Tuesday's Treasured & Tipsy Timeslip: This Weeks Traveller is Rachel Rawlings
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Travel and make-believe go hand in hand. Whether we're in the present or the past, in a haunted castle, an enchanted forest or a broken down building, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and traveling the world can bring the imagination to life.This Weeks Traveller is Rachel Rawlings. Her time growing up was split between Maryland and Rhode Island, which only fueled her love of New England and it’s gorgeous seaside towns. The history of Salem has always fascinated her and she found its ability to embrace such a dark spot in time, making it a favorite destination among tourists the perfect place for her supernatural cast of characters. Not to mention the irony of a coven of witches taking up residence in a town famous for its witch trials. From the eastern seaboard we’ll hop to the Emerald Isle, the number one place on Rachel's my bucket list and another spot featured in her novels. She dreams of owning a pub in one of the small towns, serving libations at night and writing during the day! The colorful pubs, historic homes and rolling green countryside inspired Mason’s hometown and Maurin’s refuge. But trouble never stays away for long and it’s certainly followed her across the pond.
Welcome To Kincaide Tours
Thanks so much for having me on the blog! I love this topic and the opportunity to include pictures. It’s definitely a first for me and I had so much fun getting it together. I've been an armchair traveler for years now, looking at images online for the places in my novels. I’m excited to share some of them with you. So sit back and relax. No need for passports or plane tickets on this trip. Are you ready? Let’s start our journey!If you’ll please stick together, we don’t want anyone getting lost. Remember, safety in numbers so please stick to your buddy and stay with the group.
Our first destination is Salem, MA, where we’ll spend a couple hours shopping and dining our way through the Pedestrian Mall. History and the present day collide in this popular strip of stores and restaurants. No need to put your wands away.
This witch friendly town has come a long since the nineteen hangings during the famous witch trials of 1692 and is now home to many different Wiccan and Pagan Organizations.
The Witch’s Closet, a store stocked with everything a witch needs to fill her pantry and Toil and trouble, the local bar for norms and others are fictional places located in the Essex St. Pedestrian Mall and are frequented by Maurin Kincaide and her friends. Perhaps we’ll see some members of the Council or Salem’s Preternatural Task Force while we’re walking around.
Once our bags and bellies are full we’ll walk along the waterfront at Pickering Wharf while we await our ferry to Winter Island.
Maurin has found more than her fair share of trouble on this island. From attempts on her life to a pack challenge she’s seen more than beautiful scenery.
A snapshot of our first destination!
Our trip continues with a voyage across the sea to the
Ireland. Erin Go Bragh!
While on the Emerald Isle, we’ll visit the town of Kilkenny
and the thatched roof homes still peppering the countryside. Lucky for us
there’s a bed and breakfast not far from Mason Hunter’s home. While he is often
state side in Salem with Maurin, we may catch a glimpse of them during our
tour.
Don’t let the rustic look of these homes fool you. You’ll find all the comforts of home, especially in Mason Hunter’s residence. Your stay in the bed and breakfast pictured above includes a traditional Irish breakfast- bacon and sausages, eggs, grilled tomatoes and potatoes with soda bread and tea. A favorite of Maurin’s, though she does prefer coffee.
Thanks for booking with Kincaide Tours! We certainly hope
you’ve enjoyed your trip.
Beannacht!
Learn more about Maurin Kincaide and her escapades in The Maurin
Kincaide Series.
Ill
Fated
The
Maurin Kincaide Series
Book
5
Rachel
Rawlings
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Date of Publication: 2/11/15
ISBN: 978-1508456711
ASIN: B00TI20TZC
Number of pages: 271
Cover Artist: Eri Nelson
Some things are destined to end
in death. After the first attempt on her life Maurin wasn't scared. Hell, she
was almost flattered. But someone put a price on her head and things are
getting complicated.
Trouble is brewing in the fae
courts and it's spilling over into Salem. The UnSeelie Dark Guard have answered
the call for her head on a platter and people closest to her are disappearing.
Can Maurin master court politics
and find her missing men before someone claims the bounty on her head?
Excerpt:
"You're awake?" He sounded more than a little surprised.
"I'm not really sure the state I'm in qualifies as awake."
"Here I was, terrified to poke the dragon, and you're already drinking coffee and talking in complete sentences."
I snorted and took a sip of the aforementioned liquid gold. "Are you always like this in the morning?"
"If you'd let me sleep over you'd already know the answer to that question. Why aren't you asleep?"
In general or just tonight, I silently wondered. "Bad dream. I've been tossing and turning all night. I finally gave in and got out of bed."
Papers rustled in the background and when he spoke again, his voice was lower, intimate."You want to talk about it?"
"Something tells me my nightmares are the least of our problems."
"You have no idea. I need you to come down to my office."
I sighed. "Can it at least wait until after sunrise?"
"Would I be breaking the no phone calls before noon policy if it could wait?"
“There really is no rest for the wicked, is there?”
He laughed and the sound warmed me more than a hundred cups of coffee. "Apparently not, in your case. Now, there's a dirty chai latte and a croissant for you if you're here before Amalie. I can't promise real coffee and pastries will survive beyond five minutes of her arrival."
"It's four-thirty in the morning, Mas. If you know what's good for you, you'll make sure at least one dirty chai and croissant remain unmolested."
"I'll see you soon." He was laughing as he hung up the phone.
