It is my pleasure to share a guest post from talented author Morgan Brice/Gail Z. Martin, who explains...
Bringing the Book To Life Off the Page
by
Morgan Brice
I do a lot of research about the locations used in all my books. Most of the time, the cities are places I know pretty well, even if I haven’t done in-person visits to all the sites I mention.
To pull the story together, I read books about magic and local ghost stories, and I use the internet to find out about haunted places, old unsolved crimes, abandoned places, and other interesting tidbits. Only a small amount of what I discover actually makes it into the book, although knowing all of those things helps me do a better job of bringing the location to life for readers.
Knowing that my readers won’t all be able to visit the places I write about, I enjoy putting together online virtual ‘tours’ help readers be able to visualize the things in the books. I’m working my way through doing Zoom/Google Earth tours of specific locations that I narrate, which lets me show pictures—and sometimes street-level views—of what is in the stories.
I also put together YouTube playlists for each of the books/series with short videos other people have made about haunted or abandoned places, tourist sites, locations I’ve mentioned in the books and more so that readers can watch and feel like they’ve been there.
If I have photos that I’ve taken myself, I post those and explain how they influenced me. All those things help to bring the books to life for readers, and I have fun sharing that information and making the stories real!
To get in on the fun, please join my reader group! It’s Worlds of Morgan Brice on Facebook. You can find all my virtual tours on my YouTube channel, GailZMartinAuthor.
ADULT title
by
Morgan Brice
Publisher: Darkwind Press
Cover Artist: Lou Harper
Release Date: September 2, 2021
Genres: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy M/M Romance, action/adventure, romantic suspense
Tropes: Second chance love, hurt/comfort, true soulmates, psychic, medium, witches, ghosts, haunted theater, Mafia, mobsters, ex-cop, ex-Interpol, resort town, starting over
Themes: Learning to trust, taking a chance, making a commitment, daring to dream, letting go of the past, being haunted by the past, established relationship, ex-cop/PI, former art fraud investigator, mobsters, medium with a ghostly lover, haunted theater, awesome and heroic food truck, mystery, cold case
Heat Rating: 5 flames
Length: 65 000 words/228 pages
It is part of series but could be read as a stand alone. It does not end on a cliffhanger.
Ghosts always remember. Mobsters never forget.
Blurb
Erik Mitchell helped Interpol bust cartels, oligarchs, and spoiled billionaires for art fraud. As an undercover cop, Ben Nolan helped bring down a Newark crime family. Now Erik and Ben have started over in Cape May, leaving their danger-filled jobs behind them, excited about a fresh start and their new relationship.
Plans to renovate a historic old theater stir up dangerous ghosts and revive interest in unsolved Mob hits. The curse of a murdered witch strikes a close friend, old movie props reveal clues to long-ago crimes, and a shakedown scheme sends Ben’s cousin running for cover.
Time is running out to lift the curse. The Russian Mob wants revenge on Erik, and the Newark Mob is gunning for Ben. A grieving ghost seeks justice. Secrets, lies, and deception unravel in the blink of an eye.
Erik and Ben were planning for happily ever after. But unless they can outwit witches, wraiths, and wise guys, they could go down in a hail of gunfire and a blast of dark magic—and see their plans go up in smoke.
Blink is a suspenseful MM paranormal romance mystery-adventure filled with second chance love, hurt/comfort, true soulmates, awesome food trucks, dangerous secrets, restless ghosts, psychic visions, powerful witches, angry mobsters, and a very haunted theater.
Excerpt
“Hi everyone. Are we going in?” A dark-haired woman in her early forties with olive skin and black hair sauntered up, dark eyes sparkling with curiosity. Alessia Mason always seemed calm and controlled, but now she clearly radiated excitement at the possibility of glimpsing the old theater.
Alessia owned the Spirit of the Sea gift shop and had married into one of the old Cape May families, but right now what mattered most was her role as the head of the local coven and the powerful magic she had inherited from her Sicilian mother.
“Right this way,” Jaxon said, brandishing the key. “The Arts Council officially owns the building, so we don’t even have to sneak in.”
He unlocked the door to the convenience store, which was a shell of its past self. All of the fixtures had been sold off, but the faded signage around the top of the walls remained, directing customers toward soft drinks, sundries, and restrooms.
They followed him inside, and Jaxon locked the door behind them. Then they headed toward the back, past the break room and offices to an unmarked door.
“The store was here for over twenty years, and most people never knew that the Regent Theater lay behind it,” Jaxon said. He gestured toward the area they had just navigated.
“Imagine coming through the big glass doors, past the ticket booth,” Jaxon said, pointing back the way they had come. “You’d enter a high-ceiling lobby with a bar, concession stand, and seating for patrons who came early to see and be seen. Then you’d move farther inside, and there would be double doors leading into the actual theater.”
Erik looked behind them, struggling to imagine the way it had once been. A grid of acoustic panels hid the original molded plaster ceiling several feet higher that he had seen in photographs. The plain walls and stained tile floor made it difficult to picture lush red carpet, velvet rope swags, cocktail servers, and a concession stand that not only had popcorn but according to the stories Jaxon shared on the drive over, also served foie gras.
Jaxon opened the door and reached inside to flip on a light. Erik hesitated to get a psychic read on the space ahead.
“Definitely haunted,” Alessia said, staring into the distance with a glazed look that told Erik her attention lay elsewhere.
His own touch magic worked differently. To get a strong reaction, Erik usually had to be in physical contact with an object. He had avoided touching anything since they had arrived, but even so, the theater itself gave off unmistakable vibes. Both he and Alessia had extra perception which included seeing ghosts, although neither was a full medium able to summon or speak with the dead.
“Bad things happened here.” Erik found himself speaking before he realized it. “Dark magic. Death. Cursed.”
About the Author
Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.
On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.
Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!
Author Links
Website | Audible Profile | Amazon profile
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My review:
4.5 stars
"Blink" by Morgan Brice is part of the 'Treasure Trail' series that features Eric and Ben, who each have dark ties in their pasts that threaten any future they have together. Dealing with ghosts, mobsters, and danger is all in a day's work, but as long as they can count on each other, everything else is secondary.
I love this series. It is possible to read this story as a stand-alone, but it is best savored if one reads the first story in the series, "Treasure Trail," to see the beginning of this lovely relationship. I think the way the author is able to masterfully blend eerie things like vengeful ghosts and ongoing curses with the loving relationships between various couples, plus suspenseful elements like the dangers that come from the guys' previous vocation keeps the various series that are connected fresh and engaging. I'm always thrilled to read a new story, and fascinated to explore the various elements of psychic phenomena detailed in these exciting stories. I look forward to seeing what new adventures these folks get involved in (and who knew flour was flammable?). A perfect blend of the paranormal, romance, and suspense!
A copy of this title was provided for review.
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