BAY OF DARKNESS
Kelly Society, #1
by S.K. Andrews
October 2nd 2019
Wild Rose Press
Cover Artist Debbie Taylor
Paranormal Mystery
ISBN: 1509227792
ASIN: B07WDL6HT6
Number of pages: 418
Word Count: 95,000
Tagline: To save the modern world, psychic Vivien Kelly channels an ancient Celtic life of treachery and murder—at the peril of her own soul.
Book Description:
BLURB
After witnessing her fiancé’s murder and almost dying herself, Vivien Kelly’s mission is to destroy Dagda—a Celtic God turned demon. When Vivien discovers she worshiped Dagda in an ancient life as Boudicca, the Celtic warrior queen, she’s compelled to the quaint Northern California town of Half Moon Bay.
After witnessing her fiancé’s murder and almost dying herself, Vivien Kelly’s mission is to destroy Dagda—a Celtic God turned demon. When Vivien discovers she worshiped Dagda in an ancient life as Boudicca, the Celtic warrior queen, she’s compelled to the quaint Northern California town of Half Moon Bay.
There Vivien finds Dagda’s creatures tormenting the locals—from a Fear Dorcha, to the Headless Horseman. The Kelly Society is then born—her own paranormal cleansing team and the race is on when people around her begin to die.
While banishing a Banshee, Vivien meets Neal Harrington—a soul partner who can promise true happiness. But when Dagda’s black vapor creates a New World of darkness, her time is up. Can Vivien abandon everyone she loves and succumb to Boudicca’s barbaric force to defeat the demon? Her actions not only determine her future—but the future of the modern world.
Book Trailer https://youtu.be/UMA9IuWSrog
Excerpt:
Announcing her presence, Vivien slapped open palms against the bedroom door. Shrieking stopped, as the Banshee tried to stab into her intuitive power—not even making a dent.
Julie I’m here to help. Don’t be afraid. After sending her telepathic message, she felt a definite shift. The young girl now had hope.
Sensing another female entity in the bedroom, Vivien tuned in sharper. A spirit connected to the house stood in front of Julie, also protecting her.
“That horrible noise stopped.” Neal eyed the door urgently. “Is that good or bad? I mean, is Julie safe?”
“Yes, she’s safe. I put a protective light around her.”
Heaving a sigh of exhaustion, he rubbed his temple. “Oh, right—the light thing. This is all so weird.” Neal’s head popped up. “No offense.”
“None taken.” She grinned like a debutant about to dance with the coolest boy in school.
“What now?”
Vivien desperately prayed for someone to slap her in the face. Where was Donna when she needed her? Clasping her hands tightly, she pressed on. “I go in and—” Her mouth stopped moving. A dustbowl of black energy swirled through the house coming from Neal, as well as Julie’s friends. “Please bring the other girls to me. Tell them we need to help Julie.”
“What?” His horrified face reflected his confusion.
“Do you trust me?” Relaxed eyes connected with his.
Neal’s voice came out in a whisper. “I do trust you. I don’t even know why.”
The universe ceased movement while they gazed at each other again. Finally, Vivien cleared her throat and Neal turned on his heel. “I’ll get the girls.”
After he rounded the corner, Vivien’s head dropped into her hands. He distracted her to the point of possible error, and that she couldn’t afford. Why did she have to meet him on a case? A damn weird one at that. Bringing her head up, Vivien found three nervous girls peeking out from behind Neal’s legs.
Neal looked down upon them with an encouraging smile. “It’s okay. Vivien is here to help.”
They gawked at her like fawns caught in the headlights of a tanker truck. A red-haired, freckled girl held Neal’s hand, a brown-eyed girl grasped his thigh like a rope tow on a ski slope, and a sandy-haired, blue-eyed girl sporting a pink kitty shirt clung to his second hand. All three held guilty faces.
Then it hit Vivien like a shot to the chest— they believed they’d abandoned Julie to a horrible fate. Neal got them out, but before Julie could escape, the creature sealed the door with an oozing black substance. “I want to tell you all something—and you too.” Neal looked at her with surprise. “Yes?”
