A Fifth of Tequila: The Althea Rose Series Book 5

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Fame is a tricky business, as Althea Rose learns firsthand when the spotlight-seekers sweep into Tequila Key after rumors of a psychic reality show hit the headlines. Even more annoying are the tabloid photographers who insist on taking photos of Althea in the most unflattering positions – like bending over to take off her wetsuit. Who wants their bum plastered across the cover of a magazine?

Understandably miffed, Althea grows even more frustrated when she learns a famous TV producer wants to sign her and Miss Elva on to co-star in the reality show. To make matters worse, a competing psychic with an over-inflated ego has arrived in town to sniff out his chance for the spotlight. He and his ruthless assistant make Althea’s life hell as they vie for the coveted leading role in the show.

Althea tries to ignore the bedlam and carry on with her life, but to her surprise she finds herself smack dab in the middle of a murder, again. And this time all fingers are pointed at her. 

A Thank You To My Readers.

Happy New Year! I wanted to thank everyone for all of your continuing support from all over the world. I love hearing from you both on my Facebook page and through emails. It's always a joy to know that my stories have touched so many lives. 

In return, I wanted to tell you a little bit about some of the charitable organizations that you help to contribute to throughout the year. You see, every time you buy a book of mine - it doesn't just give you a fun read, but I also use a portion of sales to donate to various charities and animal rescues. Now, you probably know that I have a soft spot in my heart for the animals, so you'll see below that many of the charities are animal rescues. 

Keep passing on the light, my friends. 

Also, check out this awesome video that the Scotsman took - a New Year's Kiss from a turtle friend here on the island of Bonaire. 

Baby Turtles & New Books

How's that for a headline?

We were delighted to work with Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire in adopting two turtle nests. On Friday, we were lucky enough to help some of the baby turtles make it safely to the water! Check out this beautiful video of their first moments reaching the ocean (okay, I may have teared up a bit!)

We had two winners of our "Name the Nests" Contest. $50 will be donated in their names to the Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire organization. And the winners are  - 

  • Ann M. - Luna's Lair
  • Darcey L. - Isle of Nestiny   

sea turtles bonaire

Books, Books, Books. 

The next book in the Althea Rose series is off to the editor. The title of this one is a cheeky one - A Fifth of Tequila. I will keep you updated on release dates. Tomorrow I start on Sphere Song: Book 4 in the Isle of Destiny series. 

xo, Tricia

We're adding to the family!

Errrmm, well, as in we've adopted two turtle nests through the Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire Organization! 

We've really enjoyed learning more about our little island and all the ways they are contributing to helping the environment. As you all know, we love to scuba dive - so partnering with STCB was something that we were more than happy to do!

Now for the fun part - time to name the nests! If we're lucky, we may even get to see pictures from when they hatch (though that often happens at night as they like to follow the light of the moon). 

Nest 1 is a Loggerhead nest and Nest 2 is a Hawksbill nest. Head on over to THIS POST at Facebook and contribute a name idea. The one rule is that it must be related in some way to my books - be it using a character, a theme, or a concept. We'll let people vote and when the two names are chosen - if you win - we'll donate $50 in your name to STCB. 

Nest One - Loggerhead

Nest One - Loggerhead

Nest 2 - Hawksbill

Nest 2 - Hawksbill

Spear Song: The Isle of Destiny Series Book 3

This was one of my favorite stories to write - I just love Gwen and her attitude on life. I hope you enjoy this next installment in the Isle of Destiny Series! 

Available as a new release here: 

Spear Song Amazon US

Spear Song Amazon UK
Spear Song Amazon CA

Spear Song Nook
Spear Song iTunes
Spear Song Google Play


SpearSong copy.jpg

Perpetually cheerful Gwenith Donovan is pleased with life. She owns a hobby store she loves, carries on daily arguments with her chubby cat Macgregor, and maintains a meticulous comic-book collection that makes her geeky heart sing. With no need or interest in romance to muck up her happy routine, Gwen is content to spend her days managing her shop and her evenings over a pint with friends in the village pub.

