A Midsummer's Night Blog Hop--A SHADOW OF TIME

Please say a prayer for Gemma, a wonderful woman who needs lots of light. If you have time, shoot one out for my brother,too.

And so it begins! A Midsummer Night Blog Hop.

If you don't already know, my latest release, A SHADOW OF TIME  comes out July 2. Two lucky winners of this blog hop will get a free e-book of  A SHADOW OF TIME. Be sure to leave your name and your Nook/Kindle e-mail address so I can send you your copy. (E-book to be sent on release date.)

Another person will win an amulet bag, full of goodies to protect you from things that go bump in the night.

This blog hop is a different. My character, Kellyn, runs into  Julianne, a character created by Siobhan Muir in her new book, QUEEN BITCH OF THE CALLOWOOD PACK. 

By following the links below you can jump from site to site experiencing different characters and their interactions. Remember to leave your name, e-mail (never to be used or given away to others) to enter into the drawings.

The blog starts below and like always, I hope you enjoy your stay!

Kellyn O’Brien grabbed her two-year-old son and dashed out of Shadow Ley onto the grounds. Luminous mists danced in-between spiky bows of evergreen—their swirling motion mimicking ghostly apparitions. Her nerves on fire, she left open the door to the mansion, a miserable gothic mess of a house that insisted upon cleaning and restoring itself no matter what she tried to do.

She stopped for a moment—terrified the keys in her hand would morph into something deadly. The metal was warm against her palm and she drew a breath of relief when she opened her hand, keys biting into white flesh.

“Mommy?”

“Hush, Scott.” She glanced at her son. Small for his age, his blonde hair shimmered in the moonlight. Suddenly, she wanted to cry.  

Her husband had died a few months ago. Shortly after his death, just as she’d run out of money, a Mr. Shaw from Liberty, Bell, and Law contacted her to inform her that Scott had inherited the O’Brien family estate.

It had taken several conversations before she believed the attorney as Michael, her husband, had told her he’d been adopted. Since she was fostered out as a kid, she took the news hard. A family was all she’d ever wanted—and Michael had stolen one from her.

Now she was stuck in a mansion haunted by a djinn that guarded the portal of time. She couldn’t just pick up and leave as she hadn’t any money nor did she have a place to go. She’d spent every dime she had in moving expenses. She’d also signed a clause that she would inhabit the house in order to have access to the millions of dollars that went with the estate. She’d planned to send Scott to college, the baby, too. Instead, poverty stood at her doorstep threatening to strangle her.

Her heart raced.

Shadow Ley loomed over her shoulder—she could feel it breathing down her neck.

The creature that lived within could affect time and dimension or so said the new friends she had made since moving to the foothills. One person in particular had caught her eye. Dr. John Aldrich. Since moving onto the estate her dreams had ramped up and in some of them, Dr. Aldrich had a preeminent role. In fact, he was her lover.

A breeze drifted by, the scent of lavender spicing the air. Strange odors accompanied her whenever she was upset. She hoped the entity couldn’t follow as she shoveled Scott into his car seat. Glancing up, she noted a slight amorphous veil that clung to the second story of the mansion. She jumped into the driver’s seat and inserted a key that was as bent and battered as the car she drove.

Keeping her eyes on the road, she slipped through an opening in the wrought-iron gate. Highway eighty-eight loomed in the distance. After putting several miles behind her, a coffee shop brightened the moon-shadowed night. She pulled in, heaving a sigh of relief. Getting out of the car, she unbuckled Scott and hurried inside, the aroma of coffee a welcoming scent.

A young woman sat at the bar sipping something hot and broadcasting a calm that Kellyn desperately needed. She sat next to her, Scott on her lap. Relieved, she smiled as the waitress approached.

"What can I get you honey?"

"Same thing she has." Kellyn pointed. "Is it good?” She turned to the young woman.

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“It’s my favorite.” Julianna eyed the frazzled woman, scenting fear, frustration, and desperation. She offered an encouraging smile. "My name’s Julianna. This is Chai.” She raised the mug. “Do you like cardamom?"

