Tuesday, September 8, 2020

VBT and Giveaway: The Secret Spice Cafe Trilogy by Patricia V Davis



The Secret Spice Café Trilogy
by Patricia V. Davis

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GENRE: magical realism, women's paranormal fiction, mystery

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BLURB:



Book One: Cooking For Ghosts

Do hearts broken long ago forever leave a tangible trace?

A Vegas cocktail waitress. An Indian herbalist. A British chemistry professor. An Italian-American widow. Four unique women with one thing in common: each is haunted by a tragedy from her past.

Cynthia, Rohini, Jane, and Angela meet on a food blogging site and bond over recipes. They decide on impulse to open The Secret Spice, an elegant café on the magnificent ocean liner, the RMS Queen Mary, currently a floating hotel in Long Beach, California. Rich in history and tales of supernatural occurrences, the ship hides her own dark secrets.

The women are surrounded by ghosts long before they step aboard, but once they do, nothing is quite what it seems. Not the people they meet, not their brooding chef's mystic recipes, and not the Queen Mary herself. Yet the spirits they encounter help them discover that there's always a chance to live, as long as one is alive.

An Official Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selection, and read by Ann Marie Gideon, COOKING FOR GHOSTS is an unforgettable tale of love, redemption, and divine female power.



Book Two: Spells and Oregano

 A mother desperate to save her twin sons, a war veteran in torment, a beautiful young psychic with a terrible secret, a powerful magician with a shattered soul, and a Queen steeped in history and glory. These extraordinary beings cross paths and set off a remarkable chain of events in Spells and Oregano: Book II in The Secret Spice Cafe Trilogy.

Overcome by despair after a trauma when she was sixteen, Sarita Taylor has spent the past ten years isolated and lonely aboard her beloved RMS Queen Mary. Fearful of outsiders, she dedicates her time to managing The Secret Spice Café, now an award-winning restaurant. Until Luca Miceli, a man with a dark past, steps on board.

Patricia V. Davis deftly spins past and present, mystery and magic, into a potent story of passionate longing and family tragedy all at once. Spells and Oregano is a compelling tale of atonement, devotion, and undying love, set aboard one of the world's most magnificent, haunted ships.

Don’t miss Cooking for Ghosts: Book I in The Secret Spice Cafe Trilogy. The Secret Spice Trilogy is an Official Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selection



Book Three: Demons: Well Seasoned

Dare to Believe in Your Power...
A long-lost grandmother. A stay-at-home mom. A comic book fan. A five-year-old girl with a star-shaped birthmark. And nine more.

The cast is bigger, the stakes are higher. When Sarita's grandmother, a Vodou priestess, foresees a terrible evil, Cynthia, Jane, Angela, and Rohini reunite on a heart-rending mission to save all that's precious to them, including the iconic ship, the RMS Queen Mary. They cannot do it alone--the priestess tells them there must be thirteen on the night of the thirteenth moon. in this life-or-death pursuit. Yet, can she be trusted?

Spiced with history and the supernatural, Demons, Well-Seasoned takes us from 1930s Glasgow, to New Orleans and Harlem in the 1950s, to present day southern California, and back again, on a metaphysical voyage that is both exhilarating and poignant. But before you embark upon this final sail with the denizens of The Secret Spice, be warned: expect to lose sleep, and keep tissues at hand. These valiant characters might just stay with you long after their story comes to a close.

Don't miss Cooking for Ghosts, and Spells & Oregano, Books I and II in The Secret Spice Café Trilogy. The Secret Spice Cafe Trilogy is an Official Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selection


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EXCERPT:

The temperature outdoors was rising to what would be a ghastly hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit. Inside the sumptuously-appointed penthouse, the air conditioning circulated cold air rank with the mingled odors of spoiled food, pricey booze, designer perfume and stale pot. The glass-walled living room was strewn with empty bottles. Any liquid left in them had leaked out hours before onto the expansive travertine tile flooring, or soaked into the pile of the thick Persian carpet. Cut crystal glasses stained with lipstick, or filled with wet cigarette butts, delicate china plates sticky with leftover chocolate mousse or dried-out caviar, made rings of crust on the marble dining table. More dishes were stacked high and unwashed in the kitchen sink, along with grimy piles of sterling silverware.

He lay sprawled on his back on one of the Italian leather sofas, his six-foot frame stretched from end to end. He was still wearing socks and trousers, but sometime during the night, he'd taken off his shirt, exposing the muscled, yet too thin arms and chest. The party had started on Saturday night, and he’d collapsed onto the couch early Sunday morning, so hungover that he didn’t even stir when the chambermaid opened the door to the suite, took one look, swore loudly, and then stomped back out again, slamming the door behind her.

A cloud shifted, and the light coming in from the panoramic windows above the Strip beamed straight at his closed eyes. He could sense it even in his stupor, and all at once he was dreaming again. Neither the pills nor the alcohol had thwarted that. His arms and legs twitched fitfully and his breathing became uneven.

It was always about the fire.

“Luca! Wake up.”



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

PATRICIA V. DAVIS's debut novel series, THE SECRET SPICE CAFE, is comprised of three books: COOKING FOR GHOSTS (2016) SPELLS AND OREGANO (2017) and DEMONS, WELL-SEASONED. (2019) The audio books will be released in 2020 by Tantor Media, and narrated by Ann Marie Gideon. Patricia lives with her husband, who is both a poker player and a rice farmer, so she divides her time between southern Nevada and northern California. Say hello to Patricia at her author website: www.TheSecretSpice.com

TikTok:        @patriciavdavis

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INTERVIEW

Where do you find inspiration to write? 

There is inspiration to write everywhere. Many people ask this question, but for me, it’s like someone asking me, why do you love your children? It’s effortless to love them, just as it’s effortless for me to come up with ideas. My muse works overtime. She is always busy pumping ideas into my head.

 

What does your writing space look like? 

Due to the fact that my husband is a part-time professional poker player and a full-time rice farmer, I spend half my year in southern Nevada, and half in northern California. I have two writing spaces, and I love both, as I am surrounded by nature, and my desks each overlook a vista of beauty. One is of the Mojave Desert, with its mountains and clay and cacti, and the other is a walnut orchard.

 

What is a must have while writing? 

A notepad and my favorite pen, so I can jot down ideas/to dos/questions, a mug of strong coffee in the morning, herbal tea throughout the day, and when things are not going well, one shot of rum, which puts me to sleep almost right away. I then wake up, refreshed and ready to start again. In between a meal or two would be nice, if someone else makes it for me. (That never happens.)

 

What is your writing-in-progress about?

At the moment, it’s a secret project, but I will tell you that it is unique and different for me. I love it so far, but it’s a challenge to do something new. Still, it keeps my spirit motivated and my brain limber!


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GIVEAWAY:

$25 Amazon/BN gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway



DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THE TOUR AND COMMENT
ON EACH STOP TO EARN MORE ENTRIES TO WIN!

June 23: Rogue's Angels 
July 14: Kit 'N Kabookle 
July 21: Danita Minnis 
July 28: Unabridged Andras 
August 4: Andi's Book Reviews 
August 11: Viviana MacKade 
August 18: T's Stuff 
September 1: Joanne Guidoccio
September 8: Locks, Hooks and Books






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6 comments:

  1. I appreciate hearing about your book, thanks and for the giveaway also. Thanks so much!

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  2. I've really enjoyed following the tour for The Secret Spice Cafe Trilogy and can't wait to read these books! Thanks for sharing all of the great posts along the way :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I liked the excerpt. They sound like really interesting books. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete