Farish's Freehold: Mari Hamill's got werewolf problems and freebies until 22 February.

The Witch' Lair is out!

Available via Amazon or Smashwords, in almost every available format you could want.

Amazon – goo.gl/PpoS7W

The Witch's Lair is currently number three or four best selling horror novel over at Smashwords. I already have my first 5 star review, and OneBookTwo is running a contest until February 22nd. Three people can each win a free signed paperback copy of any one of my books.

https://onebooktwo.wordpress.com/2016/02/14/win-inquisitor-series-books/

Contest ends February 22nd, so enter now, no shipping charges, no signing up, no strings, just a contest where you might win a free book from me.

In keeping with Valentine's Day, and my love for the Paranormal, I've reached out a bit to bring you an author more interested in the romance of the story and less in the slash/burn/ creepiness factor – maybe. Mari Hamill presents her debut novel Werewolf Nights -

Excerpt -

Catherine Mercy sat on the emerald-green grass of Wereville’s Yellowtoothed Park, confident that the date that would arrive in a matter of minutes would in no way alter the course of her life. The park contained the assumed estimated location where the town’s legendary werewolf-Viking founders planted their flag upon arriving centuries ago. Those were the times for interesting destiny dislodging occurrences such as werewolf settlements if, that is, they ever took place in Wereville.

Many debates between historians and cartographers took place before Wereville established the official landmark. The issue almost made it to federal court until, in 1983, Wereville’s mayor, Lars Speck, to prevent national embarrassment—although Willow Creek in California got away with its kooky Bigfoot stories—picked the spot by throwing a sibylline javelin and declaring the northern god Tyr had guided his hand.

Harboring thoughts of gods and werewolves, Catherine looked at Wereville’s flag undulating on its pole, hung there on special occasions, and felt a twinge of sourness in her belly. Yellowtoothed Park attracted unsettling events. If her date were to go well, she might find herself walking into the unknown once again, and for seven years now, she had learned to cherish her routine. So although she had a rendezvous, she anticipated with excitement that she’d make it a short one.

Jared, Catherine’s date, walked toward her, waving hello with both hands. His attractive face blocked the werewolf emblem of the banner from Catherine’s view. With his deep brown eyes, he stared at Catherine with delight. Her hair in a ponytail and the absence of makeup didn’t detract from the lovely, innocent-looking facial features that summoned adventure and sometimes even trouble. The soothing murmur of the nearby creek’s flow muted Catherine’s stabbing thoughts about her tragic past.

“Thanks for coming on a date with me. Ever since high school, I’ve been curious about you,” Jared said, opening a checkered yellow-and-purple picnic blanket for them to sit on.

“I had no idea. That was a long time ago,” Catherine responded, reluctantly moving to the blanket. She preferred staying on the grass, but he insisted, saying their pants would get wet and sticky. Her contrived response, aimed at redirecting the banter away from the past, failed.

“You had Jimmy and Frank, but now that they both, well …” Jared stopped, making sure the blanket was flat on the ground before he sat down. Catherine curled up, putting one hand around her bended knees and the other on the blanket for support. Jared hit the target: the only unsealed wound in her past and a reason—or better said, the main reason— she despised dating. The topic of her former flames popped up as if it had recently been in the local news.

“Disappeared … passed away,” Catherine said.

“Right,” Jared responded, playing with his chestnut hair.

Everyone in town knew about Jimmy’s disappearance the summer after their senior year in high school. He’d been Catherine’s sweetheart. Everybody bet that Catherine and Jimmy would marry. Years later, Frank, her husband, died in a boating accident. Police speculated the Great Lakes swallowed his body. Upon revisiting her love life, Catherine’s shoulders curled up an inch. The knots around her neck tightened. She could feel warm tears seeping behind her eyelids, and although nothing came out, her eyelashes felt sticky. Jared’s move had been a low blow, perhaps aimed at placing her in a vulnerable emotional zone. Using a meditation technique her best friend, Anne, taught her, Catherine quickly set her eyes on Jared and focused on the breeze on her cheeks, the fish in the stream, and the ten different hues of green she could count. But only thoughts of her bakery’s rising bread and the warm scent of hot chocolate placed her back on kilter.

She remembered Jared as the too-cool-for-school type with a rock band, usually wearing black clothes, thick eyeliner, and long hair. In contrast, today he looked preppy: khaki pants and a blue shirt. His hair was cut short. He looked good enough to make a woman proud. Anne claimed that, during middle school, Jared picked the seat next to Catherine’s in English class. Catherine denied this. But every day in the middle school cafeteria, a dessert would make its way to the front of Catherine’s plate, where it sat untouched. Catherine dreaded that her classmates would assume she took gifts from punks.

