M.C.V. EGAN ❧Defining Ways❧

Nova Ladies Adventures, Book Three

by Alathia Paris Morgan

Julie, while recovering from wounds sustained in the line of duty, discovers she isn’t who she believed herself to be. Her journey into the past, leads her on the path to her future, but there are those who would prefer the past not to resurface. Determined to find out the truth about her family, Julie is in a race to sift through years of secrets before the past has a chance to silence her for good.

“Well, you said you needed to talk, so spill. I’ve got hours to listen, drink coffee, and eat pie.” Allie grinned as she took a sip of her coffee.

“You really should be a cop.” Julie shook her head at Allie’s intuition, and relayed the conversation with her grandmother from earlier in the day.

“I’m very confused. What do I do about this situation?” Julie concluded.

“Do you want to go to Georgia and meet your grandmother?” Allie watched Julie’s face closely.

“Yes, but I feel like I’m betraying Grams. I mean, she’s the one that wants me to go, but doesn’t meeting Mimi Millie lessen all the things she’s done for me over the years?” Julie grimaced in frustration.

“Absolutely not,” Allie exclaimed vehemently. “She will always be your grandmother, and she knew this day would come eventually. It would be good for you to expand your horizons and meet more of your family. Admit it, you might find a handsome man to fall in love with, ’cause Lord knows, you won’t find one here.”

“Allie, I can’t meet a man there. He might be my cousin or uncle, or something weird. There are no men knocking down my door, but I haven’t been overly friendly with guys either.” Julie looked disgusted.

“Julie.” Allie laid a hand on her arm. “There are plenty of men in the entire state of Georgia that aren’t related to you. You just have to be willing to open up and let them get to know the real you.”

“I can’t. As soon as they find out that I carry a gun and run toward danger, guys run in the opposite direction. Besides, if I went out there, it would be to meet my family, not a guy. My life is here,” Julie finished, firmly running out of reasons she couldn’t date a guy.

“Really, your life is here? Where you grew up and know about everyone and their dating histories? Unless you know someplace where they have mail order grooms that don’t need a green card, then you could just order the perfect man,” Allie joked.

“See? This is why I called. I knew it was crazy to go across the country and meet people who might be criminals themselves.”

“Nope, not what I said. Besides, we have serial killers right here. You helped to take one down that you’ve known your whole life, so at least give these new people in your life the benefit of the doubt, okay? They can’t be any worse than the people here in this town.”

“Crap. Why did you have to bring up sensible reasons when I was looking for excuses?” Julie pouted.

“So are you going to tell them you’re coming, or just show up on Mimi Millie’s doorstep?” Allie asked practically.

“I’m going to wait until Grams leaves for church in the morning. She won’t know until she gets home what I’m doing.” Julie pulled out the key to the cedar chest. “I’m going to read through sixty years’ worth of letters before I go traipsing about. I might get all the answers I need and not have to go anywhere.”

“Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that. I’ll just explain it to Justin that you needed to go on an epic adventure and destroy a ring at the top of a mountain.” Allie laughed at the bewildered expression on Julie’s face. “Justin made me watch this movie about a Hobbit who goes on an adventure. He said my movie education was sadly lacking.”

“Oh, I get it now. Haha.” Julie gave her a tight smile.

“All right, that’s it. Get up.” Allie stood abruptly.

“Wait, where are we going?”

“To get you packed for your journey.” Allie collected the trash to dispose of it as they left.

“But I’m not sure if I’m going yet,” Julie protested.

“Julie, do I need to call Megan on her honeymoon?” Allie was referring to their friend who had been chased by a serial killer and poisoned. She was now recovering with her new husband, and wouldn’t want to be disturbed, but the threat of calling her would be enough guilt for Julie to comply.

“No,” Julie whined. “Let’s go.”

Ding-Dong—Is She Dead

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After witnessing a Mob murder in NYC, Allie Foster is placed in the witness protection program. Starting a new life in Texas is hard enough—but finding a front door hanging on its hinges while delivering Nova beauty products makes it even more difficult. A grisly trail of blood leads her to a terrifying discover… a body. After a heart-stopping moment of fear, Allie realizes her friend is still alive, although badly beaten. When she rushes Megan to the hospital, it puts Allie right back where she doesn’t need to be—embroiled in yet another mystery.

