Tag Archives: paranormal

More from Hedge House, a paranormal/urban fantasy that I hope to have out later this year.

Picking up from last week, with Jacob and Cara discussing the plans for the day.

Cara shook her head. “Did he… leave a note? Do they know why?” She swallowed hard. “It’s because I said I was going to report him to the Bar, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think so. I do know that whatever made him do it, it’s not your fault. You didn’t push him to it, you didn’t tie the knot and put the rope around his neck.”

“But–”

“No ‘buts,’” Jacob said firmly. “There is such a thing as personal responsibility, and the responsibility in this case rested firmly and squarely with Henry Rupert.”  His tone softened. “I know that sounds harsh, but I want you to be clear that it was not your fault, that your actions and words had no bearing on what happened.”

She nodded slowly. She could accept that she wasn’t to blame, but something made her believe that something had happened to make him do it, and that it was somehow related to her…

“Is it because I wanted to compare the documents? He knew there would be discrepancies.”

Jacob hesitated for a moment. “Yes and no,” he said. “He knew there would be discrepancies and he knew what they were, but he wasn’t the only one who knew.”

She looked at him for a moment, puzzled.

“Jonas.” She barely breathed the name, but Jacob nodded.

Tentative Blurb:

When Cara Hawthorne returns to the childhood home she had been torn away from twenty years earlier, she thinks it will be to do nothing more than settle her grandmother’s estate and return to her job as a junior lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Tulsa.

But every nook and cranny of the house and gardens unearths long-buried memories, and when the town’s mayor sets his sights on her and the property she finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle with powers she has only barely begun to understand

Find more great reading
at the Sunday Snippet group.

More from Hedge House, a paranormal/urban fantasy that I hope to have out later this year.

Picking up from last week, with Jacob and Cara discussing the plans for the day.

She sighed. “The viewing this evening. And before then a visit to the Registrar of Wills, and, depending on what I learn there, a visit to Henry Rupert and maybe a phone call to the Bar Association.” 

Jacob shook his head, his expression serious.

“What?”

“No visit to Henry Rupert.”

“Why not?”

“He’s dead.”

“What?”

“Hung himself. They found him last night.”

Cara stared at him, shocked, her mind numb as she tried to process what he’d said.

“But…?”

“I know,” Jacob said softly. “Suicide is always a shock.”

Cara shook her head. “Did he… leave a note? Do they know why?” She swallowed hard. “It’s because I said I was going to report him to the Bar, isn’t it?”

Tentative Blurb:

When Cara Hawthorne returns to the childhood home she had been torn away from twenty years earlier, she thinks it will be to do nothing more than settle her grandmother’s estate and return to her job as a junior lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Tulsa.

But every nook and cranny of the house and gardens unearths long-buried memories, and when the town’s mayor sets his sights on her and the property she finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle with powers she has only barely begun to understand

Find more great reading
at the Sunday Snippet group.

More from Hedge House, a paranormal/urban fantasy that I hope to have out later this year.

Picking up from last week.

Picking up from last week’s snippet. Cara and Jacob are having breakfast and she said she’d had a weird dream of sorts.

“Weird dream of sorts?”

“Well, it wasn’t a dream like normal dreams. Just… I dreamed that Harry was growling at something, all bristled up, back arched, ears flat. Nothing else, just that.”

Jacob nodded. “I’ll have to have a talk with her later, see what she was growling at.”

Cara stared at him, fork halfway to her mouth, trying to decide if he was serious or not. At last she just shook her head and changed the subject. “How did you sleep?”

“With my eyes closed.” He added syrup to the breakfast casserole. “What are the plans for the day?”

She sighed. “The viewing this evening. And before then a visit to the Registrar of Wills, and, depending on what I learn there, a visit to Henry Rupert and maybe a phone call to the Bar Association.” 

Jacob shook his head, his expression serious.

Tentative Blurb:

When Cara Hawthorne returns to the childhood home she had been torn away from twenty years earlier, she thinks it will be to do nothing more than settle her grandmother’s estate and return to her job as a junior lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Tulsa.

But every nook and cranny of the house and gardens unearths long-buried memories, and when the town’s mayor sets his sights on her and the property she finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle with powers she has only barely begun to understand

Find more great reading
at the Sunday Snippet group.

