Kristy E. Carter's Blog

Here's a snippet of Thorn from the new book:

The cabin loomed empty and hollow. He usually found it warm and inviting, but there was something off about everything where it felt like a paper-thin copy of life instead of reality. Thorn shoved the feeling away. It was probably due to the gaping hole in his mind where the connection with Victor would normally reside.

As he stepped into the cabin, he felt a familiar feeling in his mind. Victor, is that you?

Only silence met his question. Whatever was touching his mind felt empty, cold, and emotionless. Thorn slammed down his mental barriers and made warding sigils that his father had taught him for self-defense in the air in front of himself. The intruder was there, banging on his barriers... It screamed wordlessly as it tore at the outskirts of his mind.

(This pre-editing and revision. So it is subject to change)

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Let's talk Thorn!

Visual Inspiration:
image:

Music and Themes

Special by Shinedown

Torn to Pieces by Pop Evil

Dangerous by Shinedown

Full Name: Thorn Gregory Durant
Age: 30
Occupation: Musician/Caretaker of the family lands

Physical Attributes
Height/Build: 6’1” tall, Strong/Fit, Medium Build
Hair: Blond, Long (below shoulders)
Eyes: Grey

Mannerisms and Habits
Sarcastic, withdrawn. Distrustful. Always goes first in danger. Easily irritated. Sees himself as the protector of all those around him. Taking on risks to keep others safe.

Mental Issues and Internal Conflicts
Struggles with keeping a balance between his duty/family, his career, and protecting his secret. Keeps people at a distance by wearing masks and pushing them away. There are so many layers to Thorn that he often forgets who he really is too. Control issues, letting go. Has trouble admitting when he needs help.

Backstory: Grew up in Carver’s Corner, Colorado. His mother married Gabriel Durant after her husband died leaving her and Thorn's older brother destitute. The Durants were a generally happy family. A couple of years after they were married, Thorn was born. His grandmother was a fortune-teller before her death in a town steeped with rumors of a river that lures people with the promise of power hidden somewhere in the mountains around Maiden's Peak. Thorn was raised to be the last protector of the sacred river and takes his job very seriously. He is the last of the Durant family line, in the magical lineage.

Relationships:
Victor - Soul-bonded to Victor. Mystically bound together since before they were born, but were unaware of each other until Victor followed a dream and found Thorn. The relationship is often too intense and volatile, but they need each other. Thorn is very protective of Victor and seeks to protect Victor no matter the personal costs.

Oliver - Oliver is Thorn's older brother and two people could not be more different. Despite their oil and water personalities, the two siblings support each other come hell or high water.

Magical Abilities and Powers:
Telekinesis - Thorn's most powerful offensive ability is his ability to move things with his mind. It's a secret he keeps close and his family has traditionally hidden to make themselves appear weaker than they are/less useful to those around them.

Psychic/Connection to the Spiritual Plane: Thorn can sense the emotions of those around him, he can sense when someone is being deceitful, etc. Has a close connection with the spiritual plane and can sense spirits/see things others can't. He carries a tarot deck that was his grandmother's and has used them on occasion.

Soul Bond: Through the soulbond, Thorn can access some of Victor's powers, such as dream walking to communicate with Victor when Victor was knocked unconscious during the first book. Due to the bond, Thorn has a much stronger and more immediate connection to Victor, even over long distances.

Weaknesses
Using his powers, especially telekinesis tires him out quickly. His main weakness is Victor.

Strengths
Is immune to charms and compulsions. He is offensive and defensive. A stalwart ally in dangerous situations.


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READER QUESTIONS

Was Thorn inspired by someone in your life?
He was in part inspired by my husband. At least in appearance and some of his personality.

Who came first Victor or Thorn?
This is a bit like the chicken and the egg, but Victor came first. Thorn originally was my way of holding Victor in check... or the character would have fallen to pieces and met a horrible fate long ago. Victor was always trying to kill himself off in early drafts. Once Thorn was in the story though he took on a life of his own and it was clear there never could be Victor without Thorn.

