5.0 out of 5 stars A surprise
"The novel is surprising because it tells an original story that incorporates elements of great classics. From a stylistic point of view, in addition to having a fast pace, it presents simple periods that make reading pleasant. The storyline has elements of multiple genres, and this variability is a factor that I really appreciate. Read it because in my humble opinion it's worth it." ~Luigi Amirati
 
5.0 out of 5 stars Merchant
"A really beautiful novel! An adventure that kept me in suspense from the first to the last pages!!! A truly engaging storyline full of twists and turns with really well-defined characters!!! Absolutely recommended." ~Florencia
 
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
"A beautiful novel that fascinated me very much. full of suspense and twists. A very fluent reading that never gets boring I congratulate the author for the plot." ~Luana
Luigi Ammirati

Echoes of a Song
From NN Light
Haunting, heartbreaking and a must-read!
Everyone knows what took place ten years ago in the famed Paris Opera House but Raoul, Comte de Chagny, might not have escaped with Christine in the middle of the night if he knew the consequences. His beloved Christine is dead and the Phantom of the Opera still haunts his every move. Grief-stricken, he faces the truth: she never really loved him. Can he drown the ghost taunting his every thought or will he relinquish final victory to the Phantom of the Opera?

Wow! I’m a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera and in this short story, A. L. Butcher embodies Gaston Leroux’s voice. Haunting, is the first word that comes to mind after reading. The emotions Raoul projects as he realizes the truth of the curse is so painful, I cried as I read the last page.

If you love this classic novel and the musical brought to live by Andrew Lloyd Webber, this short story is a must-read. Highly recommend!
 
Echoes of a Song
From Convoke
Alchemy of writer and subject evokes the Phantom as never before
A. L. Butcher brings the Phantom of the Opera to life in this eight-thousand-word tale that will captivate you. Whether you are a Phantom fan or not, Raoul's memories will touch your soul. When a writer finds a perfect subject, magic happens. This is that writer for this tale. Butcher moves you from where you sit to where she wants you. In Echoes of a Song (Legacy of the Mask Tales), she triumphs. She brings us a tortured soul living past his loves in a symphony of memory and regret. Raoul, Comte de Chagny, master of Chateau Margeurite, has riches of the world but is destitute in soul. Raoul's elder brother, Phillipe has been murdered. His wife, his child, both dead. The memories that remain are destroying him. 'Accidents' at the Opera yet haunt him. This is a beautiful, mournful, and yet inspiring book, of a man living through his pain with no hope to get beyond it. And yet, when Raoul says aloud to the night: "Erik is dead," those three words summon this vivid story, this legendary creature, making the twelve years between the days of the Phantom of the Opera and now disappear.... Read this.
Universal Link https://books2read.com/Echoesofasong
 
Best fantasy 2019 on reviewer site NN Light Book Heaven!
 
Tears and Crimson Velvet
Reviewer Convoke
The Phantom of the Opera, up close and personal
No other modern writer has the affinity for the Phantom of the Opera displayed by A. L. Butcher in Tears and Crimson Velvet, from her Legacy of the Mask series. A.L. Butcher is a talented writer, and I have enjoyed all of her stories I've read, but her Phantom stories exist in another realm. And she takes you there, with deft skill and beautiful prose, time after time. Many can write, few can transport you in time and mind as Butcher does here. If you're not familiar with Butcher's work, I suggest you start here. What's happened previously is adroitly delivered in such a way that not for a second did I feel impatient: past and present merge seamlessly into a tale you'll never forget. Then you can go find the previous tales in the Legacy of the Mask series -- and I promise you, you'll want to do just that. Bravo, A.L. Butcher. When is the next Phantom story coming? I can hardly wait.

Synopsis
Madame Giry finds herself embroiled in the tragedy unfolding at the Opera house; mystery and murder stalk the corridors and, it is said, a ghost haunts the place. Giry knows the truth, for she recalls the caged man she met so many years ago. This is her story, their story.
 When murder and mystery begin at the Opera House one woman knows who is behind it, and what really lies beneath the mask. Secrets, lies and tragedy sing a powerful song in this 'might have been' tale.
 
