Edit: It’s time to select the winner of our giveaway! The first random number generated turned out to be Nancy’s comment but she already has a copy, so I did it again and our official winner is Victoria Bray! Congratulations Victoria! I hope you enjoy the heck out of it.

Now that we’re back in the swing of things, Dearly Departed has a whole new first! Nancy is offering a signed copy of the first book in her Misty Dawn mysteries. Let’s learn a little about precisely why you want this prize.

1) Tell us about the Misty Dawn series. Who were the characters? What was the premise?
Misty Dawn was a character I pulled from the pages of The Carol Childs Mysteries, a series about a young female investigative reporter working for a talk radio station in Los Angeles. Misty, a former Hollywood Psychic to the Stars, was a reoccurring character that kept showing up on the pages, and when I went to write the six Carol Childs book, she showed up and demanded a book of her own.
Misty–and I do speak of her as though she really exists because, as a writer, I’ve lived with her in my head for so long that she’s become as real to me as someone you might talk with on the phone every day–is an aging Hollywood psychic. She’s outlived her world-famous clientele, Liz Taylor, the Gabor sisters, and a former president’s wife, who kept Misty’s number on speed dial. As a result, she has fallen on hard times and lives in the same small flower-painted hippy van she drove to Los Angeles back in the sixties selling love potions. When Denise Thorne, a loyal client, offers Misty her recently deceased brother’s small craftsman cottage so that Misty might continue her work, Misty accepts. However, Misty soon finds the house is still occupied by Wilson Thorne, the former resident, who is neither dead nor alive–but stuck between worlds and in need of Misty’s help to move on.
Misty’s ability to help Wilson requires his assistance as a medium with those clients who come to seek Misty’s advice as a psychic, which invariably leads to a mystery. The trilogy builds on Misty’s relationship with Wilson, helping him evolve as a spirit, as he helps her solve each mystery.

2) Where did the series come from?
I think the series was born by my need for escapism. I’m not a psychic, but I believe we all have intuitive powers, particularly as we age. If anything, this story, like many I write, chose me possibly because I felt the need for a little fantasy in my life right now.

3) Why did it end?
I always intended the Misty Dawn Mysteries to be a trilogy.  The story begins with THE HOUSE ON HALLOWED GROUND, where Misty and Wilson discover one another. Then moves on to book two, THE HOUSE THAT VANITY BUILT, where Wilson is discovering his powers. And finally, book three, THE HOUSE OF THE SETTING SON, where Wilson graduates as a shade and moves on. It’s a tearful end, yet from the very beginning, the reader knows Wilson’s time is only temporary. His future had depended upon what he can learn and what he can share.

4) Was its ending a relief, or were you disappointed?
I struggled with how to end the trilogy.  I knew all along how it would end, but I wanted to structure it as a tender moment about life and the belief that our spirits and those we love surround us and never leave.  I like to think my readers may take some joy from reading how Wilson grows, and Misty accepts his moving on.

5) Would you ever resurrect the series?
I’ve learned never to say never—so, who knows. Maybe.

6) Did you learn anything from writing the Misty Dawn books?
Actually, yes.  I interviewed a number of psychics for this series.  Not because I wanted to have them read me, but because I wanted to know what types of people visited them and why. What were their most common questions, etc?  I came away believing we all have intuitive powers and that cards, crystal balls, and such are nothing more than props. I was, however, blown away when one psychic said to me, “I don’t know why you’re asking me. You already have your answers. Go write your book.”

7) What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a piece of historical fiction centered on my father’s experiences in WW2. Dad was a navigator/bombardier onboard a B-24 that was shot down over Hungary, and he was MIA for short period before he was able to be repatriated with his crew. My father passed last year and I found his flight log and a diary about that time and it has inspired me to write a story about that time.  It’s been a big project and required a lot of research.  I hope to be able to pitch it to an agent sometime next year, and fingers crossed it finds its way to a bookstore near you.

That new project sounds fascinating. I can’t wait to see the finished novel!
But in the mean time, I’ll content myself with giving away a signed copy of the first Misty Dawn book. All you have to do is pop into the comments and let me know when you–as a reader or as a writer–feel like it’s time to say goodbye to the characters you love. I’ll randomly pick a winner on Saturday the 12th and reach out to you to get your contact info!

What makes you put down a series? How do you feel about paranomal cozies? Are you buying some cozies as gifts this year (not for yourself!)? Let me know!