Samantha Collins and I are almost done with the cover of Southern Discomfort.
We’ve got the image set, more or less what I showed you in January. Plus title and my name.
Here we have Maria and one of the many pissed-off cats in the story staring down Gwalchmai, clutching the hand of glory. I’m happy with it but we still have some technical details to make it pass muster with Amazon.
But with the cover done, I’ve set a release date for the ebook July 11 (this might change). I’ll have it ready for pre-order within a week or so. It’s finally going to happen.
And here’s the cover copy:
“Travel back to Georgia in 1973, as Lt. Maria Esposito experiences — Southern Discomfort.
For the past three years Maria’s been a wanted fugitive, constantly on the run, never letting anyone get close. Now torrential floods have trapped her in tiny Pharisee Georgia, where the FBI is investigating a terrorist bombing. Maria’s only hope is to keep a low profile until the rain ends.
Too bad for her that the victim’s widow, an unearthly beauty named Olwen McAlister, claims only Maria can bring the killer to justice. The Pharisee sheriff takes Olwen’s “visions” seriously: either Maria agrees to help or he’ll find a reason to lock her up.
It gets worse from there. Suddenly Maria is the target of hostile ravens, a homicidal horse, and a living shadow warning her to leave town or die. Cats everywhere are yowling with rage. Maria’s seeing things her grandmother would have called malocchia, evil magic. Magic isn’t real, Maria knows that, but she has no other explanation.
If she stays in Pharisee either the shadow kills her or the FBI sends her to prison for life. Trouble is, something monstrous is looming: if Maria doesn’t stick around to fight it, innocent people will die. Maria tells herself she doesn’t give a damn. She can’t afford to give a damn.
She has a grim feeling in her gut that she’s not going to listen …
Southern Discomfort is a standalone intrusion/urban/Southern fantasy novel. It includes multiple POV characters, several woman protagonists and multiple POC. The spaniel lives. The villain does kill a cat. It will appeal to fans of Alex Bledsoe, Tom Deitz, Luanne Bennett and Charles DeLint’s Jack the Giant Killer.”
I debated adding a statement that I did not use AI, but I don’t think that’s necessary. I do hope that sounds intriguing.
