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| Cover by Matt Davis Image: A well in a valley has a blue magical power bursting out. |
Blurb
Six months after the birth of her daughter,
Caitlin Ross’s life is in a tailspin. Still suffering from what he endured at
the hands of his former lover, her husband, Timber MacDuff, has drawn away. The
gods have stopped speaking, except for vague hints in bad dreams. Unwilling to
face reality, Caitlin goes about her daily routine as if nothing has changed
while deep inside she longs for distraction.
When the county sheriff asks for help with a
puzzling situation, Caitlin believes her prayers have been answered. A rancher
has drowned in the middle of a desert, and the means appear supernatural. The
case is right up Caitlin’s alley, but her interest pits her against Timber, who
insists getting involved is too dangerous now that she’s a mother. Neither he
nor Caitlin realizes a greater danger awaits. Strange events in Gordarosa have
brought the area to the attention of a group known as Shade Tracers. Mundane
mortals, they’ve taken it upon themselves to protect humanity from magic—with
deadly force, if necessary. One holds Caitlin responsible for a personal tragedy,
and will stop at nothing to see justice done..
Past and present converge in Caitlin’s darkest
adventure yet. With her own life at stake, she must journey through time to
uncover the truth behind the Shade Tracer’s obsession. Success could provide
the key to solving the local mystery. Failure will doom her to a life on the
run, forever hunted.
The Well
Below the Valley will be released in print and electronic editions August
2, 2016.
EXCERPT
Just then, some odd flickers from the BLM land
adjacent our property caught my eyes. Shading them with my hand, I squinted
into the distance. A flash. A beat, and then another. No regular rhythm. They
seemed to originate from the low hill from which we often watched the moonrise.
Some kids
dicking around with a mirror. BLM land was public property, and this
section lay convenient to town. Bored local teens partied there. Timber and I
combed the ground a couple of times a month, picking up the trash they left
behind.
I bent to retrieve my basket. As I straightened, the
light flashed again, this time with a distinctive quality hard to define. Less
like a mirror. More like a flame. I’d just settled on the difference when
something whizzed past my left ear, and a cluster of berries fell off the rowan
tree at the center of the garden. A split second later, a sharp CRACK! rang
through the air.
My jaw dropped. What the hell? I lifted my eyes from the rowan berries to the
hilltop in time to see the light flash again. At the same time, panicked voice
shouted not three feet behind me.
“Jesus Christ, Caitlin! Get DOWN!”
A heavy object struck my back, knocking me to the
ground. My basket flew from my hand, spilling my harvest. I hit the earth with
a shock that drove the wind from my lungs. AS I lay there, cheek in damp soil,
the intense, green scent of bruised tomato vines clogged my nose. A foot from
my head, a pepper plant exploded. CRACK! Understanding washed over me, and I
began to shake.
Someone was shooting at me.
About the
Series
Rural Gordarosa looks like any small mountain
town, with stunning scenery and locals who enjoy gossip. Witch Caitlin Ross
knows, however, that there’s more to her hometown than meets the mundane eye.
The caretaker at the local theater isn’t human, for example. And her best
friend’s uncle is a demon. Sometimes Otherworldly forces get out of control,
and Caitlin has to step in to put things right.
About the
Author
Musician, DJ, and unrepentant Iconoclast,
Katherine Lampe studied at the University of Michigan with Ken Mikolowski, and
at Naropa University with Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. The daughter
of an English teacher and a self-professed heretic masquerading as a
Presbyterian minister, she is interested in the individual's relationship with
the divine. Her work explores the interaction of the supernatural and the
mundane in the lives of real people.
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