Three hours ago I’d practically crawled through the doorway, exhausted from cleaning up after a newbie vamp who’d broken the Jus Sanguinis Intergentes when she killed her donor. The blood pact between people and vampires had a clear no killing, no exceptions clause.
It was up to the maker to ensure their child was ready to feed unsupervised. If something went wrong and the Council found out about it, we cleaned up the mess and the sire was subject to heavy fines and possible revocation of their rights to expand their blood lines. She’d been quite literally a bitch to track and take down.
It had been a long night and it was shaping up to be an even longer day.
I wasted little time getting dressed, opting for a slip on black jersey dress, eighteen hole Docs and a leather jacket. Jewelry was a hindrance in my line of work. My meeting with Mason could easily turn into a run. Choked with my own chain? No, thank you. Unclasping the necklace, I set it in a glass dish on my bathroom counter. I ran a brush through my hair, a toothbrush over my teeth and slipped into the between. I stepped out of the alley two buildings down from the station and walked the last block and a half.
Amalie was swarmed by detectives trying to get at the goodies she brought over from the Daily Grind. She greeted me with a warm smile, shaking her head when I offered to pull her out of the fray. She had managed to endear herself to the entire department in record time. All it took was real coffee and fresh pastries. I pointed to Mason's office. She'd make her way over once the starving masses had their fill.
Mason was so engrossed in the file on his desk he didn't hear me come in. He looked as tired as I felt - too many double shifts. Despite an uptick in activity, SPTF was short staffed due to budget cuts. Without enough man power to staff the shifts properly overtime was mandatory.
"Is that for me?" I pointed at the to-go cup and white paper bag on his desk.
He finally looked up and gave me a smile which lit up his whole face. "As promised."
I stole a quick kiss, grabbed the coffee and croissant, and settled in the chair across from him. I took a long sip of my latte, savoring the delicious mix of tea and espresso. "Man, I needed this. Is that the case you're working on?"
"Yeah, we've got a real problem on our hands."
"Don't we always." I tried to peak at the file.
Mason closed the manila folder. "I'd rather wait until everyone is here."
"Who else is coming besides Amalie?" My curiosity was definitely peaked now. I reached across his desk, hoping to grab the file.
"You look exhausted. Tell me about your dream while we wait."
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. "I see this for the obvious distraction it is but you're right.” Sighing, I rubbed my temple.“However, I'm exhausted, too exhausted to argue. So I'll tell you. Prepare to be confounded."
He listened intently as I filled him in on the nightly visits from the weathered old woman who washed my clothes and hauntingly called my name. I expected him to laugh and tell me it was just a dream, that I had nothing to worry about.
I didn't expect him to look so stricken.
"Bean Nighe." He all but whispered the name.
"You've heard of her?"
"Of course I've heard of her. How long has she been coming to you?"
I stared at him curiously. "A few weeks. Why?"
"A few weeks and this is the first I'm hearing of it?” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, obviously struggling to control his temper.“We talked about this. No holding things back, remember?"
"I thought it was just a dream.” I shrugged.“Honestly, I didn't think it was a big deal."
"It was a big enough deal for you to research it." Agitation rolled off him in waves.
When I agreed to give this thing with Mason a chance I also agreed to some conditions. No more flying solo, no more rash decisions or rushing off to play the hero. We were a team, in everything. This was just one of many set-backs.
"I got curious, did a little digging. Until tonight, everything I found pointed to deep seated family issues, particularly with a mother figure. I've told you about my childhood, does that dream analysis surprise you?"
His growl told me he wasn’t in the mood for reasonable—at least to me—explanations. "When did you discover the true meaning of the dream? How long have you known about the Bean Nighe?"
"Tonight. This morning. Before you called me." I held up a hand to stop the tongue lashing I knew he wanted to give me. "I would have told you. I got the impression on the phone there were more pressing matters than my insomnia."
"Is this why you won't let me stay at your place?” His gaze roamed over my face, searching.“Why you never stay at mine?"
"Is that the real reason why you're so upset?" I arched my brows. “Because we’re not having sleepovers?”
"I stayed at your lovely apartment the first night we met."
I turned to watch Aidan glide into the room, stopping behind my chair. Rolling my eyes, I snorted and muttered, “In the closet.”
Mason's jaw twitched but he didn't take the bait. "Aidan."
"It's almost sunrise. Shouldn't you be hunkered down for the day?" I sighed, wondering what he was doing here. I was too tired to deal with Aidan and Mason and their combined testoserone.
Putting the three of us in a room together was like throwing lit matches at sticks of dynamite - eventually one of them will explode.
About
the Author:
Rachel Rawlings was born and
raised in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. Her family, originally from Rhode
Island, spent summers in New England sparking her fascination with Salem, MA.
She has been writing fictional stories and poems since middle school, but it
wasn't until 2009 that she found the inspiration to create her heroine Maurin
Kincaide and complete her first full length novel, The Morrigna.
When she isn't writing, Rachel
can often be found with her nose buried in a good book. An avid reader of
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, Horror and Steampunk herself, Rachel founded
Hallowread- an interactive convention for both authors and fans of those
genres.
More information on Hallowread,
its schedule of events and participating authors can be found at www.hallowread.blogspot.com and www.facebook.com/Hallowread .
She still lives in Maryland with
her husband and three children.
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