I’ve always been fascinated with psychic phenomena and the
occult, and wished I could astral travel.
I was inspired to write Tough
Karma as I was finalizing my first novel, Little Bits of Karma, which is on the sweet and spiritual side of
romance. Two of the troublemaking, minor
characters in Little Bits of Karma
(Amber and Bryce) had a story to tell and came through loud and clear. I found myself Little Bits to make Bryce less mean and
more physically attractive, since I originally wrote his character as cruel and
brutish looking. He wanted me to know
that he was redeemable and open to change, and hopelessly in love with
Amber. I wasn’t sure what to do with
that information because I had written their characters as first cousins. In order to write the story racing through my
mind, I had to make them unrelated. To fix that situation I created an adoption
story for one of them.
Little Bits to make Bryce less mean..."
I wanted Tough Karma
to be a dark and suspenseful novel that focused on latent psychic abilities
coming to the forefront, specifically astral travel. The idea of someone in
astral form spying on a friend or foe and learning a deadly secret was too good
not to write.
Another inspiration for Tough
Karma was the aspect of sleepwalking. Amber is an artist who sometimes
draws pictures while in a sleepwalking state. The content of her drawings is
disturbing, and she has no memory of drawing them. Her pictures foretell past
and future events. My father was a
sleepwalker and I remember my mother telling me funny stories about his nightly
adventures.
I was shocked and amazed at how fast Tough Karma flowed out of my mind and onto the computer. I felt
like I was channeling the characters of Amber and Bryce, so I let them guide
me. They became my best imaginary friends.
The same thing happened for the sequel to Tough Karma, called Dark Karma: Sword of Vengeance.
The characters guided me and changed my original storyline for the
better. If you like to read romantic,
supernatural thrillers with a touch of fantasy, I think you will love Tough Karma and its darker sequel, Dark Karma.
About the Author
Laura Simmons grew up in northern Virginia
and spent most of her career working for various Department of Defense
contractors in the Washington, DC
area. She has a fascination with all things metaphysical. She enjoys writing,
jigsaw puzzles, adult coloring books, vacationing at the beach with her
husband, and studying tarot cards and other types of divination systems.
Website: http://www.littlebitsofkarma.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekarmaseries
BOOK BLURB:
Astral travel and a
deadly secret make for a gripping paranormal romance from start to finish.
Amber Macklin's world is cruelly shattered when she loses
her baby girl three months after her husband's sudden death. Her cousin, Bryce,
comes to her rescue, moving her into his home for fear she will kill herself
from the grief. He provides solace and a shoulder to cry on, and he has loved
her as more than a cousin for a long time. Amber and Bryce soon discover they
are not blood relatives, which opens the door for romance as he pulls her
through her darkest hours. When Mike, a college friend of Bryce's, stops by to
visit, Amber senses a deadly secret behind his nice guy persona. She has a
frightening dream that Mike is trying to kill her and recurring sleepwalking
episodes where she draws detailed pictures of him torturing her. Deeply
troubled, Bryce uses his ability to astral travel to investigate Mike and
uncover his terrifying past. Mike has had his eye on Amber for some time, and
when he learns that Bryce and Amber have become lovers, he is furious. Mike
abducts Amber and takes her to his rural Georgia
hideaway, and Bryce must rely on his astral abilities to track her down. But
will he be too late?
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