“I feel and can see the terror you’re all in right now. Everything in this world has energy, and you’re sending out powerful fear. That’s what the creature wants. So, when you’re scared, you’re actually feeding the banshee and making her more powerful.”
Her helpful speech made the girls burst into tears. Stretching out her arms, she kneeled in front of them. “Wait! I know how we can fix this.”
“We didn’t mean to! We really didn’t!” The girls proclaimed between sobs.
“Now, listen to me.” Beautiful young eyes gazed back at her expectantly. “Go back to Neal’s bedroom and sit in a circle. Hold hands and think of the best, most fun memory you have with Julie. I see you all at the beach making sand- castles. Use that one, or another, but focus on the joy of that day. It’s like a daydream. Keep that vision going until I’m done.”
Neal came forward. “I’ll do it with them. Let’s go.”
Amazed at his instant acceptance of her task, she stood.
Suddenly the girls sprang to life, all smiles and nods. They pulled Neal down the hallway, chattering about which memory they would choose. Neal walked with them, but gave her a last, concerned glance before turning the corner. He wanted to protect her but didn’t know how.
Glowing from the inside out, Vivien realized it had been a long time since a man worried about her well-being.
Author Info
When Starra Andrews wasn't swimming the Pacific Ocean in her hometown of Laguna Beach, California, she busied herself by writing fantasy stories and acting on stage.
Having grown up watching Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone and Night Gallery shows on TV, Starra quickly fell in love with paranormal tales with a message of wisdom and love. Also, being a fan of romance novels and non-fiction ghost stories, she decided to marry the two and write paranormal novels of suspense, adventure, and intrigue with a strong romantic foundation.
The sense of adventure inside her came from summers of camping with her family in Mexico (Baja California) and walking along beaches with no other footprints but hers, as her family members unpacked the camper and got ready to collect clams right off the shoreline for dinner. Starra attained a B.A. degree in Theatre from University of California, Irvine, and a Professional Acting Certificate from LACC Acting Academy. Starra is also a member of the International Thriller Writers, which hosts the Thrillerfest writers conference every year in NYC.
The beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York is where Starra now calls home. She loves being a quick train ride from New York City, but also enjoys country life. Her two tabby cats Audrey Hepburn and Vivien Leigh are her constant writing companions, and love to curl up on the table next to her laptop.
Her heroine, psychic/paranormal cleanser Vivien Kelly and her team are in a race to rid the modern world of deadly Celtic creatures in her book trilogy, The Kelly Society. Bay of Darkness is the first book of the series.
The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with S.K. Andrews . . .
Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
My writing process flows naturally. In fact, I can’t stop it. Each book is a movie in my head and I must write it down or go mad! 😊
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character during story creation?
Yes, I people watch and take notes. I begin with a solid creation of a character and include some background/details in my personal notes. Some of those notes make it into the book and some don’t. Then, as my story evolves, each character gets richer and fleshed out even more.
Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
Yes! In the final book of The Kelly Society trilogy I shall introduce Rebecca, Vivien Kelly’s daughter. She will be the ultimate psychic warrior woman, and in this novel, she uses her gifts as an FBI agent. Her powers will exceed even her mother and once again, the fate of our world will hang in the balance of her commitment, strength, and abilities.
Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
Since Bay of Darkness is the first book in The Kelly Society trilogy, I’m working on a novella called A Kelly Society Christmas. It immediately follows the first book.
Here is a quick tagline to give you a taste of A Kelly Society Christmas.
Christmas tree – check. Presents wrapped – check. Cranberry sauce – check. Save a friend from Krampus the demon Santa Claus who wants to drag him to hell – check. Wait…what?
If you could have dinner/dinner party with 7 fictional characters, who would they be?
Wonder Woman, Xena Warrior Princess, Professor Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter, Detective Nick Burkhardt from the former NBC show Grimm, Ebenezer Scrooge (after his transformation), Aggie Cromwell from the movie Halloweentown (performed by the late Debbie Reynolds), and Deadpool.
https://www.skandrews.com/
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