Winner of the 2020 Best Short Story award on NNLight Book Heaven
A short, tragic tale based on characters from Phantom of the Opera.
https://books2read.com/TearsandCrimson

Grabs Hold of Your Senses
Reviewed by -RJS
Resilient Daniella Reyes—Dani—distinguishes no limitations. It is essential that she make a life-changing sacrifice in order to save the school kids, her dad's inner spirit as well as her own life. The concealed world of New Mexico has come alive to her, and is changing her life while she gradually learns the mysteries of an influential, olden-day cult. 

Dark and Exciting
Reviewed by -Sibyl Mory
Author Carey blends a mix of local New Mexican folklore with ancient arcane magic woven into a tale about a new teacher who suffered from years of abuse as a child. Now her future is riddled with dark secrets she must unravel to save the very person who stole her childhood. There is suspense at every turn culminating with a most surprising ending. Truly high-end entertainment.

Bewitching Good Fun
Reviewed by -The Irishman
This book is loads of fun!
I did not know what to expect, and at first, it seemed to be going a different direction until a murder of crows suggests something different may be afoot!
Lorraine Carey writes in such an easygoing style that makes this a quick, easy read--but don't let that fool you, because she manages to pack a lot into her punch, and starts what seems to be a very promising premise for follow-up novels...which I am now eager to read to see where the Women of Willow Wood go and what adventures they have in store!

A Story of Strong Women
Reviewed by -Amazon Girl 2010
As I got deeper into this mystery I had to think back to the movie, ‘Practical Magic’ where magic, strong women, and enlightenment is a play. I loved Daniella, the main character here as she evolves into a strong woman when all the odds against her. There are a lot of deep messages woven throughout the story about forgiveness. I’ve been to New Mexico and the story highlights some of the folklore from the area. I am looking forward to book 2 in this series.

Spellbound
Reviewed by -Susan T.
Lorraine Carey weaves a spellbinding tale that grips the reader from the very first page. First-year teacher Daniella Reyes finds herself in a web of ominous events uprooting her from the comfortable life she had known and sending her down a treacherous path where her only hope for redemption is intervention from the women of the willow wood... I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well-crafted, spine-tingling paranormal thrillers.

Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers’ Favorite
“Erika M Szabo whisked me away from reality and into a wonderland. She forged her engrossing plot with simple sentences, which she loads with a sophisticated vocabulary. Her choice of words gives an edge of mystery, suspense, adventure, and romance in her narration. There are secrets, agony, old history, premonitions, dark powers, a story within a story, and much more. She gives vivid depictions of her scenes and characters. This served to add color to her narration. The characters are exciting and fully developed. I found it easy to connect with their thoughts and emotions, which gave me insight into their actions during the next scenes. It also made me empathize with the characters, and love as well as loathe some of them. Sofia is portrayed as a young girl whose inquisitive nature is capped with a sharp mind and an ability to learn quickly. Some of the conversations were witty and this spiced up the reading experience. A young adult audience with a yearning for fantasy novels laced with a supernatural tale will love Unbroken Curse.”

Reviewed by Dorothy Angel
“The relationship between the characters was comforting and felt real. The conversation with Sophia and her aunt, her aunt with that rolling pin was hysterical. Growing up in Queens, NY I could totally relate.
I enjoyed how you really get two stories in one. You begin with Jayden and Sophia but once they start to translate the book Jayden finds – not where you think, you’re in a whole other world.
More and more information comes to light as Sophia begins to remember some traumatic events from their childhood. Events take some crazy, but really interesting turns and I found myself turning page after page to find out the next piece and I was never disappointed.”
 
Reviewed by Fayeray85
“Unique and exciting! I really enjoyed this story! It was a very unique plot with great characters and some twists along the way! It was refreshing to read a book that didn’t give away the ending on the pages and kept me guessing until fully revealed.”
 
Reviewed by Sandy C
“I was grumbling to myself after some less than satisfying experiences this week - not another 2.5-hour 'bonanza' that leaves you with just a brief beginning where nothing much happens except a 'hot mess' of confusion and then you are left hanging for months for the next installment - I thought, why did I get this? Well, my momentary negativity was TOTALLY unwarranted. This story is complete (though room left for further adventures). And the pace is very fast and the story beautifully articulated - a lot happens from minute one and the adventure continues to the last minutes of the story.”

Reviewed by Fred Jones
"An interesting well told story of an families curse. The discovery of an ancient book brings a curse into the light of day. I liked the way the story is told in two different time periods and switches back and forth between them but is essentially the same story."

