All the Light There Is
The Healing Edge,
#3
by Anise Eden
Date of
Publication: September 12th 2017
Publisher:
Diversion Books
Genre:
Paranormal Romance/Suspense
Tagline: Anise Eden brings us the
thrilling and romantic finale to The Healing Edge Series, perfect for fans of
Karen Robards or Shiloh Walker.
The Book Junkie Reads . . .
Interview with Author Anise Eden
Book Junkie, thank you so much for
having me on your blog to celebrate the release of ALL THE LIGHT THERE IS! It
is such a pleasure to be here.
How would you describe your style of writing
to someone that has never read your work?
I find it very difficult to describe my own
writing style, but reviewers on Goodreads have called it “lyrical, yet
accessible” and “the perfect balance of contemporary and paranormal meshed
together.”
What are some of your writing/publishing
goals for this year?
My main
goal for this year was to get the complete Healing Edge Trilogy out into the
world. With the release of ALL THE LIGHT THERE IS, this goal has been
accomplished, which is beyond exciting! My secondary goal is to finish my
current work-in-progress, THE CRACKING, by the new year. Wish me luck!
If you could spend one-week with 5 fictional
characters, who would they be?
I could
probably come up with endless combinations, but drawing from some of my favorite
TV shows, I bet it would be fun to go out and right some wrongs with Jamie
Fraser from Outlander, Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, DCI John
Luther from Luther, Dr. Joan Watson
from Elementary, and Lafayette
Reynolds from True Blood.
Where would you spend one full year, if you
could go ANYWhere? What would you do with this time?
Again,
my answer would probably depend on the day! Today, though, if I had my liberty
for an entire year, I’d love to tour as many of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites
as possible, learning as much as I can about the history of the earth and
humanity.
Can you share you next creative project(s)?
If yes, can you give a few details?
I’m working on a new paranormal
romance/suspense novel, The Cracking.
It’s set in a hospital and features a highly quirky cast of characters and a
somewhat bizarre apocalyptic subplot. I’m really
enjoying writing it, which is usually a hopeful sign that readers will enjoy
it, too!
BLURB
Psychotherapist Cate Duncan is
done with danger. Her whirlwind weeks of training at the MacGregor Group’s
parapsychology clinic, while exhilarating, have also brought one crisis after
another. So when their research colleague Skeet offers Cate and her
boss-turned-boyfriend Ben some time away at his secluded hunting lodge, even
though it’ll be a working vacation, they jump at the chance.
But the idyllic Mercier Lodge is
teeming with secrets. An aura reader and a telepath who work with Skeet reveal
his unorthodox research methods, triggering the MacGregor Group’s suspicions.
Then there’s the matter of a tragic death that occurred at the lodge over a
year ago, and how it connects to unsolved mysteries from Cate’s past―mysteries
she may not be ready to confront.
As they delve into Mercier’s
unsavory history, Ben and Cate stick close together, trusting in their love for
each other to keep them safe. But when a plot separates them, Cate must rely on
the MacGregor Group’s paranormal abilities, some surprise allies, and her own
determination to track Ben down and crack Mercier’s mysteries before the
strange place claims any more victims.
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Excerpt:
ParaTrain
Internship, Day Six
It’s just
a meeting. Nothing to be nervous about. I wiped my damp palms on my skirt and
ordered my brain to focus on something else. Like the Jag, I thought. Focus on
the fact that you’re finally getting a ride in the Jag.
And not
just any Jag—the British 1936 Jaguar SS100 Ben had restored. He’d found the car
in a barn in Pennsylvania, sitting on blocks and covered in hay bales. Now, it
looked like it had just left the showroom. My fingertips roamed across the soft
leather seat as I admired each piece of shining chrome and the deep glow of the
wood on the dash. The car’s transformation was a testament to Ben’s
workmanship—not to mention to his patience and tenacity when it came to the
things he loved.
The
things—and the people, I thought, smiling down at my ring. I hadn’t exactly
made things easy for Ben, but now, two gold birds were wrapped around my
finger, holding a lustrous piece of Scottish agate between their wings. He’d
wanted to give me a tangible reminder of how he felt, a talisman to guard
against anxiety and doubt.
I stole a
glance at Ben. He was completely in his element, left hand loosely holding the
steering wheel, right elbow propped up on the door. Everything about him was
solid and squared-off, from the angle of his jaw to the way he carried his
shoulders. These qualities were augmented by his charcoal gray suit and crisp
white shirt—worn sans tie, as usual. I marveled that no matter what internal
battles he might be fighting, Ben always exuded a quiet confidence.
“Enjoying
yourself?” he asked.
“Completely.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled my new favorite scent—a mixture of fine wool,
cotton, and vintage leather that clung to Ben like an olfactory tattoo. “My mom
would have loved this, you know.”
His light
brown eyes softened. “You think so?”
“Absolutely.”
Every summer when I was a kid, she had taken me to the local car shows. Back
then, we could only look, never touch. Riding along with Ben, I felt like a
glamorous movie star. I struck my best Hollywood pose, and he smiled.
It was
such a pleasure—not to mention a relief—to see Ben relax after the nonstop
drama of the past two weeks. There had been too many life-and-death situations,
too much tension. And more than anyone, Ben had earned a vacation. With that in
mind, after our meeting at the Smithsonian, we planned to spend the rest of the
weekend on the Eastern Shore. That evening, we had a dinner date with my
mother’s cousin, Ardis, and a reservation at a nice bed-and-breakfast. Sunday’s
schedule was still open. I thought we might head to the ocean; I loved the
beach in the fall. Or we could take the ferry to Smith Island; wander around
St. Michaels, go sailing…. As I considered the possibilities, I nearly forgot
to be nervous.
