SPACED OUT RADIO: BILL HAUSER GHOST BOX

A little change of pace here. Bill Hauser, reknown for his ghostbox sessions, often comes out with Cornerstone Supernatural. Last night, he did a live ghost box session with Dave Scott on Spaced Out Radio. Have a listen. Spaced Out Radio broadcasts live each night at 9:05 Pacific. 

INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT HOPPENSTEADT (Spawn of the Cataclysm)

 

Well here we are again, sharing a moment in this crazy world with an author. We hope it provides you with a few moments of escape. Welcome, Robert.

SC: Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.

RH: Rik Arrowen is a leader who cares deeply about his town and the men and women who serve under him as Hunters. Their job is to protect the city from the mutated predators that prowl the forests and seas, killing them or driving them off if they get too close to civilization. His biggest weakness is  a quick temper that he got from his father, and a streak of stubbornness that makes him intractable at times, but he is also fair and open minded at heart and often comes around.  He is engaged to Mona Raine, who is Third Seat in the governing Women’s Council, but that is not public knowledge and sometimes he feels like he’s not good enough for her. She came from financial wealth and privilege and he doesn’t have anything beyond himself to give to her. He is more loyal to his job and his friends than he is to the letter of the law.

SC: Sounds intriguing. Since we like the unusual around here, it begs the question, do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can share?

RH: I have an open mind. I believe there is far more that we don’t know than we do. I have a couple of experiences. One was a premonition. I was someone who had never used my seatbelt back in the early ‘90s; it never even crossed my mind. One day driving in the fast lane on Highway 101 near San Francisco I felt an overwhelming need to put my seatbelt on. About five miles further on I realized the exit I had been thinking of taking, which was on the left, had been closed for repair, and the last exit before I would have had to go over the Bay bridge at rush hour was three lanes over on the right. I looked and swerved over to make that exit but missed seeing a truck in my blind spot. My car was totaled, and everything inside was ejected and piled up on a concrete divider sixty feet away. The state trooper who got there first told me that if I hadn’t been wearing a belt I would have been killed. The other one I recall happened in my twenties in Reno a long time ago. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought someone in an old time western outfit was standing in my doorway. I kept looking and it just got clearer. I shoved my arm into the pillowcase and lunged at the guy but whatever it was just evaporated and I slammed into the wall. I could have been dreaming or just seeing things, who knows.

SC: It sounds like you've got a bit of an open door to the paranormal. Interesting. What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?

RH: I am writing a semi-autobiography. It will be a fiction novel but all of the incidents it contains will be authentic, just with different names and some differences in timelines. It is challenging for me because it is being written in the first person, which I don’t have extensive experience with. I had kind of a wild youth. People have often told me I should write about it so that is what I am doing. Some of it is difficult to go back and rummage around in, it brings up a lot of feelings and forgotten details emerge with the writing, but I am excited about the way it is going and I think it will be a good read.

SC: Well, thanks for dropping in today, Robert. Let's take a look at your novel now.

 

Spawn of the Cataclysm

Robert Hoppensteadt

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Adventure

Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Date of Publication: March 2. 2020

ISBN:  979-8620552344

ASIN:  B085DN3K5V

Number of pages: Print 227; Kindle 194

Word Count: 70K

Book Description:

Humans carelessly wielded their power to create new things, a power that far outpaced their understanding.  It was only a matter of time until something went terribly wrong.  Something did. 

Technology has been erased for millenniums, monsters spawned at the end of a world infest the forests and seas, and a new civilization has slowly risen from the long darkness. In sight of the looming ruins of what was once called San Francisco there is an evil growing. 

The people of New Gate are about to face their greatest challenge. 

