Interview with Anne Gimpel Author of Soul Dance Series
Give a warm welcome to Ann Gimpel, author of Soul Dance Series, including Tarnished Beginnings, Tarnished Legacy and Tarnished Prophecy !
The first in the series, Tarnished Beginning is only available in in the Magic After Dark Box set. Preorder your copy of this unique collection, inspired by the rich and varied history of gypsies from all over the world. Discover gypsy worlds where heroes roam and magic reigns with twenty-five brand new works from today’s New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling authors.
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Ann and her Soul Dance.
Ann, What inspired Soul Dance Series?
I assume you mean this series. I’ve always been fascinated by the Romani people. I started to set this series in the nineteenth century, but then I decided it would be more powerful to use WWII Germany as a backdrop. Everyone knows the Jews were persecuted by the Reich, but they were far from its only victims. The prequel, which gives readers insight into my female lead in the next book, takes place in 1740 Egypt, but the following books—and there are now four since I just finished Tarnished Journey—all take place in a war-torn Europe.
What defines you as an author? As a person? Are they one in the same?
I’ve always been fascinated by people. Who they are. What makes them tick. Why some are more resilient than others, and how people deal with emotion. That curiosity led me to psychology, a field I practiced for many years. As an author, my characters also fascinate me. What makes a character whole? What makes them sympathetic, so they resonate for many different readers? It’s not a surprise that I write character-driven fiction. I like kickass heroines and men who are strong enough to be their mates.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing around 2008. First SF/F short stories, many of which were published, and then I moved to longer fiction.
Do you see yourself in your characters?
Erm. My first trilogy, Soul Storm, is epic urban fantasy. The female lead is Jungian analyst. I never did that again. It was too close to home for comfort, but there’s a whole lot of insight in that book. If anyone’s ever wondered what it’s like to be a psychotherapist, Soul Storm answers those questions.
Tell us a little about each of the Soul Dance Series. Lets start with Tarnished Beginnings.
Tairin’s wolf is more than just a dream creature. She hates it, but it’s also her only friend.
1700s Egypt is a haven for magic-wielders of all kinds. Vampires hold court, staying one step ahead of the priests and priestesses who want them dead. Gypsy caravans roam the Nile from north to south and back again, plying their wares, telling fortunes, casting Tarot cards, and stealing from the gadjos.
Tairin Jabari was born in a caravan and has always believed she’s Romani. Why wouldn’t she? Her mother and father never suggested otherwise. The Rom have harsh rules. When Tairin’s first shift catches her unaware at thirteen, her father disappears, and the elders move with deadly speed to punish her mother for mating outside the blood.
Hurt, lost, confused, and fearing for her own life, Tairin runs away, leaving her mother’s smoking funeral pyre behind. If she could only find her father, he’d welcome her. He’s always loved her, hasn’t he? Only problem is he’s in a shifter settlement. With her mixed blood, they won’t welcome her any more warmly than the Romani. It doesn’t take long before Tairin discovers how desperately unprepared she is for life outside her protected caravan. With her survival on the line every single day, she and her wolf have some hard choices to make.
Tarnished Beginnings, the prequel to the Soul Dance books is only available in the Magic After Dark Boxed set.
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Tarnished Legacy is next, right? Yes.
Germany, 1940
Half Romani, Tairin’s no stranger to hiding her mixed blood from gypsy caravans. What she can’t hide is her perpetual youth, courtesy of her shifter heritage. Every few years, she drops out of sight, resurfacing in a new country to join a caravan where no one knows her. She’s overstayed her welcome where she is, but Germany is at war, and travel has become all but impossible for everyone targeted by the Reich.
Elliott’s clairvoyance is strong, even for a Romani. Seer for all the caravans in Germany, he catches Tairin eavesdropping outside their leader’s wagon one night. He should turn her in, but it would mean her execution, and he can’t bring himself to do that. Instead, he interrogates her. Her magic is different, but he can’t figure out quite what she is.
