I'm pleased to bring you special guests Leah St. James & Alicia Dean. Both have stories in Mysteries of the Macabre: An Anthology of 6 Short Stories by 6 Authors. I'll share their blurbs with you but for now, let's see what each treasures.....
Like many, when I think of the treasures in my life, my family comes to mind, then friends. The “old” ones first—those who know all my deepest and most embarrassing secrets, and will take them to the grave. Then I think of my new friends, those I wouldn’t have met without a certain twist or turn in my life. And then there are those new friends whose introduction into my life was the driving force behind those twists and turns.
Alicia Dean is one such treasure.
I met her in 2009...if you can “meet” someone via email. I had submitted my first novel, Surrender to Sanctuary, to The Wild Rose Press (on the recommendation of another friend). I didn’t expect it to be contracted – there were some “twists and turns” in the story that I suspected wouldn’t fly. Alicia was assigned to review my story, and when she accepted it (with a few much-needed revision), my life took one of those turns I never thought I’d take.
In fact, I wouldn’t be writing this blog if she hadn’t stepped into my life. By the time she contracted the book, I was in a new (very demanding) full-time job, and writing fiction was about as far from my thoughts as bungee jumping (which is still, by the way, far from my thoughts). :-)
Since then I’ve continued to write (albeit slowly) and have joined Alicia in a number of projects to help us meet readers. She has become my editor for my other writing (and I say “my” with more than a hint of the proprietary!) :-) I have been blessed.
Bio: Leah is a worrier, a self-described neurotic who
tends to imagine the worst-case scenario in response to brewing troubles. She
hasn’t decided if this leaning toward the dark side is what draws her to write
edgy, gritty stories, or if the suspenseful mysteries and Gothic romances that
filled her childhood bookshelves somehow imprinted their shadows on her
psyche. Despite (or maybe because of)
this propensity for infusing her fiction with murder and mayhem, she still
craves those happily-ever-after endings and the romance of everlasting love.
You can read more about Leah at www.leahstjames.com
While I deeply treasure my face to face friends, I equally treasure my virtual friends. It’s strange how connected you can feel to someone you only know online. The authors I have ‘met’ since I began editing and pursuing my writing dream are some of the most supportive, kind people I know. Leah St. James is one of those authors. When I read her submission to The Wild Rose Press in 2009, I was blown away by her story and her writing. The manuscript needed some changes before I could offer a contract, and I was afraid she wouldn’t want to work with me. But, fortunately, she was open to my suggestions and we published her amazing book together. (Part of the suggestions had to do with the BDSM lifestyle of some of the characters. While it was not an erotic story, those elements were present. I’ll let you in on a little secret, Leah did such an excellent job with the research and writing, I wondered if SHE was into BDSM. It turns out, she wasn’t. J)
As the years went by, we stayed in touch. Leah has been a godsend in so many ways. In spite of her busy, high pressure job, she has always found time to help me out with anything I’ve needed, whether it’s providing a review or author quote, judging a contest, helping with a blurb, promo, etc. And, ironically, we’ve more or less done a 180. She owns a publishing company and I submitted to her. Thankfully, she accepted, and now, she’s MY publisher/editor.
Regardless of the dynamics of our relationship, I am truly, truly blessed to have met Leah. I just hope she finds a way to churn out more of those fabulous stories she writes. They are indeed a treasure.
I live in Edmond, Oklahoma. I have three grown children and
a huge network of supportive friends and family. I write mostly contemporary
suspense and paranormal, but have also written in other genres, including a few
vintage historicals.
Other than reading and writing, my passions are Elvis
Presley, MLB, NFL (I usually work in a mention of one or all three into my
stories) and watching my favorite televisions shows like Vampire Diaries,
Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, New Girl, The Mindy Project, and Dexter
(Yes, I know some have ended, but I will forever be a fan). Some of my favorite
authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon
Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to
name a few.
Find me here:
**********
Wow, sounds like the mutual admiration society LOL! Seriously though, I know both of these ladies and they are terrific human beings! It is amazing the way a working relationship can flourish into a wonderful friendship and how God can bring people together through writing and stories who might never meet otherwise.
Now about Leah & Alicia's stories and this anthology....
Celebrate Halloween this year with MYSTERIES OF THE MACABRE, six brand-new stories by authors who know how to get the pulses racing, one way or another.
Leah St. James – Blood Moon
Suspense/Paranormal
One Halloween night, a killer terrorized a strip of Virginia beachfront, murdering a dozen young women whose only crime was walking the beach with a boyfriend. Now, fifty years later, book reviewer Ronnie can’t shake the feeling that another has come to take his place.
Is it nothing more than her vivid imagination running wild, or are the spirits stirring, warning of approaching danger?
Alicia Dean ~ Scarred
Gothic Romance
Sometimes, the most haunting scars are the ones beneath the skin.
When Natalie Jayne moved away from her home town ten years earlier, she left behind painful memories, along with Simon, the man she loved. Now, she's back on Halloween night to attend a memorial marking the one-year anniversary of the tragic passing of her childhood friend, Jessica. Rumors that Simon was responsible for Jessica's death unnerve her. Even more disturbing is her unsettling attraction to a masked stranger she meets at the event. Her gift may be the key to unlocking the truth, but will it also lead to heartbreak?
Hope you enjoyed today's treasures as much as I do!
Until next time take care, be blessed and remember to....Ask(in trust)~Believe(with faith & passion)~Receive(with
gratitude)~Share the blessing
PamT
