Hello friends! I'm on the road with author Joan Hall, helping her announce the first book of the Legends of Madeira series: COLD DARK NIGHT. Joan offers us an exciting excerpt and also includes the blurb. These two were enough to prompt me to run to Amazon! I'm looking forward to the read.
Let's see what Joan has to say!
Let's see what Joan has to say!
Thank you for hosting me today, Gwen, on this stop of my promo tour for Cold Dark Night. As you mentioned, it’s the first novel in the Legends of Madeira series. Each book begins with a historical event that ties to modern day.
I often use real life experiences in my books. When I was younger, I had several dreams that came true. When creating my character Abbey Lane, I decided she would have premonitions in the form of dreams.
Readers first hear of Abbey in the short story prequel, House of Sorrow. She is the local librarian, grew up in Madeira and returned there after college. She lives in the house once occupied by Ruth Hazelton’s neighbor, Same.
When Tami moves into Ruth’s house, the two women soon become friends. Abbey soon has the first in a series of dreams involving a house. She suspects it may be the one Tami lives in, but she’s reluctant to share her premonitions because of an experience with one of her best friends.
Excerpt:
Abbey Lane sat at the breakfast table, hoping a second cup of coffee would revive her. She’d tossed and turned for the latter part of the night. It had been a long time since she’d had one of those dreams.
She was seventeen when she dreamed an uncle lost his job. Three days later, it happened. Another time she dreamed a classmate had been in an accident. When she went to school on Monday, he was late arriving. Abbey saw him in the hall later that morning, and he said he’d been in a car wreck. She told her sister about both dreams. Penny said it was a gift.
In a way, Abbey guessed it was. There were times she had been able to warn someone they were in danger. But others scoffed at the idea of someone knowing impending events. A neighbor once accused her of fortune-telling, saying it was evil.
She shrugged off the accusation. But when one of her best friends refused to listen to her warning, she looked upon her gift as a curse.
Please don’t go.
Abbey, I have to. I made a commitment and I’m going to stick with it.
I don’t want anything to happen to you.
It’s not like that’s going to happen. Anyway, it’s silly to think something would because of a dream.
Abbey shook aside the memory. After all these years it was too painful. Except for Penny, he’d been the one who never judged her.
As the years passed, the dreams became less frequent. Guess it was like any other talent. If you ignored it, the ability eventually went away.
Most of her visions were vivid and easily recalled. This time, she couldn’t grasp all the details no matter how hard she tried.
Someone was lurking outside a two-story house. She couldn’t tell whether the person was a man or a woman, only that they were intent on harming whoever lived there.
Last night’s dream meant something. She hadn’t felt this strongly about one in years. If only there was someone to talk to. Maybe she’d tell Penny.
Abbey glanced at the clock on the stove. There was much to do before the library opened. Sleeplessness or not, this was no time to dawdle. She rinsed her coffee cup in the sink, grabbed her purse, then walked outside.
Across the street, Tami sat in the porch swing, watching Jason drive away. Abbey called out to her, “Taking advantage of the mild weather?”
“Yeah. I hear it won’t last long, so I thought I’d enjoy the outdoors while I can.”
As Abbey slid into her car, a chill enveloped her. The house… older… two-story…
The memory faded as quickly as it appeared. Tami’s house was similar.
No. The house in my dream didn’t have others nearby. I’m sure of it.
But when she drove away, she couldn’t shake the feeling someone close to her would soon be in danger.
><><><><
This isn’t the only dream Abbey has about an older house. Her dreams are a key role in solving the mystery.
Blurb:
New husband, new house, new town… and a new mystery to solve.
Tami Montgomery thought her police chief husband was going to be the only investigator in the family when she gave up her journalism career and moved with him to Madeira, New Mexico.
But after the historical society asks her to write stories for a book celebrating the town’s history, she becomes embroiled in a new mystery. If she can’t solve this one, she could lose everything. Her research uncovers a spate of untimely deaths of local law enforcement officials. Further digging reveals a common link—they all lived in the house she and Jason now share.
Tami isn’t a superstitious person, but the circumstances are too similar for coincidence. Then she unearths an even more disturbing pattern. And if history repeats itself, her husband will be the next to die.
