Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Someone Dark Has Found Me


Those readers, friends, and family who keep up with what I write know that I have a varied and quirky subject list for my stories. Leprechauns, hoo-doo, ghosts, angels, djinns, spirits, out-of-body travel, spells, the mystical properties of gemstones. Nothing is out of reach in my stories and novels, both published and yet-to-be published. That makes it hard when I'm submitting to agents and publishers. My stories don't fit into any one genre. A little bit of western. A touch of paranormal. A soupcon of romance. A dash of murder. A few spells thrown in for good measure. Sure! Why not? Because it makes it hard to find the right 'place' for them, that's why not. Publishers want specific genres, not the mystical stew I cook up.

So I was pleasantly surprised to find a book as varied in genre and quirky as those I write—if not more so.

Someone Dark Has Found Me, by John Orr, starts with three debonair, witty, attractive, private detectives (imagine Remington Steele, Sam Spade, and…well, any other good-looking, wise-cracking PI), and they meet a witch…with a W, not a B. She's a well-known restaurateur in their town of Pala Alto, California, and she needs their help, more than you'd ever believe. With disbelieving 'normal' cops trying to arrest them at every turn, it's hard to fight the evil that (or who) is trying to destroy them. It's the witch's brother, of all people. There are murders that aren't murders, an eccentric computer developer, a magic cat, sympathetic trees, and all sorts of interesting things going on. I'd try to explain it to you but I don't think I can do it as well as author John Orr did. He made the whole thing make sense. You won't get lost in this story, I promise.

Written with a lot of humor and a terrific voice, Someone Dark Has Found Me would make a great TV series, IMO. I can see this group solving 'everyday' crimes, as well as those with magic involved. I'm looking forward to another book featuring these people. The only thing I'd change is the cover. The author would be well-served to see what Farah Evers could cook up for him. She produces spot-on covers at a reasonable rate, and this book deserves a different cover.

So if you relish weird and unusual stories, and I have to assume you do or you wouldn't be reading my blog, buy a copy of Someone Dark Has Found Me by John Orr.  Enjoy!

In the meantime I'm working on a sequel to Broussard Court, the story of spirits, hoodoo, rescued people, spells, charms, protective gemstones, et al, set in New Orleans. No, you can't buy it yet, but a publisher is 'interested', so hopefully you will be able to before long. I'm working on a new cast of people the spirits are sending to Broussard Court.

On the side, I'm working on "Sissy and Miss Boo", about a jilted bride and an old lady who encounter murder when they 'run away' to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Let me know what you think about Someone Dark when you read it.