Books & Tales: Author Interview & Giveaway: Blackwell by Alexendrea Weis with Lucas Astor

Blackwell

Magnus Blackwell Series

Book One

Alexandrea Weis with Lucas Astor

Genre: Paranormal thriller.

Publisher: Vesuvian Books

Date of Publication: 1/17/17

ISBN: 978-1944109240

ASIN: B01M7T4NQT

Number of pages: 300

Word Count: 71, 800

Cover Artist: Sam Shearon

Book Description:

Hell has a new master

In the late 1800s, handsome, wealthy New Englander, Magnus Blackwell, is the envy of all.

When Magnus meets Jacob O’Conner—a Harvard student from the working class—an unlikely friendship is forged. But their close bond is soon challenged by a captivating woman; a woman Magnus wants, but Jacob gets.

Devastated, Magnus seeks solace in a trip to New Orleans. After a chance meeting with Oscar Wilde, he becomes immersed in a world of depravity and brutality, inevitably becoming the inspiration for Dorian Gray. Armed with the forbidden magic of voodoo, he sets his sights on winning back the woman Jacob stole from him.

Amid the trappings of Victorian society, two men, bent on revenge, will lay the foundation for a curse that will forever alter their destinies.

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Excerpt:

Leaving the firelight, he headed toward the water, eager to learn more about the woman. Beyond the glare of the bonfire, his eyes were better able to take in her figure. Her nightdress was torn in places and had dark splotches on it in others. She stood at the water’s edge, her feet hidden below the surface of the bayou. As he drew closer, Magnus got a better view of her exquisite face. Her pale, snowy skin glowed in the darkness, and her features were perfect except for a scar above her right lip. He ached to help her, to guide her from the water and back to the warmth of the fire.

“Are you all right?”

She titled her head to the side as she examined him. Then without saying anything, she held out her hand to him.

Magnus could hear a woman’s voice saying, Magnus, come with me, in his head, but her lips never moved. He was entranced, drawn to her, and just as he was raising his hand to take hers, another hand clamped down on his wrist.

“Magnus, no, don’t touch her,” Madam Simone called out.

The spell was broken, and the woman in the water faded away.

Magnus gawked at the water. “What?”

“I told you to stay close to the fire,” she admonished.

He pointed to the water. “You saw her? Who was that?”

Madam Simone let go of his arm. “You mean what was that, don’t you?”

“I don’t understand.”

She waved her long stick out over the water. “That was a spirit called by the ceremony. She often appears when we perform our rituals on the bayou.”

“You know her?” The shock was evident in his voice.

“She’s the spirit of one who sacrificed herself for love many years ago. She was the quadroon mistress of a wealthy white man who spurned her and her unborn child.”

Magnus removed his hat and wiped his hand over his brow, feeling shaky. “So you are telling me I just saw a ghost?”

Madam Simone chuckled at his reaction. “The world is not everything you see, Magnus. Ghosts are as real as you or I. They are the impression left behind by a life ended in misery, pain, or confusion. The spirits trapped or bound to earth are the ones who haunt. The ones who have found peace are the ones who leave.”

“Where do they go?”

She gave him a sad smile. “That all depends on what you believe. Heaven, hell, paradise—take your pick. We have more names for the world that comes after than we do for the one we currently inhabit. I think that speaks volumes about our capacity for hope.”

Magnus took an unsteady breath as his eyes returned to the water. “What about her? The girl in the water? Will she ever find peace and move on?”

“No.” Madam Simone shook her head and, gathering up her skirt, took a step away from the shore. “She has chosen to remain here.”

“Chosen?” he shouted. “Are you telling me she had a choice?”

“We all choose in life and in death, Magnus.” She glanced back at him. “That is why we have souls—to make that choice.”

Magnus could still hear the voice of the spirit calling to him in his head. “I think she spoke to me. She knew my name.”

“Spirits often bring messages from the dead. Do you know anyone who has recently died?”

He shook his head. “No, no one.”

Madam Simone motioned ahead to the bonfire. “Let’s get back to the fire.”

Returning his hat to his head, Magnus followed her up the bank. “I’m not sure what I witnessed, Madam Simone, but I no longer think I’m a skeptic.”

She grinned as they walked along. “Good. Then the ceremony served its purpose.”

“What purpose?”

Madam Simone kept her eyes focused on the firelight. “To prepare your soul for what is to come.”