“What’s that? Some kind of spice?” The woman looked dubious. She added, “My name’s Kellyn.”

“Nice to meet you.” Julianna grinned. "The cardamom gives the tea a smoky flavor. Some folks find it a little bitter, though." She proffered the cup. "You're welcome to try a little of mine before you order, if you like."

"Ah, no thanks." Kellyn glanced at the waitress. "Some coffee? Black please--no sugar or cream. And make that decaf." She turned toward Julianna. "I'm pregnant.”

"Congratulations." Julianna scented a mixture of pride and despair on the woman. She tried to change the subject. "Is this your son? He's a good looking kid." She relaxed her shoulders and wrapped both hands around her mug to appear non-threatening. Good thing the woman had no idea of the difference in species between them. A very good thing considering the full moon outside.

"This is Scott." The boy yawned. "I know it's late, but I had to leave home in a hurry."

A warning skittered down Julianna's spine and she straightened. "Oh? I'm sorry to hear that. Not to be too much of a busy-body, but are you in some kind of trouble?"

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Kellyn studied the young woman before answering. Silver tattoo dots danced a half-circle next to her left eye. Her hair, a rich deep brown, flowed down one shoulder, her breasts just seen peeking through the top of her shirt. Kellyn wasn't used to people like her. Yet, she seemed kind and sympathetic. She could use an ear right now.

"My house is haunted." She waited for Julianne to answer.

"Haunted? As in ghosts or, um, something else?” The woman’s eyes had gone wide, but she didn't appear to be disbelieving. In fact, she took the news rather calmly.

Kellyn sighed. "I dunno. Some say it's a portal guardian, others some kind of djinn. Whatever it is it can influence time. And I'm having these nightmares." Comforted by Julianna's acceptance, she said, “I’m surprised you believe me.” She looked up. “Sometimes I have a hard time believing myself.”

Julianna cocked her head and inhaled slowly. Then she nodded. "I believe you believe what you're telling me." She bit her bottom lip in consideration. "What kind of nightmares are you having?"

"Well, in one I'm an Aleut. We've crossed the Bering Strait looking for the land without snow. I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes I think I’ve lived before. This coming from Catholic girl is a bit much." She smiled. "I'm taking up too much of your time.”

"Are you in a hurry?"

Scott squirmed on her lap. "No, but my son is getting restless. What are you running from? Oh, I’m sorry. Sometimes I get these feelings..."

Julianna laughed, but she sounded as tired as Kellyn felt.

"Not running away, per se. More like trying to find a quiet spot to sort everything out. It helps to be distracted with someone else's worries. My dad just died and I'm trying to adjust to being back in my hometown again."

She waved her hand as if to brush away her frustration. "I'm still processing all the changes. I won't keep you, but you should find someone to talk to who can help you with your nightmares. Maybe they're clues to things that have happened to you before or help you deal with things to come." She winked. "That sounds pretty 'Terminator', doesn't it?"

Kellyn laughed. "Yeah, it does. I'm not in a hurry—especially if you need to talk.” She sipped her coffee. "I'm a pretty good listener." Waving at the waitress, she said, "Do you have any cookies?" Scott beamed as she added, "Chocolate?"

"Coming right up." The waitress scurried around the counter.

Turning to Julianna, she said, "I'm sorry to hear about your dad.”

"Thanks." Julianna grimaced. "I didn't get to come home until just before he died. And then the whole town wanted to know what had happened in my life since I'd been gone. You know how small towns are.”

Kellyn nodded. "I sure do. I moved up here from San Jose and what a change. I mean everyone knows you and your business." She wondered at Julianna’s constant sniffing. Sometimes her nose crinkled, much like a dog. Of course, she didn't want to say anything, not to appear rude. "Do you have a cold?"

For a moment, surprise bloomed across Julianna's face, but then it disappeared into a grimace. "Oh, um, no. Allergies. The weather changes always mess up my nose." She made a frustrated noise that sounded suspiciously like a low bark, and glanced furtively around the coffee shop. She must not have seen anything too disturbing because her shoulders relaxed again.

