Shadows of Nightshade by Lyla Oweds
Publication date: March 8th 2023
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
I dream of a time where I was warm, safe, and loved.
But my waking reality is starkly different.
Anxiety plagues me and spirits haunt the shadows. No matter how fast I run, I can’t seem to escape my past.
The only solace and steady force in my life is my best friend, Finn.
And now… there’s a ghost haunting me. And I’m not certain if it wants help or if it wants to kill me. There’s only one person who can understand: Finn’s brother, Damen.
However, in reaching out, I’m betraying Finn and setting things into motion that cannot be undone.
But nobody ever said that doing the right thing was easy.
—
The Garden of Eternal Flowers is a re-envisioning of my Grimm Cases series. Eternal Flowers has taken my original vision of Bianca’s story and transformed it into something new and beautiful. Some chapters are similar, and some dialogue is the same, as The