Title: Voodoo
on Bayou Lafonte
Series: Occult
Series Book
3
Author: Susan
C. Muller
Genre: Paranormal romantic
suspense
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Date of Publication: December 18,
2013
Word Count: 80,000
Cover Artist: Rae Monet
A frantic phone call leads
Detective Remy Steinberg racing through the night toward the one place he vowed
never to return. With the life of his kidnapped daughter at stake, he willingly
faces shotgun-wielding drug dealers, corrupt law-enforcement officials, and a
raging hurricane.
Scouring the seedy back alleys of
New Orleans for information, he goes undercover at a sinister voodoo ceremony,
and struggles to understand the forces of black magic that hold his daughter
hostage.
With time ticking down, he
battles for his life against a high voodoo priest, but can he face the two
things he fears most: the swamp that terrorized his childhood, and the ex-wife
he’s never stopped loving?
Detective Remy Steinberg must
return to Louisiana in search of his kidnapped daughter. Can he save her before
the swamp swallows her up and he loses any chance at happiness?
For those of you who don’t know
me, I’m a fourth generation Texan and I attended Stephen F. Austin State
University where I majored in Business Administration, but took creative
writing classes on the side because that’s where my heart was.
I have always loved reading and
if it’s true that God doesn’t subtract the hours you spend reading from your
life span, then I should pass the century mark with flying colors. I first
tried my hand at writing when I was eleven, but the sun was shining and I had a
new bike so that effort was doomed to failure.
I didn’t try writing again until
I was well into my sixties. People ask me why I took it up then and my answer
is simple, because my husband retired. If you don’t understand, just wait, you
will.
My first novel, The Secrets on
Forest Bend, won several awards. After that, I was hooked.
I’ve been blessed with two great
kids and four grandkids. My late husband and I loved to travel and we saw much
of the world. Kenya, New Zealand, and the Galapagos Islands are a few of my
favorite places. After he passed, I thought my traveling days were over, yet
I’ve since been to Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela.
I live in Spring, Texas where I
currently serve as president of the Northwest Houston chapter of RWA and
volunteer at a local hospital. I also enjoy speaking to book clubs and writers
groups.
Twitter: @susancmuller
Remy gritted his teeth and turned off his flashing light bar as he crossed the state line. His badge might carry some weight in Texas, but not in Louisiana. Those guys had a hard-on against everything from Texas except the money that rolled in.Well, too damn bad. He felt the same about their whole fucking state. Had since the day his mother dragged the family there from New Jersey.He understood, forgave her even. When his father died, she needed someplace that felt like home. Only it never felt like home to him. In fact, it felt more like purgatory. And he got out of there as fast as he could.Unfortunately, that meant dragging Gabrielle and Adrienne to Texas with him. And Gabby had refused to do that. She’d given him an ultimatum. Come back or get a divorce. Well, he’d never much liked ultimatums. And he sure as hell didn’t plan to ever live in that state again.He’d gone to Texas in search of work, sure that if Gabby loved him enough, she’d follow. Only she hadn’t, and he’d refused to give up a good job and return to a hand-to-mouth existence, sponging off of family, and feeling like a failure because he couldn’t support his new baby and his wife.The same wife who hadn’t loved him enough to come with him.His hands tightened on the wheel until his fingers went numb. Would things have been different if he hadn’t been so bullheaded? Was Adrienne paying the price for his stubbornness?He could beat himself up later for rash decisions. All that mattered now was his daughter’s safety.Two of the detectives in his squad, Adam Campbell and Ruben Marquez, had stayed late at the station to work the phones, something he appreciated. Even his boss was pulling all the strings he could, but Remy knew he was on his own.And every minute that passed, the knot in his gut grew.He stopped for gas, a quick burger, and to study the map. He hadn’t been here for at least three years, probably four, and if it weren’t for Adrienne he wouldn’t be here now. As soon as she was old enough to fly alone, he’d brought her out to join him for her weekend visits.Nothing had changed. A few more fast-food joints, a few more casinos. But the fucking swamp was still only feet off the road in places. And the people that lived in it were still as superstitious and backward as ever.The burger tasted like cardboard, but he didn’t care. Just fuel for his body. No different than the gas he put in the car.Another hour of driving, and he turned off the interstate, into bayou country. The lights fell away and he was left with only his headlights poking a hole in the darkness. Even the air felt heavy, like the weight on his shoulders.God, how he hated this place. And now it had taken his daughter.
Thanks for having me today, Melissa. :)
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