Amazon

Excerpt Chapter One

“We didn’t create the virus, it lived in the wild. We found it when Howler monkeys began starving to death even though they stripped every local crop in the area. The virus triggered their metabolism to speed up ... we were paid by the Defense Department to develop an offensive application, said we could keep exclusive rights to all its commercial uses if we delivered. It could have changed the way we grow food but they pushed us. It wasn’t ready to test, and when the earthquake hit… is out now. The death toll will be on their heads. And ours.”

Translated from the Cataclysm

Rik Arrowen leaned over the gunwale, his gaze following dancing green shafts of sunlight that plunged into the depths. He strained his eyes, thought he saw movement.  A huge shadow drifted slowly below the light. He knew the creature they Hunted was down there, a hungry thing that lurked unseen.

“It is here,” he muttered.

A school of silver fish darted upward, their bodies flashed like a thousand mirrors. Rik’s heart jumped in the instant before a sail-sized fin, jagged and scarred, cut slowly into the green twilight before receding back into the murk. He had no time to catch his breath, or shout a warning, when the great misshapen spawn rose fast and straight into the light, its gaping jaws filled with teeth. The thing ignored the weighted haunch of bloody meat they had drawn it in with, and hit the wooden galley on the port side with enough force to knock four Hunters into the bay.

As the hull rocked, the water turned red and raw screams filled the air.

***

“What a beautiful day to be alive.”

The voice blew away Rik’s memory and brought him back to where he stood, high above the countryside on the windy battlement of Stonehaven’s north wall.

“Oh, forgive me,” the voice continued. “Did I startle you?”

Rik did not bother to turn around.

“No, Jerold,” he replied. “I was watching the bay. It’s been six days since we lost those four Hunters to the spawn. I can’t stop hearing their screams as the thing ate them. Nothing we could do. We hit it with five harpoons and it still swam away. On the way down, it swallowed the bait haunch whole, and would have pulled us under if we hadn’t cut the rope.” He paused for a moment. “I have never seen one that big. I hope it has gone back out to sea.”

“May the Mystery welcome them all,” Jerold said. “I don’t often see anyone else up here this time of day. I like the solitude, the view calms me when the Council is crawling up my back about money.”

Rik scanned the horizon. The morning mist had burned away, and the sea breeze held a hint of pine. To the west rose a low range covered with giant redwoods, some of them hundreds of feet tall.  The ridge continued to wind its way from the south, ending in cliffs at the mouth of the bay. The wide channel reflected the blue of the sky, and ripples that ran counter to the waves marked strong currents that carried the tide out to sea. Across the water, the redwoods picked up again and became the great northern forest. Long ago, when the seas were lower, a famed bridge the ancients called Golden Gate stretched above the treacherous waters from shore to shore. Nothing was left of it now but a few worn mounds of concrete piles at each end.

Below the fortress, starting near the base of the hill, the city of New Gate sprouted like a garden. It spread down to the bay, a bright jumble of buildings and spires that tumbled to the busy harbor. There, sailing ships and galleys crowded together, bare masts bobbed within the walls of the breakwater. New Gate was home to almost twenty thousand souls and a passing refuge for a few thousand more at any given time. Now, it was bursting at the seams with wagons and people who could be seen crowding the streets and setting up stalls in the Market Square for the upcoming Equinal Games.

To the east and scattered around the bay were ruins. Most were settled into oddly geometric mounds and small hills covered in green, but in some places, they rose like monstrous patches of black lace from the dense hardwood forests that covered the lowlands around the bay. The largest cluster of these, called Lily’s Bones for reasons nobody could remember, contained broken and crumbling towers so immense that their ragged peaks were sometimes lost in the clouds.

About the Author:

Robert Hoppensteadt lied about his age and started working in Reno when he was fourteen, washing dishes on the late shift at a casino restaurant.  Since then he has been a grunt in the Forest Service, a carpenter, and, after receiving a degree in Information Systems, a recruiter and senior manager.  Now he writes full time.  He has lived on both coasts and several places in between but currently resides in Virginia with his wife and two seriously spoiled and obnoxious cats. 

