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Character Interview - Cassanne Thomas

9/17/2021

Cassanne Thomas has recently returned to New Orleans and works as a psychic just outside the French Quarter, though don’t let her Haitian relatives know. They’d expect to embrace her internal Vodou queen and chat with the Loa. She’s making ends meet with her tarot cards and uses her degrees in psychology and sociology to read and help her clients.

Paranormal Life: Today I am interviewing the heroine in Redeemed By Fire, Cassanne Thomas. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cassanne.
Casi Thomas: Please call me, Casi. Only my mother uses my full first name.

PL: Casi, it is. Well, let’s get right down to it. What would you most like people to know about you?
CT: I’m a bit of a loner. I’ve been burned by relationships, both professionally and personally, so I have a hard time trusting and letting people in. My best friend, Mason, <chuckles>, well my only friend really since I made the move from California, is working on opening me up. I’m not so sure it’s working though.

PL: If you have a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
CT: <laughs> A day off would be amazing. I work all the time to pay the rent and for food. Hmmm, what would I do? Pack a lunch, grab a blanket and a good book and head to City Park. I’d find a shady spot near Tickle Bridge and spend a quiet day.

PL: Are you lucky?
CT: Sadly, no. If I was lucky, I’d still be in California.

PL: What do you worry about when you wake up at 3 in the morning?
CT: Funny you should ask…I’m usually a sound sleeper, but lately I’ve jolted awake, with my heart pounding, afraid. I have no idea why. I hope it doesn’t portend something awful in my future.

PL: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
CT: Well, I use to be a social worker, now I’m playing at being psychic, who knows? Almost anything would be better. Reading tarot cards is a placeholder for me as I put myself back together. But if we’re talking pure fantasy, I’d love to be a musician, which would be a miracle since I have absolutely no talent. I can’t play or sing at all.

PL: What would you most like to hide?
CT: My past…

PL: What are your hopes for the future?
CT: Pull myself together, trust more, and be open for new possibilities.

PL: What motto do you live your life by?
CT: Right now? Trust only yourself.

PL: Thanks for stopping by. If the readers have any questions for Casi or myself, be sure to drop them in the comments.

New Orleans, hot sultry nights, and an ancient evil who makes the French Quarter home.

Cassanne Thomas returns to New Orleans to start her life over and becomes the target of a supernatural serial killer. Escaping her close call with death, Casi is the only witness to the crime and finds herself placed in protected custody by a handsome Cajun detective. But with her dark, troubled past, trusting the police is the last thing she wants to do.

Detective Lucas Avery, the top homicide detective in NOLA, is unaware of the supernatural world surrounding him. With the killer stalking the streets, he vows to shield the beautiful, enigmatic, Casi with his life while fighting his growing attraction to her. He's been burned before.

Danger chases Lucas and Casi from the streets of the French Quarter to the wilds of the bayou. Will they be able to stop a monster, straight out of a nightmare or become victims themselves?

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Guest Author - Linda Nightingale

9/15/2021

I'm please to welcome Linda, all the way from South Carolina, to A Paranormal Life. She even brings a guest with her, Morgan D'Arcy, from her novel, Sinner's Opera.

Let's get to know Morgan, via my favorite questions in the style of Inside The Actor's StudioI.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Morgan Gabriel D’Arcy. I am the Earl of St. Averil, a concert pianist…and a vampire. I was born just before the English Civil War in 1634 in a small village in Devon, England. In 1659, a French Duchess infected me with the Vampyre virus which mutated my DNA, and I became a vampire. I am 6’2 with blue eyes and long blond hair. I’m the hero in Sinners’ Opera, and I am a man in love. If you’d like to read of some of my peccadillos in the romance department, Morgan D’Arcy: A Vampyre Rhapsody contains a few tales of my loves over the years. Linda Nightingale has devoted a page to me on her website if you’d like to know more about me in general. https://www.LindaNightingale.com

Paranormal Life: Welcome my Lord. It is most generous to share your valuable time, so let's get right down to it. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Morgan D'Arcy: Writing. Linda seems to enjoy it so much I’m intrigued. Putting words on a blank page to create a picture, to establish a different world, and to immerse the reader of those words in ‘the willing suspension of disbelief’ seems well worth the time and effort,

PL: If you were reincarnated as some plant or animal, what would it be and why?
MD: The horse, most definitely. They are very spiritual creatures, proud and swift. I’ve never met an ugly horse. If a horse is mean spirited, it usually is a refection on his training or treatment at the hands of his human handler. I’ve always enjoyed a good connection with horses, even though in the movies vampires frighten the animals. I have several horses in my stables. I love the Friesian breed, but my favorite is the Andalusian and the Portuguese version of the Iberian horse, the Lusitano.

