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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Monday, October 9, 2017

his crimes won’t be so easily forgotten - Damned (Magnus Blackwell #1) by Alexandrea Weis & Lucas Astor


"Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor’s DAMNED is a fantastic journey; a well –written, dark and spirited story that will captivate the imagination with its’ passionate characters and vivid imagery" - Sandy, Goodreads

Description:

Published: October 3rd, 2017

Over a hundred years after the death of Magnus Blackwell, Altmover Manor sits abandoned.

Lexie Arden and her fiancé, Will Bennet, are determined to rescue the neglected Mount Desert Island landmark. They want to make Altmover Manor their home. But Magnus has other plans.

A spirit bound to his former residence, Magnus finds himself inexplicably drawn to the young woman. She has a supernatural gift; a gift Magnus wants to exploit.

As Lexie and Will settle in, secrets from Magnus’s past begin to surface. Compelled to learn all she can about the former owner, Lexie becomes immersed in a world of voodoo, curses, and the whereabouts of a mysterious dragon cane.

Magnus’s crimes won’t be so easily forgotten, and what Lexie unearths is going to change the future … for everyone.

GUEST POST
Spirits, Ghosts and their Purgatory 

The premise behind The Magnus Blackwell Series is how a man who lived a life of sin can make up for his misdeeds as a ghost. Magnus Blackwell strives to be a better ghost than he ever was as a man. The idea is an important one for this author. I believe what we are, the essence of what we become—good and bad, does go on. Whether to a Heaven, an afterlife, or born again as believed by reincarnation, the soul of a person continues. 

book #0.5
In the novel, Damned, the spirits of the dead go to one place—an afterlife where there is peace, but ghosts remain bound to a person or place. After his death, Magnus Blackwell haunts his home and is not free to see an afterlife of peace. The sins he accumulated in life must be addressed. Ghosts in this tale wear their sins as scars, tears on their clothes, and black smudges on their souls. This way there is an ever-present reminder of their misdeeds. 

Redemption is something the ghost must strive for, and in Magnus Blackwell’s case, he finds his with a woman named Lexie Arden. Born with a gift, she can see the dead, but she never gives credence to it until she moves into Magnus’s old home, Altmover Manor. There, she and Magnus begin a rocky relationship which eventually leads to the two becoming a team. Through working with Lexie, Magnus will reform himself. He will also set right a cycle of wrongs established when he murdered a woman named Simone Glapion. A madam in a New Orleans house of ill repute, her demise sets off a chain of events generating bad juju as it is called in the city. With Lexie, Magnus will set right an injustice. Even though he is a ghost, he can still change his stars and determine a new path for himself. 

In Damned, the dead are not trapped in an eternity of reliving their mistakes. They can change, in the same way a person can change. There are no limits in life and death, and as long as the soul is willing to redefine itself, it can.

About the authors:
Lucas Astor is from New York, has resided in Central America and the Middle East, and traveled through Europe. He lives a very private, virtually reclusive lifestyle, preferring to spend time with a close-knit group of friends than be in the spotlight.

He is an author and poet with a penchant for telling stories that delve into the dark side of the human psyche. He likes to explore the evil that exists, not just in the world, but right next door behind a smiling face.

Photography, making wine, and helping endangered species are just some of his interests. Lucas is an expert archer and enjoys jazz, blues, and classical music.

One of his favorite quotes is: “It’s better to be silent than be a fool.” ~Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)

Alexandrea Weis is an advanced practice registered nurse who was born and raised in New Orleans. Having been brought up in the motion picture industry, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective and began writing at the age of eight. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her award-winning novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story memorable. A permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured wildlife. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans.

Authors' Giveaway

5 comments:

Stephanie LaPlante said...

I would totally love to read this.

Kate Sarsfield said...

How did this collaboration come about?

Deb Hollow said...

The trailer to this book was simply Amazing.

Jolanda said...

Looks and sounds great, thanks

amycrocker76 said...

Now, why can't they make stories this good into movies?! One of my favorite recent uses of New Orleans and the supernatural is the animated series, ' Bunnicula', featuring the voice of Sean Austin (the 'Lord of The Rings' films)