Laying the foundation

What comes next in my writing plans are five contemporary, urban fantasy romances involving a widowed mother and her four grown daughters. What I knew to begin was these were born out of an ancestry of witches and shamans. Then I discovered some of their ancestors came from the historical Arizona families of both Yaqui and natural mystics (my books).

To get this project going, I needed to find  images to provide inspiration, eventual covers, and book trailers. I sorted through my own photos and the ones I'd previously purchased. Then I took out a week-long subscription at a royalty free photo site-- 10 images a day for one week. The heroes I already had. I needed heroines, interiors of homes, and some supernatural, even scary imagery.




The beginning setting for each story will be Barrio Viejo. It was some years back when I first was there to find El Tiradito, which I had in my first Arizona historical. It is a very old wishing shrine. There are several stories as to the history of what some say is the only shrine dedicated to a sinner. People even today go there with their prayers and wishes and hope the shrine will work its magic. 

On that first visit, years back, many of the homes were deteriorating. In trying to find the shrine, we found another shrine first as instructions weren't particularly clear. Today it's easier to find, and the whole area is being renovated in keeping with its past. What better spot to set a paranormal suspense than a neighborhood with such a rich and mixed history. 

In my story, the widowed mother operates her bookstore which is connected to a detective agency. Her daughters work in both, using their mix of intellectual and spiritual skills. The paranormal aspect will involve witchcraft, ghosts, shapeshifters, possibly spirit guides of the positive and not so positive nature and maybe monsters or demons. I will find out about that when I start writing the first. 

After I had my characters, I worked out the general plot for all five books. If it stays on track, each will have a physical mystery, a paranormal challenge, and, of course, a romance.

The heroes, whose images I had previously purchased, will represent 'us' as they are (most of them) living normal lives until something comes from out of nowhere to upset their lives, and they become involved with women who are witches. These are incidentally not the kind of witches who meet in covens and dance naked around bonfires (well, there might be some of that). These witches are also not the kind to fly on broomsticks. Who needs a broomstick to transport from one place to another magically. These are witches, who have real powers to throw plasma bolts and when needed fight using elemental spirits. Each of the women have their own natural skills. Many are born with such skills but some families suspect them as being from a devil. In this family, they have been taught to use them with wisdom and for good. 

More on this coming next blog-- urban fantasies. :)