Allie offers to help her friend protect her daughter, even as a second attempt on Megan’s life reveals her husband will stop at nothing to prove he’s above the law. When it fails again, Megan’s abuser decides to take his anger out on Allie instead. With the help of a handsome stranger, Allie escapes, but now both women are in danger. Justin Greenley, the gallant protector, offers them a safe haven until the would-be murderer is caught. His family’s ranch seems the idyllic choice, but Allie isn’t sure if she should trust Justin with her life… even if her heart tells her she should.

Death by Poison

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After surviving an abusive husband, Megan Butts wants nothing more than a fresh start with her daughter Sally. She’s grateful for their home at the ranch, pitching in whenever she’s not working on her new Nova business. When she offers to clean out a cabin on the property, she uncovers more than she bargained for in a stack of old diaries.

Her tentative relationship with Mark Greenley takes a nosedive when Megan starts to investigate his mother’s death by supposed suicide, uncovering a trail of hidden money and blackmail twenty-five years in the making. Mark doesn’t want to dredge up the past, but Megan is determined to dig deeper, despite her overwhelming urge to give into her inclinations to obey men, a lesson her ex tried to beat into her. When the mystery starts to endanger not only her life, but the life of her daughter, Megan must decide if her new love and life are worth the pursuit of justice.

Alathia is known to those around her for having an a long time love affair/obsession with Dr. Pepper, she has asked to be buried with a can so that it never runs out in the after life. Always bossy, she uses her mothering instincts to help others and share awareness of abuse in child and domestic situations.

A B.S. in History and English gave wings to her vivid imagination in book form. A supportive and loving husband has given her the chance to make her dreams a reality. Their three daughters and three dogs keep her busy while writing is a great way for her to wind down and destress.

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It is a great honor to present the revamped Award winning book, 

”The Unholy, an excellent novel by Paul DeBlassie III, keeps the reader engaged throughout in mystery, suspense, and church politics. In addition to vividly depicting the beautiful landscape and culture of New Mexico, it exposes and strengthens the traditional work of the medicine women of the Southwest. I am looking forward to Dr. DeBlassie’s next book.” –Eliseo ”Cheo” Torres, author of Curandero: A Life In Mexican Folk Healing, professor, and university administrator.

A young curandera, a medicine woman, intent on uncovering the secrets of her past is forced into a life-and-death battle against an evil Archbishop. Set in the mystic land of Aztlan, The Unholy is a novel of destiny as healer and slayer. Native lore of dreams and visions, shape changing, and natural magic work to spin a neo-gothic web in which sadness and mystery lure the unsuspecting into a twilight realm of discovery and decision.

Paul DeBlassie III, Ph.D. is a depth psychologist and award-winning writer living in his native New Mexico. He specializes in treating individuals in emotional and spiritual crisis. His novels, visionary thrillers, delve deep into archetypal realities as they play out dramatically in the lives of everyday people. Memberships include the Author’s Guild, the Depth Psychology Alliance, the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, and the International Association for Jungian Studies.

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CHECK OUT HIS OTHER AWARD WINNING BOOK!

Winner of the NYC Big Book Award, Goddess of the Wild Thing is a dramatic tale of one woman’s spiritual journey where magical happenings, unexpected turns of fate, and unseen forces impact her ability to love and be loved. Eve Sanchez, a scholar of esoteric studies, is driven into unreal dimensions of horror and hope as she encounters a seductive and frightening man, criminal lawyer Sam Shear.

Sam introduces Eve to a supernatural world in which the wicked powers of a surrogate mother’s twisted affection threaten love and life. Struggling to sort through right from wrong, frightened yet determined, Eve nears despair.

In the mystic realm of Aztlan del Sur, a mythopoeic land of hidden horrors and guiding spirits, Eve, with three friends and a wise-old woman, is caught in an age-old struggle about love—whether bad love is better than no love— and discovers that love is a wild thing.