Amazon - https://amzn.to/3a5w7Hv

Faeebook - https://www.facebook.com/RHoppensteadtauthor/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/RHoppensteadt   

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/989101.Robert_Hoppensteadt

WISE WORDS FROM JOHN TENNEY

Years ago I had a conversation with a child. She told me she was a robotic dog I asked her why and she said "because tomorrow I'm going to be an alien dinosaur."

That is how you live life.

Be as fucking weird as you want to be...and tomorrow
be weirder.

— John E.L. Tenney (@JohnELTenney) May 6, 2020

BAY OF DARKNESS by S.K. ANDREWS

First of all, my apologies to S.K. Andrews, author of Bay of Darkness, as I am a day late with this interview. I work for an international logistics company, and as such, I'm a federally registered essential service member, so life is a bit weird now.

Nonetheless, it's good to take a little time to calm ourselves an seek solice in a good book. So with no further delay, welcome S.K.

SC: Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.

SKA: Vivien Kelly is a powerful psychic and paranormal cleanser who in our modern-day world channels ancient Celtic power (from a past life) to banish dark entities threatening our existence.  Her full psychic power kicked in while recovering from a near fatal gunshot wound just before her thirty-fifth birthday.  She also dreamt about her soulmate before meeting him in the flesh, and he was even more gorgeous in person!  Vivien trained in Ireland once she accepted the call to adventure and realized she was chosen to save the world from pure evil.  Her hot Irish warriors, who help her in battle, aided in her training and now she’s wicked accurate with a Celtic sword.

If Bay of Darkness were to be filmed as a movie, the actress to play Vivien Kelly would be Gal Gadot from the film Wonder Woman and her soulmate Neal Harrington would definitely be played my Michael Fassbender from the X Men movies.

SC: Coolio. Goodness knows we can use some paranormal cleansing right not. Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can share?

SKA: Oh, yes!  I’ve always believed in the paranormal.  I think it comes from my creativity, because creativity for me is a spiritual experience and I always tap into that. 

But when I was 13 years old, I had a poltergeist experience with four other school friends.  We would do seances for fun, however this time our leader (of sorts) commanded something to make a sound.  Five seconds later the door to the bathroom started breathing.  Literally breathing!  A solid wooden door.  We were in my friend’s bathroom, because her bedroom was being painted on that Saturday afternoon back in 1973.  When the door stopped breathing (about twenty seconds later) we ran out of the house into the street, with her mother calling out behind us, “You silly girls!”

SC: Sounds like you have indeed.  What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?

SAK: Since Bay of Darkness is the first book in The Kelly Society trilogy, I’m working on a novella called A Kelly Society Christmas.  It immediately follows the first book.  I’m also writing the second book in the series called Curse of Amen Ra.

But for now, here is a quick tagline to give you a taste of A Kelly Society Christmas.

Christmas tree – check.  Presents wrapped – check.  Cranberry sauce – check.  Save a friend from Krampus the demon Santa Claus who wants to drag him to hell – check.  Wait…what?

SC: Ha-ha. Let's take a look at your book now. Thanks for dropping by.  

Bay of Darkness
The Kelly Society
Book One
S.K. Andrews

Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: October 2, 2019
ISBN: 1509227792
ASIN: B07WDL6HT6
Number of pages: 418
Word Count: 95,000
Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor

Tagline: To save the modern world, psychic Vivien Kelly channels an ancient Celtic life of treachery and murder—at the peril of her own soul.

Book Description:

After witnessing her fiancé’s murder and almost dying herself, Vivien Kelly’s mission is to destroy Dagda—a Celtic God turned demon.  When Vivien discovers she worshiped Dagda in an ancient life as Boudicca, the Celtic warrior queen, she’s compelled to the quaint Northern California town of Half Moon Bay. 

There Vivien finds Dagda’s creatures tormenting the locals—from a Fear Dorcha, to the Headless Horseman.  The Kelly Society is then born—her own paranormal cleansing team and the race is on when people around her begin to die. 

While banishing a Banshee, Vivien meets Neal Harrington—a soul partner who can promise true happiness.  But when Dagda’s black vapor creates a New World of darkness, her time is up.  Can Vivien abandon everyone she loves and succumb to Boudicca’s barbaric force to defeat the demon?  Her actions not only determine her future—but the future of the modern world.

Book Trailer https://youtu.be/UMA9IuWSrog

Amazon      BN     Kobo     Scribd     Indiebound

Excerpt:

Announcing her presence, Vivien slapped open palms against the bedroom door. Shrieking stopped, as the Banshee tried to stab into her intuitive power—not even making a dent.

Julie I’m here to help. Don’t be afraid. After sending her telepathic message, she felt a definite shift. The young girl now had hope.

Sensing another female entity in the bedroom, Vivien tuned in sharper. A spirit connected to the house stood in front of Julie, also protecting her.

“That horrible noise stopped.” Neal eyed the door urgently. “Is that good or bad? I mean, is Julie safe?”

“Yes, she’s safe. I put a protective light around her.”

Heaving a sigh of exhaustion, he rubbed his temple. “Oh, right—the light thing. This is all so weird.” Neal’s head popped up. “No offense.”

“None taken.” She grinned like a debutant about to dance with the coolest boy in school.

“What now?”

Vivien desperately prayed for someone to slap her in the face. Where was Donna when she needed her? Clasping her hands tightly, she pressed on. “I go in and—” Her mouth stopped moving. A dustbowl of black energy swirled through the house coming from Neal, as well as Julie’s friends. “Please bring the other girls to me. Tell them we need to help Julie.”

“What?” His horrified face reflected his confusion.

“Do you trust me?” Relaxed eyes connected with his.

Neal’s voice came out in a whisper. “I do trust you. I don’t even know why.”

The universe ceased movement while they gazed at each other again. Finally, Vivien cleared her throat and Neal turned on his heel. “I’ll get the girls.”

After he rounded the corner, Vivien’s head dropped into her hands. He distracted her to the point of possible error, and that she couldn’t afford. Why did she have to meet him on a case? A damn weird one at that. Bringing her head up, Vivien found three nervous girls peeking out from behind Neal’s legs.

Neal looked down upon them with an encouraging smile. “It’s okay. Vivien is here to help.”

They gawked at her like fawns caught in the headlights of a tanker truck. A red-haired, freckled girl held Neal’s hand, a brown-eyed girl grasped his thigh like a rope tow on a ski slope, and a sandy-haired, blue-eyed girl sporting a pink kitty shirt clung to his second hand. All three held guilty faces.

Then it hit Vivien like a shot to the chest— they believed they’d abandoned Julie to a horrible fate. Neal got them out, but before Julie could escape, the creature sealed the door with an oozing black substance. “I want to tell you all something—and you too.” Neal looked at her with surprise. “Yes?”

“I feel and can see the terror you’re all in right now. Everything in this world has energy, and you’re sending out powerful fear. That’s what the creature wants. So, when you’re scared, you’re actually feeding the banshee and making her more powerful.”

Her helpful speech made the girls burst into tears. Stretching out her arms, she kneeled in front of them. “Wait! I know how we can fix this.”

“We didn’t mean to! We really didn’t!” The girls proclaimed between sobs.

“Now, listen to me.” Beautiful young eyes gazed back at her expectantly. “Go back to Neal’s bedroom and sit in a circle. Hold hands and think of the best, most fun memory you have with Julie. I see you all at the beach making sand- castles. Use that one, or another, but focus on the joy of that day. It’s like a daydream. Keep that vision going until I’m done.”

Neal came forward. “I’ll do it with them. Let’s go.”

Amazed at his instant acceptance of her task, she stood.

