Book Spotlight: The Serpent in the Stone by Nicki Greenwood

Nicki Greenwood graduated SUNY Morrisville with a degree in Natural Resources, which of course has nothing to do with writing novels. She has also worked in a bakery, an insurance agency, a flower shop, and a doctor’s office, which have nothing to do with writing, either. She did spend an awesome two years as an assistant editor for a publisher, and now does freelance editing on the side. Nicki still holds down a day job, which manages to get her out of the house once in a while. She’s been writing since 2010 and loving it.

Nicki lives in upstate New York with her husband, son, and assorted pets. If you can’t find her at her computer, you can always try the local Renaissance Faire.

Contact Nicki through any of the social media on her website. (She’s on Facebook most often, but she really digs Pinterest.)

The Serpent in the Stone by Nicki Greenwood

The Serpent in the Stone (The Gifted Series: Book One) Blurb

Some secrets are deadly.

Sara Markham is used to secrets. She has two of her own: her paranormal powers, and her father’s unsolved murder twenty years ago. The first is a secret she can’t divulge, and the other she yearns to unravel.

When her archaeology firm is tapped to excavate a ruin in Shetland, Sara accepts eagerly, hoping it will help solve the mystery of her father’s death. But she doesn’t anticipate Ian Waverly, a wildlife biologist whose questions worry her even as his rugged magnetism fascinates her. Ian’s more connected to her gifts than she knows, and far more than he wants to admit.

Enemies on sight, Ian and Sara struggle to fight the attraction that blazes between them. But when they are confronted with a decades-old web of lies and corruption, they discover the truth: only together can they heal the heartaches brought by the very darkest of secrets.

This is a spotlight on “The Serpent in the Stone” by Nicki Greenwood

Inspiration to write The Serpent in the Stone…

“Serpent,” in its original draft, was one of the stories I passed around to my friends in high school as I wrote the scenes. For years afterward, even though my friends loved the story, the notebook sat in a drawer. Eventually, when I began writing with the goal of publication, that notebook came back out and went through revisions. Using what I learned about the craft of writing, I turned that draft into what is now my bestselling book. I’m extremely proud of it, and I love that I can share the story with readers again.

What can readers expect from this book?

Sara Markham is no stranger to secrets. She’s spent her life concealing her supernatural abilities while searching for the truth behind her father’s mysterious death. When an archaeology excavation in Shetland promises answers, she jumps at the chance to uncover the past—but she’s not ready for the sizzling chemistry with Ian Waverly, a wildlife researcher stationed on the island. He knows what she is. He’s sworn to hate her. But he can’t resist her, any more than he can stop the danger racing toward them both.

“The Serpent in the Stone” is the first book in the Gifted Series, but it can be read alone. You can read more about “The Serpent in the Stone” at my website, or check out a visual “tour” of the book at my Pinterest page:

https://www.pinterest.com/greenwood0798/the-serpent-in-the-stone-by-nicki-greenwood/

Nicki’s favourite scene from The Serpent in the Stone…

“What – exactly – are you?” Ian demanded.

Alarm bells clanged at the hostility in his voice. Sara had to force her voice past them. “You’ve seen me shapeshift. I can read minds sometimes.”

“I’ve got time for the long version.” He put the necklace back into his pocket. The shuttered look on his face raised panicky flutters in her belly.

She drew a long breath. “Telekinesis. I caught you with telekinesis.”

“How did you get telekinesis?”

“It’s not like they hand it out in stores! It just happened one day. I didn’t know what it was, and I was too scared to tell my parents. I was afraid of it for a long time.”

“When did your father die? How did he die?”

Her thoughts flew to the amulet in Ian’s pocket. “What has any of this got to do with my father?”

“Maybe nothing. Could be more. This stuff might be genetic.”

Icy dread crawled across her skin. “I’m done talking to you.”

Quick as lightning, he reached forward and snatched the boat keys from the ignition. “This necklace has to be important if you’re willing to risk being shot to fix it, Sara. That’s not even going there about you risking me being shot at. You’re not getting it back until you talk.”

She felt naked. Worse than she had at the inlet. Then, she’d seen desire in his eyes.

Now, she saw only hatred. “This isn’t about me,” she said, startled. “It’s about you.”

“Never mind me,” he snapped.

“What is it?” she asked. “What happened to you?”

“How did your father die?”

Pain and betrayal surged anew through every cell in her body, and that little girl from twenty years ago gave a silent wail of outrage. “He. Was. Murdered.”