Tag Archives: coming soon

Why does every Cozy Paranoromal feature a Mid-Life Witch?

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One of my favorite genres is the cozy paranormal mystery. Like all cozy mysteries, these usually feature a female amateur sleuth seeking to create a new life for herself in a new community, when she is faced with a sudden death that somehow requires her involvement in order to bring the criminals to justice.

What makes the paranormal cozy mystery different is that, unlike the cozy genre in general, the protagonist is usually in her mid-life.

I have a theory about this. I think it is because for many of us, mid-life is when our bodies and minds undergo dramatic changes. Our children are reaching adulthood and our roles with them are changing. We can see our futures in our aging parents and it terrifies us. We become conscious of how little time we have left and how much of ourselves we have given away for decades. The bottom of the hourglass holds more sand than the top, and yet those grains keep trickling relentlessly downward. Exhaustion, anger, and resentment are our constant companions, as well as that little voice that keeps asking, “Is this all there is?”

I think the fact so many protagonists in cozy paranormal mysteries are witches coming into their power in mid-life embraces all these concepts and more. Mid-life is a time when we take stock of our lives and wonder what is the best use of our remaining time. We’re less inclined to be people-pleasers. We’re tired of being taken for granted, for solving all the problems without getting any of the recognition. To paraphrase the great Nora Roberts, “our field of f*cks is fallow.”

I also believe it is a time when many of us, if we’re lucky, recognize the power we’ve always held. We come into our own for perhaps the first time in our lives. Not as someone’s daughter or wife, not as mother or reliable employee. But for who we are as ourselves. Or maybe we sense that power is there, but we’re unable or afraid to tap into it. Perhaps the appeal of the mid-life witch is the desire to uncover our power but we don’t know how. The middle-aged protagonist who suddenly is able to start fires with her mind or inexplicably can understand the thoughts of her cat appeals to those of us who feel powerless, or worry that we’ve squandered our power. The mid-life witch coming into her own strength and magic is an allegory many of us–at a time in our lives when we may feel used up and without value–wish to embrace in our escapist reading.

I find older protagonists more interesting as characters. They’ve lived, they’ve loved, they’ve lost. They have back stories that provide depth to their characterization. I also relate to them more than I can with a twenty-something who hasn’t necessarily faced some of the toughest curve balls life can throw at them. And I adore stories about women coming into their power–perhaps because I’m hoping one day I will fully do the same.

That’s probably why I’ve taken a short detour from my usual cozy mystery fare and returned to my paranormal roots to write Hexes, Lies, and Alibis. Categorizing it has been challenging. Witches and ghosts + a murder = paranormal cozy mystery. Angels, demons, and mythological beasts = cozy fantasy. But the fact that it takes place in a alternate reality makes it a portal fantasy.

Regardless of what genre it falls into, it features a middle-aged woman discovering both her legacy and her power after a lifetime of never fitting in, and ultimately, that was what made it so fun to write. Well, that and the harpies.

When Morgan Frost inherits property from her grandmother, she discovers the derelict farm is actually a portal to a universe where technology fails and magic rules. In a world where people use magic for everything from heating water to battling mythological creatures, Morgan faces a steep learning curve for survival. Especially since her grandmother was murdered by someone wishing to take over The Grange, granting them access to our world of science and technology. It’s up to Morgan and her new friends to see that this doesn’t happen.

Hexes, Lies, and Alibis (The Myth Element Series) by M.K. Dean is now available for pre-order on your favorite platforms. Release date June 30, 2026.

Amazon and these retailers.

The Kind of List You Want to Be On

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I had a kind of crappy day today.

The odd thing is, nothing truly bad happened. Certainly not by 2020’s standards. I had a minor disappointment with the upcoming launch of Bishop’s Gambit. Very minor. On the scale of pain and suffering, it was right up there with a stubbed toe–the kind that makes you curse and hop around on one foot but then moments later, you’ve forgotten all about it. Or at least I should have. Instead, I let my disappointment escalate into a mini-meltdown. It wasn’t until later that I realized the writing setback was a safe thing for me to get upset about. There are a lot of upsetting and distressing things going on right now and yet I focused on the toe-stub instead of the car crash, if you catch my drift.

So it was with great pleasure that I received a message from author Beth Linton with a link to a blog post she’d written listing “10 Best Romance Novels.” I was delighted to find Bishop Takes Knight there! I definitely needed that boost today! It reminded me that I’d recently run across another such list from Barbara Strickland in her Chilling Corner in August, that also counted Bishop Takes Knight among her recommended reads.

I have to tell you, these posts pulled me right out of my pity party. Especially because they also recommended such delicious reads I couldn’t wait to add them to my TBR stack!

And speaking of adding to the TBR stack, I’m going to be doing a cover reveal for Bishop’s Gambit as soon as I have a pre-order link! Yay! So stay tuned. It won’t be long now!

