A RACE FOR SAFETY -- CHASING THE DEAD BY KETA DIABLO

Book: Chasing the Dead

Paranormal Western Romance

Publisher: Keta Diablo

Tagline: A sinister ghost is out for revenge. Madrid, Deacon and Sacheen must stay one step ahead of the ghoul and reach the hacienda.

CHASING THE DEAD Blurb:

In 1884 New Mexico, Madrid Arrende finds herself kidnapped by the Apache. Determined to rescue her, her wealthy father realizes there is only one man capable of bringing her back alive...Deacon Bannister. Deacon doesn't give one whit about the large sum of money Don Erasmos Arrende has offered him to find his daughter. He  only cares about bringing the woman he left at the altar a year ago home.

A ghost is terrorizing the Apache village and the young maiden, Sacheen, has been banished by her People for unleashing Uday's wrath. Now, Deacon, Madrid and Sacheen must flee for their lives across the rugged New Mexico landscape with the evil spirit in hot pursuit.

Will they make it back alive to Madrid's father's hacienda or will Deacon lose Madrid forever?

CHASING THE DEAD Setup and Excerpt: 

Madrid and Sacheen confront the ghost

Sacheen ignited Maddie's torch and both women scrambled over the half-wall to light the packets of sage. The moon glinted off a shadowy form sweeping past a line of trees to Maddie's right. Dios, the ghost! With gooseflesh rising on her arms, she called out to Sacheen, "Hurry! Light your bundles and go inside with Deacon."

A circle of fire from a dozen piles of sage lit up the sky around the shelter. The wind moaned and wailed, sounding like the sorrowful lament of Scottish bagpipes. What other magic and manipulations had the dead spirit learned in the underworld since Maddie last saw him?

With a look of startled horror, Sacheen shouldered her. "Do you see him?"

"I thought I told you to go inside. We must not show him fear."

"Do you see him!?"

Tendrils of darkness slipped in as the wraith advanced. Maddie shivered when his visage manifested in her line of vision. More terrifying than any specter she'd ever seen, a haze of gray mist swirled around his translucent form. A quiver hung from his shoulder stocked with stone-headed arrows—a sign he'd taken the form of a native from ancient history. Steeped in blood, his clothing hung in tatters around his massive frame—a vest made of animal hides, a breechcloth and fringed leggings. Maddie's gaze traveled to his painted, pock-marked face. Her insides quivered and ropes of tension knotted every cord and fiber of her body.

 Bleary, unearthly eyes turned to Sacheen when the spirit raised a hand with claw-like fingers and pointed at her chest. The wind, much like the sound of women wailing, keened into the deafening silence. Fire exploded from the ghost's eyes—flames the fires of Hell couldn't compete with.

"Yes." Maddie fought to keep her voice calm and even. "I see him. His hunger for you permeates the air."

Sacheen shouted above the roar and chaos. "You are not welcome here! Hear my words, Uday, you are tats-an. You are dead!”

Maddie peered at the girl through the dim light. Uday? She spoke his name?

"It is I, Sacheen, and I do not fear you chidn. Hear my power:

Hinamaya hinamaya hinamay Chee Chi Yo

 Hinamay chee chi yo hinna may chee chi yo

 Hinna hinna hey ya hinna hinna hey yo

A cry of anguish and rage melded, knifed through the dank, still air. The maiden couldn't see him but stood tall before her imaginary tormentor, her aura shimmering like molten glass. "You are like the dust-storm, nothing but a shiver in the air. Do you hear me? I did not want you in life and will not accept you in death. You are yah-ik-tee, no longer with us!"

Download CHASING THE DEAD

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1SvYfIj

Keta Diablo, Author

Keta Diablo lives in the Midwest part of the United States on six acres of woodland. When she isn't writing or gardening she loves to commune with nature. She adores animals and donates her time and support to local food and animal shelters.

