Category Archives: Gothic

Mardi Gras and Southern Gothic

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It’s that time of year, again. Mardi Gras. The day (season) of indulgence. Last January, I blogged about it on a personal level–check it out here. Today, I’d like to take a minute to tie Mardi Gras with my Southern Gothic series.

I found this explanation of Southern Gothic Literature online last year on a visual image, so I don’t know who to credit for it:

The South’s reputation for sultry decadence lives on in a literature that meshes the moody romanticism of Gothic novels with the American South’s sensibility of tragedy and doom.

Brilliant, right? When I read it I said “Yes! That’s what The Possession Chronicles is all about.” Tragic events and doomed choices, all layered within romantic ideals that don’t always hold up in the humidity.

Mardi Gras is prominent in Perilous Confessions, the first book in the series, and there isn’t much in life more decadent than those masquerades. My tagline for the book is “Their love brought scandal and demons.” You can’t get much more doomed than demons. Add in the backdrop of carnival season with the juxtapose of life and death symbolized in much of Mobile, Alabama’s Mardi Gras history looming in the background–not to mention Catholic guilt–it creates a greater sense of urgency to the characters’ choices. A “play with Folly all you like, but come Lent it needs to stop” attitude that might be easier said than done when you dive into addiction and other psychological issues.

 

How do the characters hold up? Read to find out.
And I’m always happy to discuss.

 

Scarred Memories Cover Reveal

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The final edits are done and the cover is ready to roll. Now it’s turned over for formatting and waiting for that magical release day.

 

Once again, Ashley with Redbird Designs took my cover vision to the next level. Pictured is a representation of Lucy, who was on the cover of Perilous Confessions. I can’t wait to share the book with you and talk more about this family saga. Scarred Memories is truly a turning point in the series.

 

 

Book four of The Possession Chronicles returns readers to the downtown side of Mobile Bay, focusing on the Davenport and Easton families. There’s also the addition of a new characters including Darla Beauchamp, Henry Adams, and Valentino De Fiore (Claudio’s cousin). You can read the prologue to it in the back of Tendrils of Passion, book three.

What do you think of the cover?

 

New Year, New Stories

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Unless you live along the Gulf Coast, the holidays are over. If you’re in the Mardi Gras zone, you know the festivities have just begun. Besides being a year old this week, Perilous Confessions is fun to talk about during carnival season. A lot of my historical research centered around Mardi Gras in the Port City.

The Possession Chronicles passed its one year mark, but growth is still happening. Three full-length novels are out–four if you count Fortitude as an unofficial prequel–as well as three short stories (if you include “Courtship and Courage”, the Fortitude short in Hometown Heroes.) Here’s a photo I took of the Possession Chronicles related books, including the anthologies featuring short stories, in chronological order of how to read them.

You can find a list of the publications in this order–including what’s to come and projected release dates where possible–on my website’s page dedicated to the series. Next to be added to is Valentine’s Day Pieces, a Mobile Writers Guild anthology, which releases later this month. Look for ordering links in the following blog post (in about two weeks.)

February will hopefully see the unveiling of book four’s cover as Scarred Memories releases in April. Also forthcoming is a yet-to-be-announced short story project that I’m co-writing with a USA Today best-selling author which ties our story worlds together.  2020 will be a year to read and remember.  Don’t miss out–catch up with The Possession Chronicles now!

 

Release Day–Times Two

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To close out 2019, I’m happy to report that two books I had a part in release into the wild today.

First up is Finally Home: A Christmas Anthology.

The anthology is a collection of romance short stories featuring rescued animals, compiled by Bienvenue Press and proceeds benefit animal rescue charities. “Grace Shadowed” is Possession Chronicles #3.5, but can be read alone. It’s available in print and ebook.

Also out today is Finder’s Keepers. For this book, I was interviewed (along with Candice Marley Conner) about my experience with a critique partner. I also served as a beta reader for the full manuscript and recommend it for writers of all experience levels, with or without an active critique partner. Find more information about the book here.That’s it from me for 2019. There are plenty of books to keep you reading into 2020–both mine and otherwise. This Christmas, and always, please consider leaving book reviews. It’s the perfect gift for authors. Until next year…

Order TENDRILS OF PASSION Now

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Things happen in the digital age.

Bloopers, mistakes, or whatever you want to call them.

