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Name of
fiction work? And were there other names you considered that you would like to
share with us? The third in my paranormal Booke of
the Hidden series is called Shadows in the Mist. I originally
had it as Dancing in the Mist, with
the visual in my head in mind of a sort of danse
macabre, but my editor didn’t like it. Since it dealt with zombie Vikings (I
KNOW!) emerging out of a mist they
created, “shadows” seemed to work better, though there are a lot of titles like
that, apparently. I guess we all prefer our mist with shadows.
Fiction
genre? Ex science fiction, short story,
fantasy novella, romance, drama, crime, plays, flash fiction, historical,
comedy, movie script, screenplay, etc.
And how many pages long? This one is a
paranormal romance with a lot of mystery and humor. I wanted that sensibility,
to offer the reader a romance, light comedy, some paranormal scary stuff, some
pathos and drama, adventure—something for everyone. It’s 286 print pages long.
Shadows in the Mist Excerpt
I went to the
door to flip the OPEN sign over to CLOSED when
I noticed a little girl standing in the middle of the road. She was looking
down toward the village.
Even though there
wasn’t likely to be much traffic at this hour of the afternoon, standing in the
road probably wasn’t a good idea. I unlocked the door, opened it, and stuck my
head out. “Little girl! Hey, honey! Come out of the street.”
She didn’t look
at me.
I stepped out to
my gravel parking lot. “Hey! Little girl! Come away from there.” I searched
around and didn’t see any adults nearby. And the sun was going down. That meant
that the Draugr would be out soon. I race-walked toward her and leaned over to
touch her arm. “Honey, let’s get you to the shop and see if we can call your
parents.”
She turned her
head toward me then. Her eyes, round and clear blue, looked me over. She was
maybe six or seven, wearing a plaid dress with red tights. Too young to be out
on the street at twilight.
I smiled, trying
to look friendly and nonthreatening. “I have tea. And maybe I can scrounge up a
cookie while we phone your folks. Shall we do that?”
She looked up at
me placidly. And then she opened her mouth and screeched an unearthly sound.
I stumbled back.
Her teeth were
covered in blood and her eyes suddenly glowed yellow. And then she fell
forward, got down on all fours, and bounded away.
“Did you see
that?” cried Nick from the doorway. Everyone had gathered when they saw me go
outside. All their faces were white and stark. I was willing to bet they hadn’t
seen anything like that before either.
I turned my
attention back to the creature quickly disappearing into the rising mist. My
instinct was to scream, but I started fiercely trembling instead.
Ed was at my
side. “What the hell was that?”
I shook my head.
Couldn’t speak. Would scream if I tried. But something else took over—those
damned Chosen Host skills—making me take off after her.
She was far
ahead, and I wasn’t gaining on her, even going full pelt as I was. While her
strange gait—butt in the air, running on hands and feet—was freaking me out, I
had to keep her in my sights. Something told me to raise my arm; the familiar
whistling sound of the crossbow coming toward me gave me a smidgen of
confidence. When it slapped into my hand, I clutched it hard. I glanced quickly
at the bolt in the flight groove and knew I’d never seen it before.
She was still
galloping down the street when she made a sudden turn at the church. She ran
past it and toward the dark gates of the cemetery. Don’t go in, don’t
go in, I chanted in my head. But when had anything gone my way lately?
She leapt right
over the closed gate. I slowed, my boots slapping the wet pavement as I came up
to a halt in front of the gate and clutched the cold metal bars in my hand.
Nick and then Ed
came up on either side of me, breathing hard. “What the hell was that?”
Ed asked again.
“Call me crazy,”
I said, “but I’m betting that wasn’t really a little girl.”
“But I know her,”
said Ed. “And…Jesus.” He loosened his tie and his collar. “A few days ago— It’s
Lexy Johnson.”
Nick snapped his
head toward Ed. “Lexy Johnson? You mean…the little girl who…who…”
Ed nodded. He
stepped up to the gate and peered through, scanning the tombstones and
monuments.
“She what?” I
asked Nick, then Ed. “She what?”