Keta is a multi-published author in contemporary romance, paranormal, historical, and erotic romance. She's also an Amazon best-selling author. Her erotica novel Decadent Deceptions was a finalist in the MOLLY contest sponsored by Romance Writers of America and was nominated for a Red Carpet Award in 2014. Her paranormal novel Meko’s Woman was nominated for a Bookie Award by Authors After Dark and her historical novel Sky Tinted Water was nominated for a RONE Award by Ind’Tale Magazine. Her latest contemporary romance novel, Season, Unforgettable, was a finalist in the romance category sponsored by Independent Author Network Book Awards for 2015.

Keta's books have received numerous Top Pick, Book of the Month, and Recommended Read awards from top professional review sites.

Follow Keta on the Net:

Author Blog: http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KetaDiablo.Author

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ketadiablo

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ketadiablo/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Keta-Diablo/e/B002BODURI/

STORY OF A STRONG WOMAN'S JOURNEY

I enjoy reading about strong women heroines in fiction and in history. Sometimes the fictional women might appear over the top or unrealistic. Historically, though, women have proven themselves to rise to a challenge—especially when it means remaining with or protecting family. Recently, I was reading about heroines of the Old West in Mike Wright’s WHAT THEY DIDN’T TEACH YOU ABOUT THE WILD WEST.  This is a frightening yet empowering story appropriate as we near Hallowe’en.

Apache Women in camp

An Apache woman named Dilchthe was a middle-aged grandmother captured by Sonoran mercenaries at then Esqueda, Mexico south of present day Douglas, Arizona in the mid 1860’s.  Dilchthe and several other women watched the Apache men executed and were then herded toward the Gulf of California. There they were sold into slavery and shipped across the Gulf to a penal colony on the Baja Peninsula. Many of the women died there, but Dilchthe hung on to life. She was sold again with several women and put to work at a nearby hacienda.

She was treated fairly at the hacienda, but she wanted freedom. Wouldn’t we? She hid food and planned her escape to return to her family. I wonder if she realized how far from them she had been moved?

Desert Dilchthe traveled

Finally, she freed several other women and they escaped. They traveled only at night and Dilchthe led them north along the Gulf. The women evaded the mounted guards sent to track them down and bring them back. Even conserving supplies, they ran out of food. They ate insects and desert plants.

Colorado River

Near the mouth of the Gulf, they faced crossing the Colorado River. Imagine how forceful this river was before damning and pumping to large cities commenced almost a hundred years later. None of the women raised in the desert could swim. Dilchthe promised the women she would find a way.

Gila River

She made friends with an elderly Mexican man who told her where she could safely ford the river. The women pushed northward to the spot the man had described. This was at the confluence of the Colorado and Gila Rivers and later became the site of the Yuma Territorial Prison. Of course the women were afraid, but Dilchthe waded into the water. Her feet struck a sandbar and she waded across the river, followed by the other women.

Yuma (Mojave) Indians

Near Yuma Valley, the women met sweltering heat. She insisted they follow the river, and they persevered for she knew the mountains held powerful enemies. Three nights after they crossed the river, a band of Yuma (also called Mojaves) raiders ambushed them.  Only Dilchthe and one woman survived by fleeing into the brush.

Again they were hunted, but Dilchthe walked over the hot, mostly dry, river bottom past Gila Bend and present-day Phoenix. They skirted Puma and Papago camps and villages. Can you imagine crossing that area with no water, no food, and weary from trudging so far?  These two women were strong!

Dry Riverbed

They were too weak to travel at more than a slow walk, and almost crazed from hunger and grief. At a spot near present day Safford, they collapsed. Dilchthe managed a signal fire. Incredibly enough, the man who saw the smoke was Dilchthe’s son in law. She and her friend were saved.

She had walked more than a thousand miles to be reunited with her family. Can you imagine her welcome as a hero and how her stories were retold again and again? She had outmaneuvered pursuers, carried no map, no weapons, and almost no provisions.

I love this story! We never know what we can do until we are faced with the challenge. Would you be like Dilchthe or one of those who was killed?

Another story of trekking across the land from Central Texas’ Hill Country to North Central Texas is my book, THE MOST UNSUITABLE COURTSHIP, which is part of the 10-book box set, COURTING THE WEST, now available at Amazon, Nook, 

Kobo, and iTunes for a limited time at only 99 cents.

