The Blanchard Witches

I had such a good time at the book signing yesterday at Ernest and Hadley in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  The turnout was amazing and I was so honored at how many showed up for me.  I loved the opportunity to see some old friends from my hometown and to meet some new people who came just because they love the Blanchards!  That made my entire week! If you are from the Tuscaloosa area and aren't familiar with Ernest and Hadley, it is an adorable bookstore located at  1928 on 7th Street.  Owner Easty and her daughter Avery made me feel so welcome.  The store is sectioned off into multiple rooms, each with its own feel and specific genre of reading.  Its like walking through a cozy house of books where from any place you can grab something from a shelf and curl up in a comfy chair to read.     I loved the day at Ernest and Hadley so much I will definitely have a book signing there with them for each subsequent BLANCHARD WITCHES release.  One of my favorite aspects of this store from my homet

I am extremely excited to be holding my very first book signing at Ernest and Hadley Booksellers in my hometown of Tuscaloosa.  Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a writer.  Perhaps I should rephrase that.  Growing up I was always writing.  My dream was to be a writer who actually is published.  Yet somehow it never really dawned on me the thrill it would be to see one of my books for sale in my own hometown.   I am very grateful to Ernest and Hadley for hosting my first book signing event.  I fell in love with their store the moment I saw it.  They have managed to achieve a delightfully comfortable space where one can peruse shelves of books yet feel as if they are in the warmth  of a home.    If you will be in the area on Saturday March 26, 2022 please stop by Ernest and Hadley at  1928 7th St, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 from 11-12:30pm.  I will give a short reading of THE BLANCHARD WITCHES OF DAIHMLER COUNTY and answer questions after.  Refreshments will be provided.  I will also s

 In mythology, Hecate {Hekate, also} is the goddess.  She  the only child of the Titans Perses and Asteria from whom she received her power over heaven, earth, and sea.  In witch lore, she is considered the highest of figures.  Therefore, as a sign of respect, Olympia Blanchard's coven (which consists of her family) refer to her as Hecate. The name does not merely refer to Olympia.  Throughout THE BLANCHARD WITCHES  series, other Coven leaders are sometimes referred to with the same moniker by members of their coven.  For example, Olympia's sister Pastoria's offspring refer to her a Hecate as well. It is simply a sign of reverence by the coven to the leader they respect and depend upon for guidance.

 A long standing landmark in Birmingham, Alabama, Quinlan Castle has been demolished.  Ever since I moved to Birmingham in 1997, I have been fascinated by the decades-abandoned structure sticking out on the rising mountainside overlooking Birmingham.   Once I started writing THE BLANCHARD WITCHES OF DAIHMLER COUNTY , I knew about halfway through this was going to become a series and not simply a stand alone book.  After I finished the book and began writing the second one, I knew Quinlan Castle was the only possible location for the home of the character Blackie D'Angelo.   Blackie lived in Birmingham.  She was a powerful and mysterious witch.  What better setting for her residence than this medieval castle on the mountain? Quinlan was still standing when I wrote THE BLANCHARD WITCHES: PRODIGAL DAUGHTERS (book forthcoming at the end of 2022).  I had hoped my stories might bring attention to the derelict building and maybe down the road someone might come along to restore it.  Alas,

The Daihmler County where the Blanchard family resides is a fictional place in Alabama, but some of the landmarks around town are based on real-life places.  In THE BLANCHARD WITCHES series, the fictional town of Daihmler sits between the larger cities of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.  If you are familiar with this region in the south then you will understand when I explain that Daihmler is an amalgamation of the Cottondale, Coaling, Brookwood area. However, the characters in THE BLANCHARD WITCHES series do travel into Tuscaloosa and sometimes Birmingham from time to time.  Having grown up in Tuscaloosa myself, I often reimagine my childhood landmarks as locations in my books.  Especially since the Blanchards live in the general area where I grew up.  Here are some examples for those who may be familiar with the central region of Alabama. In the first book THE BLANCHARD WITCHES OF DAIHMLER COUNTY , Yerby Park is actually based upon Tuscaloosa's Bowers Park.  When I write scenes set

When I first self-published THE BLANCHARD WITCHES OF DAIHMLER COUNTY I did not know how to come up with my cover.  The Blanchard family is vast with several members, each with their own specific struggle and storyline.  Choosing a character's image for the cover did not seem fair.  Yes, Olympia is the matriarch but her daughters Demitra and Artemis are not simply background characters.  Her grandchildren Beryl, Salem, Seth, Fable, and Yasmine each have their own unique plots within the pages as well.  there was no clear choice as to who the star of the book would be. I could have gone with a witchy theme cover, but my book is different than many in the genre.  It is not at its base a story about witches.  It is a story about a family.  If you were to remove all the magical elements of the story I feel like it is still a compelling tale of love and struggle.  Choosing a supernatural look to the cover would make the book feel gothic in nature, when at its root it is a southern soap

When the first book THE BLANCHARD WITCHES OF DAIHMLER COUNTY begins, the Blanchard family is already long established in the town of Daihmler. They've been here for generations, living in the white three story farmhouse with the wrap around porch and four story tower. Olympia Blanchard is in her seventies and though beloved by her daughters and grandchildren for being the sage old giver of wisdom--Olympia has lived quite a life her offspring are not completely aware of. In her youth, she and her sister Pastoria--and their lifelong friend Zelda, helped many people and saved many lives (and possibly the world) a time or two. Olympia has been married three times by the time readers meet her in Book One. Her first husband, John Windham died shortly after the birth of their third child. She then married a fond acquaintance named Martin Caswell, hoping he might be a substitute father to her young girls. But he died shortly after. Later in life when she was already a grandmother, O

The first book began twenty years ago when I wrote it as a stand alone book.  I never fully finished it and set it aside as life got in the way and my job and family took precedence.  But I never fully let go of my dream to finish the story and get published. Then in 2018 after selling my business and my son being in elementary school I began wondering what I was going to do now.  That was when I pulled out my dusty writing from the file cabinet I hadn't opened in a decade and reread my Blanchard story.  I decided to finish it...only it wasn't finished with me. The more I tried to wrap up the tale, the more ideas came to me.  I quickly realized THE BLANCHARD WITCHES OF DAIHMLER COUNTY was not "a book"...it was a series.  There was just far too much depth and texture to these people for them to fade away in one story. Soon the first book was complete but my fingers would not stop typing their further escapades.  Within six more months the second book was complete.  Th