Until the moment that changes everything – when Gwen discovers she might just be living in her own magickal fantasy.

As a high sorcerer, Lochlain Laird isn’t used to taking orders – but even he can’t disobey the Goddess Danu when she punishes him for making a life-altering choice. Danu forces Loch to leave the fae realm to protect a distracted woman on a quest. Feeling the task beneath him, Loch remains surly as he does his best to keep his charge from being killed by the evil Domnua all while trying to ignore her unexpected charms.

As the tension builds on their journey to break a centuries-old curse, Loch must learn to put his ego aside and Gwen must trust in her own powers before everything they are fighting for is lost forever. 

ENJOY HERE:

Spear Song Amazon US
Spear Song Amazon UK
Spear Song Amazon CA

Spear Song Nook
Spear Song iTunes
Spear Song Google Play

Spear Song - An excerpt

“Stand.” A voice unbearably rich in beauty – both a choir singing and angels weeping – washed over him, making shivers rush through him and demanding an immediate response.

Loch stood, raising his eyes to see the Goddess Danu, having taken the form of a stunningly gorgeous woman, ripe with curves and lush in the prime of youth – an apple waiting to be plucked from the tree. Loch fought the immediate surge of lust that coursed through him, instead dropping his eyes from her and bowing deeply.

“Goddess,” Loch said, his tone respectful, his eyes on the damp floor of the cave.

“Lochlain Laird, high priest of my people, what have you done?” Danu demanded, her voice causing twin spikes of lust and fear as Loch’s mind raced, wondering how to play this out. The fact that he was still alive was unthinkable, and he wondered what that meant for him.

One thing Loch knew was that if he told her someone had been given her blood, that person would be captured and quarantined, as it was still uncertain what magickal benefits a drop of goddess blood might unleash in a fae. Still certain his death was imminent, Loch raised his head and flashed a cocky grin at Danu.

“Just thought I’d see for myself what all the hype was about this cave. It’s really quite interesting, all the artifacts in here.” Loch glanced around, allowing insolence to infuse his manner before raking a hand through his hair and shrugging. “Certainly some lovely magicks.”

Danu tilted her head, studying him, and the cave remained silent.

“You know, I’ve always liked you,” Danu finally said, causing Loch’s façade to crumble a bit as he caught her eyes in surprise. She walked slowly toward him, coming to stand but inches from his body, her power brushing over him, making every nerve ending he possessed go on high alert.

“Is that so?” Loch said, forcing himself to remain brash, though his mind whirled as he tried to resist the power of her. It threatened to sweep him under, rendering him defenseless.

“Yes. So strong,” Danu said, stroking a hand up his arm, heat trailing in its wake, “Hot-headed, stubborn, and with a fierceness that very few warriors have. And yet, deep within lies a heart that is pure gold – one that makes choices for the good of others, often for the good of all.”  Danu continued to run her hand over his arm, stepping a breath closer as she looked up at him with eyes of amethyst, slanted at the corners, holding the secrets of the world in their depths.

“Only but to serve your highest wish, my goddess,” Loch said, ignoring the invitation he saw in her eyes.

“I almost took you for a lover,” Danu said, and Loch felt his stomach clench, his body responding against its own will to her words, as any man would in the face of such beauty and power. “But you are not for me,” Danu said, patting his cheek gently before stepping back.

Giveaway!!

 

This week I am pleased to announce Stone Song is now available on audiobook. The very talented Amy Landon, who also did the Mystic Cove series, once again narrates the book. You can grab a copy from Amazon here - http://amzn.to/2vKrHSD. Just click on the audiobook option.

Therefore it would seem fitting to give away an audiobook in this weeks giveaway. You can win Wild Irish Witch on 6CD's, a beautiful Celtic Knot and Connemara Marble necklace from Ireland, a cute 5x7 print by Pat Flavell and a beeswax candle that smells amazing. 

To enter - tell me your favorite song in the comments section! 

