Bella Street Romance Goes Retro

  For just a few days, all three books in my Time Travel Design series are free for Kindle. Plus, updated covers! Book One: Mid-Century Mayhem Modern day Nashville and 1950s Detroit clash worse than an IKEA futon and a plaid Barcalounger when a free-spirited interior designer and a strait-laced automotive engineer find themselves in another time. Olivia Haugen and Kyle Daniels have no idea why they've ended up in 1954 Michigan, but it's probably not because of all the swank mid-century furnishings. Discovering the reason might have something to do with a wily salvage warehouse owner and her not-so-little shop of secrets. Book Two: Gothic Revival Olivia Haugen and Kyle Daniels are barely on speaking terms in modern day Nashville—not helped by Kyle’s cranky aunt Constance whose apparent sole purpose in life is to see them walk down the aisle. Olivia and Kyle end up taking a trip down an aisle all right, the one to the magic portal in Constance’s salvage ware...

I just finished the first two books in the Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness . As a newcomer to the South, I'm ever on the lookout for Southern Gothic fiction and these YA books did not disappoint. The stories are told from the perspective of 16 year old Ethan Wate and he's the droll, sensitive kind of boy teen girls dream about and mothers hope their daughters date. But he's not without conflict, especially when a new girl comes to town, intersecting his dreams and life, one rainy night on Route 9. I read both books back to back and enjoyed the brooding but genteel ambiance and the quirky yet dark characters who populate Gatlin, South Carolina. Amidst the fanciful yet grim Caster world, there were a few Southern cliches that seemed more suited to the 1950s than modern day, but these books captured my imagination and led me on a whimsically poignant journey that I'm eager to continue. The thir...

Join me in a new series as I blog about Southern Gothic themes over at Southern Fried Gothic . I'll be discussing fiction, films, and music.