PL: Who are your favorite fictional heroes or heroines?
MD: Isabeau and me. No, that’s a difficult question to answer. There are quite a few competitors. For a hero, I guess I’d had to say Legolas in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. For the heroine, I’ve given it much thought and I still must say Isabeau Gervase. Besides the fact that I love her, she is a brilliant geneticist, a beautiful woman—inside and out—and witty as well as courageous. After all, she lives with me, and I’m the most frightening creature in any room. 😊

PL: If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
MD: If I had a day, I’d spend it at the beach. I did that once. The story of my day in the sun (after becoming a vampire) is told in “Sunrise, Sunset” in an anthology of stories about my life and loves titled Morgan D’Arcy: A Vampyre Rhapsody. The story of my day at the beach is told in “Sunrise, Sunset”.

PL: Are you lucky?
MD: At the moment, I’d have to say unlucky. See above. Hopefully, when Linda Nightingale finishes Sinners’ Obsession, the sequel to Sinners’ Opera—our love story, Isabeau’s and mine, I will be a lucky man.

PL: What do you worry about when you wake up at 3 in the morning?
MD: Since my clock is opposite to yours, I sleep days, and vampire slumber is coma-like, I’ll have to answer hypothetically. If I were to wake up at 3 AM, I’d worry about what I worry about when I wake at sunset. How to tell the woman I love, and the mother of my miracle child, that she is pregnant with vampire’s child. Not her ex-fiance as she suspects. And that there is something terribly wrong with the child. Human DNA and vampire DNA is a perilous mix.

PL: What would you most like to hide?
MD: That I am that most feared creature—a concert pianist. No, seriously, I am forbidden by The Masquerade to reveal my true nature—that of a vampire. Do you have any idea how it is to always have to be someone else, Sometimes, the urge to tell someone what not who I am overcomes me. I’ve told many a victim my real name the instant before they died in my arms

PL: What are your hopes for the future?
MD: It is my sincere desire that Isabeau, our child, and I will be together.

PL: What motto do you live your life by?
MD: From a bumper sticker no less, “I tried to contain myself, but I escaped.” Except when I traveled—not necessarily because we wanted to—with the Wandering Prince (King Charles II) during his exile, I have always known a life of great privilege, but since 1659, it has also been a life of dark secrets. Just once I’d like to emerge as who I am to the world.

PL: Thank you for stopping by, Morgan. If our readers have any questions for him or Linda, please place ask them in the comment section.

Here's a sneak peak into Sinners' Opera.

I’ll tell you how I managed to eliminate one of my many obstacles between me and Isabeau—an old enemy, and how I helped my manservant to recover from being brutalized by this renegade vampire:

In the Battle of Worcester, I’d been caught in the blood bath at Sidbury Gate, fighting at my King’s side as Cromwell’s soldiers overwhelmed us. In hand to hand combat, you can see the color of your enemy’s eyes. In war, madness consumes you. The same madness, the same lust for blood seized me. My eyes narrowed, heart hammering. I felt light and lethal. Honed to killing fury, I charged him. He mounted a defense, but I pressed my advantage.

Sparks zinged off metal. The flashing blades blurred, both swords shivering with the force of our attacks. He cut at my head. I dived beneath his guard to gash his side, punching his face with the basket hilt as he retreated. Through the music room, we danced our deadly dance, snarling through bared fangs. Eyes flaming crimson, I waltzed him back until he crashed against the French doors. He kicked backwards, shattering wood and glass, and turned in a flash, loading his next strike with his entire weight.

Lighter but stronger, I swung the cutting edge of my blade up with vampire force. Our weapons clashed on the ring of metal and shattered, shards peppering us. The older blade broke at the hilt. I was left with a ragged length a foot long. I feinted, lunged and drove the broken sword into his heart, jerked it free. A geyser of blood sprayed me. Like a curse, I followed him as he dropped to his knees to whisper in his ear, “Patientia ut victum.”

Sufferings of the conquered. Laughing, I materialized on my feet. He vaulted over the balcony railing, landing on the grass without a sound. I followed, swinging my weapon as my feet touched the ground, catching him beneath the chin with the flat of the blade.

“Immortality ends here.” I enunciated each word.

