Guest Author Day with Kelli A. Wilkins: Redemption from a Dark Past

 

Love Romances? Don’t miss… Redemption from a Dark Past

A Gothic Historical Romance from Kelli A. Wilkins

www.KelliWilkins.com

 

Hi everyone,

 

Today I’m sharing a look at the making of my Gothic historical romance, Redemption from a Dark Past.

When I sit down to write an historical romance, I never know where (or when) my story will take me. I’ve written romances set in the Old West (Lies, Love & Redemption), the Minnesota wilderness (Loving a Wild Stranger), Colonial Pennsylvania (Dangerous Indenture), and Celtic Scotland (The Viking’s Witch). Redemption from a Dark Past takes place in another unique locale, the Kingdom of Hungary.

For me, the setting conjures up images of brooding castles perched on treacherous mountaintops, tiny villages, medieval stone cities, vampires, and Prince Vlad. Although the book does not take place in Transylvania specifically, this atypical location appealed to me. It seemed like the perfect place for a Gothic novel filled with secrets, danger, deception, and superstition.

Right from the start, we meet Lord Sebestyen Adrik and learn that he’s a troubled hero who has hidden himself away in his isolated castle. He’s depressed, guilt-ridden, has an unsavory reputation, and is the subject of nasty rumors spread by superstitious villagers.

The heroine, Katarina, is feisty, clever, and anything but superstitious. She dismisses tales of evil spirits and ghosts, and doesn’t have time for old wives’ tales. She’s ambitious and wants to leave her pathetic job on the goat farm for better things. When she learns that she’s about to be forced into marriage to a much older man, she jumps at the chance to be Lord Adrik’s companion—despite all the terrifying stories she has been told. Katarina’s boldness and intelligence make her the perfect person to free Sebestyen from his dark past.

When I set about creating the mysterious Lord Adrik, I wanted to make him a flawed and sympathetic hero. He has two physical ailments (one most romance heroes never have – sorry, no spoilers!) as well as several psychological scars. And as if they weren’t enough problems, he also has a reputation as a murderer (among other things). At the start of the book, he has just about given up on life and any hope of being happy. By giving Sebestyen all this “baggage” I made him vulnerable and provided him with lofty goals to reach.

As I wrote, I added layers of secrets, built suspense, and created numerous plot twists and turns. Readers follow Katarina’s adventures and are not sure what—or who—to believe. Can Magda the surly, gossiping cook be trusted? How did Lady Adrik die? Is the castle really haunted? What happened to Lord Adrik’s previous companions? Are the rumors about him true? Katarina is left alone with Sebestyen every night, should she fear for her safety? Everyone says she should!

Over the course of the book, Katarina draws Sebestyen out of his shell, and just when she thought she knew him, she uncovers a disturbing secret he’s been hiding from her. Katarina tries to make sense of it all, while following her heart.

Not everyone in this story is exactly what (or who) they seem to be, and this adds another level of mystery and intrigue to the book. Combining all these elements into a sensual, Gothic romance was a lot of fun, and I hope readers will enjoy this trip into “the Dark Lord’s lair.”

Here’s the book summary and buy link:

Redemption from a Dark Past

Lord Sebestyen Adrik has an unsavory reputation as a madman, murderer… and worse. Lonely and searching for love, he seeks the companionship of local young women, hoping one of them will ease his torment and bring him the happiness he longs for. Katarina is his last chance—but will she fear him like all the others? Or is she the one who can lift his curse?

Desperate to avoid a forced marriage, Katarina agrees to become Lord Adrik’s latest companion, despite the rumors she has heard about him. She discovers the “Dark Lord’s” secret past and realizes he’s not the monster everyone thinks he is.

As their love blossoms, she renews his passion for life—yet they cannot escape the ghosts of the past.

When a meeting of the nobility goes horribly wrong, Sebestyen’s world unravels, and his enemies plot to destroy him. As all seems lost, a mysterious stranger arrives at the castle. Sebestyen must decide if he is a friend or a foe…and if he can find redemption in his love for Katarina, or lose her and everything else that he holds dear.

* * *

Order Redemption from a Dark Past and read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/redemption-from-a-dark-past

I hope you enjoyed this inside look at the making of Redemption from a Dark Past. I welcome comments and questions from readers. Be sure to follow my blog for the latest updates and visit me on social media!

Happy Reading,                                                   

Kelli A. Wilkins

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 24 romance novels, and 9 mystery/thriller/horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror, mystery, and thriller fiction.

Her latest book, The Route 9 Stalker, was published in January 2026. This mystery/thriller is set in Central NJ and follows Detective Jim Rourke on a disturbing new case. Meet him for the first time in The Route 9 Killer.

