Category Archives: Perilous Confessions

New Christmas Story

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It’s nearly here! The third instalment of the Bienvenue Press charity anthology series, Homeroom Heroes, releases December 15, 2020. Each story in this collection features an independent woman working in the education system. From historical to contemporary and suspense to paranormal, these winter themed romances are sure to make for cozy reading.

My offering, “Natural Selection in Life and Love”, is Possession Chronicles #6.1. I write my short stories as stand alone tales so anyone picking up the anthology can follow it, but there are tidbits included in them that readers of The Possession Chronicles will not be able to find anywhere else. (Example: “Grace Shadowed” in Finally Home gives a scandalous tidbit–just one line–about Ruth Melling that is spilled no where else in the series. And it’s juicy!) For those seeking to read The Possession Chronicles in order, this story is best read after Hostile Charms–there will be a spoiler if you haven’t completed the last novel released.

If Sean Spunner’s name sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Sean has been in the background as the “chipped tooth Dardenne” since Perilous Confessions (book one) through Hostile Charms (book five), but he’s also made brief appearances is shorts like the prequel “Masked Flaws” and last Christmas’s “Grace Shadowed”. Most recently he starred in my Mobile Writers Guild anthology short “The Portrait of Eliza Melling”, which released in October 2020’s Halloween Pieces.

My historical reference for Sean Spunner. Members of my readers group know I call him my book boyfriend.

But we’re not done with Sean Spunner yet. This winter, I have a novella coming out and he plays a major role in it. Mosaic of Seduction, Possession Chronicles #1.5, tells the story of the year between Perilous Confessions and Murmurs of Evil, February 1905-January 1906. It’s told through the point of view of Eliza Melling and Deacon Claudio De Fiore. Yes, it tells that story–the one readers have always wanted to know more about–and Sean Spunner is tangled in the middle of it. Look for more news about this forthcoming novella in the weeks ahead. Oh, and it will be a FREE digital book for all, not just Kindle Unlimited. Happy holidays!

Digital Sale on Multiple Titles

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Let the release week shenanigans begin!
In celebration of book 5 of The Possession Chronicles, Bienvenue Press is running a sale on several of the titles in my Southern Gothic family saga series. Check it out.

Not only can you get Hostile Charms for $0.99, but you can buy Perilous Confessions for the same low price as well. And Murmurs of Evil, a reader favorite for it’s creepy Gothic setting, is on sale for two dollars off! This is the biggest sale ever for my titles, so take advantage of it.
Now is a great time to dive into the drama of the early 1900s and catch up with the Melling, Easton, and Davenport families so you’re ready for Hostile Charms on September 8. If you already have them all in your collection, consider telling a reader friend or gifting digital copies this week. You can always search for “Carrie Dalby” at your favorite ebook store, but here’s a handy link that will give you access to each of The Possession Chronicles titles with shopping links to all the major digital platforms selling them. Shop with Books2Read dot com.

One Week Until the Next Read

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Even as the world shifts with pandemic related news, issues, concerns, and more, I’m getting outdoors as often as possible and escaping into my literary world whenever I can.

Scarred Memories releases in one week! The digital pre-order option is up–and has some good news. My novels are going “wide”, which means they will be available from all the major digital platforms (iBooks, nook, Kobo, etc.), not just Kindle. Find all the handy links in one place and purchase for the early bird price of $0.99 here. (Paperback ordering is coming soon.)

If you use any of these digital readers, be on the lookout for Perilous Confessions and Murmurs of Evil (books one and two of The Possession Chronicles). They will be ready to purchase and read in the days ahead–if they aren’t already. Tendrils of Passion and Fortitude will follow into the other digital stores next month.

Also forthcoming is a Possession Chronicles related short story I co-wrote this winter. Bienvenue to the Chateau Rouge is an anthology featuring Bienvenue Press authors who bring their characters to the infamous Chateau Rouge hotel in New Orleans–created by Jolie St. Amant for her paranormal romance series of the same name.

“Revelry’s Requiem” is my offering. It takes place during Mardi Gras in 1911. I refer to it as Possession Chronicles #4.5 because it takes place after the fourth book. Can you guess which  character from my series takes  center stage?

Yes, Father Claudio De Fiore brings his bag of Holy relics to New Orleans. He was requested by Jolie St. Amant to take part in this collection and I had fun seeing what Claudio would do without the Mellings around. You can order it now and read on May 12, 2020.

I hope you are all well, have plenty to read, and are able to enjoy Spring wherever you are. As always, if you want to hear from me more often than twice a month via blog posts, follow me on any of my social media pages as found on my contact page. Happy reading!

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?