Captain d’Alembert was staring into my eyes when I relieved him of his head. I tossed the pitiful remainder of the sword I’d carried into the final battle of the English Civil War beside the corpse, kicking my enemy’s bloody skull into the fragrant gardenias. Ah, well, nothing lasts forever, even Eternity.

“You should have quit while you were a head.”

Closing my eyes, I listened to the hiss of the fountain and drank in the clean, normal smells of the garden. As dawn leached the night pale, I hurried inside to safety but risked a glance over my shoulder to watch my old enemy crumble to dust and drift away on the sea breeze. The light sizzled on my skin, but I must see to Avery, tend him as he had always tended me. I lifted him from the blood congealed on the floor. Cradled like a child in my arms, I carried him to the light-proof master bedroom and laid him on the bed. He was deathly pale and looked so very old. My heart ached for the time that had passed, and I hadn’t noticed his youth slipping away.

“Avery.” I summoned him to light consciousness, enabling him to swallow.

His eyes opened, love and gratitude in their depths. I slit my wrist with a fang and fed him a second dose of the healing tonic. I returned him to sleep, collapsed in a chair to keep watch, but the Vampyre sandman is ruthless. Sleep as deep as the grave sucked me down into oblivion. I dreamed of evil, yellow eyes gazing ruthlessly at Isabeau.

Morgan D’Arcy is the Earl of St. Averil, a renowned concert pianist…and a vampire. He has everything except what he most desires—Isabeau. Death is the penalty. She is the prize.

Morgan D'Arcy is an English lord, a classical pianist, and a vampire. He has everything except what he desires most—Isabeau. As the Angel Gabriel he's steered her life and career choice, preparing her to become Lady D'Arcy.
Many forces oppose Morgan's daring plan—not the least of which is Vampyre law. Isabeau Gervase is a brilliant geneticist. Though she no longer believes in angels, she sees a ticket to a Nobel Prize in Gabriel's secrets—secrets that have led her to a startling conclusion. Gabriel isn't human, and she fully intends to identify the species she named the Angel Genome. Morgan is ready to come back into Isabeau's life, but this time as a man not an angel. Will he outsmart his enemies, protect his beloved and escape death himself? For the first time in eternity, the clock is ticking.

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After 14 years in Texas, Linda returned home to her roots in South Carolina. She has 8 published novels, four of which are available from Audible.com in audio. For many years, she bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses. So, she’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer. Linda has won several writing awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers’ Magnolia Award for Excellence, the Raven Award in Anthologies, and the SARA Merritt. Sinners’ Opera is a finalist in the 2020 Raven Awards. She loves horses, sports cars, music, reading, writing, and piano—oh, and dressing up and hosting formal dinner parties.

Keep up-to-date with Linda Nightingale, and follow her at your favorite social media sites.

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Character Interview - Lucas Avery

9/13/2021

Lucas Avery is the leading man in Redeemed By Fire. He has graciously stopped by so I could interview him. Here's your chance to sneak a peek at your potential next book boyfriend.

Lucas Avery is Cajun and the top homicide detective with the New Orleans police department. With his partner, Vincent Tate, they are currently hunting a serial killer stalking the streets of the French Quarter. When not working, he’s either at home with his rescue cat or at the local dive bar supporting his brother’s band. His brother has been known to drag him on stage to play trumpet and sing. Music is his way to get out of his head on tough cases.

Paranormal Life: Thanks, Detective Avery for stopping by today.
Lucas Avery: Please darlin’, call me, Luc.

PL: Okay, Luc, that’s some sexy accent you have. Phew. So let’s dive right in. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
LA: Funny that this is the first question you'd ask. I’ve actually been thinking a lot about this. I’m getting burned out and some of my family members want me to leave the force. I haven’t really come up with anything, so maybe I’ll join my little brother’s band and become a rock star.

PL: If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission is to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
LA: I’d grab my cat, Catastrophe and head down to the bayou. We both love to visit my family’s home, which I don’t get to do as often as I’d like--especially according to my momma. I see my brother, Bastien, a lot since he’s in the Quarter, but my two sisters, I sure miss a lot. Our family is tight.

PL: What do you worry about when you wake up at 3 in the morning?
LA: Most of the time it’s work related. Currently I’m hunting a serial killer with no leads. I’m completely frustrated. C'est le bordel! <swipes hand through hair> Pardon me. I slip into Cajun when I’m not thinking straight. The phrase pretty much translates to what a bloody mess.