Kelli's 24th romance, For Love’s Sake, an epic historical/fantasy romantic adventure, was published in January 2025.

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In 2024, she released Surreal Escapes, a collection of 7 speculative/spooky stories. Anything can—and does—happen in this anthology.

Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list, social media links, and more.

 

 

Tour Stop: One Foot in the Ether: Whispers of the Pendle Witches

  

Powerful bloodlines tied by Fate, who can’t be free even in death...

 

Title: One Foot in the Ether: Whispers of the Pendle Witches

Author: Kayleigh Kavanagh

Publisher: Independent

Pages: 400

Genre: Historical/Paranormal/Fantasy

Format: Kindle

Demdike and Chattox, famed witches of Pendle Forest, might be dead, but they’re not gone. Bound to their bloodline, they’ve spent the past two and a half centuries watching over their descendants, waiting for when they’ll be needed. 

When 14 year old Yana comes into her psychic abilities and inherits the ‘eyes of the Chattox family’, she can see the long-dead witches, as well as an encroaching evil. But even with this foreknowledge, she’s trapped by marriage interviews and being unable to see her own future, and more importantly, whoever her future husband will be. 

Demdike’s healing gifts are alive and working in Claire, a mid-30s midwife well renowned for her skills and holding her tongue. The Secrets of Pendle are safe with her and her midwives. However, when surgeons looking to make standardisation the norm encroach on her territory, she soon realises how, even a respected woman is vulnerable in a patriarchal system. 

The two descendants must come together to protect the ones they love from an ancient evil, all whilst balancing their lives and the cruelties of being a woman in a man’s world. Set in late 1800s NW England, this book has all the elements of the area: strong, hardy people, atmospheric horror and days as unpredictable as the weather.  

One Foot in the Ether: Whispers of the Pendle Witches is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt

She hadn’t known what to expect from death. No one did. Still, none of her previous thoughts could have come close. This, and she was definitely having an atypical experience. For most souls, death was a release from the mortal coil. Complete separation from the life they’d once lived. She hadn't been so lucky. 

Some parts of the system had been the same. Her soul had been scooped up. Taken somewhere. She vaguely recalled going over her life and having events explained. Gaining an understanding of the why; to the point she was no longer angry about things which had once made her furious. However, the entire encounter was now a blur. 

The powers that be had done this on purpose, but the awareness lingered instinctively. Either way, she knew she'd died, gone to the other place, and then thrown back. Before they could send her along to wherever she should have gone next. There'd been an issue. A snag. One which stopped her from moving along to the happy, bliss-filled world of the nether realm. Said snag bore one name: Chattox. Even in death, her frenemy was still causing her bloody issues.

“Hey, Demdike, how’s non-life treating you?”

Demdike didn’t answer, suddenly filled with the desire to bludgeon the other woman. However, she knew from experience it would be pointless. They weren’t physical beings any longer—even if they were still tied to the physical world. Unless she was willing to destroy the other's soul, the spirit could reform. A tempting idea some days; this non-life was enough to make even the most patient saint a little homicidal. However, even in her worse moments, she wasn't willing to land the final blow.

“The same way it’s been treating me for the past two and a half hundred years,” she eventually returned. Still not looking at the other, less she finally indulged her violent impulses.

“They’re having a bake sale soon, at the local church. Gods, I miss cake.”

Demdike sighed. The sad part was she couldn’t even get rid of the other. Without Chattox, she would be entirely alone in this exhausting existence.

“Their cake isn’t anything like the one we used to have. They have more access to sugar, for starters.”

Demdike wasn’t even going to comment on the reasons why. King James I's and his ilk had done more than destroy her life. Stretching his greedy grip across the world. From the supposed lands of gold to the continent of darkness, James I's influence had impacted many. She couldn't help but feel for the poor souls stolen from these other countries. Their plights differed from the witch trials, but suffering was a universal language.

She would've liked to aid them, but she couldn't even help herself. There was no one to hear her, anyway. Well, other than Chattox, but as she was in the exact same situation. It was no different than voicing her words to the void. Except the void didn’t reply. 

“Aye, I know, but it doesn’t mean I don’t miss the little pleasures. Few and far between, though they were.”

Demdike hummed. This was a conversation they’d had many times. When their new existence was mostly just the two of them, they often spoke of their past. Their past life, to be specific. A lot of it seemed funny now. Maybe it was their time in the decompression zone post life—or maybe it was simply the effect of being so removed from what they’d once been—but matters of life and death were suddenly much less dramatic and far funnier when you were already dead. Fighting over coin, linens, and food were memories they could now look back on and find humour in. 

