Today I am so pleased to welcome Avon Gale & Roan Parrish to Joyfully Jay. Avon and Roan Parrish has come to talk to us about their latest release, Thrall. They have also brought along a tour-wide giveaway. Please join me in giving them a big welcome!
Excerpt
WELCOME TO SHADOWCAST
A TRUE CRIME PODCAST FROM THE HEART OF HAUNTED NEW ORLEANS
In New Orleans, true (and perhaps true-ish) crime and tales of the supernatural go hand in hand. Come for the stories of murder, mayhem, and Mardi Gras; stay for the ways we freak each other out!
Shadowcast is produced and recorded locally, and you can find us on all your favorite social media sites in the footer. Catch new episodes each week, and if you love the show, please make sure to subscribe and review on iTunes or however you found us!
SHADOWCAST IS
Lucy Westenra (cohost)
A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Lucy discovered the “true crime” section of the library in middle school and hasn’t looked back since. By day the twenty-five-year-old manages the renowned Holmwood Hotel in the Marigny, and her interest in researching the infamous 1913 murder—resulting in the Holmwood’s resident ghost—led to the creation of the podcast. Lucy’s love of the darker side of New Orleans history is shared by her best friend, girlfriend, and cohost, with whom she shared all those true crime books in middle school. Lucy is an active member of the African American History Association of New Orleans, dedicated to preserving and publicizing African American history in the Crescent City.
Mina Murray (cohost)
Mina grew up on stories of New Orleans history—the creepier, the better—and she put her childhood interest to work as a ghost tour guide in the French Quarter while she attended Tulane. After graduating with a dual degree in Education and Urban Studies, Mina began working with the Claudette Roget Project and is now the coordinator of their after-school programs, where she designs programming for middle and high school youth with an interest in exploring the arts and technology. When not relating stories of murder and supernatural mayhem on Shadowcast, or working with New Orleans youth, Mina can be found tending her plot in the community garden, baking, and being dragged to jazz shows by her cohost, even though it’s past her bedtime.
Arthur Quincey (social media maven)
A New Orleans transplant by way of Atlanta, Georgia, Arthur first met host Lucy Westenra at the Holmwood Hotel (one of Arthur’s social media clients), and they hit it off sharing gruesome stories over café au lait. Arthur is in charge of Shadowcast’s social media, blog and online presence. He also curates the “ShadowCats!” feature on the show’s Instagram account, which is…pictures of cats casting shadows, of course. Arthur’s never met a stranger and loves connecting people to their true passion in new and innovative ways…even when it’s murder. Check out his website at www.AQuinceyMedia.com, and keep tweeting those cat pictures!
Blurb
Dating Sucks & Love Bites
Happy couple Mina Murray and Lucy Westenra have begun to garner national attention for their quirky New Orleans true-crime podcast, Shadowcast. When Lucy’s brother Harker disappears while researching the popular new dating app Thrall, they’re thrown into a real-life mystery. Aided by their social media expert, Arthur, and Harker’s professor, Van Helsing, they follow the trail, hoping to find Harker before it’s too late.
When their investigation crosses the path of a possible serial killer, the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur. And as they race against the app’s countdown clock, so does the line between friendship and love. What starts as a flirtatious rivalry between computer-savvy Arthur and techno-averse Van Helsing becomes much more, and Mina and Lucy’s relationship is tested in the fires of social media.
As they get down to the wire, the group discovers that nothing on their screens is as it seems—including their enemy.
A modern retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Bios
Avon Gale
Avon Gale was once the mayor on Foursquare of Jazzercise and Lollicup, which should tell you all you need to know about her as a person. She likes road trips, rock concerts, drinking Kentucky bourbon, JRPGs and yelling at hockey. She’s a displaced southerner living in a liberal midwestern college town, and she never gets tired of people and their stories — either real or the ones she makes up in her head.
Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan at Handspun Literary Agency.
Connect with Avon: Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter | Instagram | Website
Roan Parrish
Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia, where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.
When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.
Connect with Roan: Parrish or Perish FB Group | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub | Newsletter
Giveaway
Avon and Roan has brought a choice of backlist book to give to three lucky readers on their tour. Just follow the Rafflecopter below to enter.
- By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- By entering you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions set out by Rafflecopter for entries.
- Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
- Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize. In order to facilitate prize distribution, the winner name’s and email may be provided to a third party awarding the prize.
- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Void where prohibited by law.
Some of those character names sound … strangely familiar! Best wishes, Roan and Avon, for the success of Thrall.