Indie Author Spotlight – “Healing the Bayou” by Mary Bernsen
I’ve got another great indie author for you this morning – Mary Bernsen, and her novel “Healing the Bayou”
Mary Bernsen is a southwest Florida native currently living in Punta Gorda with her two beautiful children and a third, much larger child that she affectionately calls husband. She is a stay-at-home mother and spends her days creating characters on the good side of twenty-five because she is in serious denial about the fact that she is now on the bad side of it. She has a passion for fantasy of any kind along with historical fiction. If she isn’t having conversations with her made-up friends, you can usually find her clipping coupons or out on the boat enjoying the muddy waters of Peace River (as long as it isn’t below 80 degrees).
You can follow her at all her links:
And the book is “Healing the Bayou”
After learning that she is adopted, Eliza sets off to locate her biological family and finds them in the Louisiana bayou. But they’re more than just locals—they’re descended from the area’s most famous Voodoo queen, Marie Laveau—Eliza’s great-great-grandmother. Surrounded by a mysterious world of séances, spells, and sacrifices, Eliza finds herself worshiped as the last great priestess. What’s more, she’s inherited the ability to heal the souls of others with a simple touch of her hands.
Eliza is expected to cultivate this gift so she can claim her title as Queen and return the Voodoo community to glory. A task Eliza wouldn’t mind as long as she could perform it beside the devastating Samuel Mueller. But according to tradition, Samuel is her keeper, and a keeper never becomes romantically involved with his ward. His sacred duty is to protect her. And the bayou is rife with enemies who would sacrifice anything to eliminate outsiders like Eliza..
You can buy it at:
And you can read more about it at Goodreads.
And, last but not least, Mary’s provided us with an excerpt from the book!
The simplicity in his words stung. It didn’t matter how he did or didn’t feel about me. Even if Vivian had been right and he was in love with me, he would follow these people to the ends of the earth because that is what he has been trained to do. It took the workings of a cult at its finest to keep a man from his own happiness. Only a day ago I was ready to jump into this fire myself if it meant being with him.
But now, I had no reason at all to stay here. I couldn’t trust the only relative I had, and there was no pillow of love to fall back on either. And still I couldn’t make my feet move. The thought of never seeing Samuel again was enough to paralyze me. Torn between walking away from the only man I had ever let myself get close to loving, and staying despite not ever having a future with him, I could not make myself decide.
“They won’t let you leave.”
I let out a breathy whimper at the threat. Dumbfounded by the audacity, I’d had enough to push me over the edge. He was trying to intimidate me into staying and I wouldn’t be bullied by him or any of the rest of them.
“Get out of my way.”
He didn’t. Instead, he took a step closer and moved his face only a breath’s distance from mine. Holding my breath to keep from inhaling his aroma, I could recognize that he knew he was my weakness. I refused to let him exploit it.
“Listen to me.” He spoke slowly and deliberately. “They will not let you leave. You’re the first bit of hope these people have had in ages and they’re not about to let you walk away from your responsibilities.”
The way he spoke in such a sinister voice frightened me, and despite banishing the admission from my thoughts to hide it, he still read it in my eyes.
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One Reply to “Indie Author Spotlight – “Healing the Bayou” by Mary Bernsen”
Thank you for having me!