More from Hedge House, a paranormal/urban fantasy that I hope to have out later this year.

Picking up from last week.

“Cara? Are you all right?”

She looked up at the sound of Jacob’s voice and managed a smile. “Just feeling overwhelmed and still not sure what I should do. My life is in Tulsa, but this…” She shook her head and sighed.

“There’s no need to decide right this minute,” he said. “Or even anytime today. If you want to go back to Tulsa and think about it for a while, that’s fine, too. Tamira and I can hold things together here until you’ve had some time to step away and think about it.”

“Thank you.”You have no idea how much that means to me. And how much pressure it takes off.” She checked the casserole. “Breakfast is ready.” She put it on the table while he got plates and silverware.

“How did you sleep?” he asked.

“Very well, thanks. Harry invited herself in to keep me company and slept against my back all night.” She frowned. “I had a weird dream of sorts, though.”

Tentative Blurb:

When Cara Hawthorne returns to the childhood home she had been torn away from twenty years earlier, she thinks it will be to do nothing more than settle her grandmother’s estate and return to her job as a junior lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Tulsa.

But every nook and cranny of the house and gardens unearths long-buried memories, and when the town’s mayor sets his sights on her and the property she finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle with powers she has only barely begun to understand

Find more great reading
at the Sunday Snippet group.

More from Hedge House, a paranormal/urban fantasy that I hope to have out later this year.

Skipping a few lines from last week. It’s the next morning and Cara has showered and dressed and gone downstairs to face the day.

She went downstairs to find Harry waiting at the door.  With a chuckle she opened it. 

“Thanks for the company.”

She started a pot of coffee for Jacob and a pot of hot water for herself, then popped a breakfast casserole into the oven. She was never going to be able to eat all the food people had brought, even if she didn’t have to go back to Tulsa. 

Back to Tulsa. 

The thought hurt, but she shook her head. That was where her life was. She would turn the house and business over to Jacob and Tamira and…

And what? Just walk away? What had happened to wanting to get to know her grandmother?

She sat down at the table and rested her head in her hands. What was she supposed to do?

Tentative Blurb:

When Cara Hawthorne returns to the childhood home she had been torn away from twenty years earlier, she thinks it will be to do nothing more than settle her grandmother’s estate and return to her job as a junior lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Tulsa.

But every nook and cranny of the house and gardens unearths long-buried memories, and when the town’s mayor sets his sights on her and the property she finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle with powers she has only barely begun to understand

Find more great reading
at the Sunday Snippet group.

More from Hedge House, a paranormal/urban fantasy that I hope to have out later this year. This snippet skips a few lines from last week; Cara is locking up the house before going to bed.

A plaintive meow made her smile and she opened the door to find a familiar calico cat on the porch. She opened the screen and crouched down to pet her. “Did you come to say good night?”    

In answer, the cat invited herself into the house, and Cara laughed, closing the door and locking it.  She put down a dish of water and rubbed Harry’s ears and chin for a moment. “I have to admit, I won’t mind the company, but I’m going to go to bed. Mind your manners and no clawing of furniture.”

She gathered up the papers and put them in her attaché case, and closed up her laptop, tucking it in with them, and started up the stairs, turning out the light as she left the kitchen. 

Harry tagged along, trotting up the stairs with her as if she owned the place.

“Make yourself at home,” Cara said wryly.

Tentative Blurb:

When Cara Hawthorne returns to the childhood home she had been torn away from twenty years earlier, she thinks it will be to do nothing more than settle her grandmother’s estate and return to her job as a junior lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Tulsa.

But every nook and cranny of the house and gardens unearths long-buried memories, and when the town’s mayor sets his sights on her and the property she finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle with powers she has only barely begun to understand

Find more great reading
at the Sunday Snippet group.

More from Hedge House, a paranormal/urban fantasy that I hope to have out later this year. This follows from last week’s snippet.

“No wonder he thinks he owns everything – or is entitled to it all.”

Jacob nodded. “And that’s why he wants this place so badly. Part of it, anyhow.  See, your ancestors were here first. They came here and built this place and claimed this area as theirs. And when the Blackthorns came along with their people, they refused to join in on the town or give up their land for it. That’s why the town limit borders your property.”

