Under
Cover of Night
Excerpt:
Exhausted and cold, John
crawled into bed. He’d never made it to headquarters.
He wrapped his arms
around Zora and pulled her against his chest. The warmth of her body started to
thaw his cold, tired one.
Outside, thunder boomed.
John settled deeper into the comfort of her body.
His cell buzzed.
He squeezed his eyes
tight and pretended he didn’t hear it. But with his only deputy off the reservation,
John was the on-call person.
“You going to get that?”
“No.” But he picked up
the cell and flipped over onto his back. “Iron Hawk.”
“John.”
The panic he heard in his
sister’s voice shocked the drowsiness away. Lydia never panicked.
“He’s dead.”
John jackknifed up in
bed. “Who’s dead?”
Beside him, Zora lifted
her head. “What’s wrong?”
His sister’s strangled
cries made the hairs on his arms rise and quiver. “Lydia, talk to me.” Was she
having some delayed grief over her husband’s death?
“There’s blood
everywhere.”
The blood reference threw
him off balance. “Whose blood?” He swung his legs out of bed and stared blindly
around the room. His mind rushed and discarded possible scenarios—none of them
good.
“Thomas’ blood.”
With his cell locked
between his head and his shoulder, John crammed his legs into his discarded
jeans.
Lamplight flooded the
room. Zora scooted to the head of the bed, watching him with anxious brown
eyes.
“Thomas who?” He pulled a
shirt over his head.
“Thomas Crow.”
John paused, his head
half in and half out of his shirt. What the fuck? He eased the shirt down over his chest.
What was his sister doing with Thomas Crow? “Where are you?”
“At his house.” The words
came out almost on a moan—the moan of a wounded animal.
Why the hell was she at
Crow’s house? John’s brain scrambled, trying to remember where the man lived.
He’d purposely never delved too deeply into his political opponent’s personal
life. “Give me the location.”
“Rachel… Near Rachel Reynaud’s
house. Same road.”
“Don’t touch anything.
I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Outside, the rumble of thunder warned it would
take longer than usual to get there.
“John?” Zora threw back
the blanket and stood. “What’s wrong?” She rubbed her bare arms against the
chill in the room.
“Thomas Crow is dead.”
Silver
Dagger Book Tours
How I became an author
I’ve been a storyteller
since elementary school. One of my childhood memories is of walking to school
with a friend (and yes, we did that in the old days) and telling each other
stories. The stories always involved handsome movie stars and a happy ending. When
we arrived at school, we’d leave the story on a cliff hanger and started the
story again on the walk home.
I attempted to write through
my adulthood, but marriage and children claimed my time. It wasn’t until my
youngest entered high school that I became serious about a career in writing.
Is there something
unique/quirky about you?
I’m a list maker. I must
have something to check off. At the end of the day, I do a mental summary of my
day to see what I’ve accomplished. I’m not sure what that says about me.
If you knew you’d die
tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?
Visiting as many friends
and family as I could. If I couldn’t see them personally, then I’d call them.
Who is your hero and why?
This was a hard question
to answer. I have so many heroes.
Oprah Winfrey
rose from puberty and sexual abuse to establish a global empire. She’s positive
and motivational.
Michele Obama,
who didn’t let her background limit the heights she could reach.
Kamala Harris,
first black, Asian and female vice president.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
a fighter for women’s rights. I love this quote: “Women will only have true
equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next
generation.”
What do you do to unwind
and relax?
I’d love to say,
parasailing, bungee jumping and motorcycle riding, but I’m not that
adventurous. Reading, walking, hiking, watching T.V. and ancestry hunting.
Describe yourself in 5
words:
Driven, studious, passionate,
impatient, and proud.
Do you have a favorite
movie?
No. I have several: Avatar,
When Harry Met Sally, Notting Hill, Possession, The Photograph
and any disaster film.
Which of your novels can
you imagine made into a movie?
Lakota Dreaming, Lakota
Blood Moon, Under Cover of Night.
As a writer, what would
you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
An eagle. Because they
are majestic and regal.
What inspired you to
write this book?
Under Cover of Night
is book #3 in the Lakota series. I’m excited by the idea of pairing people from
different cultures in a love match and imaging how they would adapt and change
to be together.
