Hey, Readers. The Menagerie blog tour is moving right along. At each stop, I talk about a different story and what inspired me to write it.
Today, I’m visiting another of my fellow Story Empire contributors, D. L. Finn. Denise is the author of several books in the paranormal/urban fantasy genre as well as children’s books. She’s a nature lover like me and has published a book of poetry that blends her love of nature with her deepest thoughts. Her most recent release is A Voice in the Silence.
Below is a list of the stops. Links will be updated as each post goes live. Comments are closed here but I hope to see you at Denise’s site.
Happy Friday, everyone. One four more left this year. Can you believe it?
After taking a break for the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s been a busy week as I’m wrapping up the edits of my short story collection, scheduled for release in January.
Story Empire had another full week.
Harmony Kent began the week with a summation of her series, How to Use Prologues. If you missed any of the posts, she has the link to each one in the post.
On Wednesday, D. L. Finn’s topic was What Every Writer Should Know. She gives some sage advice, so I know you won’t want to miss it.
Interested in bringing humor into your stories? Then make sure to check out John Howell’s post today. Click this link to read.
This fall has been one of the most beautiful ones Texas has had in years. On Sunday, my husband and I took a drive in the country. The colors of the trees were amazing. I snapped a few photos. Most were taken from inside the car, so please overlook the glare from the windows.
The photo on the right is the oak tree in my front yard. Beautiful (until we have to rake the leaves).
That’s it for now. I’ll return next week with a new Mystery Monday post.
October is marching on and I’m knee-deep in edits for my short story collection. I hadn’t looked at some of the stories in almost a year, so I got a few surprises. One that I thought would need a lot of edits turned out to be easily done.
Of course, I can’t write short in the first place. When I edit, I tend to add words. There is one monster story I know will need a lot of work and many words cut. I’m saving it for last.
Our weather has wavered between cool days and warm ones. Typical for Texas. Next week there is a forecast of much cooler temps and hopefully some much-needed rain.
My husband and I are hoping to take a day trip to the Winding Stair Mountains of Oklahoma. We want to plan it around the peak fall colors, which should be the early part of November.
In the meantime, I write and edit in preparation for a January release date. Speaking of writing, it’s been another great week for Story Empire. Here are the links to this week’s posts:
That’s it for this week. I didn’t get a photo of this month’s Hunter’s Moon, so here is a photo I took several years ago. (This is actually the Full Beaver Moon of November.)
See you on Monday with a post about an Arizona legend.
Happy last Tuesday of June! Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting author D L Finn talking about her newest release A Voice in The Silence. Today, I share my review.
Blurb
Drea Burr has experienced more than her share of loss when a stray dog, cat, and rat enter her life. Although the animals start to mend her broken heart, there is something very unusual about them. During a snowstorm, Drea discovers a chilling set of footprints leading to her front window. Both the police and a ghostly messenger warn her about a killer stalking widows. Help comes from her late husband’s best friend, Adam Hale. As the two try to discover answers, more questions arise— about a killer, ghosts, and animals experimented on in a lab.
Can Drea and Adam survive the threats coming from so many directions and save themselves and the animals they’ve grown to love? Or will more tragedy destroy her second chance at happiness? Find out in this thrilling, cozy paranormal adventure.
My Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Isolated during a snowstorm with a serial killer on the loose? Sounds like the making of a compelling thriller. A Voice in The Silence is that and more.
After her husband’s death, Drea Burr grieves for him. Not only that, she lost her beloved canine shortly afterward, and her relationship with her son has become strained. When three animals, a dog, a cat, and a rat, show up at her house, she takes them in. It’s not long before she discovers the animals are “unique.”
When Drea becomes the target of a serial killer, she not only gets help from the animals, but also from her deceased husband’s best friend, Adam.
This book is a blend of genres—paranormal, romance, thriller, ghost fiction—and Finn does a wonderful job at blending the genres into a compelling and satisfying story. And just when you think Drea believes her problems are behind her, something else happens that keeps readers turning the pages.
A Voice in The Silence is perfect for lovers of sci-fi, paranormal, romance, and of course, animals. Suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. You won’t be disappointed.
Today, I’m super excited to welcome friend and fellow author D. L. Finn back to my blog. Denise is also one of my cohorts at Story Empire. She’s just released a new book, A Voice in The Silence, and is here to talk about it.
I’ll post my review next week, but in the meantime, let’s welcome Denise!
Thank you for having me here today, Joan, to celebrate the release of A Voice in the Silence.
