A Null for Hire Novel, #1
by Terri L. Austin
Date of Publication:
November 1st 2016
Cover Artist: http://www.thedarkrayne.com/
Genre: Urban Fantasy
BLURB
They call me an abomination. A mutant. A
curse on their kind.
I don’t let it bother me. Much.
My name is Holly James, and what they say is
true. I’m a freak of nature—a null. My mere presence zaps the magic from
Others, rendering them powerless. That’s why they hate me. But here’s the
kicker: I’ve found a way to profit from my lack of mojo.
Whether it’s acting as a mystical wet blanket
in a dispute between pyromancers or keeping hormonal shifters from changing
during a sweet sixteen party, I provide a highly specialized service. For a
hefty fee.
When a young witch turns up dead, clutching
an amulet cursed with black magic, my estranged grandfather asks for my help.
In return for nullifying the necklace, Gramps promises to find my missing
mother—a witch who vanished after my birth. Of course there’s a catch. He wants
me to assist Cade McAllister, the arrogant sorcerer in charge of investigating
the case.
Cade resents my existence, let alone my
attempts to help. Still, I’ll do whatever it takes to find my mom. For my own
peace of mind I have to know what happened to her, and I won’t allow anything
to get in my way. Not even this crazy, irrational longing I feel for a hot
sorcerer with the sexiest scowl I’ve ever seen.
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Thaddeus Aldridge was a loon. What else would explain hubcaps and
rusted mufflers hanging from a tree in the front yard like ripened fruit? Or
the army of ceramic gnomes lined up in formation
on the sparse brown lawn, waving gardening implements like weapons?
His ramshackle property stood six miles from the highway. The
narrow, two-story house was missing more paint than not. Faded red shutters
hung cockeyed next to filthy windows. On the sagging porch sat a ripped, floral
sofa. On that sofa sat an old man wearing overalls—no shirt—chain smoking and
using a Folgers coffee can for an ashtray.
Cade parked in front of the house
and we stepped out into the heat. No wind moved the heavy, humid air.
Before we took two steps toward him, the old man stood, flicked
the butt in the can, and grabbed a gnarled wooden wand from his pocket. “Get
off my land. This here is private property.” He raised the wand, pointed it toward us, then looked at it with a frown. His
eyes shot to me. “What the Sam Hill?”
“I’m a null.”
Surprise flashed across his features as he made a move to dash
inside but Cade was there before him, blocking the screen door. “Sit down, old
man. We’re just here to talk.”
The heavy scarf draped around my neck itched, and I rubbed at it
while I climbed the weathered, rickety porch steps to get a better look at the
loon in question. Thaddeus Aldridge could be summed up in one color: gray. Gray
hair, gray stubble, gray skin.
His sunken brown eyes shot angry daggers at Cade. “I don’t have to
talk to you.”
Cade crossed his arms. “According to section three-thirteen,
subsection B of the Code—”
“Don’t quote the Code to me, son, I wrote the damn book.” He
stomped back to the sofa and fell onto it.
“My name’s Cade McAllister. I’m a Council Investigator.”
“I don’t give a hot goddamn who you are. This is my house, and you
brought a null here. Now I’m gonna have to redo all my wards. You know how long that’ll take?”
Cade walked from the door to perch his ass on the porch railing. I
copied his move.
With a sigh, Aldridge lit up a
smoke, squinting as he inhaled. He ran a thumb over a groove in the
wand.
Wands were passé. Even Gran didn’t use a wand back in the day.
They were a crutch. If you rely on your wand and find yourself without it,
you’re screwed.
“Where’s Vane?” Cade asked.
The old fart puffed away. Soon his
head was enveloped in a cloud of smoke. “How should I know? That boy don’t inform me of his comings and goings.”
Cade turned to me. “Go check inside. See what you can find.”
On the one hand, I really didn’t want to go into the house. Who
knew what disaster lurked there? On the other hand, I was suspicious that Cade
might discover some clue and not share it with me. No matter which hand I chose,
it was a lose-lose proposition.
I looked into Cade’s eyes, widened mine in warning, and poked his
chest with a finger. “We’re partners, don’t forget.”
When I walked inside the
house, letting the screen door slam behind me, I heard Aldridge’s wheezy laugh.
“I reckon she’s a handful.”
“You have no idea,” Cade rumbled.
The place reeked with sixty years’ worth of stale smoke that was
probably embedded into the walls and scarred wood floor. Newspapers, old coffee
cups, and dust covered every surface. I walked to the kitchen. It was even
grosser in there. Years of food had been cooked onto
the stovetop. It made the burger I’d eaten earlier rebel in my stomach.