Amazon  http://amzn.com/B015JVRIZY

Amazon CA  http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B015JVRIZY

Amazon UK  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015JVRIZY

Nook US  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/courting-the-west-kirsten-osbourne/1122789684?ean=2940150810037

Nook UK  http://www.nook.com/gb/ebooks/courting-the-west-a-boxed-set-of-ten-western-romances-by-kirsten-osbourne/2940150810037

Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/courting-the-west

iTunes  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/courting-the-west/id1041249066?mt=11

Dilchte’ story source:

WHAT THEY DIDN’T TEACH YOU ABOUT THE WILD WEST, by Mike Wright, Presidio Press Inc., pp 285-286

Free photos

MAIL ORDER OUTLAW -- BRIDES OF TOMBSTONE FROM CYNTHIA WOOLF

How exciting to welcome one of my favorite authors, Cynthia Woolf. Authors are constantly trying to come up with something we haven't used before, and Cynthia has accomplished that extremely well. Her latest release is MAIL ORDER OUTLAW, the first of her Brides of Tombstone Series, and this book has many surprising characters and events. I've already purchased my copy and no doubt you'll want to do the same when you read this post. This book is so interesting that I simply won't be able to stop reading MAIL ORDER OUTLAW until the last line. Late bedtime tonight. ☺ 

Here's what Cynthia has to say:

Thanks for having me Caroline.

I want to talk a little bit about my new series, The Brides of Tombstone. I love doing mail order bride stories but for this one I wanted them to be a little different. I chose Tombstone because it was someplace that everyone has heard about, although next time I think I’ll make up my own city. I can make things exactly the way I want them then.

My husband and I did do a long weekend trip to Tombstone. Two days down, we live in Colorado. Two days back and one in Tombstone. All I can say is that the Tombstone that’s there now is very tame compared to what it was in 1882, the year my book is set. The City of Tombstone circa 2015, is little more than a tourist trap. The buildings are the same ones as were there in 1882, at the height of the silver boom, but they are filled with souvenirs and a few had tours. It was interesting enough, but not historically accurate which is what I’d hoped for.

The first book is called MAIL ORDER OUTLAW.  You can tell by the title that it's a little different than your average mail order bride story. Here's the blurb:

Ed Talbot isn't husband material. He's an outlaw, was forced into his father's gang at the age of thirteen, and is wanted Dead or Alive in more than one territory. But now his father is dead, he hates the life, the blood, and his brother's rages. When a stagecoach robbery goes awry, Ed ends up with a satchel full of charming letters from an enticing your miss. Unfortunately for Miss Lizzie Cobb, her betrothed is now dead, and Ed Talbot sees a way out. Impersonating a fine, upstanding young man shouldn't be too difficult. Despite the risks, falling in love with her proves to be all too easy.

Isolated on her mother's ranch just outside Tombstone, Miss Lizzie Cobb doesn't have the time or the means to find a respectable husband. As a half Apache woman in the Arizona Territory, being a mail order bride seems like the only solution to her problem until she realizes that San Francisco is too far away, and she'll have to leave her vulnerable mother and baby brother behind. Her solution? Call off the wedding.

When her groom shows up on her doorstep, she's shocked. He's handsome, strong, and has traveled hundreds of miles to claim her. His kisses inflame her body and his presence soothes her soul. Falling for the rugged man is beyond her control. But the past has a way of catching up to outlaws, and facing the truth is going to be hard...for both of them.

Does that sound enticing to you? I certainly hope so.

Here is a short excerpt from MAIL ORDER OUTLAW that I hope you'll enjoy.

Outside Tucson, Arizona Territory, May 12, 1882

Ed Talbot adjusted his bandana to cover the lower half of his face. The stagecoach his father had targeted for his latest robbery was about to crest the hill. When it did Ed and his half-brother, Harvey, would be waiting. His father, Josiah Talbot, would fall in behind the vehicle until it came to a halt.

Josiah rode with Harry and Joe, closing in behind.

Ed and his brother waited and the coach was slowing as it was supposed to. Suddenly the shotgun rider started firing his rifle at the men closing in behind.