Shaw Dillon sits in the hostess’ chair, looks into the camera and says, “Good evening North American Union, and welcome to another episode of News Talk. Tonight our guests are the women all Earth is talking about. Their story is the subject of the best selling Galactic Geographic series and the inspiration for the award wining movie, Rapier. They are two of the few survivors of that ill fated ship. Please welcome Kathy Erin Masters and, her adopted daughter, Cynthia Elaine Masters-Black.”
 
The audience applauds as the girls walk onto the set. Kathy is wearing a form fitting black dress similar to the hostess’, with the hem reaching mid thigh. Her ensemble is completed by stylish shoes and accessorized by a dagger strapped to her left upper arm, and a laser pistol holstered on her right hip slung low, gunfighter style. Cindy is wearing blue slacks with a white blouse and a blue vest. Her waist long blonde hair is in a braid that is tucked into the back of her blouse. She has a rapier on her left hip and a slug thrower on her belt by the buckle holstered for a left handed draw. They walk up to the hostess, waiving to the audience as they go, and sit on the loveseat next to the hostess’ chair.
 
Kathy says, “Thank you Shaw,” as they sit. Cindy looks over and nods to her.
 
Shaw Dillon reaches over and takes Kathy’s hand in hers, and with a conspiratorial grin asks, “Kathy, the Galactic Geographic stories and the movie make you look so brave, but tell me, girl to girl, weren’t you terrified being in the clutches of the notorious Commodore James Black and his crew of brigands?”
 
Kathy and Cindy stare at the hostess blankly for a moment. As Cindy starts to speak Kathy stops her, then she replies to Shaw, “James Black was a kind and gentle man Shaw. Brigands? The crew of the Rapier, and for that matter the crews of all the Commodore’s ships, were far from brigands.”
 
“But Kathy, you girls were prisoners on his pirate ship for nine years!”AC
 
Cindy growls, “We were not prisoners! And we were definitely not pirates!”
 
Shaw’s expression goes from conspiratorial to surprised. Before Cindy or Shaw can say another word Kathy cuts in, “We were privateers, not pirates. And once we were inducted into The Brotherhood we could have left anytime we wanted to, we were not prisoners.”
 
Shaw responds with, “Okay, so you weren’t prisoners. But not pirates? I mean what is a privateer? What’s the difference?”
 
Kathy sits back into the loveseat and places her hands on her thighs. “Though the pirates ‘follow’ the bylaws, sort of, they don’t obey much else. Privateers operate under a Letter of Marque and Reprisal as well as The Bylaws of The Brotherhood,” states Kathy.
 
“Huh?” the hostess mumbles.
 
Cindy replies, “A Letter of Marque is essentially a contract. It tells the privateer who they can raid and who they can’t. It also lists any other conditions the contracting government places on the raiders.”
 
“Governments do that?!”
 
“Yes Shaw, governments do that,” Kathy answers flatly.
 
For a few moments the hostess is flabbergasted, and the audience softly mumbles amongst themselves. Shaw Dillon composes herself and takes a different tact. “Cindy, do you regret not having a normal childhood? And how do you plan to make up for your lack of education?”
 
Cindy stares at the hostess for a few moments. Kathy whispers in Cindy’s ear to which she replies, “No mom, I’ve got this.” Cindy’s eyes sweep the audience, she can tell they want to hear her answer. She says to the control booth, “Run clip five please,” then points to the closest camera, and points to her left sleeve, “Give me a closeup of my forearm after the clip.” Turning her gaze to Shaw Dillon Cindy says, “No one has had a better childhood than I have. I’ve visited seventeen worlds, learning about their colony’s cultures. I’ve come to know ten alien species, and participated in three first contact situations. As to education, I’ll comment on that after this clip, which was created by the North American Intelligence Agency based on the Rapier’s logs, my mom’s and my ‘interviews’, and Chinese black boxes from the ships involved.”
 
