This is a lovely blog review for The Cultist’s Wife!
Category: My writing
It’s Release Day for The Cultist’s Wife!
This book o’ mine had a long, strange, and winding journey to publication but it’s HERE.
Long time readers of this blog first encountered it as a story about a little girl going to the Bahamas called Sand and Bones. Then I re-wrote it to be Clara’s story, and it became Escaping Andronicus. And then I let my Beta readers (thank you Dover and Thena!) at it (again) and it was finally titled The Cultist’s Wife.
Then it sat in my To Be Edited folder while I worked on The Vitruvian Mask because I had people asking me for a sequel to The Archimedean Heart and I am nothing if not responsive to my readers. <grin>
But finally, I returned to this book and polished it up to a shine. I had my developmental editor give it another pass. A sensitivity reader took a look at it from a Black Bahamian perspective. I hired a proofreader (thanks, Alison!) and got a great cover designer (Kelley York at Sleepy Fox Studios). I think it’s the story I wanted to tell now.
I have had some lovely people look at the ARCs and wanted to share snippets of their reviews:
The book took my breath away…
It had everything that I was looking for…
I was so enthralled in this story I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I couldn’t be reading it.
This was a quick read and it sucked me in right away!
Read this in 2 days. Very readable!
Awww, you folks are so sweet! <BLUSH> I was so pleased to read these reviews!
If you want your own copy, The Cultist’s Wife is on sale through the month of May.
It’s part of a promo package with a ton of other horror, mystery, and suspense books here or by itself here.
COVER REVEAL! The Cultist’s Wife
Here it is, the cover for my next book, The Cultist’s Wife! It was designed by the very talented Kelley York at Sleepy Fox Studios. I am thrilled! It really captures the essence of the book, a historical gothic horror set in 1908 Bahamas.
I am doing a pre-release sale right now through the release day (1 May 2024).
ARCs available now for The Cultist’s Wife
1908, the height of the British Empire. Clara’s autonomy is shattered when her long-absent husband summons her to join him at his eerie sect’s headquarters, insulated on a sparsely inhabited island in the Bahamas.
After a harrowing sea voyage, Clara and her children disembark into an unfamiliar landscape and climate. The children explore the marvels and mysteries of Andros Island and develop friendships with a Bahamian family, while Clara struggles to find her place as a woman within the cult.
But what seems at first to be a spiritual haven for Clara reveals itself to be a monster-worshiping cult intent on draining her family of more than their fortune.
Clara realizes that her quest for independence must mesh with her need to protect her children from the cult’s depraved attempts to consume their life essence.
Thanks for your interest. The ARC signups are now closed. To be part of the next ARC campaign, sign up for my email newsletter.
SNEAK PEAK: The Cultist’s Wife
I will be publishing The Cultist’s Wife on the 1st May 2024 (YES, FINALLY) so for my dearest subscribers, I am giving you a sneak peak. This is the first scene of the book. Enjoy!
Near Bath, England, 1908
Fragrant smoke swirled around Clara, its spicy, musky scent relaxing her. She breathed deeply, released from her corset’s constraints. She was free for at least an hour or two this morning before her obligations descended again. Clara’s heavy silk robe caressed her body and she shivered with pleasure. She settled more comfortably onto the large cushion on the floor of her darkened sitting room and focused on the single candle flame in front of her.
A childish voice shrieked outside her sitting room. Clara sighed and glanced at the door.
Can’t Nanny manage the children for an hour? I just need some time to myself.
The noise faded and her sitting room grew quiet. She took a long steadying breath, trying to regain her inner peace. Her reading into Esoterica and Spiritualism had hinted at possibilities of life beyond the constraints and expectations of society. Her marriage, her home, even having children had all been others’ choices. She needed guidance on how to become her own person, to find her own happiness. Her knees ached as she knelt on the cushion, and she shifted. Her feet were numb and tingling. She wiggled her toes and exhaled.
How do the gurus sit like this for hours?
Gathering her focus again, she determined to sit still until her spirit guide manifested and gave her the advice she sought. She had never actually seen her spirit guide or spoken to him, but her references assured her of his presence. She just needed to focus long enough. It had been so much easier to see the spirit world when she was a child. Clara leaned forward and sprinkled more incense on the brazier. A cloud billowed up and she watched as patterns formed in the musky, intoxicating smoke. Coughing a little, Clara squinted in the darkness.
Was that a face in the smoke? Could he be manifesting to her finally?
Clara struggled to sit still. Her body tensed with excitement and her breathing came fast and shallow. The image coalesced further, and the face began to look familiar. She squinted in the gloom.
