Welcome Guest Blogger Anne B. Cole, Author of Souls Estranged

Thank you, Natalie for hosting my new release, Souls Estranged!

Since Souls Estranged is book two of a trilogy, I thought I’d talk a little about a supporting character who appears in all three books.

My heart belongs to my hero and heroine, Sam and Gretta, but in Souls Estranged, I have to choose Katarina as my favorite supporting character.

Sam's ancestral grandmother, Katarina has her spirit entwined within Ruby, an elderly nurse who befriends Sam and helps him throughout the story. Katarina also entwines within a terrorist in order to enter Tartarus in an attempt to rescue her daughter. And finally, she entwines within a squirrel to keep an eye on Gretta.

Katarina's fiesty determination to break the curse and protect Sam and Gretta is emotionally touching and adds a bit of humor to the story.

The squirrel in this picture often visits my peach tree. As I edited Souls Estranged, she began stealing peaches before they were ripe. I watched her from my writing spot and quickly grabbed my camera. She was kind enough to pose so I wrote her (and the peach) into my story.

Thanks, Natalie for hosting me today.

Souls Estranged (Book 2 of The Souls Trilogy)
by Anne B. Cole

Back from their adventures in Souls Entwined, Sam Daggett begins a new relationship with Gretta Dobbs, whose memories of their time-traveling experience have been erased. Determined to never leave her again, Sam vows to help Gretta, despite the bad luck curse on her heirloom ring. Within hours of their return, tragedy strikes. As Sam becomes the third victim of the bad luck curse, Gretta’s memories of her time spent in the past begin to return. Unable to remember more than snippets, she realizes that anyone close to her is in grave danger. In order to keep Sam and her family safe, she flees in the middle of the night. Finding the perfect summer job in the back hills of Virginia, Gretta unknowingly crosses paths with a serial killer. With guidance from their ancestral spirits, Roxana and Katarina, Sam desperately attempts to find Gretta before the curse strikes again.

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Also get Souls Entwined, book 1

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About the Author:
Anne B. Cole is a genre-bending author who enjoys combining supernatural suspense, time travel, and sweet romance with a touch of magical realism in her books. Anne lives in Indiana with her husband and three teenage children. She teaches preschool and makes time to run so she can eat ice cream and doughnuts. Anne is currently working on Souls Endure, the final book of The Souls Trilogy. Find Anne at her website, blog, Twitter, or Facebook.

Excerpt:

Prologue

Sunday

Sam
In the dim morning light of the hospital room, Sam Daggett watched the little cat stretch its front paws before zeroing intense green eyes on him.

“Roxana?” He scrutinized the feline for the slightest twitch of recognition.

Nothing.

Doubting Roxana’s spirit remained entwined within the gray and white cat, he moved his focus to Gretta Dobbs. She slept peacefully with her hand nestled in his. Neither of their families had returned to the hospital. Her garnet ring caught his attention and immediately a sense of foreboding crept up his spine.

His heart sped as images of his time traveling, out-of-body adventure with Gretta flashed through his mind. Roxana, Gretta’s long-dead ancestor, enabled their souls to entwine within nineteenth-century lovers in order to gather information on the cursed ring. Pride, determination, and fear filled him.

“I’m so sorry we didn’t find all of the answers we needed,” Sam whispered as he lifted her hand to his lips. He watched her eyes and listened for the beep of the heart monitor to quicken, satisfied she remained in dreamland. “I know you don’t remember our time together or what we’ve been through.”

He shuddered at the memories. His gaze fell back to the ring. Frustration filled him. The urge to rip it off her hand pounded through him, but he remembered she remained cursed with or without the ring.

Control. I must control my emotions.

He refocused his thoughts on the present and relished in the gratitude of simply being in the same room with her.

A soft sigh escaped her lips and she squeezed his hand before slipping into a deeper slumber.

“With you, nothing is impossible.” Careful not to bump his broken collarbone, Sam leaned closer and murmured, inches from her ear, “Brave and beautiful. Ready and willing to face pirates, spirits, and the horrors of the purgatories to end the family curse.” His heart hammered in his chest as memories of seeking treasure, falling in love, and losing it all flashed within his mind.

“I love you, Gretta. I’ll do everything in my power to earn your love.”

Tracing his fingers over the back of her hand, he touched the face of the ring’s oval red stone. He remembered every moment of their time together, while Gretta’s memories had been erased. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t prevent his thoughts from wandering. Concern prickled his skin as he recalled their quest to understand the ring’s curses.

The most dangerous one, a curse of bad luck, remained a mystery.

He inhaled and pushed his failures away. “Katarina told me to keep my distance from you because of potential tragedy. Nothing will keep me away. I vow to protect and love you forever.”

Gretta’s grip on his fingers tightened. With her hand remaining in his, he brushed a stray lock of hair off her cheek. She released his fingers and nuzzled into his palm with a tiny sigh. He closed his eyes, content to be back in his own body and time with her.


Yet uneasiness crept deep within and the dreadful feeling of impending tragedy grew stronger with every passing minute.