Latest News
Today is the release of my first fiction story, Del Fantasma: Texas Tea. I’m really excited about this story and hope that everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. You can click on the cover above to order it or go here. I’d love to hear what you think!
Photographer Lara Saunders has a lifelong secret — she can see and hear ghosts. When she was rescued from a near drowning by the ghost of a lighthouse keeper, he set her on a mission to document historic lighthouses and the lives of their keepers so they were not forgotten. Now on her third book in the series, Lara has arrived in San Diego to document the Old Point Loma Lighthouse but hasn’t counted on becoming the target of Cody Warren, the matchmaking owner of the Del Fantasma bar. Or falling in love with a handsome Park Ranger whose secret is even more strange than her own.
In honor of this release, I have two contests going. One is for the subscribers to my newsletter and one is for my blog. Look in the Contest section below for more details. The prizes are lovely! Tell your friends!
Excerpt
It took what little energy Lara Saunders had just to climb out of her rental car. Between seemingly endless jet lag and three years of almost non-stop work, she just didn’t have much left. The end is in sight. She probably even muttered that mantra in her sleep now.
Despite it being only October in Southern California, tendrils of fog trailed in and around the palm trees along the shore and the moist air carried a chill worthy of winter. Now that the sun had set, the growing cold permeated Lara’s thin shirt with ease.
Prepared for the vagaries of seaside weather, she snatched up the all weather jacket from the back seat of the car and pulled it on over her polo shirt. A few tugs on her braid freed the now unraveling plait from her coat collar. She rubbed her gritty eyes and pushed a few strands of loose hair away.
The small mission-style building was well-kept and its rock garden and grasses were placed with care. The discrete sign near the arched wooden doors proclaimed that she’d arrived at the right place — “Del Fantasma.” The irony of the name didn’t escape her. “Of the Ghosts — what an appropriate place for her to visit. She hoped it was merely a whimsical name, more ghosts was something she didn’t think she could handle right now.
Lara took a few moments to just enjoy the brief peace. The scent of the nearby ocean carried strongly in the mist and, audible even over the noise of nearby traffic, she could hear the rhythmic pulse of the distant waves. “The heartbeat of the earth,” as an eloquent ghost once told her.
Finally ready to meet the amusing and helpful Cody Warren in person, she moved to shut the car door then froze at the prickle of awareness that flowed over her skin. The eerie sensation was followed by whispered words that were as much felt as heard. Get your keys first or you’ll be here a long time.
Sure enough, the key with the rental agency’s tag attached sat on the passenger seat next to the printout of Cody’s instructions of how to get from her B&B to Del Fantasma. “Damn it.”
She shimmied across the driver’s seat to grab the key and picked up her purse from the floorboards as well. It’s no wonder she was so forgetful, she was so tired she could barely think at all, “Thanks.”
Could they hear her? Never quite sure, she always thanked the ghosts anyway. It seemed like the polite thing to do, even if they didn’t acknowledge her speaking to them. She’d certainly never found any believable handbook to tell her proper ghost etiquette, so making it up as she went was the best she could do.
The parking lot of the tidy adobe building was nearly empty with only two cars other than her rental. Cody’s chatty emails indicated the bar was doing quite well and was packed most nights, so they must not have opened for business yet today.
Near the entrance another sign was posted with the business hours that confirmed her guess. The bar didn’t open for an hour yet. About to retreat back to her car to wait, one of the doors swung open and a large male figure appeared in the doorway.
“Lara?”
His voice almost mesmerized her. Combine the deep, gravely rumble with the muscular body in the black t-shirt and dark pants and she’d have drooled if she’d been any normal woman. Even the slight scruffiness of his dark hair was attractive. But it didn’t do any good to drool over something you couldn’t have. She’d finally learned that lesson at great expense.
With a mental shake, Lara reminded herself of why she was here. To meet Cody’s friend, someone who could both guide her around the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and perhaps allow her a little additional access to areas that weren’t normally open to visitors. She was here to finish her book, that’s all. Taking refuge in businesslike formality, Lara extended her hand to the imposing man. “Hi, you must be Cody.”
He took hold of her hand and gave it a strong shake. “Good afternoon.”
Her eyes widened at the tingle up her spine. Despite his warm, calloused skin, despite his firm grip, Cody was something other than human. He wasn’t a ghost either, but something in between. Something with the eerie otherworldly feel of a spirit, but intermingled with a sensation she could only think of as earthy, primal, almost predatory. She’d never encountered anything like it before, anything like him before.
“Ummm… I let my agent know I was on my way here.” Lara hoped her voice didn’t betray her sudden uncertainty.