Any association between Romani and shifters is forbidden, and Tairin shields herself from Elliott’s probing. She should leave right now, tonight. It would be easy enough. Shift to her wolf form and run, keeping out of hunters’ gunsights. She’s on the edge of flight when Elliott suggests a covert task to prove her loyalty.
Tairin agrees immediately, kicking herself for being weak where he’s concerned. TaShifters and Romani have no future together. Zero. Zilch.
She should be smart about this and vanish into the night—before he discovers what she is and destroys her.
Ann Gimpel Amazon BN iTunes Google Play Kobo
Tarnished Prophecy is the third.
Germany, 1940
Magic runs strong in Ilona, a gypsy seer. Powerful ability isn’t valued in Romani women, so she focuses her fortunetelling on inconsequential details. Nothing that could come back to haunt her caravan if a prediction went bad. Rounded up and dumped in Dachau prison camp, she has plenty of time to rue her decision to downplay her ability. If she’d taken the time to scry her own future, she’d still be free.
A wolf shifter, Jamal made the mistake of wedding a Romani woman centuries ago. His arrogance caused both death and heartache, and he’s been alone ever since. The recent threat of vampires joining the Third Reich has provided ample reason for shifters and Rom to lay their ancient enmity aside and work together, but their détente is fragile.
Jamal and a group of shifters come across Ilona after her escape from Dachau. Vulnerable, terrified, she’s fully prepared to fight. Her courage and mettle touch places in him he’d thought were dead, but she’s Romani. His last relationship ended so badly, the last thing he needs is to fall for another gypsy woman. He wrestles his tumbling emotions into submission, but when she trains her enigmatic, gray gaze on him, his resolve first weakens and then vanishes entirely.
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About the Author:
Ann Gimpel is a mountaineer at heart. Recently retired from a long career as a psychologist, she remembers many hours at her desk where her body may have been stuck inside four walls, but her soul was planning yet one more trip to the backcountry. Around the turn of the last century (that would be 2000, not 1900!), she managed to finagle moving to the Eastern Sierra, a mecca for those in love with the mountains. It was during long backcountry treks that Ann’s writing evolved. Unlike some who see the backcountry as an excuse to drag friends and relatives along, Ann prefers solitude. Stories always ran around in her head on those journeys, sometimes as a hedge against abject terror when challenging conditions made her fear for her life, sometimes for company. Eventually, she returned from a trip and sat down at the computer. Three months later, a five hundred page novel emerged. Oh, it wasn’t very good, but it was a beginning. And, she learned a lot between writing that novel and its sequel.
Around that time, a friend of hers suggested she try her hand at short stories. It didn’t take long before that first story found its way into print and they’ve been accepted pretty regularly since then. One of Ann’s passions has always been ecology, so her tales often have a green twist.
In addition to writing, Ann enjoys wilderness photography. She lugs pounds of camera equipment in her backpack to distant locales every year. A standing joke is that over ten percent of her pack weight is camera gear which means someone else has to carry the food! That someone is her husband. They’ve shared a life together for a very long time. Children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out their family.
You can find more information about Ann here:
http://www.amazon.com/author/anngimpel
http://www.facebook.com/anngimpel.author
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with the Soul Dance Series.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Ann Gimpel, Gypsy, Historical Romance, Irish, Magic After Dark, Paranormal, Psychics, Romance, Soul Dance Series by Tena Stetler with 4 comments.
Interview with Susannah Sandlin Author of Illumination
Give a warm welcome to, author of Illumination, fifth in the Penton Legacy releasing tomorrow, July 11th, 2017! Reserve your copy today!
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, there’s fresh lemonade in the pitcher on the counter. Choose a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Susannah and Illumination!
Susannah, who is your favorite character of all of the books you’ve written and why?
