I like this cover. It says winter, it says nightfall, it says "um...there's a coyote there..." Here's a little more info about the story for you:
Following on the heels of her critically acclaimed prequel novels Dark Alchemy and Mercury Retrograde comes the first installment in Laura Bickle’s dark contemporary fantasy series, Nine of Stars, a Wildlands Novel
Winter has always been a deadly season in Temperance, but this time, there’s more to fear than just the cold…
As the daughter of an alchemist, Petra Dee has faced all manner of occult horrors—especially since her arrival in the small town of Temperance, Wyoming. But she can’t explain the creature now stalking the backcountry of Yellowstone, butchering wolves and leaving only their skins behind in the snow. Rumors surface of the return of Skinflint Jack, a nineteenth-century wraith that kills in fulfillment of an ancient bargain.
The new sheriff in town, Owen Rutherford, isn’t helping matters. He’s a dangerously haunted man on the trail of both an unsolved case and a fresh kill—a bizarre murder leading him right to Petra’s partner Gabriel. And while Gabe once had little to fear from the mortal world, he’s all too human now. This time, when violence hits close to home, there are no magical solutions.
It’s up to Petra and her coyote sidekick Sig to get ahead of both Owen and the unnatural being hunting them all—before the trail turns deathly cold.
SC:Do
you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can
share?
LB: I do believe in
the unseen, even if it’s just my imagination! Life’s more fun that way.
Once upon a time, I
rented a house out in the country that was a pretty unsettling place to live.
It was just a few miles down the road from the site of a mine disaster, and the
whole place generally gave me the willies after sunset. There was a tree in the
backyard that had been struck by lightning. The tree was blackened and split,
but some green branches still sprouting from the charred bits. All kinds of
snakes lived in that tree. In the right light, around dusk, it seemed to seethe
and move. There was likely nothing supernatural about it, but it still creeped
me out.
I didn’t stick around
for too long. The tree both fascinated me and repelled me. I never did figure
out its story. Perhaps it will find its way into a book.
SC:
That would be awesome if it did. What titles are you working on now that you
can tell us about?
LB: I’m working on
the sequel to NINE OF STARS. Without sharing any spoilers for WITCH CREEK,
Petra must face a nonmagical threat to her life, a health crisis that no amount
of alchemy can cure. She also must save a friend from the clutches of the
Mermaid, a denizen of the hidden underworld beneath the Rutherford family
ranch. The Mermaid is utterly ruthless, and will stop at nothing to have
revenge upon those who imprisoned her centuries before. She’s a force of nature
who cannot be controlled. Petra will have to find a way to appease the Mermaid
and rescue her friend before her own time among the living runs out.
So
glad you could stop by and answer those questions for us LB!
Here's
some further information about Laura Bickle.
About the Author:
Laura Bickle grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her favorite Wonder Woman doll. After graduating with an MA in Sociology-Criminology from Ohio State University and an MLIS in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she patrolled the stacks at the public library and worked with data systems in criminal justice. She now dreams up stories about the monsters under the stairs. Her work has been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016.More information about Laura’s work can be found at www.laurabickle.com
Laura came to us via Bewitching Book Tours.
