Excerpt from Storm in the Canyon

In my experience, from my reading and my writing, series are born different ways. Sometimes a writer begins knowing a series is coming. Other times, they evolve. The series I call Diablo Canyon evolved from a dream for the first book, When Fates Conspire, into two more, all novellas. It is the most confusing set of books I have out there because I opted to keep the three novellas available without the heat while I put them together into one book, Diablo Canyon, with the spice. I still don't know how to count them when someone asks how many books I've written.

The following snippet is from the last book in the series, Storm in the Canyon. Justice, Remus and Racine are spirit guides but that is about to change for one of them.

><><><><

Justus and Remus looked up as Racine came to where they had been watching the Morgans give their son a bath before putting him to bed.

“What’s up?” Remus asked when he saw her distressed expression.

“Have you ever heard of guides or angels, being turned into humans?”

Both stared at her. “It’s in the Bible, other sacred traditions, but usually not permanent,” Remus said.

“But it can happen,” Justus agreed. “Angels came to Sodom and Gomorrah and took what appeared to be human forms. They could eat.”

Racine moved away from the happy family scene. The other two followed. They landed in a pine tree at the edge of the forest to the west of the ranch.

“Why are you asking?” Justus frowned.

“Have you missed being human?”

“Not particularly. Well, maybe sometimes. There are things I liked about it,” Remus responded when Justus just stared at her.

“What’s it like?”

“It has its moments,” Justus said. “I will probably take a human life again someday. Are you saying you never have?”

She shook her head. “I was created as I am. I’ve never aged or grown—well except through new observations. I don’t think I can call them experiences.”

“You’re not an angel though?”

“There are other beings… There must be.” She gave a nervous laugh. “I mean I am one of them.”

“Is this disturbing you now?” Remus asked with more sensitivity than Justus usually had.

“It wasn’t. I hadn’t really thought of options. I have been happy as I was or maybe I just wasn’t very imaginative. Anyway I was asked by Aretha to become a human.”

“Be born again—er make that be born once?”

“No, and not to take someone else’s human body either. It was to just transition or whatever they call it. She said I would become human as I am.”

The two were silent for awhile. “Did she say why?”

“It involves what’s going on out at Diablo Canyon. She thinks I could help more on the human side than I can here.” If she had been human, she’d have cried at that thought. It had to mean Aretha didn’t have faith in her as a guide any more.

“No, it does not,” Remus said putting his hand on her shoulder or what would have been a shoulder if she had had one.

Beneath them six mule deer came out of the forest, one of them a buck with four points on his antlers. The animals grazed along the bushes and wildflowers with a wary eye constantly looking for danger.

“It is dangerous to be a human. I could be killed,” she said as she admired the muscular beauty of the male paying more attention to how his impressive muscles moved his body with such grace.

“Well you’d at least know it wasn’t a permanent condition,” Justus said with a smirk.

“It might hurt though.”

“Racine, life does hurt. It’s what it’s all about. Maybe Aretha is right about you needing that experience… except why not be born a baby?”

“She said I am needed now for what is coming.”

The two guides looked at her and then toward the south. “Oh,” they both said at the same time.

About 'To Speak of Things Unseen'

Where usually I post a snippet here, I thought I'd post what I created for another of my blogs, Romances with an Edge, where I use an alternative cover, with a couple of lines from its book. 

For those not into metaphysics or who don't read paranormal, a shapeshifter is not the same as a werewolf. This is about an ability some mystical humans have to change their shapes when they wish. 

This book, To Speak of Things Unseen, will be out in early August but with a pre-order option (link alongside can put you on the list to be notified) for probably the end of July with a sale during the pre-release.

From the coming paranormal book

It's always challenging to find an excerpt that is interesting but doesn't tell too much of the story-- but without some of the story, the excerpt isn't doing its job. This one is from the first book in the Hemstreet Witches Series. It ended up the general length I had hoped (under 58,000 words) is a contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, western, suspense, romance... I probably need to get a few less tags there.

Here's a sneak peek at its probable cover. I say probable because sometimes there are subtle changes when we live with them awhile.

I am already starting to line up the next book in the series. They are a lot more western than I had expected but I should have expected it. They are set in Tucson but also out into the desert and at a ranch which has come down through their family. Some of the books may have more city in them, but the next one will have even less and travel north for some of its story to the Verde Valley. 

Here's a clip from The Enchantress' Secret which will likely go to beta readers within a week and if that goes well (this is out of their normal romance genre reading), I could see it out by the end of May... and me well into writing the next one. Nick is a painter and Denali a witch. John Cordova is a Yaqui who has drifted away from his family.

><><

   John took a big swallow of his wine. “Guess I did.” He looked at her. “You’re a witch too. I knew that first time I saw you but the real deal, a good witch, one born to it, ain’t you?”

   She nodded. “As was my grandmother and great grandmother. It is on both sides for my sister and me as the one side has the Yaqui shaman magic.”

   He smiled. “Powerful combination. Dangerous in the wrong hands.”

   “We understand that. Do you do magic, John?”

   He shook his head. “Not since… No.”

   “But you did once.”

   He looked uneasy. “Maybe but no more.”

   “But if there was a storm coming, you might again if the need arose.”

   The old man looked at her and then shook his head. “Don’t want to.”

   “I understand that. It’s a lot of responsibility but sometimes, it has to be done for good.”

   He sucked in a breath. “I’ll leave you two.” He looked back at Denali. “Glad he’s got you until he’s ready to understand all that he faces.” With that he was gone.

   Nick took another long draw on his cigarette. “Strange,” he said as he looked at her through the smoke.

   She smiled. “He’s a good witness as to the problem with Cynthia. I am afraid that if she kept photos of you, they will show up in her home. She may have talked to her girlfriends and who knows what she told them.”

   “I see the writing on the wall. I’m being set up.”

   “It seems that way.”

   “You think by someone who used the women or created their motivations?”

   That was pretty insightful but she supposed she should have expected it from someone who had been a SEAL and used to espionage and attacks. “It could have been either. I hope my family will know more tonight.”

   “Me too as I don’t relish being in a prison cell for things I didn’t do. I think I can safely say with the publicity my art career will be in the toilet.”

   “If the publicity gets out.”

   “It’s pretty salacious to not. Nothing about this is good.”

   “Well there is one thing.”

   “And?” He was looking in a bleak mood and she couldn’t blame him.

   “You have a good friend in John Cordova. He has adopted you it seems.”

   “And you. You adopted me too.”

   She smiled at that. “Oh no, my motives aren’t any purer than Cynthia’s.”

   He grinned. “You though have had encouragement. Do you need more?”

   “Oh no, I just am thinking you need to stop sleeping alone at night.” She laughed.

   “Ah, my alibi... the witch.”

   She laughed. “You might prefer to say the Hemstreet heiress.” With that, she moved across the room and sat back on his lap. “Shall we take off from where we were?”