Meet Spooky History Author Jeri Westerson #authorinterview

Spooky TopicsThanks for joining us today, Xina. Tell us a little about yourself. What do you do for a living?

I write for a living. Since 2010. Currently, I have 31 books in print, from historicals, to medieval mysteries, to an LGBT mystery series, to three paranormal series.

What’s your home life like?

Husband of 35 years, a senior cat, and a laconic tortoise. Our son lives on his own in L.A. working toward a screenwriter career.

What are your hobbies?

Not many these days. I used to do woodcarving and painting, but there is little time to indulge when there are two books each in different genres to work on a year.

What historical period is your favorite? Why?

The Middle Ages. I’ve been surrounded by it all my life. Being raised in a house full of rabid anglophiles, the books were right there on the shelves, both fiction and nonfiction. I couldn’t help but immerse myself in Medieval English history, especially when talk at the dinner table could center on the British monarchy. I know more about British monarchs than American presidents.

Tell us about your research process.

I like to take a solid month for research before I write and then research along the way when I suddenly come across a question. I know that those who write straight historical fiction have the luxury of a few years to write, but when you write a mystery series, a publisher expects a book a year.

Clockwork Gypsy coverFor Spooky History, Jeri will focus on her paranormal steampunk series, The Enchanter Chronicles, which began with The Daemon Device. The setting is an alternate steampunk version of London in 1891. I recently read the book and enjoyed it a lot.

The second book in the series, Clockwork Gypsy, will be released on Oct. 31, just in time for Halloween!

Join us for Spooky History on Monday, October 19, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. (PT) to learn more about the world of The Enchanter Chronicles, as well as the works of fellow panelists Xina Marie Uhl and Colleen Adair Fliedner. The Zoom meeting is sponsored by the Santa Clarita Library in their series of History Talks held monthly on various historical topics.

Click here to register: bit.ly/HTSpookyHistory

Author Jeri WestersonAbout the Author:

Los Angeles native JERI WESTERSON is the author of historical novels and thirteen Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Mystery novels, a series nominated for thirteen national awards from the Agatha to the Shamus. Jeri also writes three paranormal series, BOOKE OF THE HIDDEN, a paranormal romance; the Enchanter Chronicles, a steampunk series beginning with THE DAEMON DEVICE; and a werewolf mystery series, beginning with MOONRISERS. Under the pen name Haley Walsh, Westerson has written the Skyler Foxe Mysteries, a humorous and romantic LGBT mystery series. She has served two terms as president of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, twice president of the Orange County Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and one term as vice president for the Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime.

See more about Jeri at JeriWesterson.com or bookeofthehidden.com or EnchanterChronicles.com

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Linda McLaughlin

Book Review Club: The Vine Witch #fantasy #romance

Once a year my reading group schedules a topic we call either Reading Surprise or Zen Reading. The idea is to pick up a book and start reading, without having read the description on the back cover (or website). If you’re lucky, what you find in the pages of the book is a nice surprise.

I tried and eliminated half a dozen books before I found The Vine Witch through Amazon’s Kindle First program for Prime members. The cover and title immediately caught my eye, so I grabbed a copy. All I knew about it was that Amazon had characterized it as Fantasy. To my delight, it turned out to be romantic fantasy.

The Vine Witch cover
The Vine Witch
by Luanne G. Smith
Debut Novel
47 North, 2019

In Smith’s fantasy version of early 20th c. France, all vineyards have vine witches, who use their skills to create a better vintage.

The book starts with the protagonist, Elena, trapped by a curse in a frog’s body. Every time the frog sheds it’s skin, she swallows the skin. She doesn’t remember much about being a human, but she knows the frog’s skin is poisonous. This time the poison hits critical mass and the curse is broken.

She returns home, planning to exact vengeance on her former fiance whom she believes ordered the curse on her. But everything has changed. Her mentor, an older woman, has sold the vineyard to an outsider, a young lawyer from Paris who wants to be a great vintner. Jean-Paul is a believer in law and science, so she has to hide her witchy abilities.

She’s also dismayed by the shape the vineyards are in. Someone has clearly cursed them as well. She goes about undoing the damage, trying to stay off Jean-Paul’s radar.

Her former fiance has since married a blond bier hexe from the northern lands (Germany, presumably) and has prospered mightily, buying up many of the local wineries when their grapes start to sour. Elena knows he is behind the damage to the Chateau Renard vineyard, as well.

Of course, nothing goes as planned, and Elena ends up accused of murder. Jean-Paul who has fallen in love with her tries to free her, only to end up in danger to himself.

This book was a lovely surprise. I found the world-building intriguing and the characters engaging, esp. Yvette, Elena’s felonious but charming partner in crime. (We don’t meet her until well into the book.) The writing is good, and there was the nice bonus of a romance subplot between Elena and Jean-Paul. Recommended for lovers or fantasy or paranormal romance.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Linda

As always, click on the graphic below for more great reviews in Barrie Summy’s Book Review Club.

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