Suddenly the girls sprang to life, all smiles and nods. They pulled Neal down the hallway, chattering about which memory they would choose. Neal walked with them, but gave her a last, concerned glance before turning the corner. He wanted to protect her but didn’t know how.

Glowing from the inside out, Vivien realized it had been a long time since a man worried about her well-being.

About the Author:

When Starra Andrews wasn't swimming the Pacific Ocean in her hometown of Laguna Beach, California, she busied herself by writing fantasy stories and acting on stage. 

Having grown up watching Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone and Night Gallery shows on TV, Starra quickly fell in love with paranormal tales with a message of wisdom and love.  Also, being a fan of romance novels and non-fiction ghost stories, she decided to marry the two and write paranormal novels of suspense, adventure, and intrigue with a strong romantic foundation. 

The sense of adventure inside her came from summers of camping with her family in Mexico (Baja California) and walking along beaches with no other footprints but hers, as her family members unpacked the camper and got ready to collect clams right off the shoreline for dinner.  Starra attained a B.A. degree in Theatre from University of California, Irvine, and a Professional Acting Certificate from LACC Acting Academy.  Starra is also a member of the International Thriller Writers, which hosts the Thrillerfest writers conference every year in NYC.

The beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York is where Starra now calls home.  She loves being a quick train ride from New York City, but also enjoys country life.  Her two tabby cats Audrey Hepburn and Vivien Leigh are her constant writing companions, and love to curl up on the table next to her laptop.

Her heroine, psychic/paranormal cleanser Vivien Kelly and her team are in a race to rid the modern world of deadly Celtic creatures in her book trilogy, The Kelly Society.  Bay of Darkness is the first book of the series.

https://www.skandrews.com/

https://www.skandrews.com/blog

https://twitter.com/magicstarra

https://www.facebook.com/pg/authorskandrews/

https://www.instagram.com/starraandrews/

https://www.pinterest.com/starraandrews/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50086707-bay-of-darkness

https://www.bookbub.com/books/bay-of-darkness-by-s-k-andrews

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SPOTLIGHT: COLUMBIAN BETRAYAL by RANDALL KRZAK

Colombian Betrayal
A Bruce and Smith Thriller
Book One
Randall Krzak

Genre: action-adventure thriller, political thriller, suspense thriller
Publisher: Randall Krzak Books
Date of Publication: March 30, 2020 (Kindle)

ISBN: 0978944100

ISBN-13: 978-0978944100

ASIN: B0854CFJTV

Number of pages:  330

Word Count: 82,039

Cover Artist: Matt at www.darngoodcovers.com

Tagline:  Colombian Betrayal exposes the death and violence behind the entangled interactions between governments, revolutionaries, terrorists, and drug lords.

Book Description: 

Colombian Betrayal tears the cover off the drug trade and exposes the death, and violence behind the twisted connections between governments, revolutionaries, terrorists, and drug lords.

Watch as an unholy alliance is formed when the profits of a Columbian drug lord Olivia Moreno, begin disappearing and deadly new international competitors appear on the horizon.

Moreno, head of the Barranquilla Cartel, strikes a deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Little does she know she is signing her own death warrant! FARC has a group wanting a foothold in South America—the Islamic State, and she is in the way.

On the run, Moreno is captured by a CIA team. She spins a tale to use her money and manpower to destroy ISIS in an effort to save herself. Laws and rules of engagement are meaningless to Moreno, her life and her family are her only concern. Will the CIA leader fall for her offer?

Will team leader AJ Bruce strike a deal to turn the tables on Islamic State? Can she stop them from launching an attack on the United States? Or will she be too late?

Is it worth trading control of Afghanistan’s poppy fields with Moreno as a reward for her cooperation? Or is Bruce playing her in an attempt to double-cross her and kill two birds with one stone?

Get your copy today, and watch this high stakes game of kill or be killed.

