Mystic Mayhem
A Mystic Isle Mystery
Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens
Humorous Cozy Mystery – Gemma Halliday Publishing
Melanie Hamilton is
not your average artist. She brings home the bacon by inking tattoos at New
Orleans's Mansion at Mystic Isle, a resort in the middle of the bayou that
caters to fans of the peculiar and paranormal, but her true passion comes alive
when she volunteers restoring Katrina-ravaged landmarks. Between her day job,
her restoration work, and selling her paintings in Jackson Square, Mel's life
is more hectic than Bourbon Street on Fat Tuesday. But when a guest of the
resort, a millionaire's widow, is poisoned, and Melanie's close friend is
arrested for the murder, things go from hectic to downright dangerous.
Mel joins forces with the resort's delish manager, Jack Stockton, to prove her
friend's innocence. Soon they find themselves dealing with séances, secret
passages, the ghost of the millionaire himself, gators, swamp rats, and a
sinister killer who proves that not everything is what it seems in the
Louisiana bayou.
Come on along, and get your creep on.
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Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRca7hgX0-8
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The Inspiration
for our Mystic Isle Series
The Magic Castle in the hills above Hollywood
Boulevard is the headquarters and private clubhouse for the Academy of Magical
Arts, Inc., a worldwide organization devoted to the art of magic. Its
membership consists of magicians as well as those who just love magic. If you
ever have the chance to go there, DO. It’s mysterious, haunting, spellbinding,
and a little creepy.
The Magic Castle was the inspiration for
Mystic Isle Mysteries, our new series debuting September 15th from Gemma
Halliday Publishing. Our series takes place in the bayou near New Orleans,
Louisiana on Mystic Isle where The Mansion at Mystic Isle is now open and
taking guests. It’s a place similar to the Magic Castle only Mystic Isle is
dedicated to all that’s magical and paranormal. Its guests experience the
skills of magicians, mediums, fortunetellers, astrologers, and much more. Of
course, none of it is real—or is it?
Excerpt:
Séances were held in a small but lovely room where
Miss Marple might serve tea. Burgundy drapes swagged corner to corner. Blue
flames flickered low in the fireplace courtesy of a special-effects chemical
log Fabrizio swore would bring up the ambiance.
A medium-sized round table sat smack in the middle of
the room, seven chairs around it and a purple cloth covering it. The lights
were low. So many candles were lit that the place was warm enough for bread to
rise.
Fabrizio was already there, looking nervous as a
crawfish next to a pot on the boil. He knew, and I knew, and he knew I knew he
wasn't exactly what you'd call a genuine medium, but I had to give him credit.
He looked like one, every inch, from the top of his turbaned head to the
bottoms of his white patent-leather boots. His long face glistened with
perspiration.
"Fabrizio," I said. "Why don't we blow
out a few of these candles? Your makeup and eyeliner are going to run."
He nodded, and I set about doing it. The poor guy had
to be pretty warm. His long-sleeved white jumpsuit was layered under a full-length
sequined white cape. A cross between the Great Houdini and Liberace.
Within a few minutes, Mrs. Cecile Elway and company
arrived. Five in all, just like at dinner the night before. There were low
murmurs of appreciation as they glanced around the room, taking in the whole
experience.
About the Authors:
Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens, are partners in
crime—crime writing, that is. They live in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona,
awesome for eight months out of the year, an inferno the other four. They write
bloody murder, flirty romance, and wicked humor all in one package.
Website: http://www.smithandsteffens.com
Email: smithandsteffens@cox.net
Two great giveaways going on right now !!
#1 Giveaway: http://www.smithandsteffens.com/signup.html
To celebrate the release of MYSTIC MAYHEM on September 15, Jean and Sally are giving away an
random.org awesome New Orleans Café du Monde basket full of goodies from the Big Easy—13
ounces of French Roast coffee, 13 ounces of Chicory Coffee, a box of their
world famous Beignet Mix, and two gorgeous Café du Monde mugs to put you in the
mood while you’re visiting Mystic Isle. Entering’s a breeze. Just go to the
ABOVE LINK between now and September 30, & sign up! Winner to be selected
via
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#2 Giveaway: $25
Amazon Gift Card