About the Author:

From New Orleans, Alexandrea Weis was raised in the motion picture industry and began writing stories at the age of eight. In college, she studied nursing. After finishing her PhD, she decided to pick up the pen once again and begin her first novel. Since that time, she has published many novels and won several national writing awards for fiction. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her bestselling books, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story memorable.

Alexandrea Weis is also a certified/permitted wildlife rehabber with the La. Wildlife and Fisheries. When she is not writing, she rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She is married; they live in New Orleans.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralexandreaweis/

Webpage: http://www.alexandreaweis.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexandreaweis

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandreaweis/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Alexandrea-Weis/e/B0028OJO6C/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1211671.Alexandrea_Weis

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow? Book 1 of the Magnus Blackwell series was planned out because it was a collaboration. However, books 2 and 3 were written as just flowing storylines. Blackwell is the backstory of the ghost story to come.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story? No. I usually have a very good idea of where to take them.

What is your favourite food? French fries.

Are you a morning person or a night owl? Morning person. When you have animals, you are always a morning person.

Where do you dream of travelling to and why? Egypt and Greece. I love ancient history and want to visit the places I have read about.

Do distant places feature in your books? I tend to write about what I know, which is mostly cities and places I have been.

Do you listen to music while writing? No.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release? Blackwell is the backstory behind the ghost story of Magnus Blackwell. He is a man driven by revenge and anger, and that will be his undoing in the afterlife. He will seek to be a better ghost than he ever was as a man.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started? A ton. There are so many aspects to the business, but after 24 published books, I feel I have learned a great deal.

Is there anything you would do differently? I like the path I have chosen, because I think I have more confidence now to handle the bigger projects coming my way.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing? People I have met along the way in life have influenced my writing most. I draw characters and stories from those I meet.

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft? Write, and don’t stop writing. I think through the process of writing your find your voice and your strengths as a writer. It does not happen overnight. It takes time. Invest that time in your talent and it will pay off.

What are three words that describe you? Quirky, homebody, researcher.

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer? Funeral Games by Mary Renault. It says so much about how we really are.

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book Hell has a new master

In the late 1800s, handsome, wealthy New Englander, Magnus Blackwell, is the envy of all.

When Magnus meets Jacob O’Conner—a Harvard student from the working class—an unlikely friendship is forged. But their close bond is soon challenged by a captivating woman; a woman Magnus wants, but Jacob gets.

Devastated, Magnus seeks solace in a trip to New Orleans. After a chance meeting with Oscar Wilde, he becomes immersed in a world of depravity and brutality, inevitably becoming the inspiration for Dorian Gray. Armed with the forbidden magic of voodoo, he sets his sights on winning back the woman Jacob stole from him.

Amid the trappings of Victorian society, two men, bent on revenge, will lay the foundation for a curse that will forever alter their destinies.

List of previous books if any

To My Senses, Nicci Beauvoir Series Book 1, 2007
Recovery, Nicci Beauvoir Series Book 2, 2011
Sacrifice, Nicci Beauvoir Series Book 3, 2011
Broken Wings, 2012
Diary of a One-Night Stand, 2012
Acadian Waltz, 2013
The Satyr's Curse, The Satyr’s Curse Series Book 1, 2013
The Ghosts of Rue Dumaine, 2013
Cover to Covers, Cover to Covers Series Book 1, 2014
The Riding Master, Cover to Covers Series Book 2, 2014
The Bondage Club, Cover to Covers Series Book 3, 2014
The Satyr's Curse II: The Reckoning, The Satyr’s Curse Series Book 2, 2014
That Night with You, Cover to Covers Series Book 4, 2014
Behind the Door, with M. Clarke, 2015
Taming Me, Cover to Covers Series Book 5, 2015
Rival Seduction, Cover to Covers Series Book 6, 2015
The Art of Sin, 2015
Dark Perception, The Corde Noire Series Book 1, 2016
Dark Attraction, The Corde Noire Series Book 2, 2016
His Dark Canvas, The Corde Noire Series Book 3, 2016
The Satyr's Curse III: Redemption, The Satyr’s Curse Series Book 4, 2016,
Blackwell, The Magnus Blackwell Series Book 1, 2017
Her Dark Past, The Corde Noire Series Book 4, 2017

Any websites/places readers can find you on the web.