Though she also missed cake, death was a lot simpler. Mostly. There was no fighting for survival when you simply just were. No hunger to push you forward or pain to keep you still. As much as she’d once lived with one foot in the ether, having both on death's side was much simpler. If you ignored the limited company. Or how she feared her own mind and sense of self were slowly eroding over time. As though, without a physical body, she was slowly dispersing into nothingness; it was just taking a little longer.

– Excerpted from One Foot in the Ether: Whispers of the Pendle Witches by Kayleigh Kavanagh, Kayleigh Kavanagh, 2025. Reprinted with permission.

Author Interview with Kayleigh Kavanagh

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I love stories. This is important because I don’t mind what format they come in — books, poetry, songs, films, podcasts — I love the content, not the medium. Writing is a natural way to tell stories and, as such, has caught my heart. I hesitate to call myself a writer or an author and think of myself more as a storyteller.

My brain is filled with stories, and I one day plan to get them all out onto the page.

I’m disabled through illness, which can make writing (and thinking in general) challenging. However, I love it, and even though I’m stuck in my room and writing from my bed, I keep going because this is a true passion of mine. Hopefully, this comes across to the reader.

Can you tell us about your latest book, One Foot in the Ether: Whispers of the Pendle Witches?

I like to think it’s a little unique in the magical realism/fantasy realm. It’s familiar enough for people to follow, but with a unique premise that should engage the reader. It’s historical fiction, which gives another layer of atmosphere to the book. The story features magic, spirits, reincarnation, and old gods, which appeals to those who love all things paranormal.

It’s set in the north of England (Pendle), and the living characters still have to navigate their everyday lives, despite dealing with things in the ether.

One of my favourite parts was exploring the family dynamics and relationships, particularly between the women. From those connected by blood to those who choose to consider others family. I enjoy exploring these connections. Of found family and those you’re born with. With such strong personalities, it was a challenge to find the right balance, but I think they all stand out brilliantly.

Is One Foot in the Ether: Whispers of the Pendle Witches your only book?

No, it’s the 2nd book in its series, but also the fifth book I’ve published.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters in One Foot in the Ether: Whispers of the Pendle Witches?

Demdike and Chattox were part of the original story, but as so much has changed for them, they as people have naturally evolved.

Yana and Claire are new characters in the series, but there is a twist revealed later, which means they aren’t as new as they appear.

They’re the descendants of the Pendle Witches and have powers during a time when the cunning folk, and those who would have taught them, have all but been eradicated. This is on top of their general life problems, and trying to navigate a patriarchal society as women.

Do you see a little bit of yourself in your main character?

Maybe a little in Demdike’s deadpan humour, but no, there’s little similarities.

Where is this book set and why did you choose that location?

England in the latter half of the nineteenth century. I initially wanted to have the book in 1812, two hundred years after the trials, so it would be halfway between the next book (2012). However, as I was doing research, I realised just how much England advanced under Queen Victoria, and it made more sense to have the period later than I’d first thought.

What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

A little cliche, but just write. You’ll never get better if you don’t. You’ll never get all those stories out of your head if you don’t start putting words on a page. Those big scenes which stick in your mind need the rest of the plot to make sense. Just do it. Know some of what you write will be terrible, but it needs to get out of you so you can get to the good stuff. Keep at it.

Thank you so much for this interview, Kayleigh. What’s next for you?

More writing, hopefully. This and learning more about marketing, so I can reach more readers.

About the Author

 

Kayleigh Kavanagh is a disabled writer from the North-West of England. Growing up in the area, she learnt a lot about the Pendle Witches and launched her debut novel around their life story. Her main writing genres are fantasy and romance, but she loves stories in all formats and genres. Kayleigh hopes to one day be able to share the many ideas dancing around in her head with the world.

Her latest book is the historical fantasy, One Foot in the Ether: Whispers of the Pendle Witches. 

You can visit her on Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads and Tiktok.

Sponsored By:

Discover Death & Coffee today and Enter the Giveaway!!

Title: Death and Coffee

Author: Lisa Acerbo

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: 10/14/2025

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Female/Female

Length: 362

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, paranormal, historical, urban fantasy, bisexual, lesbian, Death, reaper, witches, Salem

Add to Goodreads

Description

The end is a new beginning for Prudence. After witnessing her mother’s wrongful conviction as a witch in 1661 and wishing for death, she gets just what she asks for when recruited. In her new job as a reaper, Prudence must learn to navigate the delicate balance between the living and the soon-to-be-deceased. However, her duties as a harbinger of souls are only the beginning of her trials as she makes her way as an immortal through the centuries. With nothing else to care about, Prudence excels on the job, even with an ill-tempered horse demon to keep fed and jealous coworkers vying for her downfall.

