The
Witch' Lair is out!
Available
via Amazon or Smashwords, in almost every available format you could
want.
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.
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
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?
When will it be available?
Hopefully within the next
year, but I’m still negotiating the release date with my muses.
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
Thank
you very much Mari.
So
again, contest! Win free stuff!
Enter
before the 24th of February or be prepared to be sad and
wonder what if?
Next
week we have the very talented Clarissa
Johal who will be discussing her book The Island.
Links
to my stuff
Junior Inquisitor Book One
The Witch’s Lair Book Three
