Tour Stop {Guest Post}:Witch in the Wind by Brenda M. Collins

Witch in the Wind by Brenda M. Collins
138 pages, eBook
Published April 28,2012 by WriteAdvice Consulting
GoodReads | Amazon

Bandit Creek has a new magical dimension, The Otherland. When murder strikes in Bandit Creek, and the victims aren’t who they seemed, powerful guardian warlock, Marcus Egan, is sent from The Otherland to investigate.

What he doesn’t expect to find is Avalon Gwynn, the grieving daughter of the victims, who has no idea she’s an extraordinary, hereditary witch. And Avy’s pent up magical abilities have just been set free in the mortal world.

Can Marcus catch a killer while making sure Avy doesn’t bring Crow Mountain crashing down on the town—destroying Bandit Creek for the second time?

Thanks you so much for inviting me to visit your blog. I wandered around a bit before
settling in to write this guest post, and all I can say is, WOW! I love the philosophy
of 'kindred dreamheart'. It inspired my post.

Katrina, your passion for pursuing your dreams shines through your blog. One of
my favorite quotes from Henry David Thoreau is, Dreams are the touchstones of our
character.

I'm living my dream too—but I took the long, bumpy back road to get there.

I've wanted to write genre fiction since I was twelve years old but, believe it or not, my
recently released paranormal romance, Witch in the Wind, is my debut novel.

I grew up living down the street from a city library, but unlike you and my five siblings,
I wasn't interested in reading. As I entered my teens, and as the school required
reading list showed up with such exciting (NOT!) YA books as Thomas Hardy's, The
Woodlanders, my mother was so concerned that she bought me my first romantic
suspense. That’s when I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up—the next Agatha
Christie.

However, as often happens, I let LIFE get in the way. And it’s taken me decades to
circle back to that dream.

Life is funny, though. At the oddest times, I'd get a little smack-upside-the-head to
remind me about my dream. In the early '80s, I spoke to an editor in Toronto, who
expressed an interest in one of my stories. But a family emergency knocked me for a
loop and I didn't send in the manuscript. In my early thirties, I completed an extensive
career aptitude evaluation, only to find out that I was most suited to be...you guessed it,
a writer.

Still I went back to the business work I was used to and continued my climb up the
corporate ladder. At one point, a close friend even said to me, "If you are this successful
doing something you hate, imagine how good you'd be at something you love." But did I
listen? You know the answer. I couldn't afford to change careers. I'd wait until I retired.

Once, I even sat next to the editor of one of those glossy international magazines. We
talked through the flight about the arts scene at our destination, and, as we landed, he
handed me his card and said, "If you ever decide to write an article on this, please send

it to me first." And yet I didn't follow-up.

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the two main characters in my first novel are
trying to figure out who they are meant to be.

Witch in the Wind is about an ordinary young woman, Avalon Gwynn, who finds out,

when her parents are murdered, that nothing is what it seemed. Her typical Montana
hometown has a magical dimension called The Otherland, and that's where her parents
came from. Marcus Egan, a powerful guardian warlock, is sent from The Otherland
to investigate the murder, and then try to keep Avy's pent up magical abilities from
wreaking havoc on the mortal world while they chase down the killer.

Through their adventure, Avy discovers she's an extraordinary, hereditary witch and
has to learn to accept this new version of herself. Marcus seems to have it together until
he meets Avy, at which point he must choose between deep-rooted family duty and
personal values.

Even though the story starts with a murder, has a powerful witch and warlock, a
mysterious canine familiar, enchanted amulets and even an entire magical world, my
two main characters are still just people struggling to be true to themselves.

These are universal issues that anyone can identify with. Your dreams and passions are
your inner self trying to give you the answers. Some of us just ignore that inner voice. I
did, repeatedly.

I finally listened when the Bandit Creek Books opportunity came up. I was lucky to join
thirty kindred-spirits in writing for the series and, with their support and guidance, I was
able to follow my dream by completing my first book. No, I haven't reached the status of
Nora Roberts, or Agatha Christie—yet. And, you know, it doesn't really matter anymore
if I ever do.

I'm already working on a collection of short romantic stories with award-winning author,
Roxy Boroughs, which is coming out next month. Magical people from The Otherland
will continue to slip through the portal to the mortal world for more adventures, and,
of course, Marcus and Avy will have a role to play in resolving the situation with the
Witches Council at some point.

Witch in the Wind is available on both AMAZON and SMASHWORDS and if you'd like

to follow along as I continue to pursue my dream, I'm on TWITTER @bcollinswriter

Thanks so much again for having me, and reminding me how important it is to dream.
May I leave you with one more quote from Henry;

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

About the Author

Brenda Collins has wanted to write romance since she was twelve years old. At the age of twenty, she spoke to an editor in Toronto, Canada, who expressed an interest in her story; however, she soon realized it takes more than an idea to be an author. She joined a number of writing groups to learn about ‘the craft’ and completed two mystery manuscripts. When the Bandit Creek opportunity arose, Brenda jumped on board immediately. The story that emerged started with a murder, but it came to life with witches, warlocks, a “familiar” and a magical dimension called The Otherland.
To help her fellow writers develop strong business skills, Brenda has published articles, and delivered workshops to hundreds of writers, on career planning, professional networking and presentation skills. Her most recent article is scheduled to appear in the 2013 Writer’s Market (Brewer, R.L., ed. F&W Media Inc.).

Brenda is currently working on a collection of short romantic stories with award winning author, Roxy Boroughs, which is coming out early this summer. She promises magical people will from The Otherland will continue to slip through the portal to the mortal world for more adventures. And, of course, Marcus and Avy will have a role to play in resolving the situation with the Witches Council at some point.

Tour Courtesy of Bewitching Book Tours!