Nick finally
answered. “She died. She fell off the roof of her house three days ago. Her
funeral was yesterday.”
“She wasn’t a
ghost.” I checked the crossbow. It wouldn’t need to shoot a ghost. This bolt
was designed to kill something from the Booke. “But she’s dead. And she’s not a
Viking.”
“Wait,” said
Nick. “You mean she’s a zombie?”
“I don’t know.
Hey,” I turned, looking back down the street. “Where’s the rest of the coven?”
Nick’s eyes were
wide, scanning our surroundings. He licked his lips. “Ed told Jeff to stay and
tell the others when they arrived.” Nick couldn’t seem to help himself from
looking behind him again. “I left before I realized what I was doing.”
“For what it’s
worth, I’m glad you’re here.” I girded myself, securing the loaded crossbow in
my hands. “I’m going in.”
Ed’s hand wrapped
around my arm and squeezed. “Kylie, no.”
“Ed.” I lifted
the crossbow to show him. “I’ve got this, and it armed itself. That
means I’m up.”
“You’re serious
about this? Jesus. Let me do it. Hand me the crossbow.”
I snatched it
back. “Don’t you get it? This is my mission. It’s mine.”
“But…” He didn’t
know how to argue it.
I could see the
pain on his face, and I wanted more than anything to kiss it away from him.
“Then have my
back,” I said gently.
I saw the change
in him immediately. He straightened and had his gun in his hand so fast it
seemed a blur.
Nick raised his
trembling hand. “Uh…third banana, here. Without a weapon, I’d like to remind
you all.”
“You don’t have to
come, Nick.”
He looked behind
him one more time to the darkening street, filling with mist. “Well, I’m not
going back there alone.”
No more talk. I
pushed against the gate, which opened with a good, old-fashioned horror movie
whine. I stepped up the walkway and looked around. “Ed, do you know where
her…her grave is?”
“Yeah. Up this
way.”
It was the
perfect cliché cemetery. There was a kneeling, weeping angel to my right and a
vine-covered crypt up ahead to the left. Did they deliberately design these
places to look extra scary?
“I am sooo
creeped out right now,” said Nick.
“Me, too,” I
said, yet my feet kept moving.
Ed led the way up
onto the grass. We walked between tombstones as the light was falling and fog
was rising, sending fingers of mist hovering over the lawn. I hadn’t even had
time to grab my jacket. I wish the crossbow could have picked it up on its way
out.
I held the
crossbow at my shoulder and aimed it forward but kept looking all around. We
came to a rise and walked upward. Ed stopped, and I came up behind him.
“What is it?”
He was shaking
his head at something ahead of us. “What. The. Hell.”
I had a feeling
he’d be saying that a lot in the near future. When I came around him, I saw it
too. The grave had been opened, with dirt sprayed all over as if it had been
dug up by some enormous dog. The coffin had been dragged up out of the grave. A
child’s coffin. It was white with a sort of lace pattern—something dainty for a
little girl. And it was spattered with blood.
The lid had been
torn open, hanging on one remaining hinge. I didn’t want to look. I was about
to chicken out and make Ed go…when my hands tightened over the smooth ebony and
silver contours of the crossbow, feeling its organic lines and sensuous curves.
It reminded me that it was my job to look, to investigate, and to kill whatever
it was that had possessed that innocent child.
Ed was surprised
when he saw I was right beside him. “Kylie, you need to step back.”
“Ed, what I need
to do is go forward.”
“Sweetheart, there’s
blood all over that.”
I stopped.
“You…called me ‘sweetheart.’”
He blinked.
“Yeah.”
I slowly blew out
a breath. I liked the feeling I got from his words a little too much, but I had
to shove that aside. “I have to see what happened.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure
I’m not going over there,” said Nick, his voice quavering.
I barely
acknowledged him. This might be the worst thing I’d ever had to do. No, my
mother’s funeral was the worst thing I’d ever had to do. But this was a close
second.
