Writing GYPSY WITCH by Suz deMello

Every story has a story--that is, every manuscript has its own life cycle, and they're not all alike. The genesis of Gypsy Witch, one of my stories in the Naughty Literati's newest anthology, is a bit more tangled than most.

It all started many years ago, when I worked as a trial attorney in downtown Sacramento, California, where I still live. SacTown has much to recommend it, including a historically significant downtown--at least parts of it are historically significant. Many of the lovely old Victorians were ripped down to make way for high-rise office buildings, but some remain.

An older building that could use a bit of refurbishment is the Masonic Temple at 12th and J Streets. J Street is a major traffic artery in Sacramento--it stretches all the way from the Sacramento River through downtown, midtown, East Sac and then to the American River. Its name then undergoes a change to Fair Oaks Boulevard, which threads its way through the suburbs--Arden-Arcade, where I live, through Carmichael and then to Fair Oaks Village, where I lived when married, over a decade ago.

I used to drive or walk along J Street many times weekly for nearly twenty years, and so noticed the

Masonic Temple. It's faced with stonework, its front door enclosed in a faux Gothic arch. On each side of the arch, a knight stands brooding. I was intrigued by the facade, and after I'd started writing, my imagination awakened those knights with devastating consequences. 

The first draft of the story emphasized the mother and daughter witches, with child Gina testing her abilities. After my writing goals shifted from more mainstream romance to hotter, sexier romances, I rewrote what I had into a steamier tale, which features some fine spellcasting as well as a very wild menage.

Here's what some readers thought about Gypsy Witch:

Suz deMello fills Gypsy Witch with emotion and enough heat to ignite the pages.
4.5 stars
--Elise Lynn, sensualreads.com

I enjoyed this story...

--Rebecca A., Amazon reader

well-written and extremely hot...

--Coffee Time Romance (Goodreads review)

Hope you love it, too!

Buy the anthology here--a $10 value for only 99 cents.

http://tinyurl.com/NHaunts