What a hard question! I’m having a mental battle between Mirren Kincaid from the Penton Legacy series (he’s the hero of book two, ABSOLUTION, but appears in all books in the series)—he’s a huge vampire who was a Scottish gallowglass mercenary in his human life in the early 17th century and likes to pretend he’s a huge badass, but he has a wicked sense of humor and a few secrets few people other than his heroine (and the readers) know. I love him for his complexity. His rival for my favorite is the undead French pirate Jean Lafitte, from my Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series (written as Suzanne Johnson). Lafitte was a real historical figure, of course, and was a pirate in New Orleans in the early 1800s. He was a larger-than-life character in reality (think sober Jack Sparrow, only way more deadly); in fiction, bringing him into modern-day New Orleans, he is SO much fun to write. And yeah, what’s not sexy about a dark-haired, blue-eyed French pirate?
Did you tell friends and family that you were writing a book? Or did it take a while to come out and tell friends and family you were a writer?
When I began writing my first novel, I didn’t tell many people—only a couple of close friends, because I wanted their input. I’d never written fiction before and was really having to feel my way through it. It wasn’t until I got an agent and she sold that book to a publisher (the first in the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series, written as Suzanne Johnson) that I started telling more people. Now, I’m on book number 20 or so, most under my Susannah Sandlin pen name, and I think it’s all just ho-hum for them. A new book is always exciting to me, though!
Why do you write what you write? Ie. Contemporary, paranormal, suspense, etc.
I write paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and romantic suspense—all of them are similar, with a lot of action and big emotional transformations for the characters (who might be human…or might not). I think I gravitate toward “high concept” stories with big emotional character arcs because I’m fascinated with human nature and how people who are forced to face their biggest fears respond to those challenges. I like to see what happens when people from different backgrounds and cultural mindsets are forced to rethink their belief systems and see them from someone else’s point of view. I think paranormal fantasy and romantic suspense both really play to those ideas. I like to see how people respond when their backs are to the wall and they can either give up, change, or fight. (Yes, I do torture my characters!)
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I enjoy doing mixed-media art. Give me some graphite, charcoal, acrylic, watercolor, and gesso, and I can keep myself happy for hours. I work primarily in journals and have become addicted to all the wonderful online mixed-media classes out there! It’s a good thing I’m not that talented or I’d never stop painting long enough to write!
Illumination is the fifth book in Penton Legacy, tell is little about Nic and Illumination.
A peek between the pages of Illumination:
“Right then. We have an obscenely large vehicle on the other side of that brick wall,” Cage said. “Archer or Nik should be able to help you over. Once I’m sure you’re in the car and locked up tight, I’ll collect Robin and Glory from the cemetery entrance and we’ll all be on our way back to Penton.”
Shay bit her lip. She had absolutely no reason to go to Penton, wherever the hell it was. Her home and life and work were here in New Orleans. She knew she’d have to be careful, but now that the breeding house was broken up and Jonathan was dead, the vampires and their minions had no reason to come after her. Whatever feelings Shay had nursed for Nik Dimitrou in high school, they were long dead. Gorgeous only took a person so far. Besides, he was a vampire.
She’d wait until they got her out of this cemetery, though, to decline her visit to Vampire Central. Maybe the handsome cat boy would drop her off somewhere. But where? She had no money or identification with her. She didn’t even have the keys to her own apartment or lab.
Maybe a police station. They could come up with a plausible story for her disappearance. Maybe even name Simon as her kidnapper, and the warehouse location. Let the authorities make of it what they would.
Shay was distracted by the sight of Archer leaping to the top of the brick wall behind the Le Boeuf crypt, followed closely by Nik. Her old classmate might be injured and hungry, but that wall had given him no challenge. Shay wasn’t sure she could climb over it without a sturdy ladder on a good day. Today had not been a good day except that she hadn’t died.
Nik reached down and motioned to Shay. “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”
Shay looked at the wall, at Nik, and back at the wall. “I don’t think you can lift me. You’re hurt.”
“Trust me.” Nik grinned, giving Shay a glimpse of an older, even more handsome version of the boy she’d known so many years ago. She’d thought she loved that boy; this man, though….was a vampire. Don’t forget that, idiot.
She nodded, dried her hands on her jeans as much as she could, and reached up toward Nik. He leaned over, wrapped strong fingers around both of her wrists, and lifted her to the top of the wall with what seemed like little effort, setting her down beside him.