That face…it’s so familiar. Who is it? Oh no…it can’t be…
Disappointment fell heavy upon her. The face in the smoke resembled her long-absent husband Theophilus. But why would her spirit guide look like him? Clara scowled at the likeness of her husband’s face. This apparition couldn’t be her spirit guide. She had somehow conjured up a vision of Theophilus. Her heart thumped hard. Why should he appear to her now when he had been in the Bahamas for five years? Was he dead and his ghost was haunting her? As if in answer to her questioning, the mouth opened in a silent scream and the eyes grew wide in terror. Clara gasped and cringed back from the brazier. Cold crept across her skin. She shivered and reached for her shawl, draping it around her shoulders without shifting her stare from the phantasm. It continued to scream without making a sound, its gaping mouth opening and closing. She pulled the shawl closer, her hands clenching the fabric.
The ghosts I saw as a child never looked like that. I don’t think he’s dead. Perhaps he’s in danger.
The smoke drifted higher, and the phantasm dissipated. Tears filled her eyes. Clara rose off her pillow, wincing at the tingling in her feet. Theophilus’s portrait above the mantel, illuminated by the single candle, glared down at her. Life with that cold, brutal man had been joyless. She glowered back at the image, wishing she had the courage to take the painting down.
I wanted insight into becoming happy. Does the road to my happiness lie with helping Theophilus?
She shook her head, remembering all the times when he had laughed at her spiritual explorations. He would find it ludicrous if she told him about having a vision of him being in trouble. But she had been seeking guidance from her spirit guide. Would she have to go to the Bahamas to help Theophilus? She paced across the little sitting room to the window and pulled back the heavy drapes. The misty green countryside stretched away into the distance.
I don’t want to leave England to be with Theophilus. He’ll take over my life like he did when he was here.
Tears welled up in her eyes and she gulped, trying to suppress them. They poured hot down her cheeks. Clara pressed her trembling hands against her face, but the tears kept coming. Her sobs shook her body and she moaned, trying to catch her breath.
Stop it, stop it. Control yourself, Clara.
She shoved a fist into her mouth to stifle the undignified sounds and sank to her knees, head resting on the windowsill. She fought the urge to shriek her fury.
I can’t go. I hate him. I hate him.
Clara sucked in a harsh breath, shuddering. The anger dissipated as quickly as it had overtaken her, leaving Clara weak and empty, her face wet. She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears away. She’d need to repair her ravaged face before tea. She looked back at the brazier. The manifestation had been so vivid. Was it a true seeing or guilt over her hatred of her husband? She couldn’t give up her quest for happiness to go to Theophilus because of this vision. Could she?
If you want to read more, I have advance reading copies available NOW. Fill out my Google form if you want to join my ARC team and get a free ebook of the full manuscript. https://forms.gle/P6wByjARvdjHNQ4E9
A misery fest? Sure!
Tony over at Liminal Press reviewed The Vitruvian Mask and something about it made me laugh and say, YEAH…the line in particular that tickled me was “Let’s be honest, The Vitruvian Mask is a bit of a misery fest while also being quite a great read.”
A misery fest? I hadn’t conceived of it that way, but it is a bit grim…I guess I LIKE grim!
Book Review: The Travelling City
The Travelling City : A Fantasy Action Adventure by Adrienne Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The idea of a floating city created by people’s thoughts is both fascinating and terrifying. What is real and what an illusion? Adrienne Miller weaves an intricate tale of created people who are more human than some of the humans they serve. They live in a city of illusions and danger where those with power to manifest illusions are the only people who matter.
The main characters are flawed, wonderful beings; one a human with immense powers and the other a servant, created by hidden aliens for the good of the human inhabitants. I loved both of them, because their struggles felt so real and relatable despite being in a fantasy world.
I was completely immersed in this fantasy, a rarity for me. I am looking forward to Book 2!
View all my reviews
Kindle Giveaway on Goodreads! If you want a free copy of this book, there’s a Goodreads giveaway going until July 27!
Who doesn’t like FREE books?
Now is your best chance to find my entire ebook collection for a promotional price at @Smashwords as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale! Find my books and many more at https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos all month! Sale ends 31 July 2023. #SWSale2023 #Smashwords
Is Writing a “Muscle”? Should You Write Every Day?
Lots of authors worry about the number of words they write per day. Some even post the tally on Facebook or Twitter as if they’re in some kind of competition. And if they’re not writing at least 500 or 1200 or 2000 words or whatever quota they’ve set, they feel miserable. Why aren’t they working […]
Is Writing a “Muscle”? Should You Write Every Day?
After hearing SO many people claim that ‘real” writers write every day, it’s refreshing to hear an alternate approach.
True confession: I don’t write every day (gasp!) but even the days when I am not writing, I am thinking, planning, researching, editing, etc., my stories.
In my back garden…
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
…there are three hens in my back garden who are silly, silly creatures. They don’t do anything in particular that’s odd for a chicken and yet their antics make me giggle. Just watching them run across the garden to get to their favorite spot to scratch makes me laugh every time. Running chickens are so very silly, all waddly and plump. If I need a mood boost, I go out and watch my chickens.