‘Tis the Season of Witches!

As September slips away, I see fall decor everywhere, cider and pumpkins in the grocery stores, ads for sweaters and boots on all my social media sites, and pumpkin spice everything!  Fall-ish things take over the stores, greenhouses, and movie channels. So why not your TBR pile, too?!

Today, I’m featuring humor and romantasy author Ashlyn Chase. Ashlyn describes herself as an Almond Joy bar–a little nutty, a little flaky, but basically sweet, wanting only to give her readers a satisfying experience that leaves them smiling.
She earned a degree in behavioral sciences, worked with children with disabilities, then worked as a psychiatric RN for fifteen years, and spent four more years with the American Red Cross.

Her jobs were great for character building, both as a person and an author. Ashlyn has identified her “Author theme” as found families, where being different makes no difference, and characters who reinvent themselves. She is a multi-published, best-selling, award-winning author of humorous paranormal and contemporary romances. And she writes fantasy adventure/magical realism books for young adults and children as E. B. Lorow (Elisabeth Lorow.)

And she writes fun books about witches!!

Here’s a look:

Autumn L.A.W. Part 1

The Dangerous Duo

Sahara Nadir trusts history, logic, and ancient languages. Lioness Graves trusts visions, instincts, and whatever wild idea pops into her head next. Working together has never been their strong suit, but dark humor gets them through.

When a mysterious obelisk erupts beneath Central Park, the League of Amazing Witches discovers it isn’t just an artifact. It’s a prison, and something inside is trying to break free.

Sahara, with the help of an unshakably calm mage, and Lioness, with a fearless firefighter who insists on returning her life-saving protection, must put aside their differences before an ancient evil possesses a human host. The future may depend on the one thing they’ve never mastered: teamwork.

And then . . .

Autumn L.A.W. Part 2

Crossing the Wrong Witch

Victoria De La Fontaine is a glamorous witch, helicopter pilot, and proud member of the League of Amazing Witches… until a dry-cleaning dispute goes spectacularly wrong. One magical mishap later, she’s trapped in a stranger’s body, wearing stained sweatpants, while the thief runs around in her long legs and designer wardrobe.

Determined to reclaim her identity, Victoria sets out on a globe-trotting search for six rare spell reversal ingredients. Her ally is Duke Masterson, the league’s occult librarian with access to some of the world’s rarest magical secrets and a few mysteries of his own.

As the stakes grow higher, Victoria discovers that reversing an ancient curse and getting her body back may be only part of what she needs to do. Learning and liking who she really is could be the life-altering challenge.

Enjoy this excerpt!

The world lurched. Not a rumble. More of an honest-to-Goddess tremor that made the trees shiver and sent a flock of birds blasting upward like confetti out of a cannon.

Lioness stumbled forward, catching herself on the caution tape that she and Sahara had not been authorized to put up but did anyway. Her sketchbook slipped from her fingers and flopped onto the grass.

“Okay,” she said aloud, because sometimes narrating her life helped. “That was not normal. That was ‘something is waking up, and it’s out to get us’ levels of abnormal.”

The cracked earth in front of her split again. A sharp seam zigzagged across the ground like a lightning bolt.

“Lioness!” Sahara called, barreling toward her from the far side of the site, ponytail whipping. “Back up. Now.”

Lioness didn’t argue. Mostly because the ground was shifting under her boots and arguing required stability. She hopped backward just as the crack widened and released a gust of air so cold it slapped her across the face.

She reeled. “What the—? Did someone leave the door to Antarctica open?”

“No,” Sahara said, sliding to her side. “Worse. I think the obelisk seal ruptured.”

Before Lioness could respond, a spike of nausea slammed into her gut so hard she hunched over. Her vision blurred at the edges. Heat prickled across her skin. Hot, then cold, then hot again, like a thermostat having a seizure.

Sahara swayed beside her. “Lioness? Do you feel—”

Lioness didn’t hear the rest. A wave of dizziness crashed over her, sending her to her knees.

“Okay,” she gasped, “I officially feel like I’ve licked a subway pole.”

Sahara’s hand trembled as she pressed it to her forehead. “This isn’t a normal illness. Something is—”

She didn’t finish. Both witches were hit by a synchronized punch of ancient magic, sharp as stone, and it felt like breathing in electricity.

Lioness clutched the grass. “Am I dying? Don’t let me die looking like this. I haven’t fixed my brows for a month.”

“It’s a curse,” Sahara managed, voice tight. “An ancient Egyptian one. I can feel the glyphs vibrating under the soil.”

“Well, tell them to stop,” Lioness snapped, then immediately gagged, because she felt the world had tilted in a way physics never intended.

Sahara dropped to her knees beside her, breath shallow. “It’s not removable. Not without… not without the counter-glyphs.”

Lioness blinked hard. “And I’m guessing you don’t have those lying around in your Gucci bag?”

“No,” Sahara said weakly. “And I think whatever’s buried down there just woke up enough to sneeze on us.” Sahara collapsed onto her side. “Great. Cursed by dirt. My mother told me this was how it would end.”

A vibration rippled through the soil again. Deeper this time. Almost sentient. The ground pulsed like something beneath it had a heartbeat.

Lioness forced her head up and saw the crack widen one more inch. She screamed.

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Ashlyn! Happy Fall reading to all!

Darlene

To connect with Ashlyn:

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAshlynChase

http://www.instagram.com/ashlynlaughin/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0H51WHVHH?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_3&storeType=ebooks

 

So Long, Summer … I’ll Miss You!