“Swing your legs over, and I’ll lower you down the other side. Or I can leap down with you in my arms.” His grin widened, and her heart beat double-time when their gazes locked. Vampire. He’s a freaking vampire. He’s a freaking vampire involved in a war with other freaking vampires. You cannot trust him. Lust, yes. Trust, no.
“Whatever you do, would you please move your arses?” Cage stood beneath them. “I’m getting soaked and—”
A loud pop sounded from the Washington Avenue end of the cemetery, followed by a splintering noise and another pop pop. Shay had lived in New Orleans long enough to recognize the sound of gunfire.
It was wonderful having you with us today, Susannah! Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Illumination.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Illumination, Paranormal, Penton Legacy, Romance, Susannah Sandlin, Urban Fantasy, Vampires by Tena Stetler with 10 comments.
Quest of a Warrior by Mary Morgan
Welcome back Mary! I understand you have a new series. Quest of a Warrior is the first book just released on June 30, 2017! How exciting! Looking for a chance to win a signed copy of Quest of a Warrior? Read on!
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and tell us about your HOT new Warrior and what inspired Quest of a Warrior.
The moment Conn MacRoich stepped through the pages in my first book, Dragon Knight’s Sword, I knew he was destined to become a main (secondary) character throughout my first series. His presence loomed within the stories, and the Fenian Warriors came to life. My love of Irish mythology wove an important part in his story as well. Call it fate, the guidance of the Fae, or a writer’s creativity, but his story called to be written. In addition, this opened the door for the other Fenian Warriors.
Mary, what secret do you use to blast through writer’s block?
I’ve been fortunate, Tena. There are times when the writing is slow, but not fully blocked. If I’m struggling, I don’t push the words. I walk away from my computer. Taking my journal into my garden is a great source of inspiration, or to “jump start” a scene. I start jotting down ideas and words—see where the story is heading. Celtic music is another tool to help stir the muse. As writers, we often put pressure on ourselves to maintain a certain flow. Unfortunately, there are times when this will not work to our advantage. Therefore, I’ve found that it’s better to take a walk, listen to music, or play in the garden. And suddenly, an idea emerges.
Why do you write what you write? Ie. Contemporary, paranormal, suspense, etc.
I’ve always had a love affair with Irish and Scottish mythology. I blame it on my own bloodline—a yearning to return to the land of my ancestors. I’d close my eyes and pretend I was there. I write what I love. It’s a mix of paranormal and historical—knights in shining armor, faeries and magic. I’ve often stated that I’m a Celtic lass in the wrong century. Therefore, it only made sense to write about the elements that I love and enjoy reading about.
If writing is your first passion, what is your second?
Ahh…my love of history is my second passion, Tena. I’ve been obsessed with history since I read “Hawaii” by James Michener as a teenager. I enjoy delving into the historical research required for my stories. Often times, it will be a tiny tidbit of information that will spark my imagination. And I’m a firm believer that history is only as good as the bard telling the tale.
Now how about a little about Quest of a Warrior?
“You met them in the Order of the Dragon Knights. Now, journey to the realm of the Fae and witness their legends!”
Fenian Warrior, Conn MacRoich has traveled the earth for thousands of years, guarding the realm between mortal and Fae. His deeds are legendary. Yet, one mistake will force him on a journey to fix a broken time-line. However, on Conn’s quest, he must face a human female who will eventually bring this ancient warrior to his knees.
When Ivy O’Callaghan inherits her uncle’s estate, she never imagines there will be more secrets to unravel, including the one she hides from the world. With the help of a mysterious stranger, she learns to trust and step out of the shadows. However, nothing prepares Ivy when she learns Conn’s true identity.
As the loom of fate weaves a thread around the lovers from two different worlds, will the sacrifices they make lead them to love? Or will their secrets destroy and separate them forever?
Can we get a sneak peak inside the book?
