Please help me welcome today’s guest, Margo Carey…
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
Originally from Marblehead, MA, I later moved to Rhode Island with my husband and son. New England holds a special place in my heart. It’s where my imagination led me to write. Today, we live in Southwest Florida with our black cat, Sammy. Though we enjoy riding our bikes, we gave up kayaking after a couple of scaly denizens followed us around then bumped my husband’s boat. However, the positive outweighs the negative. The view from my office is always green. No ice. No snow. My latest pastime is walking and recording ideas for my next book. I enjoy reading paranormal and anything witchy. My favorite TV shows are Elspeth and Tracker. Life is good.
Tell us a little about how you came to write Demon Amulet.
Demon Amulet is set in Newport, RI, one of my favorite places. I created the Watcher Clan series around a mysterious stone tower that some believe was built by the Knights Templar. If so, I wondered if there could be descendants. Might those relatives have psychic powers? When we lived there, my husband was an offshore lobsterman, and I spent a lot of time in the wharf area with wonderful little shops. My characters also love those touristy lanes. I chose the title, Demon Amulet, to reference the story’s lethal magic trinket. Although I had already done intensive research on the Knights Templar for the first book, I found this second book more difficult because I had to discover new ideas: conflicts, story arc, and goals. I do love Google Earth for my setting research. That and Pinterest for photos of people who look like my characters and for ideas on their outfits. Each book can stand alone which means different protagonists and villains. In my first book the protagonist is a young brunette unaware of her family or powers. Her antagonist is a dreamwalker. This second book revolves around a beautiful blonde cousin and a vicious warlock. For the third, a thirty-something redhead goes up against a traitorous member of the Templar council. Of course, each story has the necessary handsome and psychically powerful love interest.
Are there any tricks, habits or superstitions you have when creating a story?
When I’m looking for a setting, whether it be a house or neighborhood, I always picture someplace I’m familiar with. But, if I don’t know I use the internet. The Brendani estate in this book is in an exclusive neighborhood. Although I’ve ridden by the driveways, I had to get a view of the homes and riverfront property via Google Earth. The apartment in the next book is my sister’s former abode. That way I can picture my characters as they move around.
What book have you read that you wish you had written?
Any one of the Harry Potter books.
What’s your favorite book of all time and why?
“The Agony and the Ecstasy” by Irving Stone. A wonderful narrative about Michaelangelo.
What’s your favorite childhood book?
Nancy Drew. The beginning of my love of mysteries.
Would you rather have a bad review or no review?
As much as I’d hate a bad review, I do want to know what I’ve done or not done to upset a reader. Critiques can be painful, but they help you grow.
What is your favorite quote?
“Nothing you do can change the past. Everything you do can change the future.” Anon.
Your most prized material possession and why?
A beautiful wood jewelry box. My son made it for me.
If you could be a character in any of your books, who would you be?
I’d be Lia Ferguson. She is beautiful, tough, and has a great sense of humor. Oh yes, and she has awesome psychic powers.
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
For me, a criticism I had trouble fixing was “Show. Don’t tell.” I still go back and look for it in my writing. What made me happy was someone telling me that they loved my characters. I also love my characters and try to make that come out on the page.
Tell us Your favorite…
Movie: See No Evil. Hear No Evil. A comedy with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder
TV show from adulthood: NCIS
Food: Really good french fries
Sports team: Boston Red Sox
A cursed amulet. A deadly warlock. An impossible love.
Excerpt:
Moonlight filtered through the clouds, bathing the Brendani property in swaths of soft light. Lia inhaled the sweet aroma of beach roses carried by the wind. A perfect evening. A shiver unrelated to the weather coursed through her. Would he be waiting?
Gravel crunched under her feet and the bite of chlorine teased her nose as she neared her destination. She paused for a moment to control her erratic breathing. Nerves? Ridiculous. No man had ever disturbed her.
The glow from the changing room lanterns almost reached the pool. The flickering shadows on the liquid grew into waves caused by the powerful strokes of the swimmer. Mesmerized by Aiden’s straining muscles, desire stirred in her belly.
She swallowed and strolled closer. “I see you made it.”
He stopped and looked up, unruffled. She knew he’d been aware of her. Watchers could always sense another’s approach. As the silence lengthened, she reached around to the back of her neck, undid a clasp, and let her cover-up slide down. Aiden’s sharp intake of breath made her skin tingle.
His eyes darkened as they raked over her body. A slow smile played across his face. “Coming in?”
The deep timbre of his voice ignited her desire. She paused for another moment to enjoy the heat simmering between them. Without breaking eye contact, she lowered herself to the pool’s edge and slipped in. The warm water covered all but her bikini top.
“Ooh!” she said as she gazed at him. “It feels so good.”
Her body responded to the naked desire blazing from his eyes. She swam past him to the deep end and turned. He hadn’t moved, but she felt his penetrating gaze follow her.
Poised there in waist-high water, Aiden resembled one of the ancient sea gods.
Buy link: Demon Amulet by Margo Carey
About the Author:
Margo Carey, an award-winning author, weaves tales of romance and supernatural intrigue. She began her career trying to write cozy mysteries, but the paranormal inevitably slipped in. Rather than fight her muse, she gave in to her pen’s inclination, changed her genre to Paranormal Romance, and titled her website, My Haunted Pen.
Her gripping novel Trace of Evil, a NEST finalist, immerses readers in a haunting romance in Salem, Massachusetts. After her move to Rhode Island, she penned The Convent House, the first in her Watcher Clan series that follows the perils and romance of psychically gifted descendants of the Knights Templar. Readers’ Favorite gave it a five-star review. The second book, Demon Amulet, will be out in June, 2025.
Margo now lives with her husband Paul and their unapologetically spoiled cat, Sammy, in South Florida. Will inspiration for her next book spring from the shadowy, gator-infested swamps where she and her husband kayak? Stay tuned.
Author Alicia Dean 