WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR
Hummingbird Moonrise: A Witch's Dark Family Secrets Haunt a Mountain Town One Cursed Generation at a Time (Murder, Tea & Crystals - A Trilogy Book 3)
Hummingbird Moonrise
By Sherri Dodd
Book Summary
The past two years have taken their toll on Arista Kelly. Once an eternal optimist, now she has faced the darkness and must recalibrate what true happiness means for her. Meanwhile, Shane, her ex-boyfriend, is pulling all the right moves to help keep her sane from her heightening paranoia. But it doesn’t help that Iris, her Great Aunt Bethie’s friend, has disappeared.
Still, one additional trial remains. While searching for Iris, Bethie and Arista stumble upon a grand revelation in the eccentric woman’s home. With the discovery, they realize their run of chaos and loss of kin may have roots in a curse that dates back to the 1940s—the time when their family patriarch first built Arista’s cottage in the redwoods and crafted his insightful Ouija table.
This pursuit will not follow their accustomed recipe of adrenalized action, but the high stakes remain. Will the mysterious slow burn of unfolding events finally level Arista’s entire world or be fully extinguished, once and for all?
Publisher: Black Rose Writing (October 9, 2025)
Print length: 305 pages
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Author Guest Post – The End of a Trilogy: Saying Goodbye to Characters You Love
I see how it happens, now. You become immersed in a series, and each new book, movie, or TV show escalates and nicely progresses the plot for your enjoyment. Protagonists grow into heroes. Villains receive their comeuppance, or they may have a change of heart, and fate guides them onto the straight path. Even menial characters can emerge into greatness. Trials and tribulations followed by victories, and suddenly, it hits you. While you continue to indulge in the series, you find it has lost the original allure. You ridicule the audacity of each new twist. You may dislike a new character … you never pictured them in the storyline! Or you may just grow tired of the genre, and turn toward something more realistic or, conversely, utterly mystical.
The creators of these series experience this, too. For my purpose, the form is writing. I started with a character and an idea of the direction. Thereafter, it branched into two and then three books. Some authors go to six and even eight, the flame burning long into the adult years of a child character. However, there comes a time when we ask ourselves where else our characters can go? How else can the protagonist grow? What else remains for the reader to know? Writer’s block hits, and a sobered reality comes over you. Time has come to say goodbye.
It is challenging to let go of a world you have created and even more difficult to say goodbye to the characters you have birthed. It has been bittersweet for me. As my first step into writing fiction, I poured everything into the magickal concoction of my good witch Arista and her great-aunt Bethie living in Boulder Creek, California; so much so that one book became a trilogy. Perhaps it was my grief that fueled their supernatural journey. I had just lost my father to cancer, and I wanted to bring the deceased back into the living world, still protecting the ones they loved. My father, still protecting me. Further, as a loner, I modeled my new-adult MC after what I would have loved to have been when I was her age – happy to be alone in a stable environment. Also, I created Bethie, her seventy-plus great-aunt, into what I hope to become – spry, quirky, and a joyous yet grounded golden girl. Fictional friends were based on the best friends I had and ones that I hope to meet some day. I created bad guys I could control, and even they had a backstory that kindled an ounce of compassion for their evil. Writing all these characters created a kindred love for them. I heard their laughter, felt their anger, and walked beside them in their lush evergreen environment, through the desert plain and even as they stalked their prey. I partook of the delightfully sweet foods and aromatic teas that they shared and cried more than once during poignant scenes.
Yes, I love them, but the pragmatist in me realized the story must end. Firsthand, I have felt what the reader or watcher endures as the story goes on for far too long. The habit of reading a series does not equate to sheer enjoyment of it, especially as the plot strains to remain engaging.
How do I deal with letting go? The same way as when I lose a pet. I mourn and, when ready, I move on by writing another book and there, begins the new love affair.
About the Author, Sherri Dodd
Sherri grew up in southeastern Texas walking barefoot and catching crawdads as they swam the creek beds. Her childhood ran rampant with talk of ghosts, demons, and backcountry folklore, inspiring her first short story about a poisonous flower that shot toxins onto curious children. Her classmate bought it for all the change in his pocket. Not long after, her mother packed the two of them up and headed to the central coast of California. She has explored the vast area ever since, using it as a catalyst to her writing, from journaling to fitness articles to fiction. She holds a bachelor’s degree, and is pursuing her master’s, in holistic theology and believes this helps her to see the world through a more colorful and accepting lens.
In writing, her publisher labeled her 2024 debut novel as a paranormal thriller. She would have described it as a cozy murder mystery with generous dashes of magic realism, showing that she loves to merge genres. Her trilogy — Murder, Tea & Crystals — released book one – Murder Under Redwood Moon in March 2024; book two – Moonset on Desert Sands in March 2025; and the final book in the series- Hummingbird Moonrise released October 2025! All three books became an Amazon #1 Best Seller in the Occult Supernatural genre.
You can follow the author at:
Website: www.sherridodd.com
Instagram: @Sherri.Dodd.Author
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