Character Stats: 6 feet 1 inch tall, green eyes, long red hair. He's Irish and has a lilting accent which gets more pronounced when he's drunk or tired. Not overly muscled, but trim.

Dress: Long duster, black cloth cap that he keeps pulled down to hide his red hair, jeans, and button-up shirts. He dresses plainly, in muted colors. He strives to not draw attention to himself due to the illegal activities that his demonic employment often involves him in.

Favorite Modes of Transportation: His motorcycle or portals.

Character Flaws: Stubbornness, ingrained guilt from failing to resurrect his sister, and a disregard for his own safety when he can help someone else.

Powers: Fireballs, the power to steal the magical abilities of others, portals, summoning and controlling the dead, Felflame (from the demon trapped in him. This is a fail-safe power and is only used in dire circumstances.)

Demonic Service: He is under contract to the demon Vivecka. He collects magic powers and magical objects for her. In return, she grants him virtual immortality by resurrecting him should he die.

Vice: Alcohol, Deathwish


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Kellen is one of the fundamental characters of the Angels and Demons series. Fun fact, Kellen is the character that inspired the whole series. I first came up with the idea of Kellen about ten years ago and I built this lore around the character, layering in other characters as I went.

Kellen's full name is revealed in the ending to the first book, All The Things You Left Behind, to show that he's grown to care for and trust Lauren. It's his form of saying, "I love you." He's trusting her with who he is fully, finally. His name is Kellen Connor Pembrooke.

He is 134 years old in ATTYLB, which places him at 136 when the events begin in The Red Lady.

Kellen is a necromancer, which means he's a magic user who communicates with and can summon the dead. Or as most of the characters say, "He works with dead people."

The story of how he became a necromancer is not as important as why he became one. When he was 8 years old a demon killed his older sister. Kellen never got over that. He began studying necromancy as early as he could begin to find out information on the practice. Once he was proficient enough he began trying to raise his sister from the dead.

He never succeeds but he also never quite gives up. Kellen turns his vengeance toward the demon who killed his sister when he feels that he won't be able to bring her back. That's where he meets Vivecka.

Vivecka is a minor demon, but she agrees to grant Kellen the power to destroy the demon if he becomes part of her demonic ranks of magic collectors. Kellen accepts and faces off with Raslin.

Kellen has more power than a necromancer, and not all of it comes from just picking up the odd magic trick during his service to Vivecka. When he faced off with Raslin, instead of destroying the demon outright, Raslin became trapped within Kellen. Safe from harming anyone else, but screaming inside Kellen's mind.

Vivecka had tricked Kellen but also betrayed her lover, Raslin to gain more power for herself. Kellen can unleash Raslin's felflame that glows purple, but as it becomes apparent later on that power can come with a hefty price tag.

Tormented by nightmares, Kellen goes through decades of systematically trying to destroy himself. When he finally meets Lauren, he is resolute in his wish to not exist. He doesn't know quite what to make of her, and he isn't the most approachable person.

Kellen despises people who look up to him or who depend on him. He doesn't want to be anyone's hero, and actively pushes people toward anyone but him. No matter how hard he tries to just fade away though, he is driven to protect those he cares about... and that's how he lands himself in the position he is in during the war. He stands between the demons and natherials, not fully demon and not fully human.

So, that's Kellen.. a sometimes drunken, often belligerent, yet entirely endearing Irish necromancer with shockingly red hair. Is he perhaps one of my favorite characters to date?

As he would say, "Oh, aye."

I promised an excerpt from a new as of yet unreleased novel...and I'm keeping that promise in spades. Below I have included not one but three excerpts from books that are currently being written. I hope you enjoy the teasers and are as excited as I am for all that's on the horizon. Happy reading!

