I had been there, waiting, between the shadows, every Samhain for the past eight years—she hadn’t come
Empty Shadows
Sky Watcher Series Book 4
by Heather Lynn
Genre: Historical Fantasy Time Travel
Romance
Every year, Charlotte faithfully performs
her Samhain ritual, anxiously awaiting her visit with Jessica. But Jessica has
not appeared for the past eight years. What could possibly have happened to
prevent her from being there?
As a stormy night sets in, Charlotte’s friends arrive entangled in a web of
theft and murder. When an old adversary resurfaces with plans of their own, the
situation becomes more complicated, and secrets begin to unravel.
In the aftermath, Charlotte and Ben establish the “Doctor’s House”, offering
comfort to the ailing. An obscure summons leads them to a stranger being held
in the gaol—his presence in the schoolhouse a mystery, the turpentine and
striker in his possession leading to more questions. Who is this man? What
secrets does he hold? And what does he seek from Charlotte?
EXCERPT
With only a
few weeks of school remaining, the students were more than ready for summer.
The warmer temperatures often made for disagreeable, sweaty children, but not
this day—this day was altogether different.
“What do you think this is about,
Ben? Why do you think this guy would want to talk to me?” Charlotte asked as
they walked toward the grist mill.
“I have no idea. We just have to
wait and see.”
Larry met them at the door,
looking very serious. “I won’t beat around the bush. Lenny and Greg caught this
man coming out of the schoolhouse this morning. Long story short, when they
approached him, he was holding a tin of turpentine and a striker. It looked as
if he was trying to start a fire.”
“What? With the children inside?”
“Yes. They each grabbed an arm
and held him while they sent one of the children to find me.” He looked at
Charlotte now. “Calls himself Carl. He was asking for you, Charlotte, you and
Ben. Don’t know why. Would you care to speak to him?”
She looked at Ben; they’d never
know what it was about if they didn’t see him. As far as she knew, neither of
them knew a Carl, but Charlotte was curious to learn his interest in them.
“Yes,” Ben said. He began walking toward the door of the gaol. Larry reminded
them he was just outside if needed.
Charlotte followed her husband
into the cell and heard the door close behind them. Inside was a man sitting on
the edge of the thin pallet—elbows on knees, chin in hands—who glanced up as the door locked. He appeared to be of medium
height and build, with short, tousled light-brown hair, and looked to be about
forty years old.
“Carl, is it? We were told you
wanted to see us?” Ben began.
Carl nodded and offered a nervous
smile. “I was not trying to burn down the schoolhouse, not at all. In fact, I
was trying to stop what would have become a fire. I tried to tell them, but
they didn’t want to listen.”
“I don’t follow,” Ben responded.
Charlotte had been looking at
this man’s face, feeling as if she should know who he was, and yet she did not.
“I’m sorry,” she started, “but have we met?”
He looked from Ben to her and
smiled. “Many years ago.” Her mind was searching, trying to remember. “And not
for many years to come.”
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Between the Shadows
Sky Watcher Series Book 3
She didn’t see this coming . . .
After glimpsing Jessica’s grief-stricken face reflected in the window,
Charlotte Williams—along with her husband, Ben—is pulled back to the future she
left behind to help her friend. What Charlotte and Jessica share connects them
irreversibly, their lives now intertwined forever. Confident their bond can
transcend time, Charlotte returns “home” to her life in the past.
Following a risky time jump, Charlotte and Ben are reunited with their friends
and family in 1819 and she resumes her mission to pass on a dear departed
friend’s heirloom ring. As they begin to grow their own family, they face a
series of challenges, including a surprising opportunity for Ben. The ensuing
adventure leads to an inevitable encounter that tests their marriage
absolutely.
The love between Charlotte and her friends spans time and space, helping her to
define family and what home is. And yet, illusion and betrayal threaten to
obscure her reality. Will she come through this with her family intact? How
will Charlotte move forward?
EXCERPT
Prologue
What did that bitch do to us? After all we’ve been through, how has it come to this?
I
tipped my forehead onto the cold pane of glass, and squeezed my eyes shut
tight, feeling a single tear roll down my cheek. I stubbornly wiped it off with
the back of my hand, refusing to give it any power. Instead, I opened the
window a couple of inches and listened to the sounds of the waves, smashing
angrily, relentlessly onto the rocky crag below.