Love arrives for this reaper with one of her soon-to-be-dead clients. Prudence is instantly smitten with hospital doctor Daxone, defies Death to save the woman, and pursues her desires. Unfortunately, immortals shouldn’t love humans. Worse, revealing Death’s secrets gets the couple banished to purgatory. Prudence settles in only to be yanked away to Salem, Massachusetts. Once there, she is forced to deal with another of Death’s deadly problems. Thrust into a world of witches and dark magic, Prudence must harness her innate powers and confront a coven plotting to overthrow Death. With the world’s fate and her lover’s life hanging in the balance, she must find her magic and understand her past to keep the love of her life and the entire planet alive.

Excerpt

Death and Coffee
Lisa Acerbo © 2025
All Rights Reserved

Hartford, Connecticut, 1661

A frigid wind slashed the outside of the building but the chill inside the dimly lit wooden church had little to do with the temperature. In the thick press of bodies, the smell of fear and anger assaulted my nose.

“Pray, pardon me.” I wormed my way deeper inside. Not a single compassionate glance or “Good morrow” came my way. The people who sat sermon with me and greeted me on the pathway a few days ago averted their gaze, tone hushed.

My father, coward, refused to attend the trial. Earlier in the morning, I’d asked him to bear witness to this day, but he claimed to be too ashamed of his family, meeting my gaze purposefully with his own.

When most attendees had seated themselves, jammed together on benches like barnacles, the minister glowered and declared, “It’s time.” He pointed. “Repent your wicked and reviling acts for your soul’s salvation.”

My mother hunched in the gloom, halfway hidden behind a burly guard. The man’s hand crushed her slight shoulder before she slid to the ground like a rag doll, exhaustion and pain creeping over her face and frail body. The audience gasped but for reasons other than the jailer’s brutality. They believed her collapse proved the devil.

The preacher hammered my mother with his words. “There is light in the darkness, Martha. Be repentant for the sins of your life. Ask forgiveness from God. Admit the devil afflicted you and commanded you to unleash wickedness on our community, and your soul can be free in death.”

“I’ve done nothing.” Mother’s gaze found mine in the last pew. Her once beautiful auburn hair, which rarely strayed from its cap, fell lank and greasy around her face.

“You have been a practitioner of poisoning in hand and deed, but in God’s house, no devil has power.” The minister’s voice boomed; his chin raised to the heavens. “It is the only way to possible salvation.”

Blinking back the tears forming, I knotted my hands. “Please stop this. I promise my soul, my life, anything demanded of me.” No one heard my whisper of pain. “If you exist, show yourself and give this horrible congregation something to fear.”

Those prayers elicited no response from the heavens. The two small, low-set windows failed to remove the shadows and darkness extending beyond the rafters and into the congregation.

“God will cast the wicked into Hell. He can most easily do so, and you will be next unless you tell the truth before all your brethren in attendance.”

His words were drowned in a cacophony of outrage from the spectators who packed the pews for this horrible show.

I stepped forward.

An almost imperceptible shake of my mother’s head slowed my feet.

Last week, on the only occasion Father allowed me to visit Mother in jail, she’d begged me to avoid her, fearing for my life. Heart empty, I had questioned if there was life waiting for me with her gone—she, the only person who loved me in this world. Her tormented sobs made me regret those words.

Clamoring voices thickened the air as her trial dragged. Someone in town had to stand up for her. Instead, the crowd grew louder and angrier. Few still loved and wished to protect her. And, no doubt, my former friends would happily turn me over to the minister if I said or did anything here.

Rumors about my mother started in the late summer. After church one day, our neighbor Bridget complained of stomach pains. My mother had sent me to her house with tea, but the herbs meant to help had only made it worse.

In Hartford, Connecticut, when a problem occurred, everyone prayed, but prayers often didn’t reach heaven, and divine intervention seldom arrived. My mother and her knowledge of natural remedies had been a quiet aid to the community for years. No one had said a word against it.

Even my father had allowed it.

However, Bridget’s condition worsened, and a fever struck her the day after she drank the tea. Not a week later, she died, arms and legs flailing without consent, screams of pain echoing from her house for all to hear. My mother had been restricted to our home first, then jailed until her trial.

Bridget’s death brought rumors of witchcraft to my door, and now, not even six months later, shouts of anger and fear assaulted the walls and my ears.

“You deserve to be cast into hell.” The words heaved from my neighbors like boulders. “Witch. Devil’s spawn.”

