Daughters of the Crescent Moon Trilogy, #1
by Patricia C. Lee
Date of Publication:
August 22nd 2015
Publisher: Phoenix
Literary Publishing
Cover Artist: Taria
Reed
Genre:
Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
No-nonsense medical examiner, Kelly Richards,
relies on the familiar comforts of science and scalpels to get her through the
day. So when a not-so-dead guy who claims he's from the past lands on her
autopsy table, she considers calling the men in white coats to escort him to a
padded room. But Jarek’s old-world ways and hot gaze trick her heart into
falling for him—a mistake she swore she’d never make again.
When Jarek, Prince of Leisos, discovers
someone he trusts has been slowly poisoning him, he travels to the future in
search of a cure. Driven by vengeance, he enlists the help of an impudent
scientist to return him to his time.
As they try to find a solution, Kelly
struggles with her feelings for Jarek while dodging the police and a visitor
from her past.
Caught between his growing desire for Kelly
and the need to expose his would-be assassin before they strike again, Jarek
must decide between forfeiting his ticket home or losing the only woman he’s
ever loved.
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Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/_gSu2sFO48I
Kelly Richards was at her best when
surrounded by death. Calm, centered, and confident, she was exactly where she
was meant to be.
She plucked a pair of surgical gloves
from a box on the counter, snapped them on, walked over to the open file on the
desk and glanced at the information. Caucasian male, mid to late thirties, died
of an apparent drug overdose.
Although she couldn't understand or
agree with people trying to find answers in chemical substances, she felt a
momentary pang of sadness at the needless loss of life.
She'd dreamed of becoming an MD
because she wanted to help others. Taught to maintain emotional distance from
her patients, their pain and grief brought her own inner struggle to the
surface—the one buried deep to avoid living it day after day. Unwilling to turn
her back on aiding people, she switched careers and became a Medical Examiner
to assist families of the dead achieve closure.
Working the evening shift alone at the
county morgue was preferable to being with people who made idle conversation,
mainly about stuff she had no interest in. It also provided a way to prevent
coworker's well-meant intentions to set her up. Her job offered escape from
them, allowing her to hide from her past. And herself.
Five metal drawers occupied the far
wall of the room, each containing bodies to be autopsied. Kelly pulled open the
door to number three, rolled out the drawer, revealing the man she would work
on.
Her eyes widened. Most of the time,
the prep crew stripped cadavers of their clothing before putting them in the
cooler, but if the autopsy couldn't be performed right away, they didn't
bother. His clothing wasn't the issue. It was the type of garments that caught
her attention. He wore a short sleeve shirt, almost like a tunic, made of a
fine, silky material. His loose fitting pants were woven from an odd cloth, not
the usual denim or twill. Dust covered dull tan sandals strapped to his feet.
He was foreign, exotic looking. Dark
brown hair, longer than the norm, barely brushed broad shoulders. His skin was
light bronze, yet the file classified him as Caucasian. A frown pursed her
lips. Odd. The people in admitting didn't usually make mistakes. This male
appeared of mixed Mexican or Spanish descent, maybe Cuban. She leaned closer.
Hmmm. His skin didn't have the ashen grey pallor of death either. She reached
out to touch his arm.
The phone on the desk screamed two
jangling blasts.
Kelly started, heart pounding against
her ribs. Muttering a soft curse, she answered the phone and gave the caller
information on a body she'd autopsied earlier.
She braced the desk with a trembling
hand. She hadn't been here long and working evenings still made her jumpy.
Her attention reverted to the file on
the body she was supposed to autopsy. What the hell? The measurements were all
wrong. No way was the body on the slab five-five. More like about six-three.
Did she pull the wrong drawer out? The information at the top of the page
confirmed no mistake. There must have been some kind of screw-up. Surely
someone didn't switch bodies? Checking the others would be the only way to find
out.
Kelly marched back to the bank of
drawers. As her hand closed around the handle of the second one, a wheezing
breath not her own interrupted the silence of the room. She turned in slow
motion to the cadaver lying on the slab beside her. Her throat closed. Similar
to a scene out of a horror movie, the dead man's chest rose and fell. Not the
final gasp of air escaping lungs at death, he inhaled and exhaled in a slow,
shallow rhythm.
Grabbing the edge of the slab for
stability, she shut her eyes.
Easy girl. Calm down, it's just your
imagination. When you open your eyes, there will be a dead person on the slab,
and he will not be breathing.
"Oh, for heaven's sake. This is
ridiculous. He's dead."
"Not yet," the body
whispered.
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Author Info
Pat is a playwright and award winning author
who has had a love affair with the written word since childhood, many times
immersing herself in the stories of Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene. An active
imagination gave inspiration to short stories and her first play as a teen.
