WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR
Moonset on Desert Sands
By Sherri Dodd
Moonset on Desert Sands: A Witchy Found Family Faces Cursed Shadows in This Atmospheric Paranormal Dark Fantasy (Murder, Tea & Crystals - A Trilogy Book 2)Book Summary
With a traumatic year of fending off a serial killer behind her, Arista has settled contentedly into her temporary home with Auntie in Sedona, Arizona. She enjoys her new job selling all things metaphysical and even has her eye on the hot security guard, Dakota, after her recent breakup with Shane.
But a series of new fainting spells has her worried, and when Auntie witnesses one, they decide the answer lies in her home of Boulder Creek. However, returning means not only dealing with her breakup and its heartache but also the possibility of drawing her bloodthirsty Uncle Fergus to her once safe haven in the redwoods. And this time he has recruited an even more dangerous alliance.
Arista’s closest bonds will be strengthened, but the mounting tension of a death in the desert, a stalker on the streets, and the relentless pursuit of Fergus puts her in dangerous territory, and escaping sorrow proves impossible.
Publisher: Black Rose Writing(March 27, 2025)
AISN: B0DF33L1YW
ISBN: 168513579X
ISBN-13: 978-1685135799
Print length: 331 pages
Purchase a copy of Moonset on Desert Sands
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/168513579X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moonset-on-desert-sands-sherri-l-dodd/1150172801
Bookshop.org: https://tinyurl.com/3wyvb2p7
You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list
https://goodreads.com/book/show/221330223
Author Guest Post: Writing a Standalone Novel is Entirely Different from Writing a Trilogy
With the closing week, you have one task left on your to-do list – a birthday present for your bestie. You could just shop online, bypassing the hassle of congested travel, a sharky parking lot, and shuffling about the store. But you decide to put forth effort. The next option is to pick a store. You may choose Macy’s, where you will enter one door, grab the first thing you see, then leave to get on with your day. Or you can opt for a fully enriched experience at the mall, letting your mind run wild at all the possibilities that lie in wait.
So, it is with writing! An online purchase is akin to a blog post. Short, sweet, and usually something you know well. The single store is a standalone book. There is plenty to find in a standalone; all bases covered and the job gets done. But when you throw a mall into the mix, there choices are endless, and what one store is lacking, you will find another. Just like writing a trilogy, what you do not get written in one book, you can broach in another. Further, your friend may not be the only one who ends up with a rewarding gift.
As an author, I have written all the above. My blog posts are numerous, with items ranging from the animals on my ranch to my favorite horror reads to this very entry on types of writing. Currently, I am awaiting a publishing date for my standalone novel, which has been called women’s lit, thriller, and coming-of-age … basically, a subjective plethora of genres blended for thrills. This stand-alone fulfilled my desire of the based-on-my-true-story to be told and provided me with plenty of opportunities for creative spins and twisty gotchas!
Then you have the trilogy. When you read a trilogy – I think of my favorite, Lord of the Rings – a plethora of mystical elements lie in wait. While J.R.R. Tolkien was known for fantasy, could you have ever guessed that *SPOILER ALERT* the Balrog would pull Gandalf into the black chasm to his death … in the first book?! No! Similar, as a trilogy writer, I did not know how far I would spin my characters or the major revelations they would endure. I took the journey as an author like that of a reader and flowed with what came to mind. Some days I felt contentedness, and the writing reflected my whimsy in quirky, magickal sequences or in the delight of Arista conversing with Royal. Other days, I missed my recently deceased father, and I would write a grief scene, expressing the sadness. At times, I reveled in the minds of the killers – at least one in each book. Nothing quite processes an angry snit like writing out a delightfully wicked scene of a killer toying with his … or her! … prey. Stephen King was right!
Authors differ in taste, but for me, I really enjoy my trilogy streams like my mall excursions. A browsing autumn stroll into Williams Sonoma for their bourbon pecan pie filling and a replacement piece for my Botanical Pumpkin dinnerware. On to See’s for a half-pound of hand-picked chocolates, followed by an updated outfit from Beyond Yoga. I indulge in a quick lunch at Bazille (third floor of our Nordstrom), then descend to the Apple Store for yet another charger. I window shop Cartier’s leopard figurines and Lego’s replica of Minis Tirith on my way back to Macy’s (where I parked) and pick out a lovely gift for my bestie. Such an enjoyable endeavor. Just like the flow of writing my trilogy! Into Murder, Tea, and Crystals, I instilled a foundation of modern-day white witchcraft with a flourishing enrichment of plentiful natural elements, herbs, and crystals, a hearty dash of murder mystery, a generous sprinkle of new adult love, and a pinch of horror-lite. Truly, I found myself at the whim of my psyche, expressing the most magickal blend of delight, turmoil, trial, and resolution that you have not yet read.
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
Book Giveaways
Don’t miss an amazing giveaway of Moonset on Desert Sands and MORE!
View this post on Instagram
Enter at The Muffin from August 25 to September 6.
Cozy Home Delight will also have a giveaway from August 25 through September 1.
A Wonderful World of Words will have the final giveaway from September 8 to September 21.
Leave a Reply