We got to the
opened hole. I could now see streaks of claw marks on the coffin and more dug
into the edge of the grave—and I could smell something too. It was the scent of
death, but more than that. It was what I smelled when I was at the murder scene
of Dan Parker, the old Congregational Church’s caretaker. He’d been
murdered—sacrificed, so the Wiccans believed. And we hadn’t a clue as to who
had done it. That was another thing we’d have to discuss with Ed.
We slowly rounded
the other side of the open coffin, and I got my first glimpse of the contents.
“Oh, God.”
She was there.
But…parts of her were missing. And a big chunk was cut out of her abdomen.
Wait. Not cut.
I stepped closer.
Bitten. Chewed.
Eaten.
I turned away and
threw up all over someone’s grandmother’s tombstone. I sank down and leaned on
the stone when I was empty.
Nick winced and
squirmed somewhere behind me. “Jesus, Kylie. I’ll pay you anything not to tell
me.”
Ed’s hands were
on my shoulders, a comforting presence. “You should go. I’ve got to call this
in.”
“No, wait. I have
to—”
“You don’t have
to do anything else.”
I put a trembling
hand to my forehead. “Is it her?”
He turned and
grimaced as he looked it over. “Down to the same plaid dress and red tights.”
“So…something got
her just as we caught up to the grave?”
“That doesn’t
seem likely.” Ever the detective, Ed’s eyes constantly roved around the scene
as he spoke, searching. “I don’t…I don’t think she left her coffin.”
I ran my sleeve
over my sweaty forehead. Sweat and freezing cold. What a great combination.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m looking at
her shoes, her hands. She wasn’t running on mud and gravel. She’s clean…as far
as that goes. And…you know. The rest of her…her face—mouth and eyes. Still sewn
shut. It wasn’t her.”
“Then…what was it
we saw?”
“I don’t know.
That’s the Wiccan’s department, isn’t it?”
I looked down at
the crossbow. It had disarmed.
“Go, Kylie,” he
said. “Take Nick with you.”
I lifted the
crossbow weakly. “But maybe I should…”
“You should go
back to the shop.”
“I’m not leaving
you alone.” I spit the bile from my mouth and unsteadily raised the crossbow.
There was an
endearing twinkle in his eye. “Then wait here while I call it in.”
He spoke into his
shoulder mic and got Deputy George, while we waited. It wasn’t long till we
spotted the flashing lights of his police Jeep rambling up the drive. He got
out and stared at Nick. Deputy George didn’t often acknowledge him in public,
but Nick gave him a bro-style chin raise in greeting.
“Jeezum rice!”
cried George when he saw what Ed was staring at.
I slipped away
toward Nick.
“Hey!” George
called after me. “Where do you think you’re going? Put down the weapon.” He
reached for the flap snapped down over his holster, but Ed covered his hand.
“She can go,” he
said.
“But Sheriff…”
“She and Nick can
go.”
Deputy George
squared on Nick, mustache and all. “Ni—uh, Mr. Riley? What are you…what are you
doing here?”
Nick gave me a
desperate look, but it was Ed who saved the day. “They followed some animal
into the cemetery and called me.”
“An animal? What
kind of animal?”
“They don’t
know.” Ed gestured for me to go.
I swung the
crossbow down, trying to hide it by carrying it next to my thigh with one hand,
and took Nick’s arm with the other. We hurried down to the cemetery gate. Nick
looked back, but the deputy never glanced his way. Once we got to the street,
we ran.
Nick tried to
slow me down. “What’s the hurry?”
“The Draugr.”
“Shit!” He then
grabbed my arm, and we sprinted back to the shop…
Other
works you have published?