Kellyn offered, "I’m allergic to oak trees." The waitress arrived with Scott's cookie. He grabbed the treat and wolfed it down. "I suppose I should get going." She glanced out the window, the gibbous moon shined golden. "I just wish I had somewhere to go to."

Julianna looked concerned. "You don't have a place to stay? There's a little motel just up the road in the next town that's not very expensive and clean." She swallowed the last of her Chai and set the mug down. "Plus the proprietors are nice folks. Not too..."

She trailed off and turned her head toward the windows of the shop as if she'd heard something. Her face hardened and her eyes flashed gold in the muted light.

Kellyn asked, "Is everything okay?"

Before Julianna could answer, another woman stepped into the coffee shop. Tall, statuesque, with tawny blonde hair and wild eyes, she looked more like a fashion model than a real woman.

"Mistress Julianna. You're needed back in Callowwood."

A short growl erupted from Julianna's throat, but she tightened her lips around the sound and offered Kellyn a quick smile. Grabbing a pen, she scribbled an address and phone number on a napkin and handed it to Kellyn. "This is the motel's address and number. I'm sure they'll have space for you. Just tell them Julianna Morris sent you. Should give you a discount."

Kellyn took the note. "Thanks, I appreciate it. Maybe we'll meet again sometime."

"I hope so. If you're ever in Callowwood, look me up." She winked, squeezed Kellyn's elbow gently, and bounded out the door with the fashion model.

From outside came the odd sound of wolves howling, but there hadn't been wolves in these parts for decades. Kellyn glanced through the plate glass window at the moon, a tingle rippling up and down her spine. A sudden niggle of fear made her heart race. She sipped the last of her coffee, tucked an arm under Scott, and got off the stool.

Maybe Shadow Ley doesn't hold all the secrets in the world. Maybe there's more to this dimension than I can comprehend.

"Get anything else for you, honey?" The waitress offered her a smile. "I'm just about to lock up." She shivered a little. “Full moon tonight. Good time to get indoors and stay there.”

"Thank you, but I’m done." With a nod of her head, Kellyn headed out the door and into the moonlight—the howl of wolves following her to the car.

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If you like the paranormal, and creepy haunted houses with a dark romantic twist, venture into the estate called, Shadow Ley.

Consumed by a childhood filled with terror and pain, Kellyn O’Brien strives to create the perfect family.Then, disaster strikes. Her husband is dead. Three weeks later, she discovers her son is heir to Shadow Ley, a nineteenth century estate located in the Sierra Nevada foothills.  
 
Still reeling from Michael's death, Kellyn moves to Shadow Ley. Soon after her arrival, the ordinary becomes the extraordinary: broken drinking glasses repair themselves, stair rails that were once old are now new, and suddenly the estate of Shadow Ley is not what it seems. 
 
She turns to the local historian and hears the tale of Shanahobet, the portal guardian, and the Hutto-pah, a tribe of Native Americans related to the Maya. She meets John, a doctor, who experiences visions of other times and places. Her dreams turn into nightmares with windows into past lives, hints of multidimensionality, and the promise of life beyond death.  
 
Legends abound and so Shadow Ley, the home Kellyn had hoped would bring peace to herself and her children, becomes mired first in doubt, then in terror, and finally in love eternal.

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The Interviews!

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Gregor Caine + Circe (Christine Ashworth & Claire Gillian)

Sydney + Poseidon (Cindy Young-Turner & Sasha Summers)

Caleb + Arland and Kate (Kinley Baker & Krystal Wade)

Leigh Baxton + Micah Fuller (Lindsay Loucks & Diane M. Haynes)

Shayla Dormyr + Kara Magari (Raven Bower & S.M. Boyce)

Kellyn O’Brien + Julianna (Louann Carroll & Siobhan Muir)

Ivory + Sara Wiley (Rebecca Hamilton & Sandra Bunino)

Xylia and Landon + Avant (Avery Olive & Kary Rader)

Asar + Matty Ducayn (Jean Murray & Wendy Russo)