Release day for Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen is less than one month away. August 1 is the day. You can already place your pre-order HERE. Next week, the festivities begin with sales, giveaways, and other foolishness. All the details are on my Witchmageddon page.

To kill a little time while we’re waiting, I thought I share some excerpts from the series. My favorite bits in the series take place in or near Castle Logan in far northern Scotland. I grabbed a few bits about Castle Logan from Book 1 and 2 along with an exclusive snippet from book 3—Zoraida Grey and the Pictish Runes.

Excerpt from Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones,

Chapter 4—“Crystal Persuasion”

We are in a land of green hillsides and bubbling brooks. Jagged ridges drop sharply to murky lochs and craggy mountains. The highway winds up the side of a hill and whips ninety degrees around, heading down the other side.

“You don’t suppose that’s it, do you.” Zhu sticks her head out the window like a puppy. The wind lashes her long hair around her head. She points across a wide valley.

I suck in a sharp breath, and it’s all I can do not to stomp the brakes. On the very tiptop of a rocky crag, a castle overlooks the steel blue waters of a narrow loch. Gray walls and turrets cast long, dark shadows across the clustered houses of a village huddled beneath the curve of the hill. Flickers of green and blue shimmer around the castle walls, subtle but steady. The entire place glows with magic.

“Sweet Mother Merryweather!” I cast quick glances from the twisting road to the castle. A green roadside sign reads Black Bridge with the Gaelic name Loch an Drochaiddubh below.

As we approach the village, the castle looms against the darkening sky, and the buzzards in my stomach do stunt dives. A tall black tower juts far above the rest of the castle walls. I squint, trying to focus on the tiny figure behind the crenellated fortifications at its very top. The back of my neck prickles as if unfriendly eyes are on me.

“That place hits me right in the feels,” says Zhu. “And not in a good way.”

Grab a copy of Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones HERE and get the adventure started.

Excerpt from Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen,

Chapter 31—“Deep Breath”

After the dim path between the boulders, the cloud-shrouded sun paints a surreal portrait. The gray walls of Castle Logan rise to meet us. Looming behind the gates, the forbidding East Tower is black against a leaden sky. Beside the gates, the Pictish stone’s white carvings gleam with green phosphorescence. Is it a trick of the wavering light that makes them twist and move?

Around the arching outer walls and past the neatly trimmed gardens of the North Wing we go. Black roses, Michael’s pride and joy, bob in the breeze. Lights blaze from every window of the imposing building. Shea parks at the foot of the seven steps leading to the walnut doors of Castle Logan. I take off my helmet. Shea pulls his hair back, smoothing stray strands and securing it with a leather band. His jaw is set but his brow smooth.

“Are you sure?” I catch his arm, turning him to face me.

“For better or for worse,” he whispers. My pulse quickens with the flash of blue lightning in his eyes.

He strides up the steps and I follow. We pause before the dark doors. Behind them lies triumph or failure, our lives and our deaths. Shea’s fingers weave between mine. I take a deep breath.

With a wave of his hand and a push of sorcery, the doors burst open, striking the paneled walls inside with a bang. Fine vases and crystals tinkle with the repercussion. We ride the gust of cool, moist air into the foyer, stopping beneath the shivering chandelier.

Michael strides from the drawing room, a glass of whisky in his hand, his black Logan eyes snapping. Above us, Ursula emerges from the hallway. Her face arranges itself from surprise to calculating caution. Her questions buzz around my head like gnats.

“I’ve brought her back, Michael,” says Shea.

My heart skips a beat. Is he about to betray me after all? Have I been a wide-eyed dupe from the start?

“As I knew you would,” says Michael. A complacent smile curls the corners of his mouth. “Bring her into the drawing room where we can finish this business, once and for all.”

Preorder Zoraida Grey and the Voodoo Queen.

Release Day is August 1!!

Exclusive rough draft excerpt of

Zoraida Grey and the Pictish Runes,

Chapter 1—“Zhu Gets Caught”

So that was the plan. Well Zoraida had a thing for Shea and if long lingering looks with moony eyes were any indication, Shea had a thing for Zoraida too. Did he like her enough to go against Michael and help them after all? Zhu couldn’t be certain about that.

Zhu stuck her head around the doorframe to get both eyes on the scene, hoping something in Shea’s expression would give her a clue. Michael’s back was to her, but Shea faced the door. When her head cleared the frame, the motion drew his attention. His black eyes widened in recognition. She froze like a rabbit.

At the exact same instant, a heavy hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her away from the open door. The hand spun her around and she found herself scrutinized by the ice-blue eyes of a man she’d never seen before.

I’m hoping this one is out before the end of the year!! Subscribe to my Newsletter–The Unearthly Tymes— to get the latest news.