The Crispin Guest Mysteries
- Veil of Lies (2008) Minotaur
Books
- Serpent In The Thorns (2009)
Minotaur Books
- The Demon’s Parchment (2010)
Minotaur Books
- Troubled Bones (2011) Minotaur
Books
- Blood Lance (2012) Minotaur
Books
- Shadow of the Alchemist (2013)
Minotaur Books
- Cup of Blood: A Prequel (2014)
Old London Press
- The Silence of Stones (UK December
2015) (US February 2016) Severn House
- A Maiden Weeping (UK April 2016) (US
August 2016) Severn House
- Season of Blood (2017) Severn House
- The Deepest Grave (2018) Severn
House
- Traitor's Codex (2019) Severn House
- Sword of Shadows (2020) Severn House
Historical Novels
- Though Heaven Fall (2014) Old
London Press
- Native Spirit: The Story of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (2014)
Writing as Anne Castell
- Roses in the Tempest (2015) Old
London Press
Paranormal Novels
- Booke of the
Hidden: Booke One in the Booke of the Hidden Series (October
31, 2017) Diversion
Books
- Deadly Rising: Booke Two in the Booke of the Hidden
Series (October 23, 2018) Diversion Books,
EverAfter Romance Imprint
- Shadows in the Mist: Booke Three in the Booke of the
Hidden Series (JABberwocky May 14, 2019)
- The Darkest Gateway: Booke Four and the last in the
Booke of the Hidden Series (JABberwocky October,
19 2019)
The Skyler Foxe LGBT Mysteries
(writing as Haley Walsh)
- Foxe Tail (2010) MLR Press
- Foxe Hunt (2011) MLR Press
- Out-Foxed (2012) MLR Press
- Foxe Den; A Skyler Foxe Holiday Short Story Collection (2012)
Novella, Foxe Press
- Foxe Fire (2014) MLR Press
- Desert Foxe (2014) MLR Press
- Foxe Den 2: Summer Vacation (2015)
Novella, Foxe Press
- A Very Merry Foxemas (2015)
Novella, Foxe Press
- Crazy Like a Foxe (2016) Foxe Press
- Stone Cold Foxe (2017) Foxe Press
Short Stories
- "Pax" in Kinesis Literary Magazine (1997)
- "The Tin Box" in St. Anthony
Messenger Magazine (won second place in the Best Short Story
Contest sponsored by the Catholic Press Association; 2003) and now on Kindle
(2013)
- "Catching Elijah" in St. Anthony
Messenger Magazine (2004) and now on Kindle (2013)
- "The Noodle Girl" in Shaken: Stories
for Japan anthology, edited by Tim Hallinan (2011)
- "Universal Donor" in Murder and
Mayhem in Muskego anthology, edited by Jon Jordan (2012)
- "Do-Over" an ebook short story (writing as
Haley Walsh) (2012)
- "Marked" in Anything for a Dollar (writing
as Haley Walsh), edited by Todd Gregory (2013)
- "Mesmer Maneuver" in Day of the
Destroyers serial anthology, edited by Gary Phillips (2015)
- "Dark Chamber: A Crispin Guest Short Story" (2016)
You can
find me and my books at
Wikipedia
page
Facebook
Instagram
jeriwestersonauthor.
INSIDE THE EMOTION OF
FICTION links
001 11 15 2018 Nathaniel
Kaine’s
Thriller Novel
John
Hunter – The Veteran
002 11 18 2018 Ed
Protzzel’s
Futuristic/Mystery/Thriller
The
Antiquities Dealer
003 11 23 2018 Janice
Seagraves’s
Science
Fiction Romance
Exodus
Arcon
004 11 29 2018
Christian Fennell’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
The Fiddler
in the Night
005 12 02 2018 Jessica
Mathews’s
Adult
Paranormal Romance
Death
Adjacent
006 12 04 2018 Robin Jansen’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
Ruby the
Indomitable
007 12 12 2018 Adair Valerez’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
Scrim
008 12 17 218
Kit Frazier’s
Mystery Novel
Dead Copy
009 12 21 2019 Robert Craven’s
