Rooted In The Backwoods

In this small historically Black town steeped in Hoodoo and ancestral memory, every choice you make summon spirits, but not all of them come to bless you.....

Excerpts from book:

Chade
They never found my Daddy. He was Moma's first and only love. Treated her like a queen. I guess that's why she lost her mind after he disappeared. I had to go live with my Grandparents. I loved their house because they would teach me about the Spirits that lived in plants and how to track the footsteps of the Moon. Moma always hated that. Never wanted me to have anything to do with Hoodoo. Said that it didn't help us in the past and wasn't going to help us now. Grandaddy was big on numerology and reading palms. Said that I was his little prot嶲? I'd watch as people would walk up to him with their hands out, hoping he'd tell them some good news. But we lost Grandaddy too. Now it's just me and Grandma. Running the family business and providing spiritual work for the community. I keep to myself. Don't want to end up like Moma. Choosing to focus on the family business has increased the zeros in my bank account. Outside of that and my best friend....what more could a girl ask for? Plus these men ain't worth nothing. Have yet to come across one who didn't smell of Sulphur. Until him......he was different than the rest. Breaking down walls I never gave him permission to destroy.

Emory.
I wish she was here so that I can tell her that I'm sorry. Show her how much I've changed my life around. She was right about those streets. It's only so long before those strobes of lights, the attention of women and money turn into a nightmare. I thought that it was all behind me, but I still can't get the images of that night out of my head. Things were never supposed to go that far. I'm at the height of my career as an artist and every thing I thought I knew about being a man is being challenged. And out of no where she appeared. She was the type of woman you only seen online but never ran into in real life. Ethereal. She had that look that made you wonder if she smelt like Shea butter; or if you'd turn into the walking dead if she ever blessed you with a moment of intimacy. Every time she's near the lights flicker. My heart drums in my chest, everything about her calls out to me. But....something or someone's lurking in the shadows. I can feel it lingering between our every interaction.

When Chade and Emory are drawn together, the cracks begin to show. Their connection awakens restless spirits; some eager to guide them, others with malevolent intent on tearing them and every thing they know apart. Dreams turn to Ancestor warnings while shadows haunt their every interaction. Apart they're on two different paths but together they're stuck at the crossroads where simple candle magic fails.

Rooted in Southern Gothic lore, this is a paranormal tale of reckoning with the unseen forces that shape us. A haunting of the choices that bind or free us. And even when under pressure, submitting to the force of courage for the moment you realize who you've been is no longer enough for who you are becoming.

• Both 1st person dual & 3rd person POV
• Southern Gothic exploration of Black American culture in the south and ALL relationship dynamics.
• Includes the usage of AAVE and Gullah / Geechie accents (some readers may find some dialogue difficult to read).
• Forced Proximity Trope
• Paranormal Romance elements
• Mild Mystery & Thriller elements
• Mild Horror Elements
• Explicit intimate scenes for MATURE audiences only
• Exploration of various dark themes - trigger WARNING