Halloween is just around the corner. Do you read spooky books at this time of year? I do, so I thought you might like a list of what’s spooky in my list. There are ghosts, or suspected ghosts, warning dreams, cursed heroes and heroines, a nightmare of a future world and more in this collection of my spooky books.
The Haunting of Castle Keyvnor anthologies go on sale today! My story is one of the three Regency romance novellas included in Spellbound.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Claire Delacroix
Seven years ago, Sophia Brisbane lost everything—her father, her brother, her family fortune—but worse, was rejected by the man she loved. She’s determined not to yearn for the past and its pleasures—until she encounters Lucien de Roye again. Although he knew Sophia could never be his own, Lucien vowed to retrieve her squandered inheritance—even wagering his very soul to a demon. When Sophia learns what he has done, no force on heaven or earth will convince her to let him pay the demon’s due, no matter what the cost to herself.
Her Gypsy Lord by Jane Charles
Lady Charlotte Beck craves just one little adventure, which is nearly impossible as her older brothers are the most diligent of chaperones. However, when her family is summoned to Castle Keyvnor for the reading of her great-uncle’s will, Charlotte can hardly contain her excitement. Ghosts, magic and gypsies seem to be the ingredients to the adventure she’s been searching for. However when she meets Adam Vail in the nearby gypsy camp, it may be another adventure all together that calls to her soul…if she can survive Castle Keyvnor and one very murderous ghost.
Lord Death and Lady Ghost by Claudia Dain
Hal Mort, Viscount Blackwater, visits Keyvnor Castle in the company of friends and atop his new stallion. How was he to know that ghosts awaited him? Hal does not believe in ghosts. Unfortunately for Hal, the ghosts take an interest in him. One ghost wants to see him married to the lovely Lady Morgan. Another ghost is just as determined to see him slip the noose. As the ghosts work their supernatural magic, Hal can’t determine if the intense attraction he feels for Morgan is coming from him or from them. And after a few magical kisses, he’s not sure he cares.
The final post in our series Behind the Scenes at the Haunting of Castle Keyvnor is from Michelle Willingham, whose novella is included in the anthology BEDEVILED. Please welcome Michelle!
Don’t miss the other posts in this series:
Ava Stone
Claire Delacroix
Elizabeth Essex
Claudia Dain
Kate Pearce
Renee Bernard
Erica Monroe
Deb Marlowe
Jerrica Knight-Catania
Jane Charles
I was married on this day eighteen years ago. Happy Anniversary to us!
My own personal love story began with a blind date. One of my good friends invited me to come and play cards with her, and she mentioned that her boyfriend and his roommate would be there. I didn’t know at the time that the entire card game was a set-up. The roommate was looking for a date for an upcoming dance, and my friends thought I would be a good candidate.
We hit it off, but I can’t say it was love at first sight for either of us. We did go to the dance, became good friends, and enjoyed spending time together over the next few months. And then, out of the blue, I realized that I was looking forward to his visits more and more. Friendship gradually transformed into love, and we’ve been married for eighteen years now.
In my story, “A Dance with the Devil,” Jane Hawkins and Devon Lancaster are intrigued by one another but Jane is well aware that no man wants to marry an impoverished vicar’s daughter. They become friends by chasing down an escaped poodle, Oscar, and Jane finds Devon easy to talk to. And when they are locked in the wine cellar together, the sparks fly! It may not be love at first sight, but friendship at first sight can lead to an even stronger love.
And remember the card game I was invited to play? Ironically, we were playing “Hearts.”
Michelle Willingham is the author of over thirty historical romances and novellas. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three children. Visit her website at: www.michellewillingham.com/book/bedeviled to read an excerpt from Jane and Devon’s story, “A Dance with the Devil.”
A Dance with the Devil by Michelle Willingham
Devon Lancaster is fascinated by the beautiful vicar’s daughter, Jane Hawkins, who has been summoned to the will reading of the late Lord Banfield. But is she truly only a vicar’s daughter? Or does her past hold secrets that put her very life in danger? Jane knows she is unlikely to find a husband among the handsome men at Castle Keyvnor because of her poverty. But when she is locked in the cellar with Devon, she finds that the Devil of Lancaster sets her blood on fire.
Today’s guest in our ongoing series Behind the Scenes at the Haunting of Castle Keyvnor is Jane Charles. Please welcome Jane!
Don’t miss the other posts in this series:
Ava Stone
Claire Delacroix
Elizabeth Essex
Claudia Dain
Kate Pearce
Renee Bernard
Erica Monroe
Deb Marlowe
Jerrica Knight-Catania
and one more to come!
New Orleans, such an inspiration. If you read Ava Stone’s early post, you already know how we all came to write a story that takes place in a very haunted Castle Keyvnor.
You can’t walk the streets of New Orleans and hear the stories without feeling the life of the present and the past—and nothing feeds the imagination more than taking the tours of the cemetery, or the places known to be haunted or be linked to vampires and voodoo.
The one thing I did not participate in, which I had fully intended to do, was having a Tarot Card reading. The night Ava Stone, Jerrica Knight-Catania and I went to have it done, I’m the one who backed out. They had awesome readings, but I could not bring myself to participate.