“Intoxication can unleash the beast within a Fae.” ~Chronicles of the Fae
Conn fought the bolt of desire spearing a path throughout his body. Her touch spoke volumes—an invitation to taste. Never had he longed to kiss a human like this wee lass. His heart beat loudly, and he found himself unable to move. She was a Goddess of the moonlight. It danced off her face and hair, and he trembled before her. Ivy’s fingers traced down his cheek and across his lips. He was helpless to contain the growl that escaped from his mouth.
The rush of passion overtook him, and Conn slammed the door on his mind. Grasping Ivy around the waist, he hoisted her up on top of the bridge. Her lips parted on a sigh, and he lowered his mouth to feast on something he dared not take. The first brush of her soft lips against his own ignited a hunger he could no longer contain. Taking her moan deep into him, Conn glorified in the sensation of her mouth—one filled with a honeyed sweetness.
The Fae warrior became just a man for the first time. Something primal burst within him. Emotions he had never felt left him dizzy, spiraling to a physical plane. He craved them all. His lips seared a course down her neck, to her throat, and then recaptured the velvet warmth of her mouth.
Buy Links:
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Quest-Warrior-Legends-Fenian-Warriors-ebook/dp/B072HPBMDM/
Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/quest-of-a-warrior-mary-morgan/1126404360/
The Wild Rose: https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/5086-quest-of-a-warrior.html
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/quest-of-a-warrior
Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/quest-of-a-warrior/id1231868317?mt=11
For those of you who don’t know Mary, She’s an Award-winning Scottish paranormal romance author who resides in Northern California, with her own knight in shining armor. However, during her travels to Scotland, England, and Ireland, she left a part of her soul in one of these countries and vows to return.
Mary’s passion for books started at an early age along with an overactive imagination. She spent far too much time daydreaming and was told quite often to remove her head from the clouds. It wasn’t until the closure of Borders Books where Mary worked that she found her true calling–writing romance. Now, the worlds she created in her mind are coming to life within her stories.
WEBSITE: http://www.marymorganauthor.com
BLOG: http://www.marymorganauthor.com/blog
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/m_morganauthor
FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/MaryMorganAuthor/
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/mary.morgan.564
GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8271002.Mary_Morgan
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Morgan/e/B00KPE3NWI/
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/marymorgan50/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/marymorgan2/
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-morgan
Thanks so much for hosting me on Author’s Secrets, Tena! Loved being on your beautiful blog! You are always welcome on Author’s Secrets! Thanks so much for stopping by best of luck with Quest of a Warrior!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Fae, fantasy, Historical Romance, magic, Mary Morgan, Paranormal, Quest of a Warrior, Romance by Tena Stetler with 25 comments.
Interview with Pat Esden – Reach For You
Give a warm welcome to Pat Esden, author of Reach For You, book three of Dark Heart Available for pre-order now, release on June 27, 2017! Don’t miss the rafflecopter at the end of this post.
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Pat Esden and Reach For You.
Hi Tena, Thank you for interviewing me today. I’m excited to be here and to answer behind the scenes questions about REACH FOR YOU (Dark Heart, book 3).
My pleasure Pat. Tell me, what inspired this particular story?
REACH FOR YOU is the third and final book in the Dark Heart series. The idea for it came to me when I began to brainstorm A HOLD ON ME (Dark Heart, book 1). I wanted the series to end with Annie, the main character, finding her HEA, but I didn’t want it to come easy. To me, the struggles Annie goes through in this book are both emotionally devastating, challenging, and the logical conclusion to the other books.
Who is your favorite character of all of the books you’ve written and Why?
I don’t think I could pick a favorite. But one of the most fun characters to write in the Dark Heart series was Lotli. She doesn’t physically appear until the second book (there are hints about her in book 1). But once she appears, she brings out both the worst and best in Annie, the main character. Lotli is mysterious and powerful. She’s a master of magic and manipulation. I enjoyed giving hints about her true past and powers. One of my favorite scenes in REACH FOR YOU is when the truth about Lotli is revealed—and that truth may just be more horrible than Annie suspected.
Do you see yourself in your characters?
It isn’t something I consciously do, but there is probably a part of me in every character. A lot of Annie’s reactions to Lotli are emotions that I’ve felt at one time or another. Other characters have qualities I admire, like Chase’s selflessness (though in his case it gets him in trouble).
Where do your story ideas come from? If they come to you in the middle of the night, do you get up and write them all down?
My story ideas usually do start as flashes of scenes or lines of dialogue. I’m more likely to get those while driving and listening to music. I keep pens in my car and in my bag, along with notepads.
When I deep into drafting or revising a novel, I get a lot of ideas when I take a break from my computer. Walking the dog, showering, taking a nap—they all work equally as well. As far as in the middle of the night goes, yes. I used to keep a pad by the bed, but now I’m even more careful to not lose those flashes of inspiration. I’ll turn on a light and write things down at my desk or sometimes even turn on the computer and open a fresh document. What probably irritates me the most is when I work on a tough section of a project until I’m exhausted, then I go to bed and fall asleep only to have the solution come to me ten minutes later. Why couldn’t it have come to me before I crawled into bed?
Why do you write what you write adult contempoary paranormal and fantasty?
I love the idea of magick being real. I like taking the mundane day to day life and turning it into a grand adventure where anything is possible. I also love a hard-earned HEA.
How about a little about Reach For You?
Her passion is her greatest weakness. His legacy is his prison. To reunite, both must fight the demons within.
A world of deception and danger separates Annie Freemont from her mother—and from Chase, the enigmatic half-ifrit with whom Annie’s fallen in love. But she vows to find her way back to them, before Chase succumbs to the madness that threatens his freedom. The only person who can help is the magical seductress, Lotli, a beautiful, manipulative woman . . . a woman who has disappeared.
Annie must stay strong, even as the future she imagined is slipping away. With the help of family and friends, she discovers that Lotli is being held against her will, by those who want to exploit her powers. But though weakened, Lotli remains a powerful alley and adversary. A bargain is struck. And now Annie’s only chance to rescue Chase could also tear them apart . . .
Loyalties will be tested, walls will be breached, and enemies will be fought, yet Annie’s greatest battle lies within her own heart—to trust her love for Chase to overcome its greatest enemy, and to save those she holds most dear from the terrifying realm of the djinn . . .
May 28- July 2
Book 1- A Hold On Me – On Sale for $2.99
Book 2 – Beyond Your Touch- On Sale for $3.99
Chapter 1
We journey. Ceaseless and hungry.
Carved into stone tablet. Tenerife, Spain
The campsite was ominously silent. Then a breeze lifted and my ear caught the faint clank and rattle of the bones and knives hanging in the pine trees behind us.
“You don’t think they’re both dead, do you?” Selena whispered.
I scanned the dilapidated camper ahead of us, a do-it-yourself RV created out of an old bread truck. Despite the midafternoon warmth, the doors were shut tight. The tent behind it, barely visible from our angle, bowed under the weight of rain that had pooled in its canopy. There was no campfire smoke. No trampled grass. In comparison to when we’d come here last week, the place looked deserted.
Goose bumps pebbled my skin. I gave the camper another once-over. “Zea was really old and sickly. He could have died—or if the kidnappers came here first looking for Lotli, they could have found him. They might have—”
Selena cut me off with a glower. “You mean, supposed kidnappers.”
My jaw clenched. Yeah, that was exactly what I meant. I understood why my cousin didn’t like that everything we’d discovered pointed to her boyfriend, Newt, being involved in Lotli’s disappearance, and perhaps Zea’s as well. But I thought we’d gotten past that, like a bunch of times already.
I swiveled toward where we’d parked our Land Rover. The Professor stood rooted next to it, a mixture of disgust and apprehension crinkling his face. From his scholarly glasses and sandy brown hair all the way down to his polished loafers, he looked anything but ready for our reconnaissance trip out here on the back roads of Down East Maine. An afternoon of research at Oxford University would have been more appropriate. “You want to check inside the tent while we look in the camper?”