PL: Are you lucky?
LA: Normally, yes. In fact, Lucky, is my family’s nickname for me, but lately I haven’t felt so lucky.

PL: What are your hopes for the future?
LA: Obviously stopping and catching this killer before another person ends up dead.

PL: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when at arrive at the Pearly Gates?
LA: Job well done, come on in.

PL: What motto do you live your life by?
LA: A bon couer, which means to do something wholeheartedly.

PL: If you have any questions for Luc, please ask them in the comments section.

Check out this excerpt from Redeemed By Fire.

Casi screamed and covered her ears, though too late. The loud boom made her ears ring. Who was shooting at them? She tried to see, but Luc’s weight had her effectively pinned. Squealing tires along with a string of Cajun curses from Luc, had Casi guessing the shooter had fled.

Luc holstered his weapon when Casi spotted the blood dripping off his arm.

“Oh my God!” She pushed at him. “Let me up. You’re hurt. You’re bleeding!”

Luc rolled off her and did as she asked, while gripping his thigh with both hands. Her gaze left his arm drawn to the blood oozing out between his fingers. The thigh wound appeared much more serious. She tugged her phone out and quickly dialed 911. But before it connected, Luc’s bloody fingers grabbed her phone and disconnected the call.

“We can’t call this in.” Luc exhaled harshly and gritted his teeth as once again, he applied pressure to his leg.

“You’re shot. You’re bleeding from multiple places. We need an ambulance!”

He shook his head. “Can’t. We need to leave. Now.”

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Guest Author - Darlene Fredette

9/7/2021

Today I wish to welcome fellow author Darlene Fredette.
Darlene is visiting us from the east coast of Canada. She writes contemporary romances with a focus on plot-driven page-turners. I'm so happy to introduce her and her latest release, "Cherry Red".

Let's get to know her in a "Inside The Actor's Studio" interview style!

Paranormal Life: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Darlene Fredette: A geologist and a volcanologist because I would love to study rocks and volcanoes.

PF: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when at arrive at the Pearly Gates?
DF: “Your boys are waiting for you.” The reference to ‘your boys’ would be my dogs.

PL: If you had a freed day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
DF: I would sit on the deck of our lake-front cottage and watch the birds in the trees and the loons on the lake.

PL: Are you lucky?
DF: Heck no! I walk over money without seeing it (thankfully, my daughter saw the five-dollar bill), and I am still waiting to win the lottery, lol.

PL: What do you worry about when you wake up at 3 in the morning?
DF: I have severe insomnia so I would worry that I can’t fall back asleep.

PL: What are your hopes for the future?
DF: That I win the lottery (see question 4), which would allow me to purchase my lake-front cottage (see question 3), lol!

PL: What motto do you live your life by?
DF: Cherish every day with your family.

PL: It has been wonderful having you!
DF: Thank you so much! These were great questions!

If you have any thoughts or questions leave them in the comment section. It's always fun to hear from everyone!

Please read on for an exclusive excerpt of "Cherry Red"

“This might seem like a strange question, especially since we’ve just met, but would you be interested in going out for a coffee? Or an ice cream?” Noah rested an arm on the bar.

Carly glanced down at her jeans and black T-shirt embroidered with the company name and logo…a cluster of red cherries. In a room full of women all dolled up in fancy—and some a bit scanty—dresses, why would this incredibly handsome man ask her on a date? “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested…”

Noah raised a brow. “I know you like ice cream, so is it the coffee, or me?”

“What? No. I mean, yes.” She took a second to collect her scrambled thoughts. “I like coffee. I just don’t hang out with firefighters.” Not that he was a real firefighter. Did impersonators count in her rules of men to avoid? She never dated a stripper, but she wasn’t sure she could have a relationship with a guy who was paid to take off his clothes and have other women fawn over him. Not that the guy asked her on a date…just a simple coffee. His frown made her feel badly.

“I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal.”

“Burnt in the past? No pun intended.” He smiled.

She couldn’t help but smile back. “Something like that.”

This summer, ice cream entrepreneur Carly Redd's only focus is expanding her business—until she's coerced into attending her ex's engagement party. Showing up without a date is unthinkable. She reluctantly agrees to be escorted by her brother’s co-worker, although doing so breaks her rule of not dating firefighters.

The daughter of the town’s fire chief should wear a Do Not Touch sign, but firefighter Noah Harding's interest blazed the moment he saw Carly. Agreeing to be her fake boyfriend is a no-brainer, but convincing Carly to trust him with her heart is harder than extinguishing a fire.

