Several years ago I wrote a Canadian Historical mystery based on characters and a location chosen by John Wisdomkeeper. "Bad Omens; Nunavut" followed Christopher Pokaik as he wrestled with both mythical and human demons while sorting out his feelings about growing up in Nunavut versus his student life in Toronto. In the end, Christopher made his decision about Nunavut, but I'd left dangling what happened between Christopher and his girlfriend. I got A LOT of feedback on that and numerous people asked when the sequel would be out.
I am totally busy writing the three series that result in four books a year. To be honest, while the mental trip to Nunavut was interesting, it was also exhausting! I put in about four months of research and there were several drafts before Christopher developed a voice and started talking to (through) me. I also got a lot of feedback from my wife and beta readers who knew how difficult the writing had been.
That's all history. I was approached by our publisher about writing a paranormal book set in Nunavut. My intial reaction was negative. After some thought, I realized this was my opportunity to tie up the loose ends of Christopher's life story.
So, using the characters and location inspired by John Wisdomkeeper, I started a paranormal book.
The book opens fifteen years ago with the kidnapping of Christopher's future mother-in-law. We get a hint that the local folks might think she's a witch. Others think her supernatural powers might be coincidence or an illusion. We are left wondering if her final "cursing" of the kidnappers is actually a witch's' spell or just her angry words.
Jump ahead, and Christopher is now married (I missed the spoiler alert on that event). His wife, Connie, returns to Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, to clear out her father's house after his death. In a hidden nook, she finds an old leatherbound book that's warm to the touch. The title page says "Dreams" with no information about the author or when it was written. The old-style script is difficult to decipher, but she learns that the book instructs the reader how to interpret dreams.
With the help of Hanta, a shaman introduced in the earlier book, Connie also learns there are often multiple interpretations of dreams and depending on which one she chooses to believe, she can influence events. That's all well and good until Hanta informs her by doing that, she's messing with sleeping demons and there will be a price to pay.
It's been a fun book and delving into the paranormal has been a nice diversion from my (sometimes) bloody mysteries. That said, I've been working with DL Dixen on the Pine County Sheriff's Department mystery, "Woke Up Dead" in May. Doug and Jill Fletcher are talking to me and it's time to listen to their story about their experiences in Jewel Cave National Monument (Death in Darkness). Anne Flagge and I have outlined the next Whistling Pines cozy mystery, "Whistling Rune", which will be out this fall.
"The Book of Dreams" will be out in August. If you're into the paranormal, and/or curious about Christopher Pokaik's next chapter, check it out along with all of the other Canadian Paranormal stories and my mysteries on the BWL Publishing website.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are now live if we don't have a lot of spam they'll stay live, if we do they'll close again so spammers don't waste our time or yours