Some Birthday Gifts are Worth Sharing…

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Last month, my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday.

I hardly knew what to tell him. The pandemic meant a weekend getaway was out. Stress-eating over the pandemic has kind of taken the shine off food as a special treat. While I normally have a long list of books on my wish list at Amazon, the pandemic has had me buying books for myself at a greater rate than usual. I jokingly told him he could get me a personalized birthday greeting from Chris Evans, but somehow, I wasn’t holding my breath for that one. Finally I asked for something I’d been longing for: a book trailer for my upcoming release, Bishop’s Gambit.

See, he’d been playing around with movie-making since the pandemic left him with too much time on his hands after work in the evenings, and he is the consummate geek–always teaching himself how to do techy things that would have me pulling my hair out in frustration.

I adore book trailers, but recognize the limitations of working with free images and music. I couldn’t justify spending top dollar on the trailer of my dreams, and had pretty much resigned myself to doing without. But he asked what I wanted, so I thought, “Why not?” Whatever he made would be better than no trailer at all, right?

Only his first-ever book trailer is simply SMASHING. OMG, it’s so fantastic, I just have to share it with EVERYONE.

Okay, this trailer is for Bishop Takes Knight because I don’t yet have a cover for Bishop’s Gambit, and I think he wanted a dry run first. But if this is what his first effort looks like, I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. I think he could make a sideline out of making these, don’t you? 

 

Wow. Just wow. Happy Birthday to me!

Bantering Couples and Why I love Them #MFRWHooks

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I am a sucker for bantering couples.

Give me the wit and flair of the interaction between Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. The smoking chemistry of Maddie and David in Moonlighting. The rapier-sharp exchanges between Beckett and Castle (in the early days of the show when it was still fun). Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence. Nick and Nora from The Thin Man movies.

There’s nothing I love better than snappy dialog, unless you pair it with a mystery to solve as well.

Which is why I went after the slow burn (crockpot) relationship development between Bishop and Knight in the Redclaw Origins series. I knew I wanted to tell more stories about these two, and so slowed their relationship down so we could watch the progression over the arc of the series.

I’m having so much fun writing about recurring couples, that I’ve decided the next series will feature the same. But right now, I’m close to finishing the first draft on Bishop’s Gambit and am looking for a late summer/early fall release date. For now, here’s a little sampling of why I find Rhett and Peter so much fun to write. Here’s an excerpt from Bishop Takes Knight:

I could see his point. And since I had him here, I asked about something that had been on my mind since the day of the mechanical spider. “What do you think is the purpose behind these artifacts?”

He leaned back in his chair to the point he risked toppling it over backward. The front legs lifted until he settled the chair back in place with a thump. “That’s the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question, isn’t it?” His raised eyebrow implied both curiosity and concern. The combination was frankly compelling. “Where do they come from? Who or what is behind the technology? It’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen, and I’ve worked on some top-secret projects. My guess? It’s not from this planet.”

My mouth dropped open. “You mean…alien?” I sputtered.

He nodded in all seriousness.

“You seriously believe Martians or Moon Men or something like that is seeding our plant with their gizmos?” The shock of his statement having worn off, scorn now laced my voice.

His shrug was eloquent. “Maybe. I think it more likely an advanced race implanted these devices millennia ago, knowing at some point we’d develop nuclear technology, hence the activation of said devices now.”

“But why?”

He shook his head. “A test? A trap? Who knows? Maybe the awakening tech triggered some kind of signal to the developers and even now, they’re on their way to greet us.”

I wondered if we would disappoint them. It was a distinctly disturbing thought. “Is this a working theory or are you just blowing smoke?”

His devilish smile made an appearance. The way it peeped out of hiding, combined with the fall of that rebellious lock of hair over his intense eyes when he leaned forward, would have charmed the pants off most women I know.

I don’t charm that easily.

“My dear, I just tinker with the gizmos.” He leaned back in his seat once more, his clever fingers toying with his spoon as he spoke. “I’ll leave winkling out the motives of the artifact-builders to the scary people, like you and Ryker.”

I straightened. “Me? Scary? What on earth have I done to give you that impression?” Ryker, I could understand. We knew so little about the shifters, how they lived, and what they could do. The way Ryker had tossed Billy around that day in the office was a fair indication he was stronger than most men, and of course, there was the rapid healing thing as well. More than that, I didn’t know.

“Scarily competent.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Am I supposed to thank you? That makes me sound like every other woman in the workplace. Standing behind the boss and making him look good.”

His laugh caught me off guard. “No, you have it all wrong. The smart man stands behind the girl with the ray gun.”

Okay. Perhaps I could be charmed a little.

 

I’m participating in a blog hop today, so follow the link to the other blogs and check out some fun teasers!

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