Coming Soon from Charon Coin Press - A Deathly Undertaking

Hello Everyone,

On the day before I am trekking to Mid-South Con, I wanted to announce that I have signed on for a new series called The Undertaker Chronicles with Charon Coin Press. The first book in the series is entitled A Deathly Undertaking. The second book is called Follow The Ink. The third book is something I'm working on now.

Needless to say, I am very excited to be joining the family of such a great house. I am also thrilled because within the series are a few very unforgettable characters, namely one of them being a resurrected, mummified left hand who loves anything with boobs.

His name is Omar and he'll be with me at Mid-South so come and find me if you wanted to be petted.

Now here is a bit about A Deathly Undertaking. Enjoy.

Blurb:

Darria Savege is an undertaker's assistant. When her boss is killed, she assumes the job of undertaker and all the strange things that goes with it. A necromancer is trying to retrieve an item in her curio cabinet along with the key tattooed into her arm so he can release Medusa and her sister's from limbo.

All the while Darria is learning about her new position, she awakens a mummified hand named Omar who becomes her familiar. She works with a grim reaper named Oliver who collects the souls of the bodies she works on. And she has to do her job all the while trying not to get killed, figure out what the necromancer wants, and how to keep Medusa from escaping into her world.

Excerpt:

First she would have to set up the roll around tray that Mr. Archer used. Those tools were easy: pliers, wrench, blow torch, stake, mallet, silver scalpel, and forceps. She left a spot open for the last thing she would have to get, but first she turned her attention to the center of the room where Mr. Archer would focus all of his attention.

This one looked normal enough, blond hair perfectly arranged around her head. A smear of emerald eyeshadow on her lids matched her dress. Soft slightly marred pink lipstick was stuck to the woman’s teeth. Her green dress showed her curves and covered her legs down to her calves. One of her black pumps was missing and she wasn’t wearing any stockings. However, the bullet hole in the center of her forehead was a dead giveaway that she was well...dead. That and the faint curls of black smoke still steaming from the wound where the silver reacted with the corpse’s flesh. 

It was tough to believe this woman could turn into a ferocious beast on the full moon. Trying to picture her on all fours covered with fur brought back memories of some of the bad horror movies Darria had seen as a child. She didn’t know too much about how werewolves ticked because she had never seen one alive before, except that silver could hurt or kill them. But this was one of the varieties of creatures that had come through the undertaker’s cellar to be processed. And she wasn’t allowed to talk about any of them. So she kept on about her work and right now she had to be sure the cellar was set up correctly for her boss.

She glanced at the tray of tools. All were neatly arranged in their exact spot because if they weren’t she would have hell to pay later. The remainder of the instruments was kept under lock and key and she guarded that key with her life. Darria trailed her fingers over the tattoo on the inside of her right elbow. The lines of the tattoo, along with the rest of her sleeve, were sleek and defined. Darria played her fingers over the outline of the key tattoo until a violet shimmer appeared on her flesh. Once it lit up, the key became solid and plunked into her palm. The metal was warm as she held it. When the undertaker had given it to her, it resembled a normal key she would slip into any lock. It hadn’t been anything special, just a gold key that she could have picked up any hardware store. 

However, when she accepted her job, it transformed into what it was now. Darria ran her finger over the three arches on the top of the key. A surge of energy arced along her skin, causing the small hairs to rise along her arm. It gave the ravens etched into her flesh an amethyst hue. A small smile turned up her lips. It was nice to take a moment to relax and admire the simple symmetry of her job and the duties that went with it.