***Excerpt #1 (Raw Unedited Language from the as of yet untitled sequel to Maiden's Peak)

The way a person said goodbye could tell you a lot about them. When Ginger said goodbye it felt like it was just a slight dip in the conversation, like she was simply stepping away for a moment, but never a jagged division. When Thorn said goodbye it was like a sentence left unfinished, or maybe that’s just how it was when he spoke to me.

The first thought I had as I came back to my senses and blinked my eyes to adjust to the dim light of the room where I sat hunched against a roughly hewn dirt wall was of the goodbye I had said to Thorn as I walked out of the cottage in Carver’s Corner. It was like awakening within a gap in time. The void filled by his words. “You need to do it. Just be safe while you are out there.”

He hadn’t said, “That’s all that matters, isn’t it?” He hadn’t needed to, because I had seen it in the resignation that had ended our days’ long argument over me going off on my own to follow a nightmare. It had left a bitter taste on my tongue and a bruise on my pride that I was eager to deny. I had not won so much as he had simply given up. I had not earned his approval.

***Excerpt #2 (Raw Unedited Language from Pyrrhic, the third book in the Angels and Demons series)

Above Somas the ground was low and flat. Despite the fact that the kingdom existed in a constant state of temporal flux, the Natherials had finally managed to lock onto its earthbound location. They had been breaking the earth apart when the energy field sprang up.

The Natherials backed off and several scores of them hovered in the air a good twenty feet above the shield. At first, they'd taken it as a defensive measure of the human contingent within the dream kingdom, but the shield blocked their weapons and burned them. They looked to find the source of the magic. With a cry one of the Natherial let the others know that their quarry had been found.

In the center of the shield stood a dark figure surrounded by a glowing circle. The dark coat blew around the man's frame and his red hair whipped about in the vortex of energy. The Natherials knew this one. This vile creature had killed their kind. The Natherials hissed in fury showing small sharp teeth.

As suddenly as it had appeared the shield shrunk and then vanished. The necromancer looked up at the Natherials flying over him. They couldn't see the small smile on his face as the winged men closed in on him. A couple of Natherials landed softly behind him and Kellen cut his eyes to the side as he listened to them.

His arms were at his side. He gave a subtle movement with his left pointer finger. A cascade of fireballs hurled toward the Natherials who were caught off guard enough that their feathers singed in the heat causing them to scream in pain. At another movement from Kellen's right hand, another cascade of fireballs flew into the air.

The Natherials dodged as best as they could but while they dodged it left them vulnerable. Kellen picked the distracted Natherials out of the air with his purple fel flame. The Natherials scattered and the ones that weren't killed just did manage to escape. Tryvas, Vivecka and several other demons stood up from the cover they'd been hiding behind.

"Foolish to use yourself as bait,” Vivecka said but Kellen ignored her as usual.

"We need to get out of here,” Kellen spoke as he scuffed the circle lines to break the magical current. Once he was satisfied, Kellen opened a portal and the demons quickly stepped through.

Tryvas paused as she walked past Kellen to step into the portal. "Yes, we'd better hurry before she gets here." The golden demoness gave Kellen a pointed look and then she was through the portal.


***Excerpt #3 (Raw Unedited Language from Sympathy for Monsters (6th book in the Morning Valley Cozy Mystery Series)

“I am Tara Holliday,” Tara said calmly as she took the seat across from him. She watched his face and she saw the recognition of her name there.

Eric leaned forward across the table. He whispered in a cracked voice, “You are one of them. You are a Holliday witch. So, you’ll believe me, won’t you?”

“That really depends on what you have to say.” Tara did not like the look in the man’s eyes. He was desperate, so desperate that it hurt to look at him. “What’s going on, Eric?”

Eric drew in a breath and looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t even know where to start.” His bloodshot eyes came back to rest on her. “Dr. Teeson is in danger, his very soul is. I tried to warn him.”

“How is his soul in danger?” Tara’s mind went to her father, to the Greeley’s and their scheme. That was over though, or was it?

Eric whispered, “I told him not to listen to the spirits. They are after him.”

“Spirits?” Tara frowned at the man.