Ed and Harvey rode toward the coach. Harvey fired his pistol and killed the shotgun rider, but not before they saw Josiah fall. The stage came to a halt and Ed kept his gun on the driver, while Harvey rode past the coach to where their father lay on the ground.

“Nooo.” A howl like Ed had never heard came out of Harvey. Ed knew then that their father was dead, but he didn’t grieve. The man Ed had hated for most of his life was dead. He rejoiced.

Harvey walked forward, reloading his gun as he came. As soon as he got had a full cylinder, he aimed at the driver and shot him dead.

Ed saw what was going to happen and jumped off his horse and ran toward his brother. He grabbed his brother’s arm. “Harvey. What the hell do you think you’re doin’?”

“He killed Pa. He deserved to die. The driver and this man are a witnesses and have to die…” Harvey’s eyebrows came together and he narrowed his eyes. “Or you do and then he dies anyway. Now you got a problem with that?”

That was no choice and Ed was about to say so, when Harvey raised his pistol and fired. The man who’d done nothing but be a passenger on the wrong stage, was dead.

“Couldn’t let you say something you might regret, little brother.” Harvey holstered his gun. “Gather up all the stuff including the luggage and then search all three men,” he instructed Harry and Joe.

Ed noticed a valise in the coach that he assumed belonged to the man. He took it and tied it to his saddle bags.

“Let’s go,” said Harvey. “Take the coach horses, we’ll sell them in town and set the coach on fire.”

Joe gathered up sage brush, so prevalent in this part of the desert near Tucson and piled it inside the coach. Then he took a stick match out of his pocket, struck it against a rock and started the kindling on fire. Within minutes the stagecoach was burning and black smoke billowed into the sky. If they hung around, they’d be found by the sheriff’s posse.

“All right let’s get out of here.” Harvey turned and rode his horse the way they’d come, back to their hideout in the Mule Mountains.

Not having any choice, Ed followed his brother. Harvey would kill him in a heartbeat rather than let him go. Their father had been the same way. Fifteen years ago, when Ed’s mother died, Josiah had taken him into the gang. Ed was thirteen. He learned how to rob stages, trains and banks. He learned how to kill people but he never actually killed anyone. He’d managed to avoid that particular deed. His father and brother thought him a coward, but Ed had no taste for killing a living soul or the outlaw life in general.

Buy links:

http://amzn.com/B00XEKFLIE

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mail-order-outlaw-cynthia-woolf/1121894192?ean=2940151415125

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/mail-order-outlaw/id993479746?ls=1&mt=11

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/mail-order-outlaw

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Woolf_Mail_Order_Outlaw?id=U74kCQAAQBAJ

Cynthia Woolf, Author

Cynthia Woolf was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends. Cynthia was and is an avid reader. Her mother was a librarian who brought new books home each week. This is where young Cynthia first got the storytelling bug. She write her first story at the age of ten...a romance about a little boy she liked at the time.

Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband Jim and the great friends she's made at Colorado Romance Writers for saving her sanity and encouraging her to explore her creativity.

CHASING THE DEAD BY KETA DIABLO

Title – Chasing the Dead, Book 1
Series – Bannister Brothers
Author – Keta Diablo
Genre – Western Romance (Paranormal)
Publication Date – October 20, 2014
Publisher – Keta Diablo
Cover Artist – Willsin Rowe

~*~

About the Book

The Apache kidnapped me to dispel an evil ghost from their village. If I tell them I don't possess the same skills my madre did, they'll cut my throat and feed me to the dogs. Celesta was the best spirit chaser in all of New Mexico before she died.

The most I can hope for is that Emmett, my fiancé, will rescue me. Is he capable of such a thing? Poppy must not have thought so because he sent Deacon Bannister to save me. Deacon…the man who walked away days before our wedding a year ago. The man who still melts my bones after one look.

We're running for our lives from Uday, the vaporous ghoul tracking us. He wants Sacheen, the beautiful maiden banished from the Apache village who travels with us. The warrior killed her father when Sacheen refused to marry him, and then Sacheen's brother killed Uday.

The ghost's powers grow stronger every minute on our journey back to El Vaquero...and so does my love for Deacon.