This had been at the top of my “to do” list and Ava and I had talked about it for months before we ever got to New Orleans. However, when we entered the small shop, a horrible anxiety came over me, as if to warn me not to participate. It was a panic attack like I have not experienced in years. I resembled more the character Ava wrote for this anthology, Cassy, than the character I wrote, Charlotte.
It’s not like I haven’t done anything like this before. Years ago I talked to a psychic, who was scary accurate about things. I’ve had my palm read a couple of times, and a good friend does Tarot readings, so it isn’t like this was a new thing for me. However, I also don’t ignore the gut or strong feelings like I experienced that night, especially in a haunted city like New Orleans. So, I stepped away and back out on the street, had a brightly colored drink to calm my nerves and waited for them.
Do I regret not having my fortune read? Yes and no. I would have loved to see what the cards said, but I wasn’t about to ignore the feelings, almost of foreboding either. However, that experience is also the inspiration for Charlotte. She couldn’t wait to visit the gypsy camp and have her fortune told and eagerly took a seat at the table to find out her future, unlike me. Except, she gets a lot more than she bargained for.
USA Today Bestselling Author Jane Charles lives in the Midwest with her former marine, police officer husband. As a child she would more likely be found outside with a baseball than a book in her hand, until one day, out of boredom on a long road trip, she borrowed her sister’s romance novel and fell in love. Her life is filled with three amazing children, two dogs, two cats, community theatre, and traveling whenever possible. Jane may have begun her career writing romances set in the Regency era, but blames being a Gemini as to why she’s equally pulled toward writing contemporary novels.
Visit Jane’s website.
Her Gypsy Lord by Jane Charles
Lady Charlotte Beck craves just one little adventure, which is nearly impossible as her older brothers are the most diligent of chaperones. However, when her family is summoned to Castle Keyvnor for the reading of her great-uncle’s will, Charlotte can hardly contain her excitement. Ghosts, magic and gypsies seem to be the ingredients to the adventure she’s been searching for. However when she meets Adam Vail in the nearby gypsy camp, it may be another adventure all together that calls to her soul…if she can survive Castle Keyvnor and one very murderous ghost.
Spellbound goes on sale September 20. Pre-order your copy at these portals:
Our “Behind the Scenes” in the making of the Haunting of Castle Keyvnor series continues! Today’s guest blog post is from Jerrica Knight-Catania. Please welcome Jerrica!
Don’t miss the other posts in this series:
Ava Stone
Claire Delacroix
Elizabeth Essex
Claudia Dain
Kate Pearce
Renee Bernard
Erica Monroe
Deb Marlowe
and more to come!
I know Ava Stone has already told you all about our 2014 trip to New Orleans and how it sparked the idea for our first (but not last!!) Regency Halloween anthology, but before I dive into the inspiration for my own Castle Keyvnor story, I just want to relive that trip for a moment…
Late night ghost tours through the French Quarter, jambalaya and gumbo at every meal, so many Pimms Cups I was practically oozing the stuff…sigh. I do love New Orleans, so thanks for indulging me for a moment J
Now onto Possessed by the Stranger! I always love when Ava Stone asks me to write her heroine’s sister. It’s almost as if we get to be real sisters for the time being. So when she asked if I wanted to do it for this anthology, I eagerly said yes! But where her character isn’t terribly fond of the haunted castle, mine is more than excited to be spending a week in one. Putting the sisters at odds with one another adds a touch of realism to the stories, but of course the girls always have one another’s backs!
As for my hero, I’m rather fond of him. A beta hero if there ever was one, he’s kind and gentle, not one for whoring or over-imbibing. He’s steady and loyal, and just what Lady Samantha needs, so hopefully nothing will stand in their way!
Now, get your hot cider and snuggly blanket ready, and hunker down for some spooky, historical fun!
USA Today Best Selling Author, Jerrica Knight-Catania, knew from an early age that she was destined for romance. She would spend hours as a young girl sitting in a chair by an open window, listening to the rain, and dreaming of the day Prince Charming would burst in and declare his undying love for her. But it wasn’t until she was 28-years-old, tired of her life in the theater, that she turned her focus toward writing Regency Romance novels. All her dreaming paid off, and she now gets to relive those romantic scenes she’d dreamt up as a child as she commits them to paper. She lives in sunny Palm Beach with her real life Prince Charming, their Princess-in-training and their precious pup, Pumpkin.
Visit Jerrica’s official website to learn more about her other books, the Wetherby family and to see what’s new in her writing world!
Possessed by a Stranger by Jerrica Knight-Catania
Lady Samantha Priske can hardly wait to make herself scarce in the allegedly haunted residence of her late great uncle, the Earl of Banfield. And when she meets a handsome stranger who is blessedly not a relation, she finds herself flirting uncharacteristically with him. Chadwick Kendall isn’t thrilled to be at Castle Keyvnor for the blasted will reading. His father is dying, and he’d rather be by his side. But Chad finds something at Castle Keyvnor far more valuable than anything the earl could have left for him: A beautiful redhead, whom he must convince to be his bride.
Mystified goes on sale September 20. Pre-order your copy at these online portals:
Deborah Cooke & Her Books 