I took in the kitchen and spotted the phone. He had an
old-fashioned, yellow rotary attached to the wall. Rotary, for God’s sake. No
redial, no phone history.
But next to the phone, I
found a number written in ink on the peeling wallpaper. I didn’t use my cell
because I didn’t want it to show up on caller ID. So with two fingers, I
gingerly picked up the receiver and spun the dial.
A deep voice answered. “Hey, Gramps, what’s up?”
“Um, hi. Is this Vane?”
“Who the fuck is this?”
I swallowed. “My name is Holly James. Cade McAllister and I are—”
He hung up on me. Son of a bitch.
I grabbed my phone, entered the number in my address book, and
walked back outside.
Cade had his chin propped in one hand as he nodded, listening to
the old man.
“Probably using some ancient black spell to mask the signature,”
Thaddeus said around a cigarette. “But when you run into the caster, you should
find a trace of it on his aura.” He stopped to hack before spitting into the
coffee can. “Sorry ’bout that. Anyway, you can’t hide a dark aura for long. Not
without a continual supply of sacrificial blood and blowing through a lot of
power. It always leaves a stain somewhere.”
Cade glanced at me, his eyebrows shooting up. “Find anything?”
“I called Vane, and he hung
up on me.”
Thaddeus sniffed. “Yeah, he don’t
like to talk on the phone none. Especially to strangers. And if’n he knew you was a null, he’d be even less inclined.”
“Well, thanks for your time.” Cade held out his hand, and the old
man shook it. “Good to talk shop with you.”
“Come back and see me, son. But don’t bring this one.” He jerked
his head in my direction.
I rolled my eyes and made my way to the Ford. As I did, I held the
ends of the scarf up to my nose. I stank of cigarette smoke. Blech.
Cade took the gravel road leading to the highway. I slid my gaze
to him. “I have Vane’s number.”
“Good.”
I waited a beat. “What did
you mean back there about talking shop?”
“Thaddeus used to be an investigator himself. He’s still sharp.”
“Learn anything new?”
“Not really.”
“Did he tell you about Vane?”
“No.” He turned on the radio to block my questions.
I reached out and hit the search button. I was tired of classic
rock. I stopped on a country station. “So what is Vane Aldridge and how did he
know London? Why would he want to kill her? Bigger
question, why would he want to kill Stephanie?”
“He didn’t kill anybody, Holly. Vane works for the Council.”
I stared at him in silence for a full minute. “What the hell,
Cade? Did you know this all along?” I smacked my forehead. Of course he did. That’s why he’d tensed up
when Mick Raven said the name. “How long were you going to keep this from me?”
“I’m telling you now.”
Seething, I stared out the window. What else was McAllister
hiding? Probably a whole host of things. That just jacked my anger up even
further. “What does Vane Aldridge do for the Council?”
“He enforces their decisions.”
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MY
INTERVIEW WITH TERRI L. AUSTIN
How would you
describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
First off, thanks for having me on Book Junkie Reads
today. It’s great to be here!
I’d describe my writing as a mixture of humor and heat.
Previously, I’ve written mysteries and erotic romances. Dispelled is my first urban fantasy, and it was a lot of fun. I
threw in some humorous scenes and a few quirky characters along the way.
What mindset or
routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether
you are working on a project or just free writing)?
I do a lot of pre-writing before I get started on a
manuscript. While I don’t outline, I like to know the characters and have a
story road map in mind before I commit to that first chapter.
Do you take your
character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the
way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do
you build upon your character during story creation?
I usually have a good idea of the characters before I get
started, but they change and gel as I’m writing. As I go through a series, I
like to develop my characters along the way. I don’t want them to stagnate.
They need to have some change as they progress through each book.
Have you found
yourself bonding with any particular character? If so which one(s)?
Once I fall in love with my heroes, I fly through the
book. There’s Sullivan, from the Rose Strickland Mystery series, Trevor Blake
from His Every Need, and Cade
McAllister from this book, Dispelled.
I love their flaws and their vulnerabilities, in spite of their alpha ways.
Do you have a
character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
Too many! They’re all vying for my attention and crowding
my brain. But I’m determined to bring them all to life. Otherwise, they’ll
never leave me alone!
Have you ever felt
that there was something inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what?
If no what spurs you to reach for the unexperienced?
Sometimes a touch of anxiety rises to the surface, and I
have very little control over it. I wish I had a better handle on it. Deep
breathing helps take the edge off, though.
Author Info
Terri L. Austin is a mild-mannered writer by
day and a reality TV junkie by night. She lives in Missouri with her family,
and loves to hear from readers.
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