The sounds, though untamed and fierce, relaxed my mind; they allowed me
to find the calm and the strength within myself that I was going to need. I
watched a tuft of lovage that was growing in the cracks of the rocky cliff,
blowing in the wind coming off of the North Sea.
A large, dark purply-grey cloud mass above the water seemed to be headed
our way. I could see the blur of rain in the weather front as it made its way
toward land. The storm would be here soon.
The door creaked behind me. “We’re back! Look what we brought for you.” I
couldn’t help but smile at the little voice that was so close to my heart.
I bent to take the two bunches of wild flowers into my hands. “Oh, aren’t
they lovely? You must have walked for miles to find just the right ones!” I
smiled. “Thank you! What if you go see if Ronny knows where there might be a
vase we could put them in? I’ll join you soon.”
They left the door open behind themselves and I could hear their muted
voices bubbling through the hall—sounds that tugged at my heart. The
unconditional love of a child is something that can’t be outdone. It can cheer
you, even when you are in a deep dark place all alone. Without knowing it, they
have the power to help you see the light, to make you see the good, to give you
a reason to carry on.
As much as I loved this place, this was not where I wanted to be, not
like this. I wanted to be with Ben. I wanted to be standing here looking out
this window with his arm around my back.
I wondered what I would take with me as I moved forward from this.
I wondered what would become of us if I couldn’t.
‘Thump!’
Suddenly,
there was a loud thud as a large, dark sea bird side-swiped the window.
Instantly, my mind was taken back . . .
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Déjà-Vu
Sky Watcher Series Book 2
Charlotte Harper’s best friend Jessica is
shocked to receive a letter detailing Charlotte’s journey back in time to save
her possible ancestor Elizabeth. The letter, written in 1819, speaks of the
consequences of Charlotte’s actions and asks for Jessica’s help.
Charlotte’s adventure begins with a Wiccan ritual and spell that takes her back
to 1818. After arriving at a small town on the shore of Owasco Lake, New York,
she settles in, finding work at the general store to earn her keep. While
awaiting Elizabeth’s arrival, she forms strong bonds with those around her,
finding herself part of a tight-knit circle of friends and deeply in love.
Charlotte knows that walking through one door often closes many others, so when
she dreams of warnings from the future she left behind, she wants to
understand. Is Jessica reaching out to her? What is she trying to tell her?
Knowing that one single choice can change who is your friend, your lover, who
lives and who dies, Charlotte must choose her path wisely so as not to make the
same mistakes.
EXCERPT
Prologue
She tucked her purse under
her arm and stepped out of the car, ready to make a run for it. The rain was
pouring down as she dashed toward the front door. As she turned the key in the
lock, she heard a horn beep twice and looked over her shoulder to see a white
delivery van pulling into the driveway.
The driver
jumped out and walked briskly up the driveway. “Good afternoon. Package for
Miss Jessica Miller?” he said, stepping under the overhang.
“Thank you,” she
answered as a plastic envelope was placed into her hand. Curious, she stepped
inside the house, setting her bag on the kitchen table and tossing her jacket
over the back of a chair. Jessica stood at the counter, envelope in hand, and
flicked on the kettle; a nice cup of tea would take the chill out of her. She
tore open the top of the plastic envelope and then the plain cardboard envelope
within it. What she pulled out next was a manila envelope, labelled with her
name and address. This contained yet another envelope. What the? She blew a loose bit of hair off her face.
This last
envelope was slightly yellowed with faded but still legible handwriting.
On the front in pale black ink was her name, Jessica Miller, and the address of
this house, Charlotte’s house, followed by the line, Please deliver after April 1st, 2012. Turning the envelope over she
saw a red wax seal and
a somewhat faded black stamp, that read “Bank of New York.”
She wondered
what this could be. It certainly looked old. As far as Jessica knew, she had no
business with anyone in New York. She set the envelope on the table and returned
to making her tea. Her impulse was to call Charlotte and tell her about this. Had
Charlotte been there, she probably would have waited for her to open and read
it, but she wasn’t. It was now the second week of May; Charlotte had been gone
for seven weeks. It had been a long seven weeks without her best friend to talk
to, to laugh with. Jessica missed her so much.
While her tea
steeped, she ran upstairs to change out of her office scrubs and into some
sweats, slinging her hair up into a ponytail. Now she was ready.
