MUSE MONDAY
I absolutely love New Orleans. Debby paints a good picture. Please welcome my guest, Debby Grahl.
New
Orleans, known as the Crescent City or the Big Easy, just celebrated its three-
hundredth anniversary. It was first settled by the French, then taken over by
the Spanish, sold back to the French, who then sold it to the United States.
My
husband David and I first visited New Orleans in 1989 and fell in love with the
city. I’m a history buff by heart so I found the old Spanish architecture with
its wrought iron balconies enchanting. All you have to do is walk the streets of
the French Quarter to feel the magic.
There’s a
saying, “Only in New Orleans.” And this is so true. As I sat on our hotel
balcony sipping a glass of wine and munching on a bag of voodoo chips, I
could see a musician setting up on the corner. Soon the clear sounds of
his saxophone filled the night. The smell of spicy gumbo from the restaurant
across the street wafted through the air. The clip clop of a horse- drawn
carriage passed beneath me, its driver thrilling his passengers with tales of
the ghosts who haunt the city. A man, painted silver, walked along juggling
oranges, while a bicycle cab pedaled by. On Bourbon Street, a second line band
marched past. A group of laughing tourists carrying red go cups went into a
bar, and the long low whistle of a paddle wheeler on the river could be heard.
As I sat
there taking it all in, I thought what a wonderful place to set a story. From
its diverse people and cultures to its incredible food, such as hot sugary
beignets, po boy sandwiches, and crawfish etouffee; every kind of music from
funky blues to jazz, rock ‘n roll to country; and Voodoo shops, haunted houses,
and above-ground cemeteries.
People
claim witches and ghosts walk the streets, and I have to admit sometimes I
believe it’s true. It was while touring St. Louis #1, the oldest above-ground
cemetery in the city, standing in front of the tomb of the Voodoo queen, Marie
Laveau, that the idea for His Magic Touch began. I swear she zapped me. I
started feeling faint and had to leave the tour. Now, my husband will tell you
it was because of the heat, but I felt fine until we approached her tomb. I
think my version is more interesting. I began my research into local witchcraft
and hauntings.
The Hotel
Monteleone, on Royal Street, is one of the settings I use in the book. Not only
known for its Carousel Bar, it’s also one of the most haunted hotels in the
city.
I hope
His Magic Touch brings a little of New Orleans to life for you, and you’ll get
a chance to visit this unique city on the Mississippi.
BLURB
The night before Jared Dupre's wedding, a specter warns him the
demonic witch, Adam Montief, has kidnapped his brother in a centuries-old
vendetta unknown to Jared. A powerful witch himself, Jared tracks Adam from New
Orleans to a remote island off the coast of Connecticut where he's given no
choice. He must rescue his brother and break his engagement to Kendra
O'Connell, or they both die. After complying, Jared engages in a sword fight
and believes he has vanquished his foe, but when he returns to New Orleans, he
finds evil still threatens all he loves. Kendra, not knowing why Jared broke
their engagement, devastated, finds solace in another's arms. With help from an
ancestor's spirit, can Jared defeat the dark magic descending over the Big Easy
while winning back the woman he loves?
EXCERPT
Angelique Montief flicked her wrist and set the bamboo ceiling fan
spinning. Kneeling on a woven mat with sweat coating her body, she lifted a
small wooden brass-bound casket from the bottom of a large trunk, inserted a
gold key, and opened the lid. Inside two objects lay wrapped in thick cloth.
She carefully unwrapped the smaller bundle to reveal a pentagonal mirror, a
gift handed down to her by her grandmother, its ancient oak frame carved with
tiny pentacles. She glanced over her shoulder at her locked bedroom door, then
stared into the mirror and whispered, “Show him to me.”
When the glass remained blank, fear clutched at her chest. Again,
she said the words, and the image of a plantation house engulfed in flames
appeared. “No, please, he can’t be dead.” Tears blurred her vision. The fiery
image changed to reveal a human form lying beneath flowering bougainvillea.
Hope rising, Angelique peered closer.
“Show me his face.”
She saw his indigo blue eyes blink open.
“I’m coming, my love.” He couldn’t hear her, but she hoped in his
heart he knew she would find a way to get to him.
As the smoke in the room thickened, her time was running out. She
rewrapped the mirror and placed it into the smaller casket among cloth bags of
herbs and potion-filled vials. Relocking the lid, she hung the key on a chain
around her neck, dropped a jeweled dagger into her pocket, and tucked the
casket under her arm.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Debby Grahl lives on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina,
with her husband, David. Besides writing, she enjoys biking, walking on the
beach and a glass of wine at sunset. Her favorite places to visit are New Orleans , New York
City, Captiva Island
in Florida , the Cotswolds of England, and her
home state of Michigan .
She is a history buff who also enjoys reading murder mysteries, time travel,
and, of course, romance. Visually impaired since childhood by Retinitis
Pigmentosa (RP), she uses screen-reading software to research and write her
books.
Her first published book, The Silver Crescent, won the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewers’ Choice award. Her
second book, Rue Toulouse, a contemporary romance set in New Orleans,
was a finalist in the National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Award and was
selected as a May, 2016, ‘local read’ by Hilton Head Monthly.
Decorated to Death is a holiday mystery cozy. She
also has stories in three anthologies, The Haunted West, Never Fear/Christmas
Terrors; and Ebb and Flow from the local Island Writers’ Network.
Debby was featured in the January, 2016, Hilton Head Monthly
article ‘Intriguing People of the Lowcountry’. She is a member of Romance Writers
of America, Florida Romance Writers, and First Coast Romance Writers.
Her latest book, His Magic Touch, was released December
5, 2018, by Wild Rose Press.
Website: www.debbygrahl.com
Facebook -- https://www.facebook.com/debbygrahlauthor
Amazon Author Page -- https://www.amazon.com/Debby-Grahl/e/B00B34HM26
Bookbub -- https://www.bookbub.com/search/authors?search=debby%20grahl
Twitter -- https://twitter.com/DebbyGrahl
Facebook -- https://www.facebook.com/debbygrahlauthor
Amazon Author Page -- https://www.amazon.com/Debby-Grahl/e/B00B34HM26
Bookbub -- https://www.bookbub.com/search/authors?search=debby%20grahl
Twitter -- https://twitter.com/DebbyGrahl
