work in progress

by Rain Trueax

It has taken awhile; but finally, I am back writing the next book (contemporary paranormal, set in Tucson, Arizona). The romance involves the afterlife, reincarnation, and redemption. Big subjects and even harder if you don't have a religious agenda. 

In the snippet below, Devi, a natural born witch, is soon to be married (it's unconventional as to why) and driving toward Tucson while talking to Vi, the widow she has hired to be a cook at the ranch. While this book is paranormal, it has a lot of interactions between women-- scenes I especially enjoy writing.

   “You are thinking deep,” Vi said.

   Devi smiled. “I guess I am. My wedding is tomorrow.”

   “It’s a huge decision.”

   “It is.” Even more if it was to be like her marriage—purely business.

   “Are you having doubts?” Vi asked.

   Devi entered and merged into the freeway traffic before she answered. “No, just wondering what kind of man he is. I haven’t known him long.”

    “I can see he’s complex. I wish George had been there today. He might have some insights.”

    “George is a guide for you?” She rather doubted it given what Vi had told her.

    “What else could he be?”

    She glanced over and saw Vi genuinely wanted to know. She considered what to tell her. “There are what we call ghosts, who have refused to move on from one lifetime after they die. No authority is over them. Their motives are suspect. So like with Maude, don't trust too much in what they say. Guides operate under rules and with spiritual authority over them. For a muse, you want a guide, not a ghost.” Most of all not a demon, but she didn’t add that. She did not want to frighten Vi. Sometimes what one thought was a ghost actually was a demon. If she met George, she’d know better if that was the case with Vi’s spirit.

    “I think he’s a ghost. I wondered why he didn’t come with me today.”

    Devi could hear the upset in her voice. She considered that. Her wards had most likely kept him away and would even now, so long as Vi was with her. “Do you need him to be with you?” she asked. She could lift the ward from him. She would only do it under certain conditions.

   “I have, but… I will think about it.”

   “Good… Did your husband involve himself with the occult when he was alive?”

   “I don’t know. What would that mean?”

   “You looked at the books at the ranch. Some were dealing with the unknown. It would mean involvement with learning spells, possibly friends into such, meetings where you weren’t included, a sense that he knew what others didn’t, possibly an increasing sense of his own power.” Learning occult powers could lead to ego enhancements with no controls. It often ended up deadly. Again, she didn’t want to frighten Vi. She’d know better only after she met George.

   “I need to think about that.”

   “Good. You can also ask him when he returns.” She debated telling Vi about the wards. Likely if he knew he’d been blocked, George would tell her.

   “I will do that. You can keep him away, can’t you?” Vi then asked.

   “I won’t if you’d prefer otherwise-- if he isn’t to be a problem.”

   “Problem?”

   “Doing things to scare others at the ranch. Ghosts can be mischievous but also threatening—especially if he didn’t like the changes in your life.”

This week, I changed the cover of the book and will share that at a later time. I think the new version better suits the energy of the hero and heroine.