"Rainy days and river views fill Beth's summer as she makes a new start in small town Washington, North Carolina. After the loss of her husband in a tragic accident, simple seems better. It's time to renovate her life, starting with a future art gallery on the river. Sam, her contractor, has everything under control, but the stress of the construction project and new business is beginning to make her crazy. Nightmares and visions of ghosts become the nightly norm. She doesn't have time for this. She doesn't have time for her heart to make room for him.
Sam is happy filling his days and nights with work. His two jobs as a teacher and contractor are his passions and do not leave room for much else. This new project has possibilities: a beautiful owner, the history of the house, and an 18th century diary. Beth's dream is becoming a timely reality until she disappears.
Mystery and intrigue fill the haunting river bank of the Pamlico as Sam and Beth find the truth behind the Water Street house and each other."
Currently, she lives in Washington, North Carolina writing and sharing the small town’s history with her readers. She is a member of the Pamlico Writers Group, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Romance Writers of America.
Excerpt #1
Beth ran to the back of the house. Her chest hurt as she gasped
for her next breath. Screams came from the small outbuilding at the corner of
the yard. Rain poured down in sheets as the lightning flashed around her.
Sunflowers waved in the wind, bending, almost touching the lawn. The trees
joined in the harsh dance forced to follow the rhythm of the storm. It had
gotten worse. Someone was stuck, and they couldn’t get out of the shed. She
kept running, but it seemed the shed was getting farther away. The yard was
starting to flood.
“I’m coming,” she yelled, but no words came out of her mouth. The
screaming got louder. She finally reached to the door. The lightning flashed
with a loud clap of thunder. Beth jumped because it was so loud. She reached
for the doorknob, but the handle was gone.
“Help! The water is coming in. I can’t get out.”
It was a woman on the other side of the door. The banging was so
loud. Beth tried to get some leverage on the door, but there was nothing to
grab. The rough water was getting deep, up to Beth’s waist. It wouldn’t stop
coming. It must be coming over the river bank.
She looked around the yard for something to pry the door open as
the structure started to sway. She had to get her out of there. She ran back to
the shed just as it collapsed. A horrible scream split the night air. The roof
fell, and the walls ripped apart in the surf as they disappeared into the
darkness. Maybe she could still save the woman. Maybe she wasn’t badly hurt.
Beth grabbed at the debris tossing it out of her way like a mad woman. Under a
broad beam, she found a young black woman strangely dressed. The beam held her
pinned under the water. Yard tools and other rubble floated in the waves that
churned around her. A basket floated by Beth as she bent to move the massive
beam. She looked down at the person struggling under the water. It was the
woman she had seen in the bathroom mirror, her eyes pleading for help. She
tried to grab Beth as air bubbles escaped her mouth.
“Oh, my God, it won’t move.” Beth looked down at her, the hope
draining from her spirit. The beam wouldn’t move. She tried again, but the
water was too deep now. With a quick glance back toward the house, she spied an
older woman standing in the window. Beth waved her arms, hoping for some bit of
salvation, but the woman turned away as if she couldn’t see Beth at all. Beth
turned back to the woman and reached out to lay a reassuring hand on her arm
only to find, there was no life left to be saved.
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