Chapter Forty - Sword Song

For those of you waiting on Amazon to update the manuscript - here is the missing chapter. I apologize again for formatting error (and my formatter sends her apologies as well!). 

Chapter Forty

They climbed the stairs of the lighthouse, taking their time, this time with flashlights, and calling back to each other whenever a broken step appeared or a loose bolt was apparent. Sasha was still niggling over Declan’s declaration of love, so she missed a step and almost went down, but he caught her – strong and steady behind her. Would it always be this way? Him there to catch her?

Sasha needed to come to terms with the fact that it already had always been this way. The only difference was that now she was included. It was like pulling back a curtain to reveal a secondary cast of characters in her life that she’d had no knowledge of. It was disconcerting, to say the least. It should have come as no surprise to anyone that she wasn’t quite ready to drop the L-word yet.

“This is cool,” Bianca exclaimed from the top, and soon they all crowded into the circular room. The flame from yesterday had now died out, though it seemed to Sasha that another one had been ignited in her heart. Heat flushed her as she thought about Declan taking her against the wall, her body melded to his. Declan turned and flashed a knowing grin at her, and she jumped and turned away to begin to examine the room.

“It’s fairly standard, for the century it was built in,” Seamus said as they began to examine the stones, peeking through the window slots to look at different viewpoints.

“The view is phenomenal,” Sasha sighed and leaned against one sliver of window that showed the ocean, uninterrupted for miles but for a moody seagull swooping in the misting rain. Though the weather was melancholy, there was something about the seagull that calmed her. There had been a battle raging on these very shores the night before, yet in the morning, the birds still flew and the rain still fell. Wars were waged, battles won and lost, and the world moved on. The continuity of it was a blessing.

Sasha smiled and turned, crossing her arms as she looked at her friends, the people who had now become her family. She looked up and murmured a silent ‘thank you’ to the Goddess.

And froze.

“Hey, is that a placard?” Sasha asked, pointed to a small metal square, bolted to the wall, far above their heads where the roof rounded to its peak.

“Good eye, Sash,” Seamus said.

She gasped as he scaled the wall, nimble as a monkey, and peered at the square. Holding on with one hand, he brushed at the rust for a moment until he could see.

“Get anything?” Declan asked.

“There, but for the grace of God, go I,” Seamus said, and dropped lightly back to his feet.

Sasha thought it was interesting that she had just been thinking about the circle of life, the ebb and flow of good and bad, and here was a quote that echoed the luck and misfortune of humanity.

“Grace’s Cove!” Bianca said immediately.

Sasha looked at her in confusion. “Grace’s Cove? I think I’ve heard of it. Village on the west coast?” she asked.

“It’s near where we had our last battle and found the stone. The cove is enchanted. It’s all very fantastic; I’ll fill you in on the ride. But I’m certain this is where we need to go,” Bianca said. Then she paused, her round face flushed as she held up a hand, and said, “Actually, it doesn’t matter what I think. What do you think, Sasha? Does Grace’s Cove feel right?”

“This was one of Grace O’Malley’s castles,” Declan said from behind her.

“It was? That’s amazing. I have nothing but respect for Grace O’Malley. The original tough-as-nails woman. Did you know she gave birth at sea? And then went into battle? And women today talk about having perfect birth plans. Please. Grace O’Malley would laugh in their faces,” Bianca pattered on behind her, but Sasha tuned her out and turned to look back at the lonely gull swooping above the crashing waves.

When it dove into the water and snatched a fish, the fish dangling from its mouth for a moment before meeting its death, Sasha nodded once.

There but for the grace of God go I.

Life's a Beach April Giveaway

Dreaming of sunny skies and sandy beaches takes me to the Althea Rose series! If you haven't checked this series out yet, I highly recommend it - as you'll need to answer the following question to win April's grand prize:

Who is your favorite character in the Althea Rose series and why? 

Be sure to check out my FB page for Friday giveaways (I'm talking goooood prizes!). But the grand prize for this month is a KINDLE VOYAGER! This is my new favorite Kindle as it has an anti-glare screen so that you can read it in the sun at the beach! 