The vid clip shows the Rapier and two Chinese warships. One of the ships is a destroyer escort that is breaking up. The second ship is a heavily damaged destroyer. The Rapier is moving, keeping the disintegrating ship between it and the destroyer. The destroyer keeps trying to get a good shot at the Rapier. Suddenly, the Rapier fires rail guns at a large chunk of wreckage between it and the destroyer. As the wreckage shatters the Rapier fires rail guns and particle beams again. The rail gun shots pass through where the wreckage was, followed by the super charged particle beams. The shots hit the destroyer at the engineering compartment. They bleed off the neutron armor energy, with one shot penetrating the hull. The particle beams hit the hull breach, passing into the compartment and strike the antimatter containment tank. This causes a catastrophic explosion, destroying the ship. The audience cheers.
 
Cindy speaks, “Shaw, I made that shot when I was twelve. To make a shot like that requires a masters level understanding of applied mathematics.” She points to a tattoo on her forearm. “This designates a masters level understanding of antimatter reactors. This one means I have a senior navigators understanding of hyperspace travel. You don’t want to get lost in hyperspace. All these tattoos show I’m qualified to be a starship captain. I also speak Mandarin and Latin. Plus I can read Ancient Hebrew and Ancient Greek, my dad insisted I study the scriptures in the original language with him. Can you name any other seventeen year old on this planet that is that well educated?” She sits back and pulls down her sleeve as the camera moves back so all three women are on screen.
​
In a shrill voice Shaw states, “What dad? Your parents were killed by the pirates! And if you are so smart why are you constantly being expelled?”
 
Cindy gives Shaw her withering glare, which knocks the shrill right out of her. In a calm, stern voice she replies, “My birth parents were killed when the America was boarded, that’s true, and that’s why the crew of the Rapier adopted me, to makeup for wronging me. Commodore James Ulysses Black is my dad, just like Kathy is my mom. As to being expelled all the time, your schools aren’t educating kids, they’re indoctrinating them. You’re raising a bunch of lemmings, and they will follow the other lemmings over the…
 
…We are experiencing technical difficulties, thank you for your patience - North American Intelligence Agency…

Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Stephan Mills and I’m the second-born son of Jonathan and Jane Mills. Unlike my older brother, I’m not at all successful or rich. My youth has been nothing but trouble and misguided by the wrong circle of friends I ended up in jail. It’s not that I didn’t deserve it, but that time I’ve been set up and everything that happened after my first conviction was nothing else but a series of events orchestrated by someone who didn’t want to see me succeed.

Have you committed a crime? What was it? 
I am a thief, not to brag but I’m one of the best. There isn’t a lock, an alarm system I can’t crack. I can intrude wherever I want to, and one day I received a hint from a mysterious person about an empty apartment. That theft changed my life once again and gave me the possibility to revenge on the man who tried everything to destroy my life, even selling his soul to the devil: my brother.

Do you have a moral code? If so, what might it be?
I certainly do, I would never harm anyone. I don’t enjoy stealing and I wouldn’t if only I would have the chance to live a normal life.

Would you kill for those you love?
No, I would be ready instead to offer my life for them.

Who is your greatest friend?
In jail, I find not just my best friend, but a man I’m proud to have learned to call ‘Dad.’ Although I have a father, he’s the only one who behaved as such. Perhaps because in jail nobody can point a finger against anyone else, and we don’t stop at the appearances, rather we go deeper looking for the jewel hidden within the rough stone.

Excerpt
The hall was immersed in darkness, with only the buzzing sound of the air-conditioning system and his heartbeat breaking the silence. He sneaked from a secondary road to the basement, where, according to the information he could gather about the security system of the building, no surveillance cameras were installed. 
He studied the blueprints in detail. Every single corner, from the basement and parking hall to the emergency stairs and the floor corridor, was taken into account. However, he felt uncomfortably nervous, as he was rightly aware that surprises were not to be underestimated; flats in residential areas were well-watched by surveillance cameras. 
And for a reason, he thought, smiling. 
He took a deep breath and covered his face whilst walking along the shadow zones of the cameras in the parking hall, toward the emergency stairs. He opened the door to the stairwell and started to climb. 
His target was the fifth floor. If the information he’d got from J. was right, at Flat number 306, he should find an empty apartment. Empty of the owner, and soon, empty of all the things he would be stealing from there. He felt the adrenaline streaming inside his body.
Third floor. He stopped and took another deep breath, allowing his heart to regain the pace. 
Fourth floor. He was almost there. He felt his mouth dry.
Fifth floor. He remained still for a moment to regain his breath. 
Then, he opened the door leading out to the corridor. It would remain in darkness for a few minutes—just enough time for him to get inside the apartment. 
He walked to his target, silent as the shadows, unseen and unheard by the other inhabitants of the floor. And finally, he was at Flat 306. His daily El Dorado. 
He carefully examined the lock of the door and shook his head. The further technology advances, the easier it gets, he thought happily, singing in his mind. 
He was a burglar—and a skilled one, too. Well, surely skilled, but lucky... not quite. His misfortune put him in jail on a regular basis. 
There were times in the past when he had never thought this would become his life; and, if he had to be honest, he didn’t much enjoy it. He wanted to have an honest and steady job, to make a life. He wanted to be like all the people he robbed... normal. 
Once, when he was still a kid, he used to introduce himself to other people’s apartments just for the sake of it. Then, later, it became a necessity, the only way to survive for various reasons, all aliens from his real will. But perhaps it was what he truly deserved, and he should have stopped thinking of himself as a victim?

