Spotlight New Release Interview | HIS MAGIC TOUCH by Debby Grahl
The Tavern is celebrating a new book release! Please welcome Debby Grahl from The Wild Rose Press! Absolutely love the cover of her latest story, His Magic Touch. The Tavern is serving a special Bloody Mary drink with delectable bite-size snacks. Get comfy and let's hear what Debby has to say...
MM: Welcome, Debby! Delighted you could join us today. Congratulations on your new release. Describe a typical writing day. Are you a morning, afternoon, or night-owl writer?
DG: I like to get up early, work out, then begin to write. If the words are flowing, I can write all day. A few years ago, I had back surgery and couldn’t sit in my desk chair. The love seat recliner in the living room was perfect. I became spoiled working this way, and now I sit with my feet up and my laptop on my lap.
MM: I'm happy to hear you found a solution after your back surgery. Can you tell us about your current work-in-progress?
DG: The Wild Rose Press has just released my latest book, His Magic Touch, is a paranormal romance set in New Orleans. Jared Dupre and Kendra O’Connell are wiccans about to get married. As Jared enjoys his bachelor party, a spirit appears telling him the demonic witch Adam Montief has kidnapped his brother vowing to kill him over a centuries old vendetta Jared knows nothing about. Unaware Adam wants Kendra for his own, Jared must rescue his brother and destroy Adam before Kendra is drawn into Adam’s world of dark magic and sadistic evil.
MM: Fascinating, Debby! I'm looking forward to reading this story. What inspired you to write this book/series?
DG: From the first time I set foot in New Orleans I fell in love with the city. The magic, mystery, and legends intrigued me. I was visiting St. Louis Number One, the oldest cemetery in the French Quarter when we came upon the tomb of the voodoo queen Marie Laveau. I started to feel light-headed and had to leave the tour. I swear she zapped me, but my husband will tell you it was the heat. I thought my version was more interesting, and I began my research into local witchcraft and hauntings. The story of His Magic Touch was born.
MM: I like your version, too. There's a lot of history in that cemetery. What’s your favorite item on your writing desk?
DG: Since I don’t sit at my desk any more, I’d have to say the cup of coffee that is always on the end table next to me.
MM: Perfect. You’ve been given a golden ticket to time travel into the past. Whom would you meet and why?
DG: Besides enjoying reading romance, I love murder mysteries. I think it would be fascinating to go back to England in the twenties and meet Agatha Christie.
MM: Oh, I love your choice! Now for the fun questions. Do you prefer...
Champagne or Beer? Champagne
Southern drawl or Scottish burr? Oh, this one is hard. I’m in love with the actor in the Outlander series, and I think a soft southern drawl is sexy as hell. Can I have both? LOL! (Love Sam Heughan and you can have both!)
Kilt or Leather pants? Kilt
First romance you read? Love Story
Print book or e-reader? E-reader
Wishing you all the best with His Magic Touch!
Backcover Blurb for HIS MAGIC TOUCH ~
The night before Jared Dupre's wedding, a specter warns him the demonic witch, Adam Montief, has kidnapped his brother in a centuries-old vendetta unknown to Jared. A powerful witch himself, Jared tracks Adam from New Orleans to a remote island off the coast of Connecticut where he's given no choice. He must rescue his brother and break his engagement to Kendra O'Connell, or they both die. After complying, Jared engages in a sword fight and believes he has vanquished his foe, but when he returns to New Orleans, he finds evil still threatens all he loves. Kendra, not knowing why Jared broke their engagement, devastated, finds solace in another's arms. With help from an ancestor's spirit, can Jared defeat the dark magic descending over the Big Easy while winning back the woman he loves?
Sneak Preview from HIS MAGIC TOUCH ~
In the stifling heat, Angelique Montief flicked her wrist and set the bamboo ceiling fan spinning. Kneeling on a woven mat with sweat coating her body, she lifted a small wooden brass-bound casket from the bottom of a large trunk, inserted a gold key, and opened the lid. Inside two objects lay wrapped in thick cloth. She carefully unwrapped the smaller bundle to reveal a pentagonal mirror, a gift handed down to her by her grandmother, its ancient oak frame carved with tiny pentacles.
She glanced over her shoulder at her locked bedroom door, then stared into the mirror and whispered, “Show him to me.” When the glass remained blank, fear clutched at her chest. Again, she said the words, and the image of a plantation house engulfed in flames appeared. “No, please, he can’t be dead. ”Tears blurred her vision. The fiery image changed to reveal a human form lying beneath flowering bougainvillea. “Show me his face.”
She saw his indigo blue eyes blink open.
“I’m coming, my love.”
She rewrapped the mirror and placed it into the smaller casket among cloth bags of herbs and potion-filled vials. Relocking the lid, she hung the key on a chain around her neck, dropped a jeweled dagger into her pocket, and tucked the casket under her arm.
Augustus had locked her in, placing what he thought would be an impenetrable shield across both doors. Her husband’s biggest mistake was underestimating her.
Buy Links ~
About the Author ~
Debby Grahl lives on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with her husband, David. Besides writing, she enjoys biking, walking on the beach and a glass of wine at sunset. Her favorite places to visit are New Orleans, New York City, Captiva Island in Florida, the Cotswolds of England, and her home state of Michigan. She is a history buff who also enjoys reading murder mysteries, time travel, and, of course, romance. Visually impaired since childhood by Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), she uses screen-reading software to research and write her books.
Her first published book, The Silver Crescent, won the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewers’ Choice award. Her second book, Rue Toulouse, a contemporary romance set in New Orleans, was a finalist in the National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Award and was selected as a May, 2016, ‘local read’ by Hilton Head Monthly.
Decorated to Death is a holiday mystery cozy. She also has stories in three anthologies, The Haunted West, Never Fear/Christmas Terrors; and Ebb and Flow from the local Island Writers’ Network.
Debby was featured in the January, 2016, Hilton Head Monthly article ‘Intriguing People of the Lowcountry’. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Florida Romance Writers, and First Coast Romance Writers.
Her latest book, His Magic Touch, was released December 5, 2018, by Wild Rose Press.
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