My mother’s desperate glance revealed the true horror of the ordeal; a stark contrast to the minister next to her and the pudgy magistrate who sat high on a bench, shrouded in black robes and stern expressions.

Bridget’s friends and family stood and faced the crowd as they recounted her illness and the supposed potion my mother provided that led the girl first to the devil and then to death.

It had only been dandelion tea. I’d helped prepare the draught, but fear of the community and that I’d be next to my mother in jail clamped my lips shut.

The flickering candlelight turned the magistrate, perched on his bench by the altar, into a demon. This man had been a guest in our home not only to share the word of God but to ask my mother for a cure for his headaches.

“You’re accused of witchcraft,” he said. “How do you plead?”

“I’m innocent. I never practiced witchcraft. I swear it on my soul.” My mother turned to Bridget’s parents when the room had quieted. “I’m no witch. I swear by all that is Godly. I’m innocent of all you proclaim.”

Charity, a friend of Bridget’s, spoke. “She bewitched Bridget and made her suffer. All should have witnessed the horror of her last moments. Her lips fumbled to make a sound, teeth gnashing and mouth foaming. Her body trembled and shook before her limbs flailed, unable as she was to control them.”

“Do you deny the accusations of witchcraft against you?” the magistrate asked.

“I’m a God-fearing woman, and I’ve harmed no one.”

My push forward parted air thickened with tension and sweat.

“The evidence against you is abundant,” the magistrate said. “You’re wicked. A consort with the devil. All to spell innocent people. Your potions and teas are well known in town. You deserve to be cast thither. Under the law of a righteous God, your eternal soul shall be condemned to hell.”

“I have done nothing wrong other than use what God has provided in nature. I’m innocent. This I swear in His name.”

The crowd reared like the head of a snake, the hiss loud and damning.

I bit my thumbnail to hold back a scream, and an iron tang met my tongue.

“Do not profane his name.” The magistrate called the minister over, and their conversation lasted less than a minute, but it felt like an eternity.

“You’ve been found guilty of witchcraft. The sentence of the court is death by hanging. Let this be a warning to all. The devil stands ready to seize our souls as his own.”

“I’ll die guiltless.” My mother yelped when the guard squeezed her arm to silence her.

The crowd held me back. Their slurs stalled me as much as their bodies. As they herded me out of the church, I reached out to touch my mother but stumbled as those gathered pressed back to the jail. My cry filled the air, unable as I was to offer support.

The sting of my last chance at a goodbye nettled.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read

Meet the Author

Lisa Acerbo is the Director of General Education and Liberal Arts at Post University. Her short stories and poetry appear in Scarlet, Sagebrush Review, Moonstone Arts, Poor Yorick Literary Journal, Ripples in Space, Universe in a Bottle by Flying Ketchup Press, Whatever Happened to Hansel and Gretel? by Fathom Publishing (a finalist in the 2024 Best Books Awards in the category of Fiction: Anthology), and Birds of Vermont Museum. When not writing, you can find her walking in the woods with her rescue dogs.

Website | Facebook | X | Instagram

   

Book Spotlight Tour Stop and Giveaway: Arabesque by MG da Mota

 

Check out MG da Mota's Arabesque today and make sure to enter the tour wide giveaway asOne randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. The tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions and you can check out all the tour stops HERE.

Talking with MG da Mota

What are your favorite TV shows? I like mystery stories or detective stories with interesting characters, for example The Mentalist. I love historical, period series too, like adaptations of novels by classic authors. I also enjoy documentaries about Nature, history, classical music, opera, ballet and composers’ lives.

What is your favorite meal? Prawns cooked in any way, especially in tomato sauce with garlic and rice.

If you were to write a series of novels, what would it be about? I don’t know. I never thought about writing a series. I’ve written a trilogy but writing a series has never interested me. I like to do different things each time. I think a series would bore me and if there is something I hate is boredom.

Is there a writer you idolize? If so who? I admire many writers but I don’t idolise any of them. Present day author I greatly admire is Cay Rademacher. From the past, Victor Hugo and Jane Austen.

How did you come up for the title of this book? The novel’s plot is set against the background of ballet and it is a celebration of ballet. So, the title had to be something pretty, catchy and related to the art. ARABESQUE is a step in classic ballet, one of the most beautiful, striking and elegant therefore I thought it was appropriate. The drawing of a dancer on the centre of the cover shows him executing an arabesque.