Thank you for hosting me today, Gwen, on this stop of my promo tour for Cold Dark Night. As you mentioned, it’s the first novel in the Legends of Madeira series. Each book begins with a historical event that ties to modern day.
I often use real life experiences in my books. When I was younger, I had several dreams that came true. When creating my character Abbey Lane, I decided she would have premonitions in the form of dreams.
Readers first hear of Abbey in the short story prequel, House of Sorrow. She is the local librarian, grew up in Madeira and returned there after college. She lives in the house once occupied by Ruth Hazelton’s neighbor, Same.
When Tami moves into Ruth’s house, the two women soon become friends. Abbey soon has the first in a series of dreams involving a house. She suspects it may be the one Tami lives in, but she’s reluctant to share her premonitions because of an experience with one of her best friends.
Excerpt:
Abbey Lane sat at the breakfast table, hoping a second cup of coffee would revive her. She’d tossed and turned for the latter part of the night. It had been a long time since she’d had one of those dreams.
She was seventeen when she dreamed an uncle lost his job. Three days later, it happened. Another time she dreamed a classmate had been in an accident. When she went to school on Monday, he was late arriving. Abbey saw him in the hall later that morning, and he said he’d been in a car wreck. She told her sister about both dreams. Penny said it was a gift.
In a way, Abbey guessed it was. There were times she had been able to warn someone they were in danger. But others scoffed at the idea of someone knowing impending events. A neighbor once accused her of fortune-telling, saying it was evil.
She shrugged off the accusation. But when one of her best friends refused to listen to her warning, she looked upon her gift as a curse.
Please don’t go.
Abbey, I have to. I made a commitment and I’m going to stick with it.
I don’t want anything to happen to you.
It’s not like that’s going to happen. Anyway, it’s silly to think something would because of a dream.
Abbey shook aside the memory. After all these years it was too painful. Except for Penny, he’d been the one who never judged her.
As the years passed, the dreams became less frequent. Guess it was like any other talent. If you ignored it, the ability eventually went away.
Most of her visions were vivid and easily recalled. This time, she couldn’t grasp all the details no matter how hard she tried.
Someone was lurking outside a two-story house. She couldn’t tell whether the person was a man or a woman, only that they were intent on harming whoever lived there.
Last night’s dream meant something. She hadn’t felt this strongly about one in years. If only there was someone to talk to. Maybe she’d tell Penny.
Abbey glanced at the clock on the stove. There was much to do before the library opened. Sleeplessness or not, this was no time to dawdle. She rinsed her coffee cup in the sink, grabbed her purse, then walked outside.
Across the street, Tami sat in the porch swing, watching Jason drive away. Abbey called out to her, “Taking advantage of the mild weather?”
“Yeah. I hear it won’t last long, so I thought I’d enjoy the outdoors while I can.”
As Abbey slid into her car, a chill enveloped her. The house… older… two-story…
The memory faded as quickly as it appeared. Tami’s house was similar.
No. The house in my dream didn’t have others nearby. I’m sure of it.
But when she drove away, she couldn’t shake the feeling someone close to her would soon be in danger.
><><><><
This isn’t the only dream Abbey has about an older house. Her dreams are a key role in solving the mystery.
Blurb:
New husband, new house, new town… and a new mystery to solve.
Tami Montgomery thought her police chief husband was going to be the only investigator in the family when she gave up her journalism career and moved with him to Madeira, New Mexico.
But after the historical society asks her to write stories for a book celebrating the town’s history, she becomes embroiled in a new mystery. If she can’t solve this one, she could lose everything. Her research uncovers a spate of untimely deaths of local law enforcement officials. Further digging reveals a common link—they all lived in the house she and Jason now share.
Tami isn’t a superstitious person, but the circumstances are too similar for coincidence. Then she unearths an even more disturbing pattern. And if history repeats itself, her husband will be the next to die.
Purchase Link at Amazon:
Cold Dark Night is available on Amazon. It’s on sale for .99 through June 15. After that, the price goes to $3.99, so this is a good time for readers to grab a copy. Just click on the image to travel to Amazon.
Cold Dark Night is available on Amazon. It’s on sale for .99 through June 15. After that, the price goes to $3.99, so this is a good time for readers to grab a copy. Just click on the image to travel to Amazon.
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