When
Maeve McKenna renounces her witch powers and accepts a low-key nurse
practitioner position at a Virginia retirement community, the last
thing she expects is a suicide her first day on the job.
As the
town's sexy sheriff, Paul Sutton, starts looking into the tragic
death of his father's friend, Maeve can't help but get involved--with
both the case and him. Their informal investigation unveils an old
journal that connects the ruins of a nearby asylum and long-forgotten
cemetery with the shiny new retirement community's memory unit--and
Maeve's Alzheimer's patients.
Maeve
senses a sinister presence in the old asylum, calling to the
patients, but in order to stop it from killing again, she must first
conquer some demons of her own and reclaim the magic she's denied
herself.
Excerpt From Memories of Murder
As if on
cue, her cell phone rang and when she saw her mother’s number she
sighed. Her Mom had been great during her crisis, but now had trouble
letting go. Of course Maeve was grateful her mother and aunts had
flown to Atlanta as soon as they’d heard about the attack. The
Gems—the triumvirate of her mother, Opal, aunts Ruby and Pearl
insisted Maeve return to Savannah to heal as soon as she could leave
the hospital. There, the Gems helped restore her health with
tenderness and a little magic.
Her
mother and aunts had to stop worrying about her. She took a deep
breath and forced a brightness into her voice she didn’t feel. “Hi,
Mom.”
“Emerald,
darling, how are you?” Her mother’s voice was a rich contralto
tinged with concern.
Maeve
cringed at her mother’s use of her first name. She chose to use her
middle name after she bound her powers. However, her mother persisted
in calling her Emerald or Em no matter how many times Maeve reminded
her.
“Yes,
I’m fine. I made it and I’m on the way to the cabin I’m renting
now,” Maeve said. “How are you?”
“Oh,
I’m the same as ever,” her mother said with a deep chuckle.
“Incorrigible.”
Maeve
had to laugh. Yep, that was her mom.
“So,
do you like it there?”
Maeve
sighed. “I just got here. But so far it’s very picturesque. The
retirement community is obviously exclusive. You should see it. In a
few months maybe you guys could come up for a weekend and sightsee.”
“You’re
not telling me something. What happened to upset you?” Opal’s
tone sharpened.
“Mom,
stop it. You always say that when I talk to you from out of town. I’m
perfectly fine,” she lied.
“Really,
Maeve, Ruby saw a crow in her front yard this morning. A crow!”
“Big
deal, a bird flew into her yard.”
“No,
not just any bird. And then she went out back to work in the garden
and found another one dead on the stone path. You can’t say that’s
a coincidence.” She ended on a triumphant note.
“Mom.”
“I
know, I know. You don’t want to hear about omens. But mark my words
Emerald Maeve McKenna, one day you will recognize the value of your
heritage and be glad you have the powers.”
“Mom!”
“Okay.
I’m done.”
“Good.
Now please give the rest of the Gems my love, tell them I miss them
and take care. I’ll call you later in the week and let you know how
the job is going.”
“I
will. Take care and I hope whatever it is you’re not telling me is
nothing really bad.”
“Mom!”
“Good
bye, darling.”
“Bye,
Mom.”
She
didn’t know whether to smile, grit her teeth, or both. Although her
Gems had saved her, she also needed distance from her family for a
while. It was important to find her own balance now that she had
renounced her witch powers. She swallowed, regrouped her thoughts,
and then headed into downtown Rolling Gap. She had to keep going.
There was no other way to survive.
Want to read more? Memories of Murder can be purchased at Amazon.com
Meet The Author
Lara
Nance grew up and lived in many cities throughout the South. She
loves to write in a variety of genres within the scope of women’s
fiction. But the basis of all her stories is a tale that will
entertain and intrigue.
If you want to escape and lose yourself in a novel, you’ve come to the right place. Choose your genre and settle in to be entertained. From thrilling mysteries and steampunk tales, to paranormal romance and adventure, Lara’s willing to explore a variety of compelling stories full of danger and suspense, with a touch of romance.
Having been on the fencing team in college and now living on a sailboat convinces her that she was a pirate in another life, or possibly kin to Errol Flynn… However, due to the unfortunate demise of the romantic pirates of the past, she lives out her fantasies, thrills and adventures in her stories.
Currently docked in Norfolk, Virginia (until the wind changes) Lara enjoys living on her sailboat and spends time reading, of course writing, indulging a variety of artistic endeavors, cooking and sailing with her husband, Joe and their Yorkie, Rio.
Contact Lara Nance
Before you go be sure to leave Lara a comment with your email address because at each stop, Lara will award a signed cover flat; and a $50 Amazon gift card will be awarded to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. A $50 Amazon gift card and a signed cover flat will be awarded to a randomly drawn host. To increase your chances of winning follow Lara on her other stops during this tour. Her other stops can be found at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-super-book-blast-memories-of.html
Thanks for the excerpt and the blurb! I'm having a pretty great time on this blast learning about the book and of course about Laura!
ReplyDeleteandralynn7 AT gmail DOT com
The excerpt was really good. I love ther premise of the book. Will be looking for your book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting me today! I hope everyone is having a great Monday.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the readers for stopping by also. I hope you'll like this story, it has won awards for paranormal romance and 4.5 stars in a Romantic Times Magazine review, so I'm pretty proud of it.
This is a great opportunity to check it out for only .99 cents on your favorite e-reader.
Be sure to stop by my website and let me know if you liked it. I love to hear from readers! XOXOXO Lara
I'm adding that one to my tbr list, it's sounds really good!
ReplyDeletelennascloud AT gmail dot com
Thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteGood excerpt! Makes me wonder where the "Gems" live since they had to fly into town to take care of Maeve.....Thanks for the giveaway
ReplyDeletejunegirl63 at gmail dot com
The book sounds very intriguing.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com