Madrid Arrende

~*~

Excerpt

A shadow hovered near the fires, ducking in between stalks of cacti and other scrub brush. Maddie drew a deep breath and ambled forward with Elan beside her. Amid the dissonant chants and prayers, warriors brandishing spears and shields hollered into the gray mist. Maddie squinted, hoping to catch sight of the ghoul the others couldn't see. Only powerful shamans and spirit chasers had trained themselves to look upon the face of a dead spirit. A ripple of fear spread through her limbs and shivered down her spine when la fantasma appeared before her.

A mass of black patterns and swirls marred his enraged face. His eyes were hollow and black until a den of serpents slithered from the sockets–a deception the spirit had learned in his brief time in the underworld.

Maddie swallowed hard and sneaked a glance at Elan. Standing tall and looking formidable, she had to admire the man's courage. "It is you he seeks to destroy, Elan, to forge a path to Sacheen. I will go forth on my own now."

Elan shook his head, his expression one of disbelief. "Why would you put yourself in such danger? We wait and see what the dead man will do."

"No. It is what he wants, for all in the village to fear him. Only then does his true power unfold. I will meet his challenge; let him know I am here to banish him back to the dead." "Although I cannot", she whispered under her breath.

The ghost twisted and turned, retreating back from the fire, only to appear seconds later at another location in camp. He screamed and howled, the otherworldly sounds rumbling through the village like a murderous dust storm.

 Maddie shrugged aside Elan's grip on her elbow and walked forward. "Madre, be with me," she said to the ground. The moon had not shown its face this night but a smattering of a million stars gave enough light for Maddie to focus on the grim outline of the wretch. "Lift up your eyes dead spirit and hear my words."

An inhuman screech sent a blast of wind in her direction. It lashed her face and whipped her long hair into a frenzy.

"You are small and weak. I do not fear you!" she screamed, bewildered by the words spewing from her mouth. "The wolf has sung your passing and the bear has grumbled low. Sing your death song and return to the underworld."

The wailing chants of the shamans echoed behind her.

Ignoring her warning, Elan suddenly appeared beside her, only to be struck to the ground when the ghoul unleashed a stream of lightning spikes from the sky. Elan moaned, clutched his broken arm and attempted to rise.

"Stay down!" Maddie ground out between clenched teeth.

Her mother's voice rode the crest of her fear. Be strong, Madrid, try again.

Her knees shook and her spine curled, but she took another step forward. "Your breath has moved to another world. You must remain with it. Do you hear me, dead spirit? You are no longer welcome here. Your relatives have said farewell and so must you, never to return."

A refrain from the Apache against her back bolstered her courage—a roar of cheers and the synchronized trampling of moccasins beating the ground.

 Torrents of rain fell from the sky, pounding Maddie into the earth beneath her feet. Wet dirt spiraled up her nose and debilitating pain wracked her body. A hand clamped over her arm. When Maddie realized it belonged to Elan, a sigh of relief mingled with the cold blast of air surrounding them. Sacheen's brother pulled her against his wet body and crawled toward camp, dragging her with him.

A triumphant scream from the ghost rent the air, pitching the warriors into a cowering retreat. The cold, gray dawn swept over camp. Shivering with despair, Maddie turned to Elan. "His power is great."

Out of breath and still clutching his arm, he nodded.

"Maddie raised a fist to the sky. "We have failed this night, dead spirit, but we will not the next time we meet."

~*~

Buy Chasing the Dead

KINDLE                NOOK           APPLE

Keta Diablo, Author

 Keta Diablo lives in the Midwest part of the United States on six acres of woodland. When she isn't writing or gardening she loves to commune with nature.

Keta is a multi-published author in both erotic romance and gay fiction. Her erotica novel, Decadent Deceptions was a finalist in the MOLLY contest sponsored by Romance Writers of America and has been nominated for a Red Carpet Award in 2014. Her paranormal novel, Where the Rain Is Made has been nominated for a Bookie Award by Authors After Dark. Her historical novel, Sky Tinted Water, has been nominated for a RONE Award by Ind’Tale Magazine. Keta's books have received numerous Top Pick, Book of the Month, and Recommended Read awards from the top professional review sites.