Sigh. Summer has officially slipped away. Just last week, my zinnias still looked great, and the temps were in the mid-90s. This week, what a drastic difference—the zinnias look tired, and the temps are in the mid-70s! It always happens too fast for me.

I’m a summer girl. I go kicking and screaming into fall (but mostly winter). I want to hang onto the longer days, my flip-flops and easy summer wardrobe. No hats, scarves, or gloves to keep track of. No cumbersome boots or coats. No snow shoveling or ice scrapers to deal with!

I had a short but great summer! Three visits with our sweet granddaughter (my first trip to the Jersey Shore), a couple of trips to Colorado, the completion of our kitchen remodel, and a fabulous trip to Santorini! I also finished a book I’ve been working on for a while.

Hard Lemonade is set to release Oct. 1! That will probably be the highlight of my fall as I start yard cleanup and switch out my closets. I would also enjoy fall more if I didn’t have squirrels at my house. I’ve tried year after year to decorate. I buy mums and pumpkins, pick up hedge apples and create arrangements only to have everything eaten and destroyed by the little varmints. It’s soooo annoying!

I’ll still probably buy a couple of pumpkins because I like to harvest and roast the seeds. Oh, and I like a variety of apple that I can only find in the fall—SweeTango from upstate New York.

For those of you who love the pumpkin spice and cooler temps…enjoy the season!

Darlene

The Countdown is On!

It’s one of the best days for an author. And it’s one of the most anxious days as well! Release Day — full of excitement, hope, anticipation, and more than a few butterflies in the stomach. Putting your hard work into the public can be a scary thing–will readers like it? Will it get glowing reviews? Will bookstores and libraries add it to their shelves? We hold our breath and launch, hoping that our book babies survive and thrive.

On Oct. 1, I’m releasing my newest women’s fiction novel–Hard Lemonade. It’s a book about hopes and dreams, mothers and daughters, friends and family:

Her husband fails. Her marriage fails. Does that make Emily Sherridan a failure?

With high hopes and rose-colored shades, Emily Sherridan leaves her family and friends to build a new life with her screenwriter husband in sunny Los Angeles. There, she learns that love conquers all…until the rent is overdue, the rejections pile up, or the test is positive.

As months, then years, go by and Eric’s career fails to launch, Emily is determined to hold everything together. But when he brings danger into their lives, it’s over. When the cops arrive at her doorstep, anguish mixes with anger. She wonders how low they can go—until one of the officers hands her the number to a women’s shelter.

Broke and broken, her dreams are dashed and her confidence is shaken. With Eric’s taunt about running home pounding in her ears, Emily pushes forward though she’s unsure of her direction. She cannot give up. Her daughter deserves more.

From rosy dreams to real-life roadblocks, Hard Lemonade is a compelling story of friends, family, and fierce sheroes.

Excerpt:

Joe loosened his tie as he entered the room then planted a light kiss on her lips. “How was your day?” he asked.

It was a standard question, but these days Julia had to try and read his mood and discern whether he wanted the truth or a shallow everything-is-fine response.

“Nothing too exciting,” she told him.

He opened the refrigerator and took out a beer. “Yeah? You get the trip worked out?”

Okay, they were going for real tonight. “Yes, everything’s booked.”

He took a long pull on the beer. “Want to trade places?”

Julia choked out a laugh. Neither one of them had a carefree couple of days ahead of them, but she agreed Joe got the short stick. “No, thanks. I want to see this apartment. I suppose the fact that she’s letting me go out is a good sign.”

“Yeah, I have a hard time feeling grateful about any of this.”

Julia let out a long sigh. “Me, too. But it could’ve been worse. They could’ve eloped or run off to California together. At least we got a wedding. That shows commitment.”

Through watery eyes, she’d watched her daughter walk down the aisle with the naïve optimism of youth shining in her eyes as she looked at Eric where he stood waiting for her. She looked so young, hardly any different than the day she graduated from high school. Of course, that had only been two years ago.

The wedding had been a dismal affair, woefully short of what she’d always imagined for her only child. Her beautiful daughter wore a shimmery white tea-length dress with silver shoes and carried a bouquet of blush-pink roses. A jeweled comb that had belonged to her maternal grandmother sparkled in her glossy chocolate-colored curls. Julia had seen to those details herself.

Eric had splurged on a charcoal gray suit, choosing to buy it rather than rent a tux. “He’ll need to look good for his interviews,” Emily had told her. Julia just hoped those interviews would materialize. And soon. He was a handsome man with a boyish look about him. With his thatch of blond hair, he’d fit right in with the California crowd. She couldn’t help but feel that his marrying their daughter against their wishes said something about his character, but she couldn’t argue with the way he looked at Emily. Julia wanted to believe he cherished her daughter as much as she did.

Julia leaned against the counter next to Joe. “She loves him. She’s happy.”

“Mm-hmm. What would you like to do for supper?”

She shrugged. “We’ve got some leftover pulled pork.”

In the silence, she followed his gaze to the kitchen table.

“No,” he said abruptly. “Let’s go out.”

She sensed that he, too, struggled with having dinner at the table with Emily’s empty spot.

He tugged at his tie. “Let me get out of these work clothes.”

She watched him bound up the stairs, and her heart ached. When would their lives feel normal again?

 

Look for Hard Lemonade in ebook or paperback formats Oct. 1!

Here’s a sneak peek from my Pinterest storyboard.

Darlene