Amazon     Amazon AU     Amazon CA     Amazon UK

Excerpt 1 (688 words)

Dawn broke with birds twittering outside Olivia’s country estate. She opened blue-green eyes and focused on the view through the open window. Tinges of red and orange stretched across the horizon, seeking the deep blue heavens. More songbirds joined in, their melodious voices adding to the morning’s chorus. Nearby, a rare Colombian screech owl hooted. Other birds shrieked, their wings beating the air as they scattered.

Olivia yawned and crawled out of bed. Twinges cascaded through her aching muscles caused by overexertion in yesterday’s intense personal security training. Time for some fresh air while it’s quiet. She slipped a purple velvet robe over her slender athletic body and pulled on matching slippers. Padding toward the balcony, she opened the doors and stepped outside. She gazed at the tranquil countryside and smiled.

Craack! Craack!

Bullets ricocheted off the stonework, missing her head by inches. She dropped to the floor amid a hail of flying rubble and dust. Hunched like a hermit crab, Olivia crawled inside and slammed the doors.

“Madre de Dios!”

Stomach lurching, chest heaving, she rolled across the floor to the bedside table. Her hands shaking, she grabbed the handle, opened the drawer, and removed her FN Five-SeveN handgun. She fumbled for a second magazine and stuffed it into a pocket on her robe. Keeping out of view, she crept back to the side of the balcony and slid down the wall.

She peered through a small opening, looking for signs of intruders.

Nothing. All seems normal.

Pushing through the doors, she dashed around the corner, squatted, and fired three times without aiming. An incoming round smashed into the wall in front of her. She leaned into the stone for cover as rough-edged shards whirled toward her face. Startled by the fast-approaching slivers, Olivia ducked and dropped the pistol. Blood trickled from a cut above her right eye. She sucked in her breath and wiped it away as anger replaced fear.

“Alto.” A man of medium height climbed over the railing from the patio. Piercing dark eyes shone beneath a mop of black hair as he plopped into a chair at the small bistro table, and helped himself to a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice.

“Diablo.” Olivia spat the word as the man with the physique of a bodybuilder stood and helped her into the other chair. “Ramon, one day you’ll cause my death. The training becomes more intense every day.” She grabbed his goblet. “Salud.” She drained the glass.

“Doña Olivia, you hired me to provide protection. When I’m not here, you must do this for yourself and your family. Your enemies will give you no warning, which is why the lessons must become more realistic.”

Olivia nodded. “Si, you are correct. I want to live a long time and enjoy my fortune—unlike my father, brother, and first husband, who died before their time.”

Ramon Cristobal Alvarez and Olivia Perfecta Moreno gazed at each other.

* * *

The following morning, Olivia woke again to the hoot of the owl. She rushed to the balcony to find the bird’s hiding place. Two shots rang out. Following her training, she crashed to the floor and squirmed back into the bedroom.

She grunted and laughed, thinking Ramon had upped the training. A moment later, a loud thump resounded against the door as Ramon forced his way inside, gun drawn.

“Olivia, this isn’t training—it’s real.”

Ramon pushed aside a balcony door. He crawled outside, peeked between ornate pillars, and scanned the area for would-be assassins. After completing his sweep from the balcony, he returned inside.

“They’re gone.” He twirled his right index finger in the air several times. “Stay here. The guards will scour the full perimeter for those seeking to harm you, while I check on Pedro, Alonzo, and the girls.”

Olivia nodded. Shaking, she wrapped her arms around herself.

Ramon walked to the door. Before he opened it—

A gunshot echoed in the corridor.

“Madre de Dios!” Ramon leaped toward Olivia, shoving her to the floor with one hand, a weapon in the other.

A high-pitched scream pierced the air, followed by a second.

Silence.

About the Author:

Randall Krzak is a U.S. Army veteran and retired senior civil servant, spending thirty years in Europe, Africa, Central America, and the Middle East. His residency abroad qualifies him to build rich worlds in his action-adventure novels and short stories. Familiar with customs, laws, and social norms, he promotes these to create authentic characters and scenery.