Noir/Spy Novel
The Road
of a Thousand Tigers
010 01 13 2019 Kristine Goodfellow’s
Contemporary
Romantic Fiction
The Other
Twin
011 01 17 2019 Nancy J Cohen’s
Cozy Mystery
Trimmed To
Death
012 01 20 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Crime Novel
Second
Story Man
013 01 23 2019 Alexis Fancher’s
Flash Fiction
His Full
Attention
014 01 27 2019 Brian L Tucker’s
Young Adult/Historical
POKEWEED: AN ILLUSTRATED NOVELLA
015 01 31 2019 Robin Tidwell’s
Dystopian
Reduced
016 02 07 2019 J.D. Trafford’s
Legal
Fiction/Mystery
Little Boy
Lost
017 02 08 2019 Paula Shene’s
Young Adult
ScieFi/Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
My Quest
Begins
018 02 13 2019 Talia Carner’s
Mainstream
Fiction/ Suspense/ Historical
Hotel
Moscow
019 02 15 2019 Rick Robinson’s
Multidimensional
Fiction
Alligator
Alley
020 02 21 2019 LaVerne Thompson’s
Urban Fantasy
The Soul
Collectors
021 02 27 2019 Marlon L Fick’s
Post-Colonialist
Novel
The
Nowhere Man
022 03 02 2019 Carol Johnson’s
Mainstream
Novel
Silk And
Ashes
023 03 06 2019 Samuel Snoek-Brown’s
Short Story
Collection
There Is
No Other Way to Worship Them
024 03 08 2019 Marlin Barton’s
Short Story
Collection
Pasture
Art
025 03 18 2019 Laura Hunter’s
Historical
Fiction
Beloved
Mother
026 03 21 2019 Maggie Rivers’s
Romance
Magical
Mistletoe
027 03 25 2019 Faith
Gibson’s
Paranormal
Romance
Rafael
028 03 27 2019 Valerie Nieman’s
Tall Tale
To The
Bones
029 04 04 2019 Betty Bolte’s
Paranormal
Romance
Veiled
Visions of Love
030 04 05 2019 Marianne
Maili’s
Tragicomedy
Lucy, go
see
031 04 10 2019 Gregory Erich Phillips’s
Mainstream
Fiction
The Exile
032 04 15 2019 Jason Ament’s
Speculative
Fiction
Rabid Dogs
033 04 24 2019 Stephen P. Keirnan’s
Historical
Novel
The
Baker’s Secret
034 05 01 2019 George Kramer’s
Fantasy
Arcadis:
Prophecy Book
035 05 05 2019 Erika Sams’s
Adventure/Fantasy/Romance
Rose of Dance
036 05 07 2019 Mark Wisniewski’s
Literary
Fiction
Watch Me
Go
037 05 08 2019 Marci Baun’s
Science
Fiction/Horror
The
Whispering House
038 05 10 2019 Suzanne M. Wolfe’s
Historical
Fiction
Murder By
Any Name
039 05 12 2019 Edward DeVito’s
Historical/Fantasy
The
Woodstock Paradox
040 05 14 2019 Gytha Lodge’s
Literary/Crime
She Lies
In Wait
041 05 16 2019 Kari Bovee’s
Historical
Fiction/Mystery
Peccadillo
At The Palace: An Annie Oakley Mystery
042 05 20 2019 Annie Seaton’s
Time Travel
Romance
Follow Me
043 05 22 2019 Paula Rose Michelson’s
Inspirational
Christian Romance
Rosa &
Miguel – Love’s Legacy: Prequel to The Naomi
Chronicles
044 05 24 2019 Gracie C McKeever’s
BDMS/Interracial
Romance
On The
Edge
045 06 03 2019 Micheal Maxwell’s
Mystery
The Soul
of Cole
046 06 04 2019 Jeanne Mackin’s
Historical
The Last
Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli
and
Coco
Chanel
047 06 07 2019 Philip Shirley’s
Suspense/Thriller
The
Graceland Conspiracy
048 06 08 2019 Bonnie Kistler’s
Domestic
Suspense
The House
on Fire
049 06 13 2019 Barbara Taylor Sissel’s
Domestic
Suspense/Family Drama
Tell No
One
050 06 18 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Short Story/
Crime Fiction
“No Good Deed” from Down to the River
051 06 19 2019 Rita Dragonette’s
Historical
Fiction
The
Fourteenth of September
052 06 20 2019 Nona
Caspers’s
Literary
Novel/Collage
The Fifth
Woman
053 06 26 2019
Paranormal
Romance
Shadows in
the Mist
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