Eric laughed a dry, edge of the earth, nothing left to lose sort of laugh. The abandonment of it caught Tara as wrong somehow. There was wrongness there, but it was not anything she could put her finger on.

“I see spirits,” Eric whispered. “Or I think I do. I catch a shadow, a shape out of the corner of my eye. It’s the sort of thing that ought not to be there, but there it is.”

Tara stared at him. He saw spirits. Most people might have dismissed it as the ravings of a man who after all went to a therapist, but Tara knew that such things were real.

She watched him for a moment more before she asked, “You think the spirits that you see are out to get your therapist?”

“You didn’t just dismiss me,” Eric said a smile spreading across his face. There was a hope there that made Tara’s heart clench. “You see them too.”

Tara shook her head. “This isn’t about me, Mr. Shaw. Your therapist was reported missing.”

“And that’s why I’m here. He needs to be saved only no one will listen to me. They think it is some sort of love triangle.” Eric slapped the metal table making an echoing clang in the small room. “If you can believe me, then maybe you can convince them that he needs help.”

Where did the time go? While I have been working on various projects the time has just left me behind. Here we are almost to May!

We are fast approaching the release of Maiden's Peak (May 7th) and I could not be more excited for it to find its way into readers' hands! There are all sorts of blog tours and such going on right now. I hope everyone gets a chance to read through some of the interviews that I have done over the last few weeks.

I am diving back into Cozy Mystery soon. So, fans of my cozy mystery series rejoice for I have not forgotten them! We have lots more mysteries to unravel in Morning Valley and perhaps a few old friends to see.

Happy Reading!

I have a few advance review copies of my upcoming urban fantasy/paranormal mystery Maiden's Peak available still! The book is slated to come out at the end of April, so there is still plenty of time to grab a copy!

The copies will be given out on a first come, first serve basis, so please do not wait too long to ask for one! Send me an email, DM, or whatever method of communication you like.

Be aware that my telepathic abilities are on the fritz right now, so you have to contact me through other means. :)

The new series has been released! (Yes, I am a bit behind the ball on this one due to a hectic schedule.) Come visit Morning Valley, Montana for some hauntingly good fun! 🍁🍂🎃✨

#MorningValleyMysteries #cozymystery #newrelease #paranormal #cozy #animal #baking #crafty


Kristy E. Carter

Hey everyone! This blog post will be more of a quick note than an actual blog.

Just wanted to shout out to readers of my cozy mystery series! Although the Greene Fields Mysteries have come to a close (for now), there is a new series starting up soon! So, stay tuned for details on that.

I think everyone is going to love hanging out in Morning Valley, Montana for some fun paranormal cozy fun. I will be updating more as I am able. Who doesn't loves cats and magic mixed with a little murder and mayhem?

Have a great day, Readers!

- Kristy

Not only is The Redy Lady live today, but it is also just 0.99 cents until next week! That makes this the perfect time to pick up your copy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FXY5VB5

Make sure to check out the novelette that started the series: All The Things You Left Behind.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077854413

That is right. The second installment of the Angels and Demons Series, The Red Lady, is set to release August 1st! It is available for pre-order now.

The Red Lady finds Kellen and Lauren swept up in the growing tension between the Natherials and Demons. Will they survive together or lose each other in the process?

I hope that readers of the series enjoy being back in the world. This book has a fresh perspective to the world of Kellen and Lauren, as it adds a new character, Garrick, who tells us parts of the story from his teenage point of view which makes for an entertaining time.

As always thank you for reading and taking the time to be here with me. I hope you enjoy the book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FXY5VB5?...


-Kristy

As most of you may be aware, Pronoun is shutting down, and I was testing their services this past year with my two forerunner books. I liked it well enough, but with their demise, comes other woes. Like losing my reviews when I have to re-upload books to various platforms.

Currently, my books are available again on Amazon, and I am slowly pushing along to other retailers. If you have a favorite retailer that you want to see my books on then, please let me know!

-Kristy