His first novel, The Kurdish Connection, was published in 2017, and the sequel, Dangerous Alliance, was released in November 2018. Both placed in the 2018 Global Thriller Book Awards sponsored by Chanticleer International Book Awards, with The Kurdish Connection finishing as a semi-finalist and Dangerous Alliance being selected as one of seven first in category winners. The third novel in the series, Carnage in Singapore, was released in August 2019, and is currently a semi-finalist in the 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards. He also penned "A Dangerous Occupation," a winning entry in the August 2016Wild Sound Writing and Film Festival Review short story category.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and a general Master in Business Administration (MBA) and a MBA with an emphasis in Strategic Focus, both from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland. He currently resides with his wife, Sylvia, and six cats in Dunfermline, Scotland. He's originally from Michigan, while Sylvia is a proud Scot. In addition to writing, he enjoys hiking, reading, candle making, pyrography, and sightseeing.

Website: www.randallkrzak.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rjkrzak

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallkrzak/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011369255833

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INTERVIEW WITH CINDY KEEN REYNDERS (Witch Tease)

We're lucky to have author Cindy Keen Reynders with us today to answer our three fave questions.

 

SC: Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.

CKR: Elizabeth “Lizzie” is the oldest of the seven Rose witch sisters. She is protective of her younger siblings and she has always been there to help them through trials and tribulations. In this book, she feels herself slipping as the protective older sister. But when Scottish banshees attack her clan, she rises to the occasion and does all she can to rescue her family, friends and other Hedge Haven Clan community members. She even summons the famous Spirit Wulver; a former lover with whom she parted on bad terms. Sparks fly!

SC: Banshees, yikes! Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can share

CKR: I do! I don’t have any solid evidence, but I “feel” in my soul that there are things in this world humans will never understand. I was raised in a religious environment and playing with a Ouija Board was off limits. I never worried about it, though. When my sons were teenagers, they convinced me to buy one, so for fun, I did. My mother had just passed, and we tried to see if she would talk to us. The planchette moved so fast across the board, it was amazing! I jotted down some notes, and the answers we received seemed genuine. The boys swore up and down they weren’t making it move. I sure wasn’t doing it!

SC: I had a ouiji as a child. I guess that explains a lot. What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?

CKR: I just finished writing a mystery, “Wild Creek Whispers,” about a Wyoming private investigator, Reese Golden, who is hired to find a missing child. It’s been two years since the little girl was kidnapped. Cold cases are more difficult to work with, so Reese has got her work cut out for her. Especially since someone doesn’t like her snooping around. Mysterious murders begin to take place. Despite anonymous warnings to back off, Reese continues to pursue the truth.

While many towns and places are fictional, others are real. I’ve tried to develop a good feel for Wyoming’s unique qualities and beautiful settings. I’m editing it right now, but hopefully when it’s published, readers will find it satisfying and get a good sense of what Wyoming is like.

SC: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us today. Let's take a look at your novel now.

Witch Tease
Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan
Book Three
Cindy Keen Reynders

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Date of Publication: December 19, 2019

ISBN: 978`677131563

ASIN: 781677 131563

Number of pages: 272

Word Count: 70,000

Tagline: Elizabeth, “Lizzie” Rose, high witch of the Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan, must enlist the assistance of her former lover, Kincaid McAllister, the famous Spirit Wulver, to save her coven from a banshee attack.

Book Description:

As the Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan prepares to celebrate Mabon (autumn equinox) by holding a “Blessing of the Brooms” ceremony at the Royal Witch Arena, a banshee swarm attacks. While clan members are held captive, the banshee leader, Sorcha, barters with the Supreme Witch’s Council to bestow life to her group within the next 48 hours.