His gaze flicked to the soggy tarps. He cleared his throat, then—as posh as ever—said, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not totally against the idea. But the thought of discovering a rotting corpse is a teensy bit abhorrent.”
“Would you rather discover one in a closed-up camper?” I snapped. It was lucky we’d driven into the campsite from the main road instead of walking like we’d done the last time. I’d assumed the Professor had an adventuresome spirit to go with his young Indiana Jones good looks. Especially since he was an archaeologist, though this summer he was tutoring Selena’s eleven-year-old brother as a favor. Still, and despite how eager he’d seemed to come with us, the Professor had freaked the second we started past the creepy stuff Zea and Lotli hung in the trees to scare people off: the knives and bones, pieces of copper pipe, broken mirrors, and doll parts. Frankly, I was surprised he’d even gotten out of the Land Rover at all.
I pasted on a smile. “Sorry. I don’t much care for the idea myself. Let’s just hope he’s napping or something.”
The Professor wiped his hands down the sides of his chinos. “I truly hope you’re right.”
As he headed for the tent, I tramped toward the camper with Selena close behind. If only Chase were here now. The creepy stuff hadn’t bothered him at all, and the fear of Zea being dead would have only driven him forward faster.
My chest tightened, my longing for Chase aching inside me, raw and unrelenting. If it weren’t for me, he would be here now. Instead, both he and my mother were trapped in the djinn realm, prisoners of his father, Malphic. If it weren’t for me, Lotli wouldn’t be missing either.
“Well?” Selena jerked her head at the camper door. “Are you going to just stand there?”
I raised my hand and knocked. One second passed. Two seconds. I rapped harder. Nothing. I tried the doorknob. It turned beneath my grip. I opened the door a crack, hesitated, and took a deep breath before pushing it open all the way.
A wave of hot, musty air rushed past me as if the camper had been closed up for days.
“Hello?” I said, sticking my head inside. I gave the air a cautious sniff. No dangerous odors, like a leaky gas stove, permeated the air. No rotting-trash smell—or decomp.
Selena nudged my shoulder. “What are you waiting for?”
I swallowed hard and stepped forward.
The place was cramped, a gypsy wagon on steroids. Tassels and prisms curtained the windows, letting only faint streaks of light inside. Miles of fuchsia and turquoise fabric draped the ceiling and walls. Animal skulls, feathers, and nubby candles clustered inside miniature altars. The fridge, table, and chairs, every surface that wasn’t fabric covered, was painted purple or black. Stars decorated the ceiling. An antique bed piled with crimson quilts and an avalanche of pillows took up the camper’s entire backend. It was cozy enough, I supposed. But I couldn’t begin to imagine what life had been like for Lotli, apprenticed to Zea as a child because of her magic abilities, essentially indentured. Not that I thought a devout shaman like Zea would have been cruel to her. It was just so different from anything I’d experienced.
“Zea, are you here?” I called out. “We need to talk to you about Lotli.”
I minced my way deeper into the cramped space, working my way toward the back of the camper. Cold sweat carved a trail down my spine. I crept past a tiny kitchen and dining nook, then the bathroom—one toothbrush in the holder, a washcloth draped over the edge of a yellowed sink.
I returned to the front of the camper and pulled aside the curtain that divided the living area from the bread truck’s cab. Seats for the driver and a passenger, seashells glued to the dash, insulated coffee cups in the holders—
Something brushed the back of my neck.
I yelped and jumped sideways, whipping around to see what it was and smacking my elbow against the wall. Pain zinged up my arm. I glared at Selena, standing barely an inch behind me.
“Shit,” I said, rubbing the sting from my arm. “You scared the hell out of me.”
She gave me a sheepish pout. “Sorry. I thought you knew I was there.”
“I didn’t think you were that close.” It wouldn’t have hurt half as bad, except I was already sore and bruised from being thrown out of the djinn realm earlier in the day.
Her pout transformed into a smug smile and she flipped her blond hair over one shoulder. “Looks to me like Zea and Lotli might have pulled a vanishing act after all. Huh?”