What group did you hang out with in high school? I grew up in Portugal and the schools were not called high schools. I think that may be an American term. Anyway, at the time there was a so-called grammar school for people who wanted to go to University and do a degree and a secondary school for people who were more interested in pursuing a medium diploma or a profession, for example if they wanted to become an electrician, a cook, etc. I never had a group I hung out with at school. I had some really good friends and got along with others that weren’t close friends but were okay.

What are you passionate about these days? I’m passionate about the same things I always was: writing, reading, classical music, opera, ballet, history and travelling. I like to be informed and I am interested in politics. I find rather worrying the generic turn to the extreme right-wing parties and politicians that we are witnessing in many countries around the world. Having grown up under a fascist dictatorship in Portugal that lasted 48 years and fell when I was fifteen, I understand the value of democracy and freedom and it pains me to see the lack of awareness in many younger people who didn’t live through such an experience.

If you had to do your journey to getting published all over again, what would you do differently? I’m not sure I would do anything differently. I’m happy with what I’ve achieved and where I am right now.

E-book or print? And why? I think there is space for both. Print books have a different feeling. You can touch the paper, smell it and you can make a print book look beautiful. You can’t really do the same with an e-book, however, the easiness of buying e-books from all over the world and having them within minutes in your reader is a wonderful thing, as is the space it saves you and the practicality of taking many books with you when you travel without having to worry about weight and space in your bags. I read in both formats. I love my kindle for the reasons stated about e-books but I love print books too. If I buy reference books for research I prefer them in print format. It’s easier to consult several at the same time, look at pages and take notes.

What is your favorite scene in this book? I have various in this book but to name just two, I’d say 1) it’s the scene when Amadeus attempts to escape East Germany with his daughter in the early 1970s because of the emotional punch, tension and intensity. And 2) the scene where the two modern day principals (lead characters Karsten and Ivone) are rehearsing for the ballet Don Quixote because it shows the commitment, the difficulty, the passion and the beauty of it all.

 ARABESQUE

Author: MG da Mota

GENRE:  historical psychological drama

A woman living alone in a coastal Sussex town in 1998 plants a copper beech sapling at 3 a.m. on a dark, cold night. Why? 

A ballet dancer in 1960s East Germany is oppressed, longs for escaping with his little daughter but not his wife. Why? Will he make it? 

In 2022 Karsten von Stein, widower and principal of the Royal Ballet, with two young children, meets Ivone Benjamim, a Portuguese, newly-arrived principal dancer. They discover a magical chemistry when dancing and soon it transfers to their private lives. 

Against the background of ballet and its dancers, a woman called Grace tells her story from a rehab centre. Obsessive, delusional she begins believing Ivone robbed her of the man of her dreams—Karsten. And then a skeleton is found in a garden...What connects all these people and their stories? 

You’ll be the audience facing the stage of this balletic novel.

  Teaser Excerpt:

Prologue

Southeast England, late November 1998

 

She looks out of the window. Dark night. Black but clear. Twinkling dots punctuate the raven velvet of the sky. Stars shimmer cold and icy. Their light slightly wavering. She knows it is the Earth’s atmosphere. But that’s neither here nor there. It doesn’t matter a jot. Not at this moment anyway.

 

Darkness is the important thing. No moon. New moon. Why do people refer to a new moon when there is no moon or when one cannot see the moon from our revolving, ever turning blue dot? The moon is still up there in the sky. It’s just that at some point during its orbit its farther side from us is facing the sun. So the side facing us is dark and we can’t see it. As simple as that.

 

Tonight is new moon. An ideal night. She opens the window quietly and glances at the houses to her right first, then to her left. Like hers they are all immersed in silent darkness. People sleep. She looks at the luminous hands of her alarm clock on the side table. The shorter hand points at the number three, or close to it, and the long hand at somewhere between ten and fifteen. Probably around 3:12 in the morning. Her house stands almost but not quite alone on top of the hill. To her right, looking from her bedroom window that faces the back garden, there are two houses. The one closest to hers is empty.

  

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

MG da Mota is Margarida Mota-Bull’s pen name for fiction. She is a Portuguese-British novelist with a love for classical music, ballet and opera. Under her real name she also writes reviews of live concerts, CDs, DVDs and books for two classical music magazines on the web: MusicWeb International and Seen and Heard International. She is a member of the UK Society of Authors, speaks four languages and lives in Sussex with her husband. Her website, called flowingprose.com, contains photos and information. 

Website: https://www.flowingprose.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/m.g.da.mota 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margarida-mota-bull/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mgdamota/

 

Tour Stop/Giveaway: A Murder of Convenience by Kathleen Buckley

 

Check out the new book from Kathleen Buckley, A Murder of Convenience, today and make sure to enter the tour wide giveaway where Kathleen Buckley will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Also  make sure to stop in on the other tour stops for more chances to enter this giveaway. All tour stops are HERE and the tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions.