This latest book in the
Lakota series explores the strength of family bonds and the extremes we would
employ to keep them safe.
How did you come up with
the concept and characters for the book?
Lakota Dreaming,
the first book in the series, was inspired by an independent movie, Unbowed.
The movie centered around an exceptional black female student, who was a
teacher and a jewel in the school’s crown immediately after the Civil War.
A Union captain arrives
at the college with a group of renegade Native American males that he wants the
headmaster to integrate into his student body. The female student falls in love
with one of the males.
At
the end of the movie, the Sioux warrior is planning to escape and return to his
reservation. You’re left to wonder if the female student/teacher will go with
him and leave everything she’s gained to build an uncertain future on a
reservation far from home.
The
ending sparked a series of what ifs. The answers led to Lakota
Dreaming. A New York editor—a descendant of a runaway slave and a Sioux
warrior—travels to a South Dakota Indian reservation to learn the fate of her
ancestor, who comes to her in visions.
Do you have any “side
stories” about the characters?
In Lakota Dreaming,
the first book in the series, the female protagonist comes to the reservation
because of genetic memories she has about an ancestry who was a slave. The
female slave escapes a plantation and is captured by Native Americans and lives
among them. I wrote a historical prequel whose characters are the slave and her
Native American lover. The story is Lakota Moon Rising.
What can we expect from
you in the future?
I have a romcom releasing
August 24, 2021 entitled, The Hookup Dilemma. It’s an interracial
romance between two individuals who are totally different in how they view
life, family and love.
How did you come up with
the title of your first novel?
My heroine has visions or
dreams of a deceased ancestor which lead her to a Lakota Indian reservation. I
put the two important words together: Lakota+dreams= Lakota Dreaming. I guess
the title could have been Lakota Dreams, but I liked the cadence of Lakota
Dreaming.
Who designed your book
covers?
Kim Killion of HotDamn
Designs created the book covers for the series.
Do your characters seem
to hijack the story, or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
I have the reigns of the
story for the main characters but those secondary characters spring out of
nowhere. They walk on stage without warning and always seem to be colorful and
eccentric. For example, in Lakota Dreaming, I have two ninety-year-old
men who almost take over the story.
Is there a writer whose
brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be
and why?
I’d love to spend a day
with author John Hart. His novel, The Last Child, is a masterpiece of
suspense, thriller, family drama and social awareness told through the lens of
a thirteen-year-old boy who’s searching for his twin sister. Hart uses theme and
lyrical imagery to bring all the elements of the story smoothly together at the
end.
What are your top 10
favorite books/authors?
1.
The Last Child by John Hart (crime
procedural)
2.
Rangoon by Christine Monson (historical
romance)
3.
Scribe by Elizabeth Hunter (paranormal
romance)
4.
Murder in Thrall by Anne Cleeland
(crime+romance)
5.
The Wrong Man by Delaney Diamond
(contemporary romance)
6.
Afterwards by Nia Forrester (contemporary
romance)
7.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (historical
fantasy)
8.
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
(historical fiction)
9.
Judge’s Girls by Sharina Harris (women’s
fiction)
10.
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb (science
fiction, crime, romantic elements)
11.
Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins (historical
romance)
12.
The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen
Lord (science fiction)
I couldn’t do just 10!!
Do the characters all
come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
I have the main
protagonists and their opponent(s) when I start. Most of my secondary
characters come to me as I write. And I love that! There’s nothing more
exciting than a new character walking on the page.
Do you read if so, what
is your favorite genre?
I live to read. I read
everything but horror. I love writing mystery and thrillers, but I love reading
a good fantasy or historical fiction or sci-fi.
Describe
your writing process.
The plot or a character comes to me from
something I’ve heard in the news or just watching people on the street.
Sometimes ideas pop into my imagination from a movie or from music. Once I have
that kernel of an idea, I expand it with the right characters for the story,
then the location and scenes. If I’m writing a mystery, I develop almost all
the scenes before I start writing.
Because I suffer from inflammation in the
wrist and fingers, sometimes I dictate my scenes.
If you could tell your younger writing
self anything, what would it be?
Write even if you only have thirty
minutes. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t make a living as a writer.
Write when the kids go to sleep or get up an hour early to write. Just write.
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