Here is my first Feature Friday of 2014! Author Patricia La Barbera.
The Tala Chronicles: An Introduction
Tala and Matt are the main characters in the shape-shifter series, The Tala Chronicles. They’re both from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, and have diluted werewolf strains that threaten to destroy their love and their lives. Matt is a Violent and Tala is a Violent Maker. Tala, an artist, has a tragic past that includes child abuse from her mother, also a Violent. Matt is a detective, and his family is clueless regarding his violent behavior. Tala has a feisty black cat named Maeve, who fears no creature.
In The Wolf’s Daughter, the first book in the series, Tala returns to Wolfeboro to settle her deceased mother’s estate. She stays alone in the family’s eerie Victorian that’s next door to a cemetery. Tala’s challenge is to find a way that she and Matt can be together again despite the danger of the strains.
In the second book, The Wolf’s Revenge, Tala faces a serious complication with alarming consequences. The life-threatening solution involves a werewolf pack in the Oregon wilderness.
Willis Sharp, a Violent, is Tala and Matt’s archenemy. He’d resort to murder to get Tala’s pendant that would magnify his powers. Sharp’s linked to her family in a heinous web of deceit, adultery, and murder.
Michael became a Wolf Slayer because of a horrific childhood incident. He, Tala, and Matt form an alliance. He’s convinced that Tala should become a Slayer, too.
Jeremiah is the alpha of the Oregon werewolf pack. Tala turns to the shape-shifters for assistance, but she wonders if they’ll kill her instead. Jeremiah and Michael try to cooperate with each other to help Tala and Matt. However, the werewolf and the Slayer are enemies, whose hatred for each other sometimes explodes into brutal confrontation.
Edgar Owl is an elderly Native American locksmith. He worries about Tala and attempts to help her despite the sadness and terrible memories that assault him. His dreams, though frequently terrifying, often give Tala insight about her hazardous situations.
If the books were made into movies, the following stars would be perfect for them:
Tala: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Matt: Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
Willis Sharp: Jack Nicholson in Wolf
Michael: Chris Hemsworth in Thor: The Dark World
Jeremiah: Christian Bale in Out of the Furnace
Edgar Owl: Graham Greene in The Green Mile
The following text is an excerpt from The Wolf’s Daughter:
Tala drifted off into a sleep interrupted by her flopping from side to side, unable to get comfortable. Maeve purred loudly, pressed up against her back, whichever side she was on. The clock registered two fifteen. Tala almost took a pill, but the need for morning alertness won out.
The next thing she knew, she was walking though the woods. She could barely see in front of her, the fog was so thick.
“Stay close to me.” It was Edgar’s voice.
Tala stumbled, and he reached back and helped her up.
They walked a little more before she heard something walking close to them, the twigs cracking.
The sky grew darker. She felt presences everywhere. All at once she saw the wolves, about three times the usual size, surrounding them. Their bloodied fangs exposed, they stared with eyes from hell, glowing red. The largest approached. So close, the hot breath on her face. The wolf leaped, fangs sinking into her neck. “Edgar,” she screamed.
Tala woke to the sound of Maeve growling. The room had become a black cave.
Then a slight sound like footsteps from the stairs. She grabbed her cell phone. Opening it resulted in feeble light. Someone stood in the doorway. The intruder wore a black ski mask…and had a knife in his hand.
Tala dialed 911 and scrambled to get out of bed on the opposite side, dropping the phone in the process. Darkness overtook the room again, and hands grabbed her.
The following text is an excerpt from The Wolf’s Revenge:
Tala woke with a start. The nightlight cast a beastlike shadow on the wall. The buzz and trill of forest creatures seeped through the cabin’s walls. Had she heard a faint scream and chopping noises, or had she been dreaming?
She crept out of bed and headed for the living room. The night beckoned. Stars competed with their radiance, while the water shimmered below. But was it safe to go on the porch? She opened the front door and walked outside. A cool breeze rewarded her.
Tala stood for a few moments surveying the woods surrounding the cabin. In the high bushes near the porch, something rustled. She whirled in the sound’s direction. Then an arm grabbed her around the waist, and an arctic hand clamped over her mouth. Claws dragged her across the porch.
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The Wolf’s Daughter book trailer
The Wolf’s Revenge book trailer
Bio: Patricia La Barbera, MFA, is an author and editor, who specializes in genre fiction and teaches writing and editing classes. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and an active member of the Horror Writers Association. Patricia is also the organizer of the Sarasota Editors Association. Various magazines have featured her fiction and poetry. She lives in the Sarasota, Florida, area with her husband.
Thank you Patricia for stopping by! Wishing you and your books a wonderful New Year!