I haven’t had a new release in a while. I was sick toward the end of 2022 and never quite got my writing mojo back. I did produce a lot of stories under another penname for Radish, so I’ve been writing the entire time. But as far as S.C. Wynne stories, I fell short.
That’s why I’m so excited to let you know about Beyond the Veil. It’s an LGBTQ fantasy romance published with Blind Eye Books. It was wonderful working with BEB and I learned a lot about the fantasy genre working with Nicole Kimberling, editor and chief of BEB.
Here’s a snippet to tantalize the tastebuds:
“Wait,” he rasped, pointing toward the house. “You think the spirit of the old man did that?”
“No. But I’m wondering if his death attracted someone else. Something else.”
“So, you’re actually saying you don’t believe it was a… human who tossed the place?”
“I don’t.”
He gave a curt laugh. “Lorenzo, of course it was a human. It has to be.”
My heart sank. “Why?”
Scowling, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Because the alternative is ridiculous.”
“Not to me. Spirits are very real in my world, Ian.” He’d been a skeptic since I’d met him. His cynicism shouldn’t have surprised me. But a part of me had hoped he’d been softening a little toward the idea of psychic phenomena being real.
Apparently not.
“Look.” He raked a hand through his hair, and the green jewel on his ring seemed unusually dull and lifeless. “We left the house in a hurry. You didn’t lock the door, right?”
“No.”
“Okay then, it makes more sense that some unsavory types stumbled on the open door and went looking for something to steal.”
“They just happened along?”
“It makes more sense that a ghost doing it.”
Frustrated at his unwillingness to give an inch, I tried again from another angle. “Did you notice the smell? The rotting scent?”
His eyes flickered. “It would be hard not to.”
“That wasn’t there before, was it? It’s not unusual for smell to be a component in spiritual visits. Don’t you think it’s odd the house is mysteriously ransacked and suddenly there’s also a horrible stench?”
“Maybe a sewer line broke. There could be a lot of reasons for that odor.”
“And the power going out so suddenly?”
“Sometimes the power goes out, Lorenzo.”
I grimaced. “Okay, but the power outage is what got us out of the house.”
“You think… what?” His laugh was harsh. “That a spirit lured us out of the house by turning off the power and then it ransacked the place?”
Cheeks hot, I said, “You said you wouldn’t judge me.”
Guilt flickered through his eyes. “I’m not judging you… it’s just… I gotta be honest, I don’t believe a word you’re saying.”
“I’m not crazy,” I said quietly.
“I didn’t say you were. But you could be imagining things because you’re under a lot of stress.”
I scowled. “Come on, Ian, that’s bullshit.”
“Is it?” He exhaled roughly. “What would this supposed… spirit even be looking for?”
“I don’t know yet.”
He avoided my gaze, and his uneasiness intensified. “I’m sorry, Lorenzo. I… I just can’t wrap my head around your theory. It was probably just opportunists.”
If you enjoyed that taste the book is available at all the usual retailers!