It took a bit of mulling over the idea of going back, but then, when I realized I was already re-reading everything and jotting down ideas every free moment… yeah, it was time to go back. Side note, though: I am not stopping the other series I have in process. This is just a pause while I spend some time in New Orleans. 

At Bell, Book, and Candle! 

Returning and New characters. 

Because this is technically Book 10 (huge technically), this series begins 5 years after Elemental Dreams. Which means this book has to bridge a gap between those who read The Eldritch Files and those whose first book will be Arcane Rising. I hope I manage to do that. 

Certain characters are not there. For TEF readers, Samantha, Crwys and Lizzie are not in New Orleans. Kyle, Jack, Arden and Tasoula are. A lot can happen in 5 years. Remember that.

An old/new character has joined the gang. Jason Lawrence is now a mainstay, taking the reigns left empty at the NOPD by Crwys Holliard. 

There is another old/new character, but I’ll leave that for the story. 

Meet Janet Harper, Harper to her friends. Earth Elemental Witch. She hails from a small town in Georgia and isn’t as schooled in the ways of the Witching Society as other Witches. After being chosen as Arden Vervain’s heir…nothing in her life will ever be the same. 

The Story

Harper’s arrival in New Orleans is anything but smooth. She runs over a guy moving into his apartment, trips over a body at her announcement party, and finds herself face-to-face with a myth in need of rescuing. 

Harper finds herself pushed to her known limit as she discovers something festering in New Orleans while aiding her Oldsmobile’s victim, solving the mystery of the bodies piling up, and saving the myth in order to unlock the Twelve once again. 

I’ll be sending links to Kickstarter in my newsletter and Substack, as well as updates as I have them. Come on back to New Orleans! 

Kickstarter Launch Page is active! Click here to tell Kickstarter you want to know when the project goes live. 

First off, I took a moment this morning to honor the lives lost on this day and reflect where I was when the tragedy of 911 changed our lives. I believe it was one of those pivotal moments in my life as my daughter took her first steps the day before.

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I am so bad at updating information on this website. I was bad before I went back into the workforce, and since my time’s now split between the two once again, I think I got worse. 

My goal heading into the Fall is to get better at it, and to post once a week. I’m asking readers to hold me to that. 

So, to the update: 

“Ill Met By Moonlight” is on target for this month. This is book 3 in the Castle Falls Series. If there is one thing I’ve learned writing this series, it’s that I’m not sure I’m cut out for a cozy series. I tend to spiral back into the darker side of things, and cozies aren’t supposed to do that, are they? We’ll see how readers react to book 3 before I make any decisions on how to go forward. I love the characters, and this installment touches on David’s past and his possible future with Ginger. 

I took a quick look at my blog yesterday and cringed. I hadn’t updated since January. Lots of things happened since the beginning of the year. Some okay. Some not so fun. And some were just downright frustrating. 

PART TIME

First up, I took on a part-time job. There are many reasons I did this, the most obvious was to get out of the house. Many of my friends have moved away from Georgia and I needed human stimulation. It sounds wonderful, this working from home. But not when you become a shut-in. *shivers* The days I work are killer on my feet and when I get home it’s all I can do to go into my office to work. Most of the time I keep my laptop with me to write words, whether on the couch or sitting up in my bed with my feet in an ice bath. Concrete + Sneakers = Pain. 

This has slowed my output tremendously, and I’m working on getting back on a regular publication schedule. I’m juggling several series which I want to wrap up and concentrate on a single one as I did with The Eldritch Files. 

SERIES MISSING BUT NOT GONE…NOT COMPLETELY

Some readers have noticed Oak & Ash & Thorn is no longer for sale. Unfortunately, book one was released to very dismal sales and unhappy feedback in email because many readers had not read the short story and felt the first book was like starting in the middle. I was trying to come up with a way to fix that when… 

The debacle of the CAST IN SHADOW series I started with a co-writer came to a head. Books 1 & 2 were instant successes, but book 3 was caught in the middle of the ending of that relationship and suffered immensely from what became an intense…separation. I am happy to say, I am now in control of that series and added my name. I also added in Chapter One of the 4th book at the end of book 3 (Smoke & Mirrors) to hopefully reassure readers the swirling miasma of book 3 does serve a purpose, which will become evident in book 4. Just think of that name: Smoke & Mirrors. 

Oh and just so readers know, the paperback, if you order it, still says the pen name on it. I’m working on getting a new one up so that will stop. 

And as I struggled with these issues, another series reared her cute little head. 

COZIES

I enjoy cozy reads. And shows. I am an avid Murder She Wrote fan and I regularly watch the Hallmark Channel with the women of mystery series. All of them. Frustrated with dwindling sales, I binged watched several of these series and read three whole series, and then binged 3 seasons of Castle… 

And I dreamed of an idea. Of a small town named Castle Falls (based on a real place in South Carolina) where Supernaturals can retreat and feel safe…though not always cause…they’re Supernaturals. I saw a red-headed witch, a snarky black cat, and a handsome vampire shifter doctor/boyfriend, and a grandmother who ruled them all. 

WITCHES OF CASTLE FALLS was born with a complete arc, and the possibility if readers want, spin-offs. I am thoroughly enjoying writing these and plan on a more regular publishing schedule.

If you enjoyed THE ELDRITCH FILES, I think you’ll enjoy these books as well. A bit lighter reading but still fun. 

This doesn’t mean I won’t finish CAST IN SHADOW or OAK & ASH & THORN or publish another book in the DISCORD AND RHYME series. Or eventually, publish Zoe’s last book. I also have two Fantasy Series (epic fantasy!), a Young Adult Dark Fantasy, and a four-book Urban Fantasy series with vampires and music makers (complete with covers from Ravven!). Not to mention the next two books in my LitRPG series. 

I mean to do them all. One book at a time. 

*looks at what she wrote* Pffft…anyone got an immortality potion? Or at least something for old, tired, concrete sore feet?!

And a final word… 

KINDLE UNLIMITED ISN’T FOR ME FOR SERIES.

For those readers who bought THE BOOK OF ILL DEEDS in Kindle Unlimited, then found it was no longer there, and now see that book two is also not there, there is a reason. Unfortunately, I don’t feel safe actually posting up that reason. Amazon is a very large and powerful entity, and it does what it wants. I’ll just say myself, and hundreds of other authors were caught up in their efforts to stop scammers. I’m glad they’re trying, but they take out the livelihood of innocents along the way.