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Rose, high witch of the Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan, has recently been running late to coven events. She arrives at the arena after the banshees’ attack, and manages to escape.

She hires the famous Spirit Wulver, who is known in the magical world for dispatching demons and evil spirits. When he arrives, she realizes it is Kincaid McAllister—the same man she fell in love with centuries ago, back in Scotland.

Kincaid and Lizzie set aside their personal feelings in order to save her clan. Unfortunately, Kincaid’s typical pest exterminations fail. As a last resort, he plans to travel to the Land of the Fae to consult with the Faery King to determine the best way to get rid of Sorcha’s gang.

Despite the dangers, Lizzie insists on going with Kincaid. After rekindling their love, the two vow to spend their lives together. They find Uaithne; a magical harp that will destroy the banshees. Possession of the item requires the sacrifice of a life. To Lizzie’s dismay, Kincaid offers his.

Refusing to accept Kincaid’s fate, she frees her clan, then begins the process of returning to the Land of the Fae where she hopes to free her lover. Hopefully, Lizzie’s timeless love for Kincaid will unlock powerful magic to fuel her quest.

Amazon     Solstice Publishing

Excerpt:

Breathing in the old magic wafting through the glade, Lizzie entered a ring of tall standing stones and placed the basket of herbs on the ground. The ancients had worshipped here, her Druid ancestors who had practiced otherworld mysteries by tracking celestial bodies.

They knew about life and its beginnings and they understand the nature of humans and other creatures. Much of their knowledge had been lost over time, but she and her Hedge Haven Clan did their best to pass along the fundamental teachings and learn the old ways.

At last Kincaid pushed his way through layered green foliage. Tall, powerful and exuding raw sexuality, he strode up to Lizzie. His familiar musky scent drifted toward her, and she breathed in his intoxicating presence. A smile curled her lips, but it faded when she realized he wore woolen soldier’s attire complete with a red plaid kilt.

Her stomach clenched. “What’s going on? Why are you dressed that way?”

“Come to me, lass,” he said in his thick Scottish brogue, his blue eyes dancing. “You ken I want you.”

“And I want you,” she whispered, momentarily forgetting her fears as he pulled her into his arms. When he lowered his shaggy head, his lips met hers in a warm, passionate kiss. Desire wrapped around her and she melted into his protective, loving embrace.

As the kiss deepened, Kincaid gently eased her down into the soft grass. She moaned as his talented mouth found the curve of her neck, nibbling the sensitive skin. His warm, moist lips thrilled her as he blazed a fiery trail of warmth. Nimbly unlacing the ribbons on her bodice, he made his way to her cleavage, then her nipples.

She arched her back as his lips encircled the rosy tips, sucking and licking until the center of her being nearly burst. Untying her cloak, she spread it out beneath them. Breathing heavily, she undressed him as he undressed her. Before long, they lay naked beneath the sky.

“I’m cold,” she managed before her teeth began to chatter. “We’ve barely entered the spring equinox and the weather still chills my soul.”

“Then ‘tis my job to warm ye.”

About the Author:

Cindy Keen Reynders is a contributing editor and staff writer for LCSD1’s Public Schools’ Chronicle. She worked as a book critic for Storyteller Alley and has published articles with True West and Wild West magazines.

She is the author of mysteries The Saucy Lucy Murders, Paws-itively Guilty and A Killer Slice. Additionally, Solstice Publishing released The Seven-Year Witch in March, 2019. The second book about the Wysteria Hedge Haven Clan sisters is, A Witch at Midnight, which was released in July, 2019. Witch Tease, is the next book in the series.

Besides reading, writing and crocheting, Cindy’s favorite activity is seeing new places. She was born in Portland, Oregon and has lived all over the United States and in Misawa, Japan. She has visited Canada, the Philippines, Samoa, Hawaii, both the western and eastern Caribbean and New Zealand.

From baby alligators to glow worms, Cindy has seen a variety of life’s wonders.

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