Then we
entered downtown D.C. I sobered as stately suburban homes gave way to modern
office buildings and massive structures of chiseled granite. Before long, the
Smithsonian office building came into view—ten stories of tinted glass
reflecting the cloudless blue sky like a darkened mirror. It took up half a
city block.
Ben
caught me biting my lip. “You know there’s nothing to be nervous about, right?”
“I know,”
I lied. The truth was, I couldn’t believe we were actually there. It had been
less than twenty-four hours since Ben told his mother, Dr. MacGregor, about our
group’s experience with the double kheir ritual. Now we were on our way to meet
with her world-class paranormal research team—and not just to exchange
information. We’d been asked to give a demonstration, as well.
I had
dressed up for the occasion, wearing a dove gray pencil skirt and a
wine-colored cashmere sweater my mother had given me one Christmas. Still, I
couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t belong at the Smithsonian—not as
anything more than a tourist, anyway.
“Well,
just in case,” he said, “let me remind you that you have nothing to prove here.
None of us do. My mother already told her colleagues what happened with our
ritual, and they’re keen to know more. But they don’t have any definite
expectations; after all, half of them still think the double kheir is just a
myth.” In a conspiratorial tone, he added, “Think of it this way. I know you
have a lot of questions. Today, you can ask anything you like.”
“Hmm.” I
bit the tip of my finger. “Anything?”
“Sure.”
“Like
whether The Da Vinci Code was based in fact? And whether they’re all members of
the Illuminati?”
He
chuckled as we pulled into the underground parking garage. “If you ask them
those questions, I’ll make sure you get a substantial year-end bonus.”
“Deal,” I
said, smiling tentatively. I was still getting used to the idea that my new
boyfriend was also my new boss.
Ben was
the manager of the MacGregor Group, an alternative healing clinic founded by
his mother and housed in a repurposed church. I first met him when my former
employer, Dr. Nelson, sent me to the MacGregor Group for treatment. My mother’s
recent suicide had left me in pieces, unable to function. As close as she and I
had been, somehow I hadn’t seen that my mother was in crisis. Her shocking loss
had debilitated me, and I could barely leave my house, let alone return to my
job as a psychotherapist. What Dr. Nelson hadn’t told me was that Dr. MacGregor
was a psychiatrist who specialized in paranormal gifts, and that instead of
“treating” me, she and Ben were enrolling me in ParaTrain, a paranormal skills
training program. My first lesson had been to learn the definition of an
empath—and that I was one.
Since
then, my life had changed so dramatically that it was unrecognizable. Dr.
Nelson, Dr. MacGregor, and Ben had all worked hard to convince me that because
I was an empath, the key to maintaining my mental health was to leave my job as
a therapist and go to work for the MacGregor Group. The idea of leaving my
beloved therapy clients was nothing short of heartrending. But after due
consideration and several persuasive paranormal experiences, I had agreed to
take their advice. Before I could officially start my new job, though, I had to
complete a three-week training program: one week of preparation, followed by a
two-week internship.
My time
in ParaTrain had flown by. Although I was starting my final week of the
internship, I still didn’t feel anywhere near ready to take on my new role as
an empath healer. Before I met the MacGregors, I hadn’t even known that empaths
existed, so I was still struggling to find my bearings. And the unexpected
romance between Ben and me was keeping me permanently off-balance. Add in the
mind-blowing experience we’d had with the double kheir the previous week, and….
Well, I didn’t even know what had happened there, so I was fairly certain that
I’d make a fool of myself trying to describe it to the Smithsonian research
team.
That
thought had me wiping my palms on my skirt again. “I am nervous, though, about
this demonstration we’re supposed to give. The researchers may not have any
definite expectations, but surely they’re hoping to see something. And unlike
the rest of you, I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“You’ll
be fine, Cate,” Ben reassured me as we pulled into a parking space. “Kai’s got
it all figured out. He said he has something simple and easy planned, so just
follow his instructions. Even if nothing interesting happens, that’s still
useful information for my mother’s team. They’re scientists, remember? In an
experiment, even a negative result is valuable.”
I had no
reason to doubt Kai. He was a highly capable expert in ancient rituals, among
other things. But when it came to the paranormal, I had a track record of
unintentionally messing things up. “What if I forget our instructions and start
reading people’s emotions?”
Dr.
MacGregor had passed on a request from her project director that we refrain
from using our paranormal gifts on the members of the research team without
their specific permission. Apparently, they were much more comfortable
observing others than being observed themselves.
“The fact
that you’re already worrying about that means it’s highly unlikely you’ll forget,”
he said. “And even if you do, who’s going to know?”
Only
everyone, I thought. My poker face was nonexistent. I buried my face in my
hands. “I’m just afraid that I’m going to embarrass myself. And you. And your
mother. And disappoint everyone.”
Ben turned
off the ignition. I felt him lean towards me and gently tuck an escaped strand
of hair into my braid. “That’s not possible.”
His
optimism was endearing, if ill-founded. “Oh, I assure you, it’s possible.”
###
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Author Info
Before becoming an award-winning
author, ANISE EDEN wanted to be a wildlife photographer. Unfortunately, a
strong aversion to large insects, poisonous snakes, and sharks―along with a cat
allergy that might well extend to tigers―limited that career option. Also,
Anise always roots for the gazelle, and we all know how that usually turns out.
Fortunately, Anise’s voracious hunger for reading kept her occupied, eventually
morphing into a passion for writing quirky stories filled with heart, humor,
and imagination. Anise loves that through writing, she can live out any
adventure she likes without the need for antivenom or antihistamines.
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