Overstepping the platonic-only rule is as dangerous as fire and ice swirling into a tempting combustion.

Meet Darlene:

Darlene resides on the Atlantic Coast of Canada where the summers are too short, and the winters are too long. She writes contemporary romances with a focus on plot-driven page-turners. When not working on her next book, she can be found with her husband, her daughter, and her yellow Labrador.

Follow Darlene on Social Media:

Darlene's Twitter

Darlene's Website

Darlene's Blog

Darlene's Amazon Author Page

Exclusive Excerpt - Redeemed By Fire

9/6/2021

Hey Everyone!

In only two weeks from now, The Fire Chronicles series will have another book birthday!
I'm so excited, and can't wait for you to meet Luc & Casi, plus the rest of the gang.

So during the days leading up to my world wide release, I'll be blogging more excerpts and don't forget the visits of my characters, so you can get to know.

To get the celebration rolling, here's an exclusive excerpt.

Detective Lucas Avery has taken Cassanne Thomas into protective custody and has brought her down to the bayou of his family home. He takes her on a moonlit walk...

Redeemed By Fire by C J Bahr
below contents is copyrighted

“It’s beautiful,” Casi whispered, afraid to break the atmosphere. “In its own creepy horror way. I keep expecting a giant alligator to attack or swamp gas to form into a ghost and haul us to the underworld.”

“Ah, you’re not too far off.”

“What?” Her heart rate accelerated. “Joking! I don’t need any more ghosts in my life other than Mason. And I certainly don’t need to be eaten by a gator.”

“I’m offended, Casi. Don’t you think I’d protect you?”

“Ha. Ha. Maybe from serial killers, but from the supernatural? How can anyone safeguard themselves from that?”

“I’m Cajun, cher. Magic is in our veins.”

“Hmmpf.”

He chuckled again and then quieted as they stood side by side in companionable silence, staring into the swamp.

“There!” Luc whispered and pointed.

“What…”

“The light.” He leaned into her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, cozying her into his side. He lifted his other so she could sight down his arm.

She gasped. A light. A vivid globe, bright and glowing against the night’s darkness, wove through the trees. It floated, blinking in and out as it ducked behind the cypress trunks and plants low to the ground.

“Fifolet,” Luc intimately whispered into her ear, making her shiver despite the warmth of the night.

“Fee fo lay?” Casi whispered back.

Still wrapped in his arm, he stood so close his breath heated her ear as the liquid cadence of his accent enveloped her.

“A swamp fairy. In Cajun folklore, the fifolet are magic beings appearing as a bright light.” He leaned in closer. “They misdirect and disorient any who try to follow.”

The mesmerizing light continued to dance in the distance. She could well understand being led astray when lost in the dark bayou. The light would be a means to salvation.

“Like a wil-o’-wisp?”

“Non, cher,” his voice dropped lower and softer. “Those are European. Our bayou faeries are much more dangerous. Evil.”

“Yooooowl.”

The loud screech beside her made Casi leap at Luc. She wrapped herself around him as his arms embraced her, holding her tight. The horrible sound didn’t repeat, but something brushed against her bare legs. Yelping, she grabbed his shoulders, jumped up, and wrapped her legs around Luc’s hips, locking her ankles to keep from falling to the ground.

Her heart raced. Luc should be running. Or shouting. She leaned back, wildly looking around, seeing nothing, not even the swamp fairy. Suddenly, she realized Luc was laughing as he held her with one arm braced under her bottom and the other wrapped around her shoulders.

“Are you laughing at me?”

He choked back a snicker. “More of a city girl, cher?”

“You are laughing at me.”

“Maybe a little.” His charming smile came out to play. He broke his gaze, looking past her. “Catastrophe, go on now. You’re cruel, taking advantage of our city, fille.”

Her eyes widen, and she looked over her shoulder and down. Sure enough, Cat sat beside them, regally upright, her bushy tail curled around her. And if a feline could smirk, Casi swore Cat did.

“Shoo, you troublemaker,” Luc ordered. “You know you’re not allowed outside. You’ll get yourself eaten.”

Cat yawned and stretched. She gave one last aloof feline stare before she trotted away, crossing the lawn toward the house.

“Sorry I laughed. But you should have seen your expression.”

She tore her gaze away from the retreating feline menace and locked gazes with Luc. “You had me all spooked out with your evil fairy and creepy swamp. What did you expect? Plus, there’s nothing wrong with being a city girl.”