.
Jenny followed behind her into the kitchen. “What now?”
“What do you mean?’
“Are you working on anything else, or will you soon?”
“I don’t know. Not any ghosts right now. I guess if something comes up, I will help. I do have a couple of small jobs, mostly computer work for Tony. Background checks on new employees and things like that. But for now, I’m happy just planning our wedding.”
Trevor walks into the kitchen. “Is the interview over?”
“I think it is. Thank you, Lana. It was a pleasure meeting you finally.” Jenny smiles and holds out her arms to Lana.
The two women hug.
“Yes, thank you, Lana,” Trevor says, a little choked up still. “I appreciate everything.”
Lana nods her head knowingly and holds her arms out to Trevor. He hugs her neck.
Tony walks in and Lana introduces him to the two visitors. He shakes their hands and says, “How did it go?”
“Fine,” Lana says.
“More than fine. Is she always so modest? You have an amazing fiancée, Mr. Calabria.”
“I sure do,” he says, wraps an arm around her waist and hugs her to him. He kisses the top of her forehead.
Tony and Lana walk Trevor and Jenny to the door.
In the car, driving down the long winding road, Jenny turns to Trevor and asks, “So what do you think of Lana Malloy, now?”
“As much as I hate to admit I was wrong, she’s the real deal. What do you think?”
“You heard me back there. She’s an amazing woman.”
***
THE STORY OF KIM COX
Kim Cox lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with her talented, chainsaw artist husband (http://leeschainsawart.com/) and their three dogs. She’s the mother to two sons and also has two grandsons (one starting kindergarten next year and the other a senior in high school this year). I know you’re wondering, so yes, you’re right, she married and started her family way too young. 😉 A recap of her life coming up.
In her younger years, she was one who never met a stranger which worried her parents to no end, because she smiled and talked to everyone she met. Yes, even strangers. Luckily, her parents rarely let her out of their sight. But they had to work and one time, before school age, the babysitter sort of kidnapped her. How can she sort of be kidnapped, you might ask. In truth, the babysitter took her to a friend’s workplace without permission and then she was afraid to take her back home. Kim cried her eyes out that night when they arrested the sitter. Kim loved her babysitter so much. The only way to get Kim to sleep that night, her father had to promise her he’d get the babysitter out of jail. And her father kept that promise. To her, her father could move mountains.
In her school years, Kim was a cheerleader from the 7th through 10th grades (head cheerleader in the 10th). Then letter girl in the eleventh grade. Luckily for her, back then, you didn’t need to have any of those special gymnastic abilities, only coordination and a big mouth which she had in spades. Kim loved cheering but sometimes, while focused on the football game, she had to be nudged to start a cheer. Her parents were very strict, so being a cheerleader provided her with the only opportunity to be out of the yard after dark.
Also in tenth grade, she was voted her grade’s Miss Torch Candidate (Torch was the name of the yearbook). She didn’t win, but it made her happy just to be nominated. Why? It meant she got to dress up in an evening gown and have her picture taken for the yearbook. She felt like a princess going to the ball.
Now, Kim is very much a grown up and each year brings her closer to retirement from the day job. At and after the age of fifty, she obtained two associate degrees, one in Office Systems Technology and the other in Web Technology. Kim also obtained a diploma in Medical Office Administration. While at work, she has many titles, including but not limited to, MIS (Management Information Systems) Specialist, Accountability, and Superuser.
On the writing front, she is a multi-published author of short stories, articles, novellas, and novels. Kim also creates and maintains Web sites, and designs and creates her own book covers. You can find her Web Design portfolio and services at Kim Cox Designs. See her published works below.
ALL THIS TIME is a romantic suspense novel. Book 1 in the Style & Profile Series.
“Obstacles occur every step of the way for it seems someone in the office is working to sabotage not only the business but Jenny and her father too. Filled with suspense, mystery as well as heart-filled emotion, All This Time offers a delightful read.” ~ Nancy Carty Lepri, Freelance Editor, Reviewer, and Author of Tommy’s Amigo and TinyAngel
At thirty, Jenny Morgan’s biological clock is ticking. But as a fashion magazine CEO with a busy schedule and no significant other, her wish is unlikely to come true. When her father receives a potentially terminal diagnosis, he longs for a grandchild before he dies. With her religious beliefs, a sperm donor isn’t an alternative. Jenny’s only immediate available option is her single co-worker and best friend, Trevor Drake. Can she really trust him to be a good husband?
Trevor has loved Jenny since college, but she only sees him as a friend with no ambition. After he learns of her predicament, he proposes and sets out to prove he can provide everything she needs. Jenny is determined to have a prenuptial agreement with an “out” clause after one year. Can Trevor convince Jenny of his love by then?
As if they don’t have enough on their plate, someone at the magazine is out to stop their wedding and their impending parenthood, and destroy the magazine’s reputation. Jenny is nearly killed in a sabotage attempt. Can Jenny and Trevor to make a life together while uncovering a common enemy?
