We're sixteen days into 2023, and so far, so good, considering we started with Mercury in retrograde. Of course, a few things have been wonky, but overall, things have been positive and productive. What about you? The start of the new year has been very different from the past few years, and I hope the year will continue to blossom and grow as each month passes. I’ve set a few goals for the year and am looking forward to achieving them all. I’ve chosen the imagery of a bicycle as my mainstay––my beacon if you will. Why a bike? Because you must pedal to move forward, which is what I want for this year––forward motion with no backpedaling. The past is gone, and I’m quite tired of ruining the present by going back and revisiting all the moments I wish I could’ve changed. As rough as it all was, I now know it was necessary to be where I am today.

When I made my post about the rusted, empty bucket at the beginning of December, I struggled every day to find a fragment of joy to get into the holiday spirit, but I couldn’t.  The past few years had drained me to the point of exhaustion for anything “extra,” and the holidays felt extra for sure. However, despite my state of mind, I continued to push toward December 31st with a single-minded determination, and when the clock turned to 2023, EVERYTHING would change with a single thought…I would make the necessary changes to bring about mental joy and peace, freeing my mind to get back to the things I love to do––writing, creating, and learning. 

Paranormal romance author, Indigo James, is under deadline to produce a book, but her muse is not cooperating. Feeling stuck, she joins her sister for a night out and ends up in the crosshairs of the gods of chaos and fear. The two gods bet they can turn Indigo from a mid-list author to a best-selling one. Indigo wakes up with blood on her keyboard and a completed manuscript she doesn't remember writing. The god of fear wants his chance, and his methods are less than pleasant. With her sister's life at stake—not to mention her own—Indigo is forced to write a second book that she despises. As the lines between fiction and reality blur, Indigo discovers an agenda that will create chaos and change her reality forever, unless she can take on a few gods and win.

"Blood and Ink" cleverly weaves a story within a story in a spellbinding plot that keeps readers hooked! The sisterly bond between Indigo and her sister reminds us of the power of family and how far we will go to protect those we love. When the gods force Indigo to use her talents to produce a best seller, story reality collides with Greek mythology, which collides with a fictional world. The lines continue to blur until both Indigo and the reader are thrust into a world in which all three converge in an intense climax. It wraps up neatly—almost too neatly—at the end, where it isn't Indigo as much as her fictional creation who triumphs. Even so, "Blood and Ink" stands out for its innovative plot and turn-twisting adventure!

Tricia Hill~Reviewer at InD'tale Magazine