Tea in one hand, envelope in the other, Jessica went to the family room and sat by the window in her favourite chair. Gingerly, she lifted the wax seal and carefully pulled out and unfolded a delicate letter. February 1819
Dear
Jessica,
You
do not know me, so please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ben
Williams. I know of you because when your friend Charlotte left you, she came
to live with us, and she told us [JP1] about
her dearest and oldest friend. This letter will surely seem strange, but please
read on and I will do my best to explain.
Charlotte
came to us last March, a stranger to our town and our time. She left you
without telling you where she was going or why, for fear that you would think
her “crazy.” We will try to help you understand the where, the why, and the
result.
There
was a side to Charlotte that she shared with no one, not even you. She told us
that one of her courses in school was called The History of Witchcraft. Her
curiosity led her to delve deeper into the subject and she found herself
interested in Wicca. Her interest led her to practice certain rituals and
celebrate certain days of the year, as she found her own beliefs to be very
much represented in Wicca.
During this time, she learned of a woman she thought might be an ancestor. Her name was Elizabeth Gray Bruce. She was charged with murder by witchcraft and hunted as she tried to escape the country, eventually being found in our town in February of 1819. She was hanged one month later. Our Charlotte, thinking this woman an ancestor and obviously not guilty, decided to use her knowledge and belief in Wicca and try to come to our town, to our time, with the hope of saving Elizabeth.
Feeling a chill run down her spine, Jessica set the letter on the table beside her and stood, hand to forehead. Charlotte, is all this true? She paced once around the room, stopping to look out the front window and watch the rain fall as her mind tried to understand this information. With a deep breath, she returned to the chair, picking up the letter once again.
Your best friend, Charlotte Gray Harper, left you in March 2012 and came to us on the same date at Owasco Lake, New York, in March 1818. When you receive this letter, Charlotte will have been gone from here a matter of weeks; but at the time that this note is written, we will have known her for just over ten months. I understand that this will come as a shock to you; it did to us as well.
Jessica sat for a few moments before realizing she’d zoned out. What the hell? She went back in time? Back in time?! What the hell made her think that would even be possible?
I
say “us” and “we” because, though this letter is written in my hand, four
friends are helping me compose these words, friends who have grown to love
Charlotte. It is our hope that by telling you what happened here, you can try
to help us from there. Again, I know that this will sound odd, but please bear
with me and I will do my best to explain.
[JP1]stories? A great deal?
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Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XrX0_Vcbhk8?feature=share
A Shadow in Time
Sky Watcher Series Book 1
Charlotte Harper’s life isn’t going as she
expected. She had to change her course of studies, her ex-boyfriend has hooked
up with her best friend, and she misses her mother desperately since her
passing.
Searching for meaning and direction, she pours herself into her family history,
researching her roots. When she learns of a possible ancestor named Elizabeth
from the early nineteenth century, who was hung for the crime of witchcraft,
she is determined to try to save her fate. Charlotte explores the strength of
her Wiccan beliefs and the powers within her stones, preparing a spell to
transport herself back in time nearly two centuries.
She arrives at a small, sleepy town on the shore of Owasco Lake, New York.
Intending to stay just long enough to save her ancestor, she creates a cover
story and attempts to fit in, but after waiting for weeks with no word of
Elizabeth, she immerses herself in the community. She works in the General
Store to earn her keep and uses her knowledge of herbs and medicine to help
those in need. She soon forms strong bonds with those around her, finding
herself drawn into the simple and fulfilling life of a bygone era, and even
falls in love—more deeply than she ever thought possible.
As the deadline of the execution nears, visions of the future begin to plague
her and those around her. Can she truly save Elizabeth and undo what happened
almost two centuries ago? With two lives on the line, she knows she must face
the consequences of meddling with time, even if it costs her everything.
EXCERPT
Prologue
Time is always. It is now, it is
then;
it cannot be stopped, and it waits for no one.
I asked myself once again: Charlotte,
have you lost your mind? Have you gone completely off the deep end? My
saner inner voice was becoming repetitive. In fact, it was getting on my
nerves! Not for the first time, I tried to reassure myself that, yes, while
even thinking about doing something like this would be considered crazy,
attempting it was absurd—yet, here I was. I was on my way to Owasco Lake, New
York, on what could prove to be the greatest, and quite possibly last,
adventure of my life.
