Sometimes when a story is having problems I take a detour and write something else about the characters. I wrote a short story about Roxie and her best friend traveling on a particularly interesting case that completely changed how I looked at my main character and the story itself. I wish I could tell you this was planned because it would certainly make me look smarter but the truth is, I wrote it just to amuse myself.
Robert Johnson is one of the great myths of American music. My favorite part of the myth is how he supposedly sold his soul to the devil to be able to play the blues. In truth he put in hours and hours of practice, alone in a graveyard at night where no one could hear him and complain. As I wrote of Roxie visiting some of the iconic sites in Mississippi that hold great meaning for blues lovers like myself, I had a very clear image of her as a teenager. This strange, confusing ability to see auras and spectral energy has manifested and she’s trying to get a handle on it.
With guidance from my editor Nerine Dorman, I realized Roxie didn’t need that EMF meter or those generic ghost-evicting methods. Everything she needed was right there in the blues lore she knew like the back of her hand – hoodoo. Roxie became a hoodoo root worker as well as paranormal investigator, using natural magic to deal with supernatural problems. Once that happened everything fell into place: spells with herbs and roots, dangerous hexes and counter-jinxes, feeling the rhythm of magic deep in the land. Then with a little help from Ike and Tina Turner the book had a new name – Mojo Queen. I think it’s a title that suits Roxie quite well.
Blurb:
Hoodoo and high magic are on a collision course.
Roxanne Mathis isn't like everyone else. Not only can she see auras and spectral entities, she can mix herbs and roots for spells to do good or ill. She can even light a candle without the benefit of a match. But when she’s hired to exorcise a demon from a young girl, she discovers the limits of her powers.
With her vampire cousin at her side and a sexy sorcerer chasing her on the rebound, Roxie sets out to send that evil entity back to where she came from.
Nothing is as it seems and Roxie’s in over her head. It’s not going to be enough for her to just be a paranormal investigator and old school root worker – to defeat this demon, she’s going to have to be the Mojo Queen.
7 comments:
that's so funny that something to amuse yourself turned out to be a new way for the book to go. Sounds great.
lvs2dv at gmail dot com
I'm following along on your hop =) I'd love to win a copy of your book. Please count me in, thanks
Tanyaw1224(at)yahoo(dot)com
Hi Roxanne, thanks for hosting me!
Hi loves to dive and Tanya1224 - thanks for commenting and following the tour!
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!!!
paigebradish@yahoo.com
I've been following the tour around. Thanks for the giveaway.
jepebATverizon.net
Great blog tour! I enjoyed following it around!
ruby95660[at]yahoo[dot]com
Love this blog tour, Great giveaway Thank-you,
julienewberry@btinternet.com
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