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{ENJOY THIS EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT from FLASH POINT: MIDLIFE IN AURA COVE} *
“This is why I love Florida,” Katie mused to Arlo, who was sitting in the passenger seat of her green Volkswagen Beetle while she drove to Kandied Karma. It was late February, and with the top down to allow the gentle breeze, the sun was deliciously warm on the crown of her head. The wind ruffled Arlo’s fur as Katie navigated to a parking spot near the rear entrance of her grandmother’s artisanal chocolate shop in downtown Aura Cove. Katie quickly unbuckled her seatbelt but then froze when she saw her reflection in the rearview mirror.
“Holy cow. It’s all white now,” she remarked, leaning in and whipping her chin from side to side to confirm her entire head of hair was now as white as the driven snow. The change happened so quickly that it sometimes felt like she was staring at a stranger when she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror.
“I think you look beautiful either way,” Arlo offered, barking once for emphasis.
“I think you’re trying to get back in my good graces with flattery.”
“But is it working?” he teased, batting full-tilt puppy dog eyes up at her.
Katie laughed. “Nope.” He whined in dismay, and she scratched under his chin to comfort him. “You’re cute, but you’re still in the doghouse for spying on me. Besides, I’m not the kind of girl who needs ego boosts from others anymore. I can genuinely say I like who I am.”
“What an evolved creature you’ve become!” Arlo exclaimed. “Even just a year ago, you would have never made that claim.”
Katie nodded. “True. I’ve come a long way, but there is still so much further to go.”
“You’ll get there,” Arlo encouraged, confident in his owner. She patted him on the head and then reached over to open the car door to lead him into the back door of the shop. Once her eyes adjusted to the lower light inside, her jaw dropped, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Following too closely, Arlo whined when his nose hit her heels, then quickly backtracked, quivering in fear and hiding behind Katie as he looked up at the woman standing there.
Zoya rolled her eyes at their over-the-top reactions. “You’re going to have to get used to seeing me on the regular around here. If I’m supposed to make those crotchety witches in the eternal coven happy, I’m going to need to find ways to be more altruistic. Hence, I decided to search out my two favorite do-gooders.” She waved her gloved hands to indicate Yuli and Katie. “Got any ideas?”
“Step one might be to stop referring to the eternal coven as crotchety witches,” Katie offered, trying to be helpful, but Zoya shot her an incensed glare that made her last few words trail off at the end.
“Historically, doing good has not been your strong suit,” Yuli reminded her.
“True,” Zoya admitted with a shrug. Her white hair was gathered in a loose braid that flowed down her back. She wore an aqua-colored sundress that reminded Katie of the color of the sea surrounding the Castanova Compound. “I’ve far preferred delivering comeuppance, but maybe it’s time to turn a new leaf.”
“Pfft.” Yuli’s disbelief was clear. “New leaf! Ha!”
“I thought after the Fioletovy Mahiya, we decided to let bygones be bygones.” Zoya challenged her reaction, leveling her eyes on Yuli, who refused to back down, testing her grandmother. The Fioletovy Mahiya was a once-in-a-lifetime lunar event that temporarily lifted the veil between the living and the dead. During last February’s full moon, Katie, Yuli, and Zoya discovered the only way to step into the fullness of their supernatural powers was to unite the mortal coven. It was a task that still seemed monumental, even after the healing they’d individually received during the event.
“In that case, since we open in fifteen, why don’t you start your good deeds by stocking the truffle case?” Yuli boldly asked in her typical direct fashion, making Katie grin at her audacity. It was obvious, Yuli was not pulling any punches and was ready to test this magnanimous version of herself Zoya was trying to claim.
Zoya scoffed at the idea, balling her hands on her hips. “Ana Castanova can’t be seen engaging in manual labor,” she huffed. “It’s dangerous to her brand.”
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Currently Enjoying: Chicken Marsala
I love to cook, and this week I was on a quest to find the BEST Chicken Marsala recipe on the internet. This one from Once Upon a Chef was DELICIOUS. I could drink the pan sauce. We love the mushrooms so I doubled them and it was worth it. Make it, and angels will SING.
We've been pounded with back to back record snow fall and this is the kind of warm, stick to your bones comfort food that gets us Midwesterners through.
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This was a fast-paced, compelling read filled with characters you'll love to hate. It's filled with sharp insights into life in suburbia, and the judgement of the ambition of mothers.
Currently Writing: In a Flash: Midlife in Aura Cove Book 5
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