Cody gave her hand another small squeeze before he released it. “Don’t look so worried, Lara. I’m no threat to you. ”
There wasn’t any reason to think he was, not really. Although they’d met online, he’d only offered to introduce her to his Park Ranger friend. It wasn’t like he was asking her for a date or anything. She gulped and pushed away the niggling fear, then allowed herself to be tugged through the door and into the brightly lit room. Half the chairs were still upended on top of the tables and racks of shiny glasses were set out on the bar surface. An assortment of liquor bottles stood in front of the shelves. Obviously, she’d interrupted the preparations before opening for the evening.
She felt Cody close behind her and spun around, ready to apologize and offer to return later but when she met his gorgeous blue eyes, the words seemed trapped in her throat. For just an instant she was unable to look away or even to move. The slow smile Cody gave her broke the strange paralysis and she struggled in vain to remember just what she’d been about to say.
He gestured toward a table near the bar. “Have a seat. Texas should be here soon. Would you like something to drink while you wait?” A slow wink gave him a rakish air. “Anything you want, on the house.”
Contest
Details on current contests can always be found on my website’s Contest Page. Check there frequently!
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Newsletter Contest
You can subscribe and receive this newsletter in your email inbox by filling out the Feedblitz subscription box to the right-hand side of the Newsletter page. I will never use this information to spam you, it will only be used for Newsletter purposes and I plan on a monthly newsletter with infrequent special editions if I have really hot news.
The prize for the newsletter contest is this necklace. I made it myself (jewelry-making is one of my hobbies) and it’s made of ocean blue enameled copy rings with a sterling silver charm of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse on it. The clasp you see is a magnetic clasp.
The winner of this contest will be drawn on 9/15/2007 and will be announced in the next edition of the newsletter. That’s tons of time to enter and non-US entries are welcome.
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Blog Contest
I have another contest for comments on my blog post dated 8/17/2007. This contest is open from when the post appears on my blog to Monday 8/20/2007 with the winner being announced on my blog on Tuesday, 8/21/2007. Again, non-US entries are welcome.
The prize for this contest is another piece of jewelry I’ve made just for this. It’s a bracelet of enameled copper rings in ocean blue and peacock blue with glass rings interspersed in it. It also has a magnetic clasp.
Ask the Author
I’d love to answer any questions you may have as readers. You can email questions to me a realmsoftheraven at gmail dot com. If you don’t offer up questions of your own, you may be stuck with whatever I or my friends/family dream up.
This month you’re really lucky because Naughty Nikki Duncan of the Romantic Realm of Shadows gave me the opportunity to have an interview with them. And these are not your typical questions! You should check the interview out on their website.
The Witch’s Corner
I received an interesting idea from a comment made on the board of the Romantic Realm of Shadows that maybe more people were interested in some information about witchcraft. I don’t mind talking about quite a bit of the Craft in general terms but I have some very strict ground rules.
I am a practicing wiccan high priestess of the Mohsian tradition. I have been through years of study to become an elder in my tradition and have interests and studies outside the strictly wiccan as well. I currently practice either as a solitary or as a member of a loose group of elders of my tradition.
I will not cast spells for my readers. I will not offer specific advice about any situation. I will not reveal things I have sworn not to reveal. Mutual respect is large part of the basis of my belief system and I would ask that people respect that and do not disrespect me by asking me to violate either of those stipulations.
Here are a few questions that I am regularly asked to start you all off. Feel free to send any additional questions to me at realmsoftheraven at gmail dot com. If I don’t have questions to answer, I may resort to talking about whatever strikes my fancy.
Are you “out of the closet” to everyone? Aren’t you afraid of people’s reactions?
Yes, I don’t hide my belief system but I also don’t shove it in anyone’s face. Part of my mutual respect is my respect that everyone has a right to their belief system but not a right to tell me that mine must match theirs. I’m a firm believer that “good” people exist in all belief systems (or no system at all), as do “bad” people. I try to judge everyone on their actions.
I’m not really afraid of people’s reactions but I’m pretty darned laid back. I’ve had only a few really negative reactions, all of which have been by people who don’t know me and are acting based on generalizations or rumors they have heard. I try very hard to not take anything like that personally. I try to let my own actions speak for me.
Do you use actual rituals in your books?
No. Most actual rituals are considered to be part of the tradition of the group that practices them. I use some of the logical workings of ritual design to create my own fictional rituals that are part of no tradition I know of.
Coming Soon
Coming next month I’ll have the first chapter in a free story I’m writing just for this Newsletter! Be sure to subscribe so you can have a chance to win the Texas Tea necklace and don’t miss the start of the Newsletter story.