*Winners must comment here or on the pinned FB page post. If a winner does not claim their prize within 3 business days, another winner will be chosen. 

"Love of the Irish" March Grand Prize Giveaway - Winner picked!

Congratulations to Stephanie Pixie Mallen for the win! Be sure to check out my FB page for Friday giveaways and a huge prize for April! 

Be sure to hop on over to my FB page to catch a month-long of contests and giveaways. But you'll certainly not want to miss the granddaddy of all prizes. Behold: 

Not too shabby, eh? 

How to win - 

  1. Sign up for my newsletter here. (Don't worry, I only email you when I have a new release).
  2. Hop on over to my Facebook Page and give it a like
  3. Answer this question - either here, on the Facebook post, or on the Facebook Ad that is floating around - What is your favorite Mystic Cove book and why?
  4. Finally, share to get more chances to win. 

May the odds be ever in your favor. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Good luck! 

 

Tequila for Two

Chapter One

“What's up with that?” I asked, straining my eyes at the line of people approaching our shop.

“Pagan festival this weekend.” Luna shrugged her delicate shoulders, tucking a strand of her wispy blonde hair behind her ear. Clad in a white linen dress and with the highest cheekbones I had ever seen, Luna was all elegance and grace. If I were casting for a white witch in a play, she would fit the part perfectly.

In more ways than looks.

Me, on the other hand? Well, I’m more curvy than Luna with the grace of an elephant, I suppose. This past month I'd darkened the hot pink streaks in my curls to more of a deep lavender color, and white clothes and I do not mix – mainly because I don’t corner well and have a habit of spilling things on myself.

“Friends of yours?” I asked, knowing that as a white witch – yes, a real one – Luna had some roots in Paganism.

“Not that I'm aware of,” Luna hummed, raising a delicate eyebrow.

“How did we not know there was a Pagan festival this weekend?”

Luna shrugged. “It was in the weekly paper.”

“You know I've sworn off the paper after Craig wrote up that article about you,” I said. A month ago Luna had been falsely accused of murder, and even though we'd threatened the local reporter with some pretty inventive curses, he'd still written a fairly accusatory article about Luna. A small retraction printed in the paper after Luna was cleared of all charges had done little to change my opinion of him.

“We still need to think up a curse for him,” Luna reminded me.

“I've got Miss Elva on it,” I said, referring to our resident voodoo priestess. I trusted her implicitly to find the best revenge for this particular situation.

“That should do it,” Luna agreed, pasting a smile on her face, as the line of people grew closer to our shop.

My name's Althea Rose and I, together with Luna, run the Luna Rose Potions & Tarot Shop.

She’s the witch; I'm the psychic.

I can’t help it – being a psychic runs in the blood. My mother is far more prolific than I, flitting from country to country to cater to the famous people she deems worthy of her readings. Oh, she's a diva, that's for sure. Most people would probably say I have a fair share of her attitude, but I like to think that I take after my easygoing musician father, who has happily followed my mother on her travels.

Luna snorted. “Easygoing, my ass,” she murmured, her polite smile never faltering.

“Stop reading my mind,” I grumbled, moving from the white-and-gold upscale beach-cottage elegance of her side of the shop to the velvety purple den of iniquity on my side.

Okay, so maybe “den of iniquity” is taking it a little far. But my tarot card shop was exactly what you would presume one to be – there was even a leopard-print chair tucked away in a corner.

And a skeleton wearing a Ramones shirt was sitting on it.

Pulling out my phone, I reluctantly googled the local paper to find out more about this Pagan festival. Tequila Key wasn't exactly known to be a hot spot for festivals. Or for anything, for that matter.

We are a sleepy little Key, just a speed bump for tourists on their way to Key West. Most people simply pulled to the side of the road to snap a picture by the “Tequila Makes it Better” sign that some genius had erected by the marker off the highway before continuing on down to a livelier Key. Any sort of festival was bound to be the talk of the town.

