magical realism

The Locksmith’s Secret

The Locksmith’s Secret
Title: The Locksmith’s Secret
Published: April 8, 2016
Author's Twitter: @TahliaNewland
Ella’s boyfriend Jamie seems to be her perfect match until a death in the family calls him back to England and it becomes clear that he’s hiding something. Can their relationship survive the revelation of something so astounding that it completely changes Ella’s perception of him and his place in her world? While Jamie struggles with family responsibilities, Ella’s steampunk murder mystery develops a life of its own, raising disturbing memories of her time as a striptease artist and a past life as a sexually abused Italian nun. She also dreams of an ephemeral city, where she seeks to unravel the locksmith’s secret and find the key that opens a door to other realities. All these, together with a lost brother, a desperate mother, a demanding cat, and a struggle to live up to Buddhist ideals, weave together in a rich tapestry that creates an extraordinary work of genre-bending treansrealist fiction    

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Cliff of the Ruin

Cliff of the Ruin
Title: Cliff of the Ruin
Categories: ,
Publisher:
Published: November 27, 2012
From post-Civil War New York to Ireland's emerald shores, a lawyer investigates a bizarre case linking an ancient legend to the woman he can't forget.   There are three good reasons why dashing Civil War hero and New York lawyer William Teague cannot tell artist Mae Kendrick he’s in love with her. One, she told him he was dull. Two, she is the niece of an important client. Three, she just hired him to find the man she doesn’t remember marrying. As Will unravels this peculiar case, he makes a shocking discovery about Mae’s childhood, one that shifts the investigation to the land of her birth–Ireland. But on the voyage overseas, circumstances become increasingly bizarre. Mae is taunted by ghost-like visions, and Will is pursued by a beautiful stranger who might be trying to kill him. When Mae suddenly vanishes, Will is forced to enter a thin place, an ancient monastic ruin leading to Ireland’s Celtic otherworld, in what becomes a race against time to find her. But are Will’s war-honed instincts any match for the alluring forces of Irish legend? Can he protect Mae from the apparitions of her past? And just how far beyond the breaking point can secret love be tested? A captivating tale of mystery and self-discovery, Cliff of the Ruin escorts the reader into a mythical world to explore the ever-hazy lines between romanticism and love, regret and repentance, wishful thinking and hope. “Carefully researched and steers well clear of tired stereotypes about the Emerald Isle.”–Historical Novels Review Bonnie McKernan was voted “Best Up and Coming Author” by Affaire de Coeur.

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