A MURDER OF CONVENIENCE

AUTHOR: Kathleen Buckley

GENRE:  Historical Mystery

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3L2RGJ

Ellen Cuthbert’s husband, Randolph, is now the Earl of Keswick’s heir. Their marriage is a sham, and Randolph’s mistress, Lydia, is present at the house party. When she is found murdered in a locked room, all the evidence seems to point to Ellen. And how could the murderer have escaped the locked room except by witchcraft? Sir Hugh accompanies his cousin, a magistrate, to the scene of the murder. They investigate, appalled to find their childhood friend Ellen appears to be the chief suspect. Hugh’s lack of prospects years ago prevented their marriage. Now if he cannot find the real murderer, there may be only one final service he can perform for Ellen to spare her a slow death at the end of the hangman’s rope. 

Excerpt Two: 

Wallace’s response to whatever news her husband’s uncle had imparted carried. “Good! You can supply a wagon or cart and driver to take it to Penrith?” Another few words, apparent agreement, and he sketched a bow to the earl. Had they been talking about the body? Randolph’s face revealed nothing.

 

“My lord, ladies, gentlemen, I must beg your indulgence. There is someone Sir Hugh and I must speak with immediately,” Wallace said. “We will begin your interviews as soon as we can.”

 

The earl nodded curtly and departed.

 

Sir Hugh, now; his father and his older brother must have died.

 

Cuthbert drawled, “Need we be confined here while you take some servant or menial out of order?”

 

 “Yes, I fear you must, as Lord Keswick wishes this matter dealt with in the most expeditious manner. To do so, my colleague and I must attend upon the doctor—”

 

 “Why, if she’s dead?”

 

Wallace replied more peaceably than Ellen would have managed, but then, she had had years of Cuthbert’s ways. “So that we can get his immediate impressions, which may help us direct our investigation. And our work will be needlessly slowed if we have to have you and his lordship’s other guests sent for.”

 

He turned to approach Ellen, who prayed he would not address her informally.

 

 “Mistress Cuthbert, I must beg your patience and ask you to wait for me in the Yellow Parlor. I do not expect to be long. A footman will escort you there.”

 

“Certainly, sir.” She curtsied and started for the door. Randolph continued to sprawl in his chair.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

One day after coming home from first grade, Kathleen Buckley set about writing her own dictionary but quickly realized it would take too much time, so she read a book instead. Possibly Space Cat.  

After a career which included customer service, light bookkeeping, working as a paralegal, and a stint as a security officer, she began to write as a second career, rather than as a hobby. Her first historical romance was written after re-reading Georgette Heyer’s Georgian/Regency romances for the tenth or twelfth time and wondering if she could do something like that. Apparently she could, as her eleventh will be released on 3/24/2025. As a change of pace, it’s a murder mystery, but still set in the mid-1700s (but still with some romance). 

Warning: no bodices are ripped in her romances, which might be described as "powder & patch & peril" rather than Jane Austen drawing room. They contain no explicit sex, but do contain the occasional den of vice and mild bad language, as the situations in which her characters find themselves sometimes call for an oath a little stronger than "Zounds!" 

https://18thcenturyromance.com/   (website)

https://www.instagram.com/18thcenturyromance/

https://www.facebook.com/pg/anunsuitableduchess/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/270998.Kathleen_Buckley

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kathleen-buckley

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kathleen-Buckley/author/B072J2GPZ3

https://www.pinterest.com/kathleengailbuc/

https://writing-on-el-camino-real.blogspot.com/

https://www.amazon.com/author/kbuckley      (Author page)

 

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Tour Stop/Giveaway: On the Threshold

 

Welcome author M. Laszlo to the Reading Nook blog where we are talking with them about their newest book, On the Threshold. Make sure to follow the tour HERE and enter the tour wide giveaway as the author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. This tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Interview with M. Laszlo

Tell us about your latest book, who are the main character’s and what can we expect when we pick it up?

Fingal is the main character, and you can expect to laugh at his eccentricities and often foul mood. Nevertheless, he’s a good chap who earnestly wishes to resolve the riddle of the universe and to determine the actual origins of life, the meaning of life, and the purpose of civilization.

Do you come up with the hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig through until you find a hook?

Honestly, they come at the same time for me. The hook is a character with a problem. And it’s a problem that makes the character unique enough and important enough to teach the reader something.

Which of your own characters would you like to have lunch with?

