Blackwell
Magnus Blackwell Series
Book One
Alexandrea Weis with Lucas Astor
Genre: Paranormal thriller.
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
Date of Publication: 1/17/17
ISBN: 978-1944109240
ASIN: B01M7T4NQT
Number of pages: 300
Word Count: 71, 800
Cover Artist: Sam Shearon
Book Description:
Hell has a new master
In the late 1800s, handsome, wealthy New Englander, Magnus Blackwell, is the envy of all.
When Magnus meets Jacob O’Conner—a Harvard student from the working class—an unlikely friendship is forged. But their close bond is soon challenged by a captivating woman; a woman Magnus wants, but Jacob gets.
Devastated, Magnus seeks solace in a trip to New Orleans. After a chance meeting with Oscar Wilde, he becomes immersed in a world of depravity and brutality, inevitably becoming the inspiration for Dorian Gray. Armed with the forbidden magic of voodoo, he sets his sights on winning back the woman Jacob stole from him.
Amid the trappings of Victorian society, two men, bent on revenge, will lay the foundation for a curse that will forever alter their destinies.
Excerpt:
Leaving the
firelight, he headed toward the water, eager to learn more about the woman.
Beyond the glare of the bonfire, his eyes were better able to take in her
figure. Her nightdress was torn in places and had dark splotches on it in
others. She stood at the water’s edge, her feet hidden below the surface of the
bayou. As he drew closer, Magnus got a better view of her exquisite face. Her
pale, snowy skin glowed in the darkness, and her features were perfect except
for a scar above her right lip. He ached to help her, to guide her from the
water and back to the warmth of the fire.
firelight, he headed toward the water, eager to learn more about the woman.
Beyond the glare of the bonfire, his eyes were better able to take in her
figure. Her nightdress was torn in places and had dark splotches on it in
others. She stood at the water’s edge, her feet hidden below the surface of the
bayou. As he drew closer, Magnus got a better view of her exquisite face. Her
pale, snowy skin glowed in the darkness, and her features were perfect except
for a scar above her right lip. He ached to help her, to guide her from the
water and back to the warmth of the fire.
“Are you all
right?”
right?”
She titled her
head to the side as she examined him. Then without saying anything, she held
out her hand to him.
head to the side as she examined him. Then without saying anything, she held
out her hand to him.
Magnus could
hear a woman’s voice saying, Magnus, come with me, in his head, but her lips
never moved. He was entranced, drawn to her, and just as he was raising his
hand to take hers, another hand clamped down on his wrist.
hear a woman’s voice saying, Magnus, come with me, in his head, but her lips
never moved. He was entranced, drawn to her, and just as he was raising his
hand to take hers, another hand clamped down on his wrist.
“Magnus, no,
don’t touch her,” Madam Simone called out.
don’t touch her,” Madam Simone called out.
The spell was
broken, and the woman in the water faded away.
broken, and the woman in the water faded away.
Magnus gawked at
the water. “What?”
the water. “What?”
“I told you to
stay close to the fire,” she admonished.
stay close to the fire,” she admonished.
He pointed to
the water. “You saw her? Who was that?”
the water. “You saw her? Who was that?”
Madam Simone let
go of his arm. “You mean what was that, don’t you?”
go of his arm. “You mean what was that, don’t you?”
“I don’t
understand.”
understand.”
She waved her
long stick out over the water. “That was a spirit called by the ceremony. She
often appears when we perform our rituals on the bayou.”
long stick out over the water. “That was a spirit called by the ceremony. She
often appears when we perform our rituals on the bayou.”
“You know her?”
The shock was evident in his voice.
The shock was evident in his voice.
“She’s the
spirit of one who sacrificed herself for love many years ago. She was the
quadroon mistress of a wealthy white man who spurned her and her unborn child.”
spirit of one who sacrificed herself for love many years ago. She was the
quadroon mistress of a wealthy white man who spurned her and her unborn child.”
Magnus removed
his hat and wiped his hand over his brow, feeling shaky. “So you are telling me
I just saw a ghost?”
his hat and wiped his hand over his brow, feeling shaky. “So you are telling me
I just saw a ghost?”
Madam Simone
chuckled at his reaction. “The world is not everything you see, Magnus. Ghosts
are as real as you or I. They are the impression left behind by a life ended in
misery, pain, or confusion. The spirits trapped or bound to earth are the ones
who haunt. The ones who have found peace are the ones who leave.”
chuckled at his reaction. “The world is not everything you see, Magnus. Ghosts
are as real as you or I. They are the impression left behind by a life ended in
misery, pain, or confusion. The spirits trapped or bound to earth are the ones
who haunt. The ones who have found peace are the ones who leave.”
“Where do they
go?”
go?”
She gave him a
sad smile. “That all depends on what you believe. Heaven, hell, paradise—take
your pick. We have more names for the world that comes after than we do for the
one we currently inhabit. I think that speaks volumes about our capacity for
hope.”
sad smile. “That all depends on what you believe. Heaven, hell, paradise—take
your pick. We have more names for the world that comes after than we do for the
one we currently inhabit. I think that speaks volumes about our capacity for
hope.”
Magnus took an
unsteady breath as his eyes returned to the water. “What about her? The girl in
the water? Will she ever find peace and move on?”
unsteady breath as his eyes returned to the water. “What about her? The girl in
the water? Will she ever find peace and move on?”
“No.” Madam
Simone shook her head and, gathering up her skirt, took a step away from the
shore. “She has chosen to remain here.”
Simone shook her head and, gathering up her skirt, took a step away from the
shore. “She has chosen to remain here.”
“Chosen?” he
shouted. “Are you telling me she had a choice?”
shouted. “Are you telling me she had a choice?”
“We all choose
in life and in death, Magnus.” She glanced back at him. “That is why we have
souls—to make that choice.”
in life and in death, Magnus.” She glanced back at him. “That is why we have
souls—to make that choice.”
Magnus could
still hear the voice of the spirit calling to him in his head. “I think she
spoke to me. She knew my name.”
still hear the voice of the spirit calling to him in his head. “I think she
spoke to me. She knew my name.”
“Spirits often bring messages from the dead.
Do you know anyone who has recently died?”
Do you know anyone who has recently died?”
He shook his
head. “No, no one.”
head. “No, no one.”
Madam Simone
motioned ahead to the bonfire. “Let’s get back to the fire.”
motioned ahead to the bonfire. “Let’s get back to the fire.”
Returning his
hat to his head, Magnus followed her up the bank. “I’m not sure what I
witnessed, Madam Simone, but I no longer think I’m a skeptic.”
hat to his head, Magnus followed her up the bank. “I’m not sure what I
witnessed, Madam Simone, but I no longer think I’m a skeptic.”
She grinned as
they walked along. “Good. Then the ceremony served its purpose.”
they walked along. “Good. Then the ceremony served its purpose.”
“What purpose?”
Madam Simone
kept her eyes focused on the firelight. “To prepare your soul for what is to
come.”
kept her eyes focused on the firelight. “To prepare your soul for what is to
come.”
About the Author:
From New Orleans, Alexandrea Weis was raised in the motion picture industry and began writing stories at the age of eight. In college, she studied nursing. After finishing her PhD, she decided to pick up the pen once again and begin her first novel. Since that time, she has published many novels and won several national writing awards for fiction. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her bestselling books, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story memorable.
Alexandrea Weis is also a certified/permitted wildlife rehabber with the La. Wildlife and Fisheries. When she is not writing, she rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She is married; they live in New Orleans.
Webpage: http://www.alexandreaweis.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexandreaweis
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandreaweis/
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