Ana 
I remember the day when it all started. I was fourteen, and Zarek came to the inn where I had been living and working since my grandmother died. Of course, I would rather have met him under better circumstances. He’d come to warn me that Shekkar demons were tracking me. We ran. What other choice was there?
Zarek was my protector and guide, and quickly became my friend. When he promised he would defend me with his life, I knew he meant it. But I never realized that he would keep his word so completely. Only the healing power of the ring had a chance to save his life.
And I had to reach him in time.
 
Zarek
Finally, Zarek saw the top of the mountain. It was a sharp wall of rocks with a narrow fissure between them. The passage barely allowed room for a person to slip through.
Zarek heard a sound in the stillness. Shekkar.
No. Not now.
He needed to get Ana through the passage. Zarek looked down the hill. He could see the black shapes against the patches of snow. He had hoped the cold would hide their scent more. The demons appeared to avoid the snow, and maybe it slowed them down, but now they were coming fast.
Zarek reached the edge of the fissure and gripped Ana’s shoulder. He pointed through the crack. “Go through. Find somewhere to hide on the other side.”
“No!” she protested. “We’re both going through.”
“If we do, the demons will catch us. I can hold them back here. Go. Now. Run!”
He could tell she wanted to argue, but she obeyed. She ran through the narrow pass and disappeared.
He’d done everything he could for Ana.
Run. Hide. Don’t let them catch you.
*
Zarek took a deep breath, wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, and gripped his dagger. It cast a faint green glow, as he stood in the cleft between the rocks, watching the Shekkar run up the slope toward him. At least they wouldn’t be able to surround him, and he could hold them off for a while. How many were there? A dozen?
Shrieking in triumph when they spotted him, the demons rushed forward. When the first one reached Zarek, it screamed when the knife bit and toppled over. Heedless of their fallen comrade, the other demons leapt across the crumpled form to attack. Zarek held them back as they snarled and snapped at him and tried to reach him in the narrow space. But there were too many.
Their attack drove him deeper into the passageway. Black claws slashed at him, and he blocked them with the blade, only to feel burning pain as a second blow ripped the flesh of his arm and shoulder. He struck at them.
Shekkar claws raked across his face. His head burned like fire, and he could no longer see properly. Searing pain took over as poisonous claws tore into his chest, and he heard himself scream. It sounded like it came from a great distance.
Dimly, he heard a demon shriek as if it had discovered something. Ana’s trail?
 
Zarek lay on the ground. Quiet surrounded him, and he was alone. He closed his hand, futilely searching for his dagger. He had to get up, to go after them. They were hunting Ana, and she had no one to help her.
Get up.
But it was too late. His limbs twitched when he tried to move, but that was all. His body throbbed with scorching pain, except where it touched the chilling stone and snow. He could feel his warm blood escaping from many wounds. It wouldn’t be long now. With one eye, Zarek could see the white stars in the black sky. He would have screamed from the pain, but he didn’t have the breath or energy. He passed in and out of consciousness.
The periods of unconsciousness granted a blessed relief from the agony. How many times would he wake back up? The stars faded.
When he woke again, he saw morning sunlight, and the thin clear sky of the mountains. The only sound came from the wind whistling in the passage between the rocks.