Would you want your pet to be able to speak to you? I’ve always desired that—well, most of the time. I can only imagine how they see us and the world. Our four-legged fur babies would have such a different perspective than us, if only from the places they view it, like under our feet or high on a shelf. Perhaps the first thing they would tell us is they don’t like the term four-legged fur babies.
I have pondered what they might ask for, and would they have any advice for us? Although their thoughts may only be about their next meal, a comfortable place to sleep, or where their play toy is, what if they were contemplating life like we do? A Voice in the Silence offers some answers to a few of these questions from a unique set of pets. With this trio of animals, nothing is simple. There are some things going on beyond normal communication, even for us humans. I had a lot of fun with that part.
Fun Finn Facts
I like to write about women who are strong and able to deal with the worse in society.
I have always loved being snowed in. I have fond memories of snow play, hot chocolate, and board games.
Blurb
Drea Burr has experienced more than her share of loss when a stray dog, cat, and rat enter her life. Although the animals start to mend her broken heart, there is something very unusual about them. During a snowstorm, Drea discovers a chilling set of footprints leading to her front window. Both the police and a ghostly messenger warn her about a killer stalking widows. Help comes from her late husband’s best friend, Adam Hale. As the two try to discover answers, more questions arise— about a killer, ghosts, and animals experimented on in a lab.
Can Drea and Adam survive the threats coming from so many directions and save themselves and the animals they’ve grown to love? Or will more tragedy destroy her second chance at happiness? Find out in this thrilling, cozy paranormal adventure.
Excerpt
Green eyes peered up at her. “Are you lost too, kitty? I—” Drea started as a gray rat ran down her garage freezer, climbed on the black cat’s back, and lay down.
She backed up. “Well, I’ll be. Are you together? Or did you bring me a present?”
The cat turned its head and licked the rat.
“Okay, you’re buddies. Um, I still have a cat box and some sand. Plus a bag of food. What does your rat buddy here eat?”
The cat met her gaze without blinking.
Drea pointed at her head. “From what I remember when Robbie had one, rat food and lots of treats, like carrots and bananas. He was a sweet little guy named Rocky and sometimes got into the dog food. But bringing a stray rat in the house, I don’t know. Feels weird to me. You understand, right? But I don’t want to leave you guys outside. So do you want to come in and stay in the laundry room until I can figure this out?”
The cat continued its stare like it wanted to push its thoughts into hers.
“I’ll be right back. Stay here.” Drea hurried into the house and placed the cat box and litter in the laundry room. It was now ready for her new guests, who hadn’t moved.
She pulled on a pair of thick gloves and carefully approached the cat and rat. Each foot was placed flat like she was trying to walk silently, but it was more not to scare them. Encouraged when they didn’t run away, Drea bent down and gently touched the soft fur on the cat’s back. Loud purrs filled the silence.
“Good kitty.”
She touched the rat, who offered his belly to her.
“You’re both friendly. Are you with the dog?”
The cat’s head moved like it was nodding, but that couldn’t be.
“I’m going to pick you both up, okay? I won’t hurt you, so please don’t bite me. Deal?”
The cat meowed, and the rat grabbed onto the cat’s fur.
“I’m picking you up now.”
Drea scooped up the pair and held them to her chest, expecting them to smell, but they didn’t. She felt their bony frames through their fur. Like the dog, they hadn’t eaten in a while. Soon she had them on a towel next to the dryer.
“You have some food and water, guys. Get comfortable, and later we’ll try doing a bath, okay?”
The rat and the cat made all the food disappear in loud gulps and immediately settled on the towel.
She grinned. “I feel like I’m in a kid’s movie. What’s next, birds? Let’s see if you guys know each other.”
The cat looked up and put its head down again.
“Be right back.”
Drea carefully slipped the collar around the dog’s neck. She leashed him up and brought him to the laundry room.
“Be nice, pup,” she warned.
He licked her hand. Drea held tightly to the leash, ready to pull back if she needed to. The dog bent down and sniffed. His tail went into overdrive as he licked both the cat and rat. Neither recoiled.
Drea’s grip on the leash relaxed. “You had me worried there for a second.”
She watched the dog lie down next to the cat and rat. Who discards animals like this? It was unlikely she’d ever know, but it wouldn’t be the first time people had dropped off their pets to go live free in the forest. Idiots.
D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include adult fiction, poetry, a unique autobiography, and children’s books. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.
Joan Hall 
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