“The New Crusaders, a revolutionized order of the Pagan druids,” I read out loud, raising an eyebrow at my screen. “Sounds like radicals.”

“Some may call us that,” said a voice to my left, and I jumped. I hadn't realized that someone had slipped past my privacy screen to wait politely at the entrance to my shop.

At least six feet tall and rail thin, a man who reminded me of Gandalf stood at my door. His hair and beard flowed in long gray waves over his forest green ritual cloak, and his feet were encased in butter-smooth leather boots.

That explained why I hadn't heard his entrance.

“Hello,” I said, unaccountably wary.

“Hello. I wanted to see if I could arrange readings for some of my group this weekend.”

“I'd have to check my schedule,” I said, pointedly not reaching for my schedule. Something about this man's vibe was making me reluctant to help him.

“I'll wait,” he said with a smile.

“What's your name?”

“I am Horace, the founding member, and the organizer of this weekend’s festival,” Horace said.

“And what is this festival for, exactly?”

“Why, to celebrate the earth, the sky, the ocean…all the natural beauty of this place. And this weekend is the full moon which also coincides with the equinox. We’ll be celebrating the Mabon festival, to prepare us for the darker time of the year,” Horace said, sweeping his hand around in a grand gesture.

I swear his eyes seemed to light up when he talked about the “darker time of the year.” And what was he doing wearing a ritual cloak outside of an actual ritual? Even I knew that’s frowned upon.

“In Tequila Key? Granted, we've got a stunning coastline, but we are a fairly cluttered little town, if you hadn't noticed.”

“You've some lovely natural spaces outside of town for us to set up in. There’s a private campground that we’ve rented out. You're welcome to come. In fact, I insist,” Horace said gravely.

“I'll get back to you on that one, Horace. I'm sorry, but I have a telephone appointment at eleven. I'll be sure to let you know about my availability this weekend. Cheers,” I said, smiling brightly and reached for my phone.

Horace held my gaze for a moment, his eyes so light a grey that they were almost white, before nodding once and padding silently from my room in his leather booties.

And leaving me with an unsettled feeling as I picked up my phone to call my client. 

Available for purchase on Amazon now! 

One Tequila - An Althea Rose Mystery

Chapter 1

“But I'm quite certain Bitsy would wish to speak with me,” the woman across from me sniffed and clutched a folded silk handkerchief with a perfectly monogrammed E on the corner. The point of her chin rose as she looked down her nose at me.

“Mrs. Evanston, I've already explained this – I'm a psychic – not a medium,” I sighed as Mrs. Evanston's eyes steeled up and her shoulders braced.

“Well, I'd say that you're certainly misleading people with your little psychic shop if you can't even talk to Bitsy for me.” Mrs. Evanston narrowed her eyes at me. I could already read the threat in her mind: she would be contacting the Better Business Bureau and by lunch, she'd be tearing my reputation to threads with her Ladies Who Lunch club. Mentally rolling my eyes, I plastered a smile across my face.

“The reason that I don't advertise being a medium is because it's so incredibly draining for me,” I began, lying through my teeth. “However, for you, I'll make an exception.”

A muffled snort from a screen to my left almost had me cracking a smile but instead, I stayed focused on my client. Hope had dawned in Mrs. Evanston's eyes as she leaned forward, hands pressed into the purple velvet of my table.

“You can? Oh, oh, just...can you tell me if she is safe?” Mrs. Evanston breathed, staring into my glass scrying ball on the table.

I closed my eyes and counted to ten, doing my best to get an image of Bitsy from Mrs. Evanston's thoughts. A puffball of a white cat popped into my head, so I went with it.

“Her coat is just as stunning as it was in life – I see her walking proudly,” I said, keeping my eyes closed and praying that I had hit the mark.

“Ohhhh,” Mrs. Evanston breathed and I snuck a look to see her with a hand over her mouth, a sheen of tears making her eyes glint behind her glasses. Her hair, the perfectly blue-gray rinse favored by the elderly set on Tequila Key, bobbed as she nodded.