Ana
At dawn, Ana left the tree where she had hidden and stumbled back up the hill as fast as her tired legs would go. Reaching the passage, she started through it. Just beyond the opening, she could see Zarek, and her stomach twisted into a knot. She couldn’t breathe.
“Zarek!” She ran and knelt beside him. When she saw what they had done to him, her empty belly heaved. Blood covered him. Demon claws had slashed his face and throat, raking across his nose and destroying one eye, but she couldn’t look away from the long gaping wound in his chest. She sensed the agony of his broken body.
No. That was impossible. He could not still be alive. But she could sense his pain. Ana touched his forehead.
A flash of green light came from the ring, and for a moment, she became him. She was Zarek. Her flesh and skin shredded, her ribs ripped out of place. She felt searing pain from the wounds. There was no hope of surviving. No hope of recovering. The damage was too severe.
It could not be. The part of them that was Ana bent all her will on taking the pain away. Zarek must live. Zarek must be whole and happy. He must smile and be full of energy and ready to do anything.
Zarek must live.

Tell me a little about yourself.
I am a very wealthy, and quite handsome 500 year old Immortal. I am the owner of a very successful international company. For five centuries I have sought the one soul who can fulfill my dreams of everlasting love. My company is about to introduce advanced security systems to protect my global operations, but the head of Russian intelligence is determined to infiltrate the company and use it to its own ends. The Russians failed once, but they’ve vowed to stop at nothing this time, even if it means the destruction of all that I have and love.
 
What are you trying to achieve in this story?
I finally met Arielle Lloyd, a beautiful British collage girl, whose heart calls out to me like no other. I have longed for her, like no other. I have many issues that complicate my life and all I am trying to do now is keep Arielle safe. I have been targeted by the Russian Mafia, who will stop at nothing to force me into giving up documents containing my company’s most valuable secrets. I have always outsmarted them before, but now they are threatening the person I hold most dear, my beloved Arielle.
 
What is your worst fear in this story?
Jealous Immortals from my past threaten retaliation. They have vowed to destroy any woman who becomes involved with me. I have given a very powerful protection amulet to Arielle but death stalks our newfound love. Our love may be eternal, but we may be running out of time. My past continues to haunt me. The worst of all is one of my Immortal Xs Annabel who still lusts for vengeance and seeks to destroy my new love.
 
What is your weakness?
My weakness is my beloved Arielle. I have realized that I have loved her through the centuries. There will never be another. I also know that I will protect her with everything I have and make her happy for centuries to come.
 
What are your plans for the future
Arielle and I have found our way to each other and want nothing more than to pledge our undying love before family and friends. I have carried a ring in my pocket for her almost from the first moment we met. I am only waiting for the right moment to pledge my eternal love for her.

“What do you mean showing it with your fingers?” Grandma Rosa asked.
“I found a website for hearing impaired people, and it explains how they can talk to each other without words. There is a sign for every letter and number that they can make with their hands. We can learn the signs together, and when you can’t hear the sound, I can show it you,” Sandra smiled happily.
“Oh, I think that’s a wonderful idea, Sandra,” Grandma’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “But it looks a little difficult. Do you think I could learn the signs?”
“Of course, you can, Grandma, we can learn them together. You couldn’t hear it well when I said mouse and house because you couldn’t tell the difference between the letter M and H, right?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Grandma Rosa replied.
“What if I show you the sign for the letters that each word starts with? Would it help?”
“Yes, I believe it would.”

“Awesome,” Grandma Rosa clapped. “I couldn’t hear the letter M, but when you showed the sign, I knew you must be saying mouse.”
One day, when they learned to sign every letter of the alphabet, Sandra started putting the letters together. “Look, Grandma, we can say words with our hands when we make the signs in the correct order,” Sandra said excitedly and signed the word mouse with her hand. 

​Sandra noticed a boy who was sitting by himself looking at his tablet, “Who is that boy?” she asked her friends. “He’s sitting by himself. Let’s invite him to play with us.”
“He’s stupid,” Peter, Sandra’s friend said. “He’s the new kid in my friend’s class, and he says this kid is deaf as a doorknob and when he tries to talk he sounds like a cat when someone steps on its tail.”
“How can you say that? You’re so mean! Just because he can’t hear, it doesn’t mean he’s stupid. My grandma can’t hear well, and she’s very smart,” Sandra shouted angrily.
Peter shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t care, let’s play on the swing.”
“I can’t believe what you said, Peter. I don’t want to play with you.” Sandra stood up, walked over to the boy and stood in front of him. “Hi,” she said, but although the boy must have seen her, he didn’t look up from his tablet.