Her full-length play, The Truth About Lies,
was staged at a regional theatrical competition in 2006. She was selected as "One of 50 Authors
You Should be Reading" in 2012. One of her novels achieved a finalist slot
in the 2013 International Book Award Contest - fantasy category. She is also
the winner of the 15th Annual Writer's Digest Short Story contest for A Holy
Night.
Although still in pursuit of a place truly
called home, Pat shares her life with her husband and three cats, all of which
claim rule over the house at one point or another. Besides dreaming up the next
novel, she enjoys traveling, baking, camping, wine, and of course reading – not
necessarily in that order.
Author Links:
PATRICIA
LEE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1.
What is your favorite
line in Destiny’s Past? “When I came back from the pickup there were definitely
five bodies in the morgue,” only one of them was still alive
2.
Name one thing on
your bucket list. Skydiving,
which my husband bought for me when I became published and no, I didn’t scream
like a little girl. I loved it!
3. What animal best describes your personality and why I’d say probably the
cheetah. First off, as with any female animal I’m very protective of the ones I
love. Also I don’t mind getting my “paws” dirty, and female cheetahs tend to be
more solitary or live with their offspring, not like lions who live in groups
(I’ve been told I’m fiercely independent!). Mostly, though, I can be fierce on
the outside but just a big pussycat on the inside J
4.
If you could speak
with any person, past or present who would it be? Stephanie Powers
because I think she’s brilliant and wickedly smart. I believe she speaks seven
languages and I so admire what she does with William Holden Wildlife
Foundation.
5.
Chocolate chip,
oatmeal raisin, or peanut butter cookie? Absolutely chocolate chip, in fact make it a
double dark chocolate chip and I’m there!
6.
Where do you go or
what do you do to get inspired to write? I don’t go anywhere special to get inspired
since ideas come to me no matter where I am. But I have taken a week and rented
a cabin with no TV, internet or radio and I go there just to write. It’s on one
of the Great Lakes and the scenery is great for evoking those writing vibes.
7.
If you were granted
one wish, what would it be? For
most of my life, I’ve only wished for good health and am very lucky to say I
have gotten my wish. But if I did want something else, as corny as this is
going to sound, it would be for the whole world to just get along.
8.
Best Halloween
costume you ever wore? I was in my early
twenties and got dressed up as a greaser guy. My girlfriend drew a five o’clock
shadow on my face and a tattoo on my arm (long before everyone jumped on that
bandwagon) and she helped me bind my chest. It was so convincing, some young
girls tried to pick me up at a donut shop after work, that is until I started
talking LOL!
9.
Name one thing you
hate. Easy. Top of the list – dishonesty
10.
Favorite piece of
clothing I’d have to say boots. Doesn’t matter if they
are cowboy boots or ankle boots. Just no minus fifty below snow boots.
11.
What author
influenced you to pick up the pen? Sidney
Sheldon. A very sad day for me when I died.
12.
How long have you
been actively writing? More than 20
years.
13.
How many rejections
did you receive before you got the call for your first published book? Over 120 – yeah, ouch.
14.
Favorite toy as a
child? Hot Wheels racing car set
15.
If you could travel
either forward or back to any time what era would you pick and why? Definitely forward because I would hope
humanity can move past their differences. One of the many reasons I love the
original Star Trek
16.
Name one thing you
would like to change about yourself, whether physical or emotional. Try not to be so emotional at times.
17.
Are you a plotter, or
a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer? Plotter, all the way.
18.
What’s on your
bedside table to read right now? Darkness Unleashed by Alexandra Ivy. Awesome
series!
19.
Who is your Favorite
author (can be past or present)? Can I
answer both? Past is Sidney Sheldon. Present is the incomparable Darynda Jones
20.
Do you have
background noise (music, tv, etc) when you write or do you need silence? Total silence. I’ve even gone so far as to
write in my car parked in my driveway using an extension cord if my husband is
making noise working on the house.
21.
If Destiny’s Past was made into a movie,
whom would you cast as your hero and heroine? I’ve been asked this question a few times and
the only thing I can think of, is when I first started writing the book, I
thought of Alyssa Milano to play Kelly. But that was a number of years ago and
I don’t think that’s feasible now.
As for Jarek, I have absolutely no clue. I must be the only author who doesn’t
dream of having someone famous play their leading man. <shrug>
22.
Would you consider
writing outside your current genre and if so what would it be? I have considered it and may lean toward
contemporary romantic suspense instead of paranormal. Or maybe even mystery
with very little romance.
23.
Any special words of
wisdom you would care to share with other writers still trying to break into
the field?
Yes. What are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want? Family time?
Career? Sleep? Because something has to give while you’re pounding on the keys.
24.
What’s next? I am hoping to get into a new series in a
different genre. Just waiting to see if the character can hold her weight
during the book.
Anyone want to chime in on any of these answers with some
of their own?
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