In the city of Boston lies a story of revenge and hidden identity. Ryan Donatelli, posing as Thomas Randolph, sets out to avenge his sister’s death, even if it means using Sam Southard’s daughter to do it. After all, Ryan is sure Sam’s responsible.
Natalie Southard is determined to keep her family business out of the hands of known crime boss, Nick DeMarco. After her father is killed, Natalie and Ryan are forced to run for their lives. But, will they live long enough for their hearts to heal once everything is revealed?
Kim has pulled SUSPICIOUS MINDS from her publisher and plans to self-publish it in April, 2016 after she obtains her rights. Here’s the cover she created for this book about a year ago but has been unable to use it. However they may be a few updates to it before she decides this is the one.
“Twists and turns abound in this suspenseful novel having the reader on the edge of their seat until the climatic conclusion.” ~ Nancy Carty Lepri, Freelance Editor, Reviewer, and Author of Tommy’s Amigo and TinyAngel
“Haunted Hearts by Kim Cox is a charming . . . ghost story . . . The ghost characters and their living relatives were all delightful and fun. And of course . . . there is romance as well as the mystery.” ~ Fallen Angel Reviews
Will Lana Malloy solve the twenty-year-old double murder of her great aunt and her great aunt’s fiancé by Memorial Day? If she can, they’ll spend eternity together; if she can’t, they’ll be stuck as Haunted Hearts for another year.
“. . . In GET OUT OR DIE . . . Lana Malloy helps restless spirits, and the families they are haunting, find peace. The murder mystery aspect adds a nice touch of intrigue . . . a page turner . . .” Paranormal Romance Reviews
Since the news of her first case, Lana Malloy’s Private Investigating/Mediator business is booming. At one pro-bono job, Lana helps a widow communicate with her late husband and learns of a frightening new ability she wasn’t aware she possessed-an ability that could give the spirit the upper hand if she’s not careful.
Lana struggles for control when she encounters the angry ghost who doesn’t want to leave and who doesn’t want the occupants of the house to stay. Will Lana be able to control the situation or will the ghost sense he can overtake her? Does she have other abilities she can rely on to save her?
A Lana Malloy Paranormal Mystery Series, #3 Lana Malloy is marrying the love of her life, Tony Calabria. The night before, she has a vision of a disturbing wedding and wonders if it’s a premonition of her own. Feeling silly for thinking that, she proceeds with her plans as scheduled.
During their honeymoon in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Lana has visions of a young woman abducted by a madman. The man plans to force his abductee to marry him if he isn’t stopped. Lana feels marriage isn’t the worst thing that could happen as she senses the threads of death circling this victim.
Lana can’t ignore these visions. Will Tony understand this isn’t an obsession, but a calling, and that Lana has to do whatever it takes for this young woman? Will she find the victim in time? If she doesn’t, life will never be the same.
In the LANA MALLOY PARANORMAL MYSTERY SERIES, Lana Malloy is a psychic, private investigator who is on a mission to help the dearly departed even when they don’t realize they need help.
In the first novella, HAUNTED HEARTS, Lana sets out to solve her first case—the twenty-year old cold-case and double murder of her great aunt and her great aunt’s fiancé. If she succeeds, they’ll spend eternity together; if she can’t, they’ll be stuck as Haunted Hearts. With the help of the ghosts and a new love interest, she is able to find the murderer.
In the second novella, GET OUT OR DIE, the success of Lana’s first case has spread throughout the local Charleston area and her business is booming. At one pro-bono job, Lana helps a widow communicate with her late husband where she learns of a frightening new ability—an ability that could give the spirit the upper hand if she’s not careful.
Coming up in the LANA MALLOY PARANORMAL MYSTERY series:
Projected Scheduled Releases: Book 4: Christmas Cruise – November 2015 Book 5: Haunted by Her Past – 2016 Book 6: Demi’s Serial Case – 2016 Book 7: Untitled – 2017
To read short blurbs of books in process, go to my Coming Soon page.
SHORT STORIES
Click cover to purchase!
A DREAM COME TRUE FREE Short Story Can Miriam Alexander give her heart to Rhett Yancey again after he stomped on it the first time?
IN HIS ARMS Can husband and wife rekindle their love, put their differences aside and salvage a marriage that was doomed two years ago?
ALL FOR LOVE FREE Short Story Will Carina and Tyler find their way back to each other, or will she turn to an old lover for support?
LOVE CONQUERS ALL Sequel to All For Love: Carina and Tyler are finally back on track when Javier is up to his old tricks
Click HERE to visit the other stops on the Rave Reviews Book & Blog Block Party and enter their giveaways!
Sex. Rebellion. Rock and roll.
The only thing standing between Dinah Pittman and a murderer is a man she’s afraid to trust …
Let’s start with the fun stuff. I love small towns, mysteries, quiet men, laughter, old-fashioned spaghetti dinners. I love boots and shopping and jokes and Hershey’s dark chocolate and white wine. I love lots of things. But my first love is reading.
Anne’s relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.
Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble – the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.
Kim's Musings 