One of those things happened within the last twenty-four hours.

The Kindle preorder for Tendrils  of Passion was cancelled by Amazon. The original link to the digital book on the online store is no longer active. (If you subscribe to my monthly newsletter, that’s the link I sent out this week.) According to what the website told the publisher, all orders that were placed from the original listing are cancelled.

What does that mean for you?

If you ordered a Kindle edition of Tendrils of Passion sometime on/before Friday, November 8, your order will probably not deliver/finalize on November 12 as it was supposed to. (From the readers I’ve spoken to today, their accounts still show the active order. Amazon might not notify the buyers until the release date they were supposed to receive it–I’m not sure exactly how that works, but that’s my guess.)

The silver-lining is that the new link/ordering page for the Kindle edition shows that Tendrils of Passion released November 8, so when you buy it you get it immediately rather than having to wait until Tuesday.

What can you do?

If you ordered the Kindle edition before today, double check your account for the status of the November 12 release. If you want to wait it out and see what happens on Tuesday, that’s up to you. You can also try cancelling the original order and then order from the new listing and get it today.

If you haven’t ordered yet, now is a great time to do so.

The paperback edition is also available and The Haunted Book Shop will have their copies soon if you want to purchase an autographed copy through a gem of a local/independent bookstore–and they ship!

For now, happy reading, whenever and however you’re reading book three of The Possession Chronicles.

 

 

One More Month

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That’s right, Tendrils of Passion releases on November 12!

Book two in the series, Murmurs of Evil, can be enjoyed without having read book one, but Tendrils of Passion is best read as a companion to the second book.

Here’s an excerpt from Tendrils of Passion:

Mrs. Melling tied Magdalene’s petticoat around her abnormally small waist. Once dressed and Magdalene’s hair arranged, she exclaimed, “You’re the pink of perfection!”
Looking in the mirror, Magdalene agreed that she looked like a lady off the pages of McCall’s Magazine, but she wasn’t happy.
“Smile, Magdalene. Let your radiance shine and he will not only want you, he will need you.”
A shiver worked its way from Magdalene’s head to toes as she recalled the demonic words Alexander had spoken as he’d seduced her all those months ago.
There is no want, only need.
Her hand went to her heart in an impulsive movement and she bit her lip to keep from crying out as the voice sounded larger than life in her head.
“You stay here until Leroy comes for you. I want you to have a grand entrance.”
With the click of the door, Magdalene knew she wasn’t alone. The tentacles were back, spiraling around her limbs and gripping her torso tighter than the corset. Unable to sit comfortably, she paced the room and fought the urge to give in.
Minutes later, she heard the Great Arrow start up. She rushed to the open window and watched Douglas pull away, one of her large crates in the backseat. If he had looked up, she would have cried to him to deliver her from the evil threatening to tear down her resolve against Mrs. Melling’s plans.
The minutes ticked by as Magdalene rubbed the wooden rosary bracelet she’d pulled out from her drawer holding her engagement ring. Finally, the rumble of a motor coming up the lane sounded through the cloudy afternoon. Hiding behind her curtain, she watched Claudio and Douglas exit the automobile, laughing. Resentment that they could be joyous while she battled demons took root. While she knew it illogical—and against her nature to hold grudges against either of the men—she couldn’t stop the bitterness from clouding her judgement and slinking behind the curtain when they looked toward her window.

In closing, here’s a sampling of what reviewers have said about the first two books in The Possession Chronicles. For more  information on the books–including ordering information–check out the website page dedicated to it.

Five Fortitude Facts

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I’ve been a little obsessive about The Possession Chronicles lately, but here are five facts about Fortitude:

  • My first book baby—though not my first manuscript written. (It’s the sixth book-length manuscript for me.)
  • It’s the result of five years of research and writing.
  • The novel has the most reviews out of all my books.
  • It has the distinction of being listed as a “Best Book for Kids” (grades 5-10th) from Grateful American Foundation for its historical accuracy and reader engagement.
  • It’s a standalone novel, but there are other writings that tie into it—“Courtship and Courage: A Fortitude Short” in the Hometown Heroes Christmas Anthology by Bienvenue Press and you can find Fortitude characters in The Possession Chronicles from book two on.

Have you read Fortitude? Do you have a favorite character? You’ll be able to see a couple of the main characters—and the next generation—in The Possession Chronicles. Happy reading!