I stopped rubbing. “Or the Professor’s about to find something disgusting in the tent.”
“Want to bet?”
I closed my eyes, struggling to regain my composure. We couldn’t afford to waste time discussing the same thing over and over again, any more than I could have afforded the luxury of staying home to nurse my aches and pains. Chase and Mother were in danger. And I couldn’t go back to the realm and rescue them until we found Lotli. Without her and her flute-magic, it would be too risky, perhaps even impossible to enter or escape from the realm.
I shoved past Selena and strode to the tiny bathroom. “While we’re here, we should find something personal of Lotli’s that you can use to scry and see where they’re holding her.”
Glancing around, I spotted a scruffy hairbrush. You couldn’t get much more personal than that. I grabbed it and brandished it toward Selena.
She stood just inside the bathroom doorway, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed. “Cut it out, Annie, I’ve had enough of you talking like Newt kidnapped Lotli, the innuendos and little jabs. Maybe his family’s hiding something, but Newt doesn’t have anything to do with it. So quit acting like he’s evil, okay?”
I mirrored her stance. “He told you his dad was a stockbroker, that they owned their summer home. Those were lies. His brother is a registered creep. No matter what you want to think: Newt’s not innocent.”
She turned her back on me, her voice bordering on hysteria. “I don’t know why I bothered coming. You’re so, so . . . You always have to be right—” Her voice died and she slowly faced me. Angry red blotches mottled her face. But tears rimmed her eyes.
My anger drained. She didn’t look pissed. She was trembling like she was about to fall apart. Earlier today, when we’d first heard about the lies Newt and his family had been telling, I’d seen something in Selena’s eyes, something beneath her disbelief.
“What is it? Tell me,” I asked gently.
She raked her hands over her face. “Nothing. You just need to trust me. I know Newt couldn’t be involved. And he wouldn’t have let his brother do it either.”
I leveled my gaze with hers and toughened my voice. “What makes you so certain? Tell me the truth, Selena.”
Her chin quivered. “I just know.”
Tucking the hairbrush handle first into my hip pocket, I stepped closer. I pushed her hair back from her face. “You’re my cousin. Please. Tell me.”
“Nothing. He just wouldn’t do it. He loves me.”
“I get that. But—”
She shoved my hand away. “No, you don’t get it. I know he loves me. Like forever.” Her eyes pleaded for me to understand what she couldn’t bring herself to say.
A possibility seeped into my head. My hands went to my mouth, covering a horrified gasp. She couldn’t mean. She couldn’t have. “What did you do?”
“I kind of—I put a . . .” Her voice faded and she looked down at the floor.
“A spell?” A month ago, the idea of witchcraft being involved would never have occurred to me. Now it seemed more than likely.
“You can’t tell anyone. Mom, Dad, Grandfather—they’d kill me.” She curled her arms over her head, her shoulders shaking as she crumpled down against the wall.
I crouched and put my arms around her. “Whatever it is, it’ll be fine. It can’t be that bad.”
“It is,” she sobbed.
About the Author:
Pat Esden would love to say she spent her childhood in intellectual pursuits. The truth is she was fonder of exploring abandoned houses and old cemeteries. When not out on her own adventures, she can be found in her northern Vermont home writing stories about brave, smart women and the men who capture their hearts.
An antique-dealing florist by trade, she’s also a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and the League of Vermont Writers. Her short stories have appeared in a number of publications, including Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, the Mythopoeic Society’s Mythic Circle, and George Sciter’s Cat Tales Anthology.
The first two novels in her Dark Heart series, A HOLD ON ME and BEYOND YOUR TOUCH are available from Kensington Books. REACH FOR YOU (book #3 Dark Heart series) will be released June 27th. Her short story, Black as a Dark Moon, Scarlet as Sumac, will come out this September in the Fragments of Darkness anthology.
Website: http://patesden.com
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged djinn, Paranormal, Pat Esden, Reach For You, Romance by Tena Stetler with 5 comments.