​Sandra took a step closer and tapped his shoulder. When the boy looked at her, she saw sadness in his eyes. Sandra smiled at him and started signing,

Sandra introduced him to her friends and told them that Thomas understands what they’re saying if they speak slowly, and he can see their lips. Soon, they were chatting away happily and having fun learning sign language.

​Thomas showed them the signs for words such as boy, girl, cat, bicycle, and swing. The children learned the signs fast, and when Peter joined them he said, “You’re not so bad Thomas, wanna be friends?”
“Yes, I would like that, but you don’t mind that my voice sounds funny?” Thomas replied wearily, afraid that Peter would make fun of his voice.
“Your voice is fine,” Peter assured him, “It sounds like you have an accent like my mom’s friend. She’s from Romania, and I love the way she talks.”
“Okay, so I have a ‘hearing impaired’ accent. That’s cool!” Thomas smiled.

I am an ex-pat who is currently living on the island of Grand Cayman enjoying what most would call paradise. I had a rough start after arriving here having to deal with my husband’s shady business dealings.  There were those who believed I didn’t deserve to get the most generous settlement I did following the divorce. The locals still talk behind my back, but I’ve learned to ignore the remnants of his past. After the divorce, I was able to gain Caymanian status and become the proud owner of The Tides resort here on the west end of the island. It was truly my little paradise, but that was short-lived when Hurricane Ivan came along in 2004 and completely destroyed my little paradise along with most of the island. I was lucky to survive and even luckier to get government and other private funds to help me rebuild a new inn which I called Paradise Palms. I’d hoped to get a fresh start but soon met up with strange occurrences here at the inn. Seems a few guests had claimed an evil spirit lurked about and had even attacked them in their suites. Many had fallen ill and blamed it on the dark entity they’d claimed had violated them while staying at the Palms.
It didn’t take long for a few guests to post these occurrences on social media, which hurt the inn’s reputation along with the rumors that had spread throughout the island by the locals.
Yes, there are a lot of island legends here, most of them had not affected me until I became a victim myself and had to make a decision that would alter my fate and that of my little piece of paradise.
 I will answer a few of your questions here and then have to take care of an urgent matter in suite 12.

What is your strongest attribute?
I’d say my strongest attribute is my strong-willed personality. I was raised by a strong Puerto Rican woman and believe that had set the tone for the rest of my life. I tend to be direct and will go to great lengths to achieve a goal, whether it may hurt someone or not.

What is your role here in the story?
I am the proud owner of Paradise Palms, a small island resort on Grand Cayman. My job is to keep my staff in line as well as making sure my guests are happy and safe even if it means covering up past dirt on myself or some of the odd occurrences at the inn.

What is your weakness?
I’d have to say my weakness is my vanity. I’ve got this fear of aging that has taken over since my divorce. I’m always comparing myself to younger women. I’ve had some minimally invasive cosmetic procedures done and swim every morning to keep myself in shape. If I overeat or miss a workout, the guilt weighs heavily on me.
​
What are your plans for the future?
Future plans include pushing forward with a few new additions to the Palms, and, hopefully, getting my hunky security guard, Jackson to commit to a serious relationship with me. We’ve had a few dates and a few nights of the best sex of my life—ones that brought out the animal in me. I won’t get into too much detail here, for the book explains it all.

Do you have any enemies?
I have to say I don’t have any enemies here in this physical realm, but I’ve got one nasty demonic spirit who insists she rules my inn and the waters out to the reef. She’s attacked a few of my male guests and now has her sights on Jackson. She’s hell-bent on ruining my inn but I’ve got a few surprises for her.

Do you feel the author portrayed you fairly?
I think the author has done a fairly good job of portraying myself and my triple-A personality, but I do have one complaint—that being not able to believe the few guests that had claimed to encounter an evil spirit from the jump. I think she could have given me more of an open mind rather than dismissing all the strange events as merely the usual effects of the sun and the endless cocktails in abundance here on the island.

Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to leave us with?
Well, that would be to plan a trip to Grand Cayman if you’ve never been there.  This island truly holds a real enchantment. I’d recommend you not pay too much attention to some of those reviews you read on travel sites. But be advised to enjoy your water activities during the daylight hours, for the night belongs to those who are forced to enjoy their activities after dark.