You can find her on the net at the following places:
Keta's Keep Romance Blog

http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com/

The Stuff of Myth and Men Blog

http://thestuffofmythandmen.blogspot.com/

 Connect with Keta Diablo:

Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

BOOK REVIEW - KANE'S REDEMPTION

My friend and fellow Sweethearts of the West author, Cheryl Pierson, has a release that is a departure for her in that KANE’S REDEMPTION is told in first person by a ten-year-old boy. This novella is charming on many levels. I intended just to read a bit in support of Cheryl, who is a nice person and a great writer. Immediately, I was engaged and unable to stop reading until the story’s very satisfactory conclusion.

In KANE’S REDEMPTION, Will Green is the boy who has been captured by a band of raiding Apaches after watching his family killed. Will fights for his life when he is taken prisoner. He’s lost count of how many days the Apaches have traveled, but he knows the band’s leader Red Eagle toys with him and will soon torture him. Steeling himself for death, Will vows he will not cry or let the Apache know how frightened his is. He's shocked when a lone man walks into the Apache camp to rescue him several days later.

Driven by the secret he carries, Jacobi Kane has followed the Indians for days and needs to make his move to save the boy. With the odds stacked eight against one, his chances for success look pretty slim. But even if he's able to rescue the boy and they get out alive, what then?

But Jacobi Kane does rescue Will. In turn, Will rescues him. I’d tell you how, but you owe it to yourself to experience firsthand this story's pleasure.

Here’s the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Kanes-Redemption-Cheryl-Pierson/dp/1469971895/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_11

Cheryl Pierson, Author

KANE'S REDEMPTION author, Cheryl Pierson, is a romance author who loves to read and also teaches novel writing classes and is co-owner of West Winds Media, an editing/teaching business for writers. She writes short stories that have been published by Adams Media, novel manuscripts, and has written a screenplay. Her novel, FIRE EYES, was an Epic Award Finalist and Cheryl received the PNR PEARL Awards Honorable Mention as Best New Author of 2009. She also placed third in the San Antonio Romance Authors (SARA) Merritt Contest with her newest novel, GABRIEL’S LAW. Cheryl's Western/Time-Travel/Romance, TIME PLAINS DRIFTER, is available from Western Trail Blazer in both Ebook and print. To learn more about Cheryl and her exciting books, visit her at www.cherylpierson.com/

Here’s what Cheryl says about KANE’S REDEMPTION:

Rule #1 - I never write in first person.


Rule #2 - I never write from a child's point of view.


Rule #3 - I always have romance somewhere in my stories.


Well...one out of three ain't bad.


I threw Rule #1 out the window when I picked up my pen and started this book. I did write KANE’S REDEMPTION in first person. It's the first work of fiction I've ever written from this perspective, and after I wrote it, I knew there would be two more of these novellas to follow. There was no better way to tell this story of young Will Green and Jacobi Kane - and the secret that stands between them.


Will is a child when the story begins, but a young man by the conclusion. So, I guess you could say I broke my own "Rule #2" as well.


Growing up in the 1800's on the prairie of the southwest would make an adult of you quickly; even quicker if you watched your entire family murdered in the space of five minutes. This story is not just about Will, though - it's also about Jacobi Kane, who has some secrets of his own. Although he rescues Will, he wrestles with demons that can't be fought alone - but how can Will help? In the end, who is the true rescuer - Will, or Jacobi Kane?


Romance? Well, there's a bit of that. But it's the romance that comes with new beginnings and the kiss of forgiveness. Come to think of it, the romance in KANE’S REDEMPTION is different from anything else I've ever written, too.


This story came from somewhere deep; a place I didn't know existed. It's a gift I hope you will take as much pleasure in reading as I did in writing.


Look for Book 2 in the Kane trilogy, KANE’S PROMISE, in the fall of 2012.

I am supposed to disclose that I purchased KANE'S REDEMPTION and the opinion expressed is my own. In fact, I will be ordering the next two of the Kane trilogy the first day each is available!

Thanks for stopping by!