Kim McMahill

“The last stop on the tour will be at the sacred well. The sacred well is a sinkhole about sixty-five feet across and is located a half mile from here. Legend is that the sacred well was used for human sacrifices. Skeletons of about fifty people have been found at the bottom, giving credibility to the story. It’s a magnificent feature of the ruins, but if anyone is not up for the hike, you can wait here or meet us back at the bus.” This tour guide spiel in Marked In Mexico is close to the narrative I heard while visiting the sacred well at Chichén Itza in Mexico many years ago. Chichén Itza is home to some of the most magnificent Mayan ruins I’ve ever seen and a perfect place for the action, adventure, and danger to begin in Marked In Mexico .  

She rubbed the ache in her neck, thinking over the project’s progress, while the sounds of honking horns and the smell of rotting food from the encroaching city assaulted her senses. At one time, the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza overlooked ancient Cairo, carrying on its business at a respectful distance. Now the structures appeared to be losing the battle to avoid being swallowed up by the growing metropolis of nearly twenty million people closing in on the Giza Plateau from all sides. In the second chapter of Shrouded in Secrets I was able to use a visit to the pyramids to describe the area. Although Egypt plays a minor role in the novel, I wanted to give the reader a realistic vibe for the area. I was surprised that something so famous and grand was being swallowed up by the city and the best way I can think of to describe Cairo is an assault on the senses. The sites, smells, and sounds create a magnificent chaos. 

Peeking out the window, she spotted Logan rubbing the thick winter coat on the neck of a tall sorrel mare they called Lady as he leaned against the top pole of the corral with a big black cat sitting on his shoulder. The image made her smile despite the gray skies, the barely perceptible swirling of tiny snowflakes, and the knowledge that danger and tragedy were now a regular part of her life. This image of the black cat happily perched on my husband’s shoulder has always stuck with me, so the image just popped into my head when describing the tranquil scene Grace witnessed from the kitchen window in A Dose of Danger. However, the horse in the photo isn't the one described in the book - he's no Lady.

Storm leapt over logs and wove his way around everything he couldn’t clear. His nose was stretched out as if reaching for the finish line at the Kentucky Derby. His breathing huffed above the pounding of his hooves and the breaking of branches. Niki hoped his strength and endurance would last until they were safely away from the armed men. As the horse finally managed to put distance between them and the sound of the bikes, Niki took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. The noise of the engines had all but faded when she dared her first glimpse up since entering the trees. The sight brought a gasp from her lips. The sheer drop off was the last thing she saw as Storm launched himself over the edge without hesitation. Niki felt as if they were suspended in mid-air. She leaned back until her head nearly rested on Storm’s rump and prayed his feet would soon touch solid ground. The first contact with earth jolted her body, throwing her forward, jamming the horn into her stomach and...