Arizona Inspiration
I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and lived there for the first eighteen years of my life. When I married a man in the army, we moved around, but ended up back in Phoenix when he left the military life. I didn’t like Phoenix. Apologies to any Phoenicians reading this. The terrain is flat desert. The major wild plant is creosote, a very unfriendly and not particularly attractive bush. Other plants have trouble sharing space with creosote because it exudes growth inhibiting compounds into the soil. It can also be poisonous to animals. Most of the desert around Phoenix is littered with creosote. There are mountains around the Valley of the Sun, some of which are picturesque, so all is not as bleak as I paint it.
We lived a few other cities and states until
nine years ago, when we moved back to Arizona to be nearer to family. But we
chose central Arizona this time. Only now do I appreciate the state. There is a
lot of beauty, varied landscapes, and history outside of the Phoenix area. High
desert is much different, plus it’s a short thirty-minute drive from us to
pines and snow in the winter.
This Arizona inspires me. My last series, Love and Murder, is set in central and northern Arizona. My latest series, The MacKenzie Chronicles, is set in present-day Joshua, Arizona, an 1800s mining town, turned ghost town, turned hippie haven, and now a tourist town, hanging on the side of Spirit Mountain.
My inspiration for Joshua and the stories of
the MacKenzie family is a real-life Arizona destination, Jerome. The history is
rich in Jerome with tales of mining, brothels, and ghosts from another century.
Add to that history the hippie settlers of the 1960s and 1970s who revitalized
the crumbling town into an art mecca. The streets are stacked on the side of
the mountain. There’s a jail still intact that literally slid down the mountain
decades ago. Wine, food, ruins, and adventure await the tourist. The town looks
much the same as it did in the early part of the twentieth century. If you get
to Arizona, you really must visit Jerome.
SECRETS OF THE RAVINE, The MacKenzie Chronicles book one
When a doppelganger for her murdered teen
love walks into Magpie MacKenzie’s shop on the same day skeletal remains are
found at the edge of town, she must follow the direction the universe sends
her. In this multi-layered romantic suspense story, Magpie is driven to learn
the truth about a decades-old murder that could find her father the murderer
and reconnect her with a dead love. The reader is immersed in Magpie’s present,
as well as her father’s past, as she scours a twisty path that could end with
her the next victim.
Excerpt:
He sauntered closer. His eyes narrowed studying her. “Have we met?”
Her mouth went dry. “I’m not sure.”
“Do you ever get to Copperdale?”
“S-sure. For shopping now and then.” Joshua, Arizona focused on art,
wine, food, and gifts. Any practical shopping had to be done in Copperdale,
less than an hour down the hill.
“Hey, Zac.” His friend in the metal sculpture display area called out.
“You have to see this.”
“Maybe we’ve run into each other there,” Zac said. “I moved to
Copperdale from Phoenix recently.”
“Maybe.”
He stared a moment longer and then handed her the purchase, his fingers
trailing along the side of her palm as he transferred the box. “I’ll take this.
Excuse me.”
She managed a nod as he strode to the back of the shop, and she stepped
to the checkout counter next to the shelf of music boxes. The last strains of
the song ended. Her vision clouded with memories of another time and another’s
touch.
“I think we’re ready.” The spiky-haired woman handed over her purchases.
Magpie took a deep breath and donned her shopkeeper persona. “Great.” The
group of five gathered on the customer side of the counter. “So, you decided.
This green jacket looked wonderful on you.”
The redhead and the other man—they appeared to be a couple—who’d been
in the back of the store, placed a metal sculpture of the Sacred Heart Catholic
Church on the counter.
“Great piece.”
As she ran the card, Magpie asked, “First time here?” The man named Zac
moved closer. A flutter trickled from her chest to her stomach.
“We’ve all been here, a few years ago. Except for Zac.” The other man
in the group said.
“I didn’t realize what I’d been missing.” He spoke to no one in
particular, but his smile landed on her.
Zac picked up the sack with the music box. “Are you the owner of this
great store?”
“I am.” She returned his smile. “Magpie MacKenzie. And you are?”
“Zac Peartree. Is that your real name?”
Accustomed to his reaction, she gave her standard reply. “It’s a long
story.”
“One I’m sure I’d enjoy hearing. Will you be working at your mercantile
all weekend?”
She swallowed down the recurring flutter. “Mostly.”
“You all should have a drink at the Apparition Room tonight, the bar
below the Copper Mountain Hotel down the block.” Phaedra finished stuffing
paper around the sculpture for protection and then handed the box to the man
with the redhead. “Our very own Magpie MacKenzie will be singing.”
Magpie scuffed a boot against her friend’s foot to quiet her.
“She’s on at eight.”
The blonde clapped her hands. “Great. Sounds fun.”
“I guess that means we’ll see you later, Magpie.” Zac followed his
friends from the store but peered over his shoulder with an unreadable
expression before he disappeared out the door and into the chilly wind.
Slightly lightheaded, Magpie braced herself on the counter. “Honestly,
Phaedra, I could—”
“Now, Mags, you haven’t been this tongue-tied over a guy in years.” She
retrieved her purse from behind the counter where she’d set it when she came
in. “I need to get going, and you need to enjoy the quivers that guy is giving
you. I’d guess he’s only thirty or close to it, but what the hell, he’s hot.
Every man should fill his jeans like that, not to mention his shoulders.” She
stopped by the door. “You two looked at each other as if—”
“As if we know each other?”
“Know each other? I agree he bore a resemblance to Mark, but that’s
all.”
“Really? Sacrebleu, Phaedra.
When I stared into that face, I saw Mark…a soul…from twenty-eight years ago.”
The soul of someone she’d loved.
Who
might have been a murderer…or worse, murdered by my father.
BUY LINKS
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Ravine-MacKenzie-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B08GPRFJBT/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Ravine-MacKenzie-Chronicles-Whiteside-ebook/dp/B08GPRFJBT/
https://www.amazon.ca/Secrets-Ravine-MacKenzie-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B08GPRFJBT/
More
about the Author
Brenda
Whiteside is the author of suspenseful, action-adventure stories with a touch
of romance. Mostly. She and her husband are gypsies at heart having lived in
six states and two countries. For now, they’ve settled in Central Arizona, but won’t
discount the possibility of another move in their future. They share their home
with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW is fishing, Brenda writes.
Visit Brenda at https://www.brendawhiteside.com
Or on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendawhitesid2
She blogs and has guests: https://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003V15WF8
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3972045.Brenda_Whiteside
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/brenda-whiteside
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendawhitesideauthor/
Thanks for having me today, Kim.
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome. Thanks for stopping by and sharing a bit about yourself and your work.
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