“She was really proud of her coat. Bitsy was a show cat, you know,” Mrs. Evanston said.

“I can see she carries herself as such. She is wonderfully happy and has told me that her only concern is for you to find peace with her passing,” I said gently, using my de rigueur explanation when clients insisted that I contact a loved one.

No matter what, it seemed that when people heard psychic, they thought I could do anything.

Magic even.

I'd leave that to my best friend and business partner, Luna Lavelle, the one who had so gracefully snorted from the other room of our Luna Rose Potions & Tarot Shop tucked on a sleepy street in Tequila Key, Florida.

“You know, Althea Rose, your mother may be the famous one, but I think you've inherited her gift,” Mrs. Evanston said, rising to shake my hand with a smile. I scanned her thoughts and all I got was pleasure, so as far as I was concerned, the reading had been a successful one.

I checked my moral compass and decided as white lies go, it was a minor one. People only come to psychics for two reasons – to find out if they will be okay and to find out if someone they love will be okay. I turned my palm over to look at the $1 tip she had pressed into my hands. I had to laugh. Though the rich in this town liked to flaunt it with country club passes and fancy houses, in all reality they were stingy to the core. 

To find out what sort of trouble Althea gets herself into - head on over to Amazon!

Purchase HERE. 

Wild Irish Roots - Margaret & Sean

Chapter 1

Margaret took a sip of her wine, watching Keelin dance her first dance as a married woman. How had she grown up so fast?

And somehow, Keelin had ended up back in Grace's Cove. The one place that Margaret had sworn she'd never go back to. Margaret bit back the old feeling of bitterness that swelled in her throat.

“Long time no see,” Sean drawled from behind her and Margaret's back stiffened. Taking a deep breath, she turned to meet Sean's eyes.

Damn, the man was as handsome as ever. The well-cut tux showcased his broad shoulders. Though a few grays peppered his hair, his presence still radiated strength and virility. She'd done her best to steer clear of him since she'd arrived in Grace's Cove the night before, but it looked like their confrontation had arrived. Bracing her shoulders, and lifting her chin, Margaret eyed him.

“Sean,” Margaret said coolly.

“Come on, Maggie, that's the best you can do?” Sean asked, raising his eyebrow at her.

“It might be,” she said, sticking her nose in the air at her nickname.

“I don't like that answer,” Sean said, stepping closer and forcing her to look up at him. Margaret hadn't expected the punch of him. Heat licked low in her stomach.

“Well, you can't always get what you want,” Margaret said flippantly.

“Yeah, so I've learned,” Sean said bitterly. “But this time, I plan to.”

Margaret's heart leapt into her throat as he pulled the wine glass from her hand and stepped closer, forcing her to step backwards into the darkness.

“What are you doing?”

“What I've been meaning to do for a long time,” Sean said.

“Excuse me?” Margaret asked, steel lacing her voice.

And found the air knocked out of her as Sean reached down and hoisted her so that her body hung over his shoulder, her face staring at a very attractive bottom clad in tuxedo pants.

“You're crazy,” Margaret hissed, turning and smacking Sean lightly on the head. “Put me down this instant. This is unbecoming.”

“I'll show you unbecoming,” Sean muttered, continuing to stalk into the darkness. Margaret had a sinking suspicion of just where Sean was headed.

The site of their last show-down.

Of course Keelin had to go and have her wedding on the cliffs overlooking the beach that held the most pivotal moment in her life, Margaret grumbled to herself and prayed that none of the guests dancing in the tent had seen Sean carry her off.

“Hello, Shane,” Sean called and Margaret whipped her head around to see the dim outline of Shane, a local realtor she had met the night before, stalking away from the cove.

“Sean!” Margaret gasped, feeling heat creep up her cheeks. She'd never found herself in such a comprising position before.

Oh wait, just that one time. With this same man.

And wasn't this just why she had stayed away from Grace's Cove?