Cara frowned. “Why settle here? What is it about this spot?”

“Do you mean your ancestors?”

She nodded.

“That’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself. I know Belle kept journals of her own, and restored ones that weren’t legible anymore.”

“But then why did Blackthorn settle here too? It seems like things weren’t really… friendly.”

“No, not really. Apparently Blackthorn’s ancestors and yours had a long history even before they came here. Your people came here to settle somewhere away from them, and they followed to harass them.”

Cara shook her head. “Apparently juvenile thug behavior didn’t just start in this decade.”

Jacob laughed. “Not just in this century either.”

Tentative Blurb:

When Cara Hawthorne returns to the childhood home she had been torn away from twenty years earlier, she thinks it will be to do nothing more than settle her grandmother’s estate and return to her job as a junior lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Tulsa.

But every nook and cranny of the house and gardens unearths long-buried memories, and when the town’s mayor sets his sights on her and the property she finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle with powers she has only barely begun to understand

Find more great reading
at the Sunday Snippet group.

More from Hedge House, a paranormal/urban fantasy that I hope to have out later this year.

Jacob and Cara are discussing Belle’s will. (Belle was Cara’s grandmother.) Cara has been comparing the one she got from the attorney handling the estate with one kept in a safe at the house.

Talk turned to lighter things as they ate, and as they washed the dishes Jacob nodded toward the table. “What are you going to do about that?”

She sighed. “In the morning I’m calling the state’s Bar Association and asking for an investigation. And I’m going to go to the courthouse, to the Registrar of Wills and have them check to see which one they have on file.”

“And if they have the second one?”

“If they have the second one they had better produce the first one,” she replied, her voice cold. “I don’t think they’re going to stick their necks out and lose their cushy jobs to protect an unethical lawyer.”

“Probably not,” he agreed. “But they all pretty much owe their jobs to Jonas.”

“Is he likely to admit that he even had knowledge of the changes to the will?”

Jacob’s answer was a slow chuckle. “No, not likely. Not if he wants to hold onto the good will of the people. See, the Blackthorns settled this town. There’s been a Blackthorn as mayor ever since… well, since before it was officially incorporated as a town.”   

Tentative Blurb:

When Cara Hawthorne returns to the childhood home she had been torn away from twenty years earlier, she thinks it will be to do nothing more than settle her grandmother’s estate and return to her job as a junior lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Tulsa.

But every nook and cranny of the house and gardens unearths long-buried memories, and when the town’s mayor sets his sights on her and the property she finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle with powers she has only barely begun to understand

Find more great reading
at the Sunday Snippet group.

More from Hedge House, a paranormal/urban fantasy that I hope to have out later this year.

Jacob and Cara are discussing Belle’s will. (Belle was Cara’s grandmother.) Cara has been comparing the one she got from the attorney handling the estate with one kept in a safe at the house.

“Is there anyone in this town who isn’t?” [In Jonas’s pocket.]

“A few. You. Me. Tamira. [Belle’s original lawyer]. Belle wasn’t. There are a few others in town that aren’t, but mostly because he hasn’t deemed them important enough to try to buy. Trouble is, they aren’t strong enough to cross him – if he wants them to look the other way they won’t see anything.”

Cara nodded, suddenly weary.

“Don’t worry,” Jacob told her. “We can handle anything he throws at us. He knows we can’t be bought. And he has no power here, or at the shop. And he won’t interfere. Belle was too well liked in this town – he knows he has to move carefully where things that involve her are concerned. He might have money and the power that it brings, but he also knows that he needs the goodwill of the people. Most don’t know what he’s really like, and he needs to keep it that way.”

She nodded, slightly relieved, but the coincidence of her grandmother’s death and the attorney’s attack by yellow jackets was just too much to ignore, although she couldn’t quite figure out how they were related or how Jonas was involved. 

Tentative Blurb:

When Cara Hawthorne returns to the childhood home she had been torn away from twenty years earlier, she thinks it will be to do nothing more than settle her grandmother’s estate and return to her job as a junior lawyer at a prestigious law firm in Tulsa.

But every nook and cranny of the house and gardens unearths long-buried memories, and when the town’s mayor sets his sights on her and the property she finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle with powers she has only barely begun to understand

Find more great reading
at the Sunday Snippet group.