Doktor Hubertus Pflug. He’s a wise, friendly German physician who appears in the book early on. I like him because he reminds me of Goethe and other great, thought-provoking German writers. I’ve always been a Germanophile. Love the dynamic music and the brooding cinema.

Tell us about what you are reading at the moment or anticipate reading in the future? Any favorite authors you enjoy reading in your spare time?

I just finished John Scalzi’s Starter Villain. It was very funny but not the kind of book I usually read. The book satirizes Ian Fleming’s works in many ways, and in the future, I would like to revisit Ian Fleming’s writing. In his books, James Bond is actually quite an interesting fellow.

Which of your own books would you like to live in?

I’ve got an unpublished manuscript about a family that lives on the coast of Maine. That’d be a nice place to live. Who doesn’t love the coast of Maine? 

What do you do when you have free time?

Sometimes I go hiking with friends. Sometimes I go to Mass or sit in the pews and reflect. Often I get together with my aunt, and we visit a diner and have omelettes.

How do you approach character development in your stories? Do you have any specific techniques or methods that you find particularly effective?

It is important to give your protagonist flaws at the very beginning. Then you have something you can change or improve upon. Honestly, it really is that simple!

What do you believe sets your writing apart from others in your genre, and why should readers choose to read your books?

My prose is lucid, and it’s easy to slip into the world presented by the page. Most important of all, my books teach the reader things that are accurate.

Can you discuss any upcoming projects or books that you're currently working on? What can readers expect from your future works?

My upcoming release, Anastasia’s Midnight Song, is a dark-obsession psychological drama/coming-of-age tale about a depressed British youth living in WW-I era Egypt. He enters into an illusory-love relationship with a beautiful Russian woman, and ultimately, the tale traffics in some of the most esoteric problems that can complicate the life of a teenager.

On the Threshold

by M. Laszlo

GENRE: Historical Science Fiction

Buy Link HERE

Obsessed with learning the origins of the cosmos, the actual meaning of life, and the true purpose of civilization, a fine Scotsman named Fingal T. Smyth dedicates himself to the study of Plato’s most extraordinary ideas. Convinced of Plato’s belief that humankind possesses any and all innate knowledge deep within the collective unconscious mind, Fingal soon conducts a series of bold, pioneering occult-science experiments by which to resolve the riddle of the universe once and for all. However, Fingal forgets how violent and perilous the animal impulses that reside in the deepest recesses of the unconscious mind. And when Fingal unleashes a mysterious avatar of his innate knowledge, the entity appears as a burning man and immediately seeks to manipulate innocent and unsuspecting people everywhere into immolating themselves. Now, with little hope of returning the fiery figure into his being, Fingal must capture his nemesis before it destroys the world.

 

Excerpt Two:

 

Fräulein Wunderwaffe did not return the smile. Hand on heart, the little girl drew a bit closer. Then, as the hot, animalistic presence undulated all across Fingal’s body, the little girl’s eyes grew wide. Until the little girl’s expression turned to that of a vacant stare.

 

A moment later, her feet pointed inwards, she removed her hat and undid her long, flaxen hair.

 

Again, he cringed. “If you’ve noticed something, ignore all. This hasn’t got anything to do with you.” A third time, he cringed.

 

A most ethereal, lyrical, incomprehensible hiss commenced then: from the other end of the winding, decorative-brick driveway, each clay block shining the color of blue Welsh stone, a sleek Siamese cat with a coat of chocolate-spotted ivory had just appeared. And now the creature raced toward his shadow.

 

As he looked into the animal’s big, searching, blue eyes, the chocolate Siamese studied the off-center tip of his nose. Then the animal turned away, as if to compare the peculiarity with that of some disembodied visage hovering in the distance.

 

Out upon the loch, meanwhile, a miraculous rogue wave suddenly arose—and now the swell crashed against the pebbly strand.

 

Not a moment later, a cool flame crawled across Fingal’s throat. The strange fire rattled, too—not unlike the sound of fallen juniper leaves caught up in the current and dancing against the surface of a stone walkway.

 

Crivens. By now, the alien, pulsating presence held him so tight that he could barely breathe. Before long, he fell to the earth, and as the dreamlike flame continued to move across his throat, he rolled all about—until the illusory sensation of cool warmth wriggled and twisted and dropped into his neck dimple.

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

M. Laszlo is an aging recluse who lives in Bath, Ohio. Rumor holds that his pseudonym is a reference to Victor Laszlo, a character in the classic film Casablanca. On the Threshold is his first release with the acclaimed, Australian hybrid house AIA Publishing. Oddly, M. Laszlo insists that his latest work, On the Threshold, does in fact provide the correct answer to the riddle of the universe.