Jared was Catherine’s prime suspect. Napkins served as gift cards, but Catherine, pretending she had allergies, would blow her nose casually with it without daring to read the fine print in front of everyone. To Catherine’s relief, Claus, a very quiet chubby guy who kept to himself, would eat the sweet treat.

Catherine’s and Jared’s hands sat an inch from one another’s. His hand drew closer to Catherine’s pinkie every few minutes, but finally she placed her hand in the pocket of the khaki cargo pants she wore paired with a white T-shirt.

“I don’t really date, but I’m giving this a try. My friend Anne insisted. She says I need to get out there.”

“I’ll thank her then. I know why you don’t date, but with me, you don’t have to worry. I’m prepared to handle a woman like you. I’m not afraid. Here …”

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Werewolf-Nights-Mari-Hamill-ebook/dp/B016OTXS8Q/

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/werewolf-nights-mari-hamill/1119631278

itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/werewolf-nights/id1055590766

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/werewolf-nights

Mari Hamill begins her career as a novelist with Werewolf Nights. She has an English degree from Harvard, a comparative literature degree from the Sorbonne Nouvelle, and a PhD, also in comparative literature, from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. Middlebury College, the Johannes Gutenberg University, and McGill University are among the other institutions where she’s pursued academic endeavors. A world traveler, she speaks Spanish, French, German, and a little Italian. The Princess Bride, Harry Potter, Don Quijote, Love in the Time of Cholera, and Archie Comics have served as an inspiration for her work. Her love of fantasy began in her family’s comic book store, Metro Comics, located in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

After residing in Guaynabo, Cambridge, Boston, Ann Arbor, Middlebury, Montreal, Lausanne, Paris, Venice, Italy, Mainz, Vallejo, and Chapel Hill, she now lives in Venice, California, and dedicates her free time to community service.

Author Links

http://www.werewolfnightsbook.com/

http://marihamill.com/

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/MariHamillAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MariHamill

Main Character's motivations

Catherine, a widowed baker, struggles to make ends meet and make her bakery a successful business. Although she avoids the pains of love, she finds inspiration in helping others.

A famous movie star, Greg Byron lives to work and entertain others. Nonetheless, he’s willing to risk everything for the people he cares about.

Pain and desperation drive Wolfern to commit atrocious acts. He’s a mythological werewolf in search of a love he once lost. Whenever he encounters a young woman, he confuses her with his deceased wife. Upon the realization that he’s met the wrong lady, disappointment leads him to kill her.

What are their secret strengths/ weaknesses?

Catherine has a troubled past and has lost courage and incentive due to her traumas. In spite of interacting with many people at her bakery, she lives an isolated life. During the course of the novel, situations will arise that will test her bravery and adventure spirit.

From the outside, Greg appears to have the privileged life of a movie star. He’s surrounded by fans and glamour, but inwardly, he craves stability, community, and true love. Once he meets Catherine, his capacity to love and deal with difficult situations has a chance to shine.

Steve loves to read about werewolves and dreams of encountering one someday. His ambition makes him a bit eccentric in others’ eyes. However, he’s a loyal friend worthy of Catherine’s trust.

Any philosophical issues in this story?

Werewolf Nights deals with belief and superstition. In Wereville, the town’s setting, what people deem real and imaginary changes depending on circumstance.

To save themselves, Catherine, Greg, and Steve will have to explore the town’s mythology and figure out if there’s any truth to the werewolf lore before the full moon threatens to bring tragedy.

Any offbeat obscure or 80s references?

Werewolf Nights has chapters of the main characters’ teenage years intertwined with the present drama. Those teenage years have elements of the 80’s. High school friends Catherine, Jimmy, Frank, and Anne participate in dances and activities reminiscent of the eighties.

When did you start to write this one and why?

The original idea came to me more than ten years ago. I wanted to write about love and werewolves. However, it wasn’t until three years ago that I had the time to sit and write the story. I wanted to write an entertaining, but scary book. The more I read about werewolf myths, the more excited I became about creating a town that claimed to have been founded by werewolves.

What's next in this series or in your next book?

The Full Moon Bakery will be the sequel to Werewolf Nights. A series of gruesome murders take place in Wereville prompting our main characters to investigate whether werewolves are behind them.

Preview of your next book?

I don’t have a preview yet, but as soon as I do, I’ll post it on my websites www.werewolfnightsbook.com http://marihamill.com/ and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MariHamillAuthor/ . So stay tuned!

When will it be available?

Hopefully within the next year, but I’m still negotiating the release date with my muses.