As the bus travelled East on the thruway, my mind was
racing. My thoughts turned unexpectedly to the conversation I’d had with
Jessica yesterday morning. She’d called about dropping some boxes off at the
house. Given that I had some running around to do, I told her I’d leave the
side door unlocked for her or Michael. She reminded me of a letter that had
come for me, which she’d left on the table by the phone. As I told her I’d be
in touch tomorrow, I scanned the table and the floor at its base, but saw nothing.
After speaking to Jessica, I’d gone to see my lawyer to
review the handling of my affairs if I hadn’t come back within two years.
Chances were, if I hadn’t come back by then, I wasn’t coming back. That’s
assuming, of course, that I made it there at all.
I expected to be gone for a year or so, and had suggested
that Jessica and Michael live in my house during that time. It was a win-win
situation—my house would be lived in and looked after, and they would have
somewhere to stay together while they saved for a house of their own.
Upon returning home, I was struck by how empty the house
felt. The butterflies in my stomach started fluttering. This
is not an ending, I reminded myself. It’s the
beginning of the adventure of a lifetime! I went upstairs and released
the staircase from the attic, climbing up with the last of my boxes. I couldn’t
help but smile as I looked around the large open space. This attic wasn’t a
gloomy, confined room; it was properly floored and insulated, with two high,
half-circle windows letting in the sunlight. Though it had a low ceiling, I
could walk through the middle without having to duck my head. When I was
little, it had been my playroom. We’d painted a wall pink, hung a large
blackboard, and taken up a little table, chairs, and tea set. I still remembered
sitting at the table with my biggest teddy, Super Fluffy, and my bunny, Alice,
sharing tea and cookies. When I was a little bigger, I’d come up here with
Jessica and we’d shared our secrets. Now the floor space was occupied by a
rolling rack hung with off-season clothing, boxes of Christmas decorations,
books, and keepsakes. I put the last boxes onto the floor and, after one last
look around, closed up the attic. It was now midafternoon and all that remained
for me to do was write my letter to Jess.
The weather this March had been remarkably warm, and I was
hot! First things first: let’s get out of these sweaty
clothes and freshen up. I dropped my clothes to the floor, reached in
behind the glass shower door, and turned on the water. I took down my ponytail
and brushed out my hair and when the temperature was just right, stepped in. Mm-mm, this, I will miss! Questions rushed through my mind.
Would I succeed in making this journey? Could it even be done? I had seen
Elizabeth’s name on that list on my computer and made up my mind to try to save
her, but would I even be able to find her? Is it possible to change things that
have already happened? Would there be consequences? Completely engrossed in my
thoughts as I was, it came as a shock when Michael’s face came into view in the
open shower door. As I looked at him, confused, he smiled and stepped in,
pulling the door closed behind him. “Michael, what the—” He cut me off.
“Charlie, when I realized you were in here, I had to come. I
just want to be with you one last time, to say goodbye.” His hand ran up my
arm, before his fingers lifted my chin, his touch was familiar.
I put up a valiant fight, I did, but he knew me too well.
When he left some time later, I felt only emptiness. I sat
on the edge of the bed, turning to avoid my reflection in the mirror. That door
had closed some time ago. I thought back to the evening we’d called it quits.
We had both known that breaking up was the right thing to do, that it just
wasn’t to be. I’d come up to bed after he’d left and cried until I had no tears
left. A soft, unfamiliar voice whispered to me in my dreams that night: “Every
ending is a new beginning, Charlotte.” These wise words had stayed with me.
It was about a year later when he and Jess got together, and
they were perfect for each other. I hoped that they would have a good life
together, I truly did. I felt no jealousy, no hard feelings, though now I did
feel a small amount of guilt. I suppose that my fear and uncertainty about what
lay ahead of me had caused me to grab hold of the feeling of love and
protection he’d offered, fleeting as it was. Without question, it would be
easier to move forward when I was no longer in the here and now. Tomorrow would
change everything.
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Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MwjAsBApFAQ?feature=share
About the Author
Heather
Lynn, born in Toronto, Ontario, lives with her family just north of the city.
Her education in biology and health sciences has supported an ongoing interest
in physiology and the potential of herbal healing. In addition, she has been
intrigued by the possibility and impossibility of time travel since
childhood. When she's not writing,
Heather enjoys family time, working in her garden, and learning more about the
'power' of stones.
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Author
Links
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