Get your Goddess on! EXCERPTS:

Elizabeth cradled the cup in her hands as she sipped. Claire had just begun to feel settled into the session as Elizabeth finished her tea, set her eyes hard on Claire, and threw a poison dart, in her gravelly voice, asserting, “You are a medicine woman—of Lozen—like your mother, Claire.” The words were hate-filled, meant to wound. Despite the culture in which she had been raised, Claire considered herself a natural therapist not a medicine woman, the distinction a matter of life and death. In her mind, she had long ago made the decision that being a medicine woman like her mother meant exposing herself to evil and injury and, potentially, death. Years ago, when handed the five-foot oak staff that had belonged to her mother, Claire had angrily rejected it, refusing initiation into the way of the medicine woman. Back then, she had often had fearsome memories of being a young child in the forest, an ominous black-cloaked man assaulting her mother, and hearing her mother’s screams— a child’s nightmare.

The words of her adoptive mother, her mother’s closest friend, reverberated in her mind: “You are of Lozen—a medicine woman. A time may come when only the staff can save you.” Claire’s stomach churned. None of her patients had ever attacked her so personally. She felt the blood draining from her head and a sharp pain shooting through her eyes. Elizabeth was trying to stop her from asking anymore prying questions.

“Are you all right,Claire?” she asked after a minute, her tone laced with sarcasm and a sneer on her face, expressions Claire was sad to see.

“You did what you wanted to do, Elizabeth. You shut me down,” Claire replied evenly, holding her gaze. She felt compassion for Elizabeth, realizing that all that she had locked inside of her must be nothing short of terrifying. Elizabeth didn’t let it go, though, saying, “You are of Lozen just like she was.”

This time her sneer was even more etched into the sunbaked lines that streaked across her face.

“I’m a natural therapist, Elizabeth, not a medicine woman,” Claire replied firmly.

She heard a voice whispering, Land of the forsaken, land of the lost… bring her to me…Claire. As she ran forward, out of nowhere the two crows flew at her, scraping the air near her face with their sharp talons. Fists clenched, she struck out at one and grabbed at the other. They flew up, circled overhead, then dove, talons flaring. Unmoving, Claire placed her hands by her side and held their gaze. They fluttered above her head for a minute, then left. Claire turned and saw an eagle soaring—a healer’s spirit manifestation. Medicine women said it came only when needed, when danger lurked.

Frantically tugging away bush, bramble, and cacti, she uncovered the mouth of the seventh cave and stepped in. She had the feeling somebody was watching.

Her eyes adjusted and she made out the contour of something. Squinting, she stooped and touched what seemed to be a circle of stones and charred, cold logs. She stood up and pulled back. A bat flew at her. She waved it away.

She stopped, waited for her breathing to slow, and, stepping sideways, touched the walls of the cave. They were damp and the stink of blood and guts was everywhere. Using the hard surfaces as a guide, her fingertips suddenly brushed through a hollow space roughly the size of a human body.

Books On Fire Tours Review: It is so awesome to have a kickass read that not only empowers women but broadens your horizons. Set in New Mexico’s mythical city of Aztlan a woman takes on a very powerful man and confronts her past.

Author Paul DeBlassie III deserves more rewards for this masterpiece, because it challenges conventional beliefs. Trust a depth psychologist to grip you into a war between good versus evil, and make you research mythical versus historical .

I loved the way reality blurred with fantasy! You will never know what to expect next in this page turner.

“Mr. Paul DeBlassie III’s novel is a story about a battle between the medicine women of Aztlan (Yes, I had to look it up) and an evil archbishop. It has an ending that you do not see coming. This novel also shows the author’s vast knowledge of Aztlan’s culture and customs. A good read.” Joseph Inzirillo, Author of “The Meeting.”

“Nothing like a good religious oppression to create fanatics that follow their religious authorities to the extremes. In this very entertaining novel, Paul treats this theme with mastery.

The plot is well elaborated and it all starts with a murder witnessed by a young girl (Claire). Her mother was just killed in a mysterious way. Somehow she managed to escape with the help of wolves and a good friend of his mother takes care of her. When she grew up, she became a doctor and starts working for a hospital in the area where she was born. But she finds that the institution Ecclesia Dei has strong influence over most of the inhabitants of the area, mostly through its leader, Archbishop Anarch. Trying to dig into some mysterious facts happening in the hospital and the community, she finds that the church controls even the authorities of the city, like the police chief. And through signals and perception, she starts finding her power, inherited from her mother, a medicine woman. And with the help of her aunt and a couple of friends she tries to unveil her past and figure out what really happened to her mother. But playing with Ecclesia Dei puts everybody that she cares at risk, including herself, as she soon finds out.

The story is full of suspense and you will read it at the edge of your chair, until you turn the last page. The characters are well developed and you feel their emotions. The environment is richly described and soon you start cheering and caring for our young heroine.

I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader who appreciate a well written novel, full of twists and suspense, which will keep them entertained for hours. It took me around seven hours to read the whole book.”

“Claire Sanchez comes from a long line of medicine women. At the age of five she was witness to her mother’s brutal murder. But since there was no evidence, they claimed Claire imagined the black cloaked man that claimed her mother’s life, and instead they believed that Lucia Sanchez had fallen victim to wolves. Now twenty years has passed, Claire has to decide if she will accept her destiny and have her medicine woman ritual done, with a fear that her mother died because she was a medicine woman or fight her destiny. The spirits are sending her warnings, will she listen before she loses everyone she holds dear?

This was an excellent good verses evil novel. It held new captivated throughout! This book has everything, there’s action, suspense, and even romance! Claire is an easy to love character, she was such a selfless person, you could easily see why Anthony loved her. Francesca, was an awesome second mother. Although she knew what Claire needed to do, she never pushed. The relationship between Anthony and Claire was so wonderful, he was such a patient guy. Archbishop Anarch was a guy you just love to hate, he was so self-centered it was unreal. This was a great book for a Friday the 13th review. If you like thrillers mixed with suspense, then this should be at the top of your TBR pile!”

Among mermaids and humans, cruelty has many faces.

One secret Adelaide has kept for as long as she can remember—her love for Jonas. She is the daughter of the clan’s elder; he is a bottom feeder. As Mer, they can never be together. But as humans, it might be possible.

When Jonas’s reckoning comes, he must go to land during the cycle of the full moon. But when the next cycle comes around, he doesn’t return. Fearing what might have become of him, Adelaide follows and gains legs for herself. But living life as a human is much more difficult than she imagined. And finding Jonas is just as hard. To follow him to the underwater city, she must endure the Initiate’s Trial. Her strength and resolve will be tested, if she wants to find Jonas and survive.

Adelaide must prove she’s more than just a mermaid princess.

Available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited

Pauline Creeden

Pauline Creeden is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. In her fiction, she creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.

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THIS WEEK’S BEST SELLING AUTHOR…

ALYSSA DAY!

Alyssa Day is the pen name (and dark and tortured alter ego) of author Alesia Holliday. As Alyssa, she is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, and she writes the Warriors of Poseidon and Cardinal Witches paranormal romance series and the Tiger’s Eye Mysteries, a paranormal mystery series. As Alesia, she writes comedies that make readers snort things out of their noses, and is the author of the award-winning memoir about military families during war-time deployments: Email to the Front. She has won many awards for her writing, including Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award for outstanding romance fiction and the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Paranormal Romance novel of 2012.

Alyssa is a diehard Buckeye who graduated summa cum laude from Capital University Law School and practiced as a trial lawyer in multi-million dollar litigation for several years before coming to her senses and letting the voices in her head loose on paper. She has lived all over the country, including Florida, Mississippi, Washington state, Ohio, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Colorado, Illinois, Texas, Alaska, Michigan, Virginia—and she has lived all over the world: the Philippines, Turkey, and Japan. She loves to travel, and just got back from a cruise to Cozumel (lovely! Wine on our balcony!) and an adventure with a group of high school art students to London, Paris (my favorite city in the world!) and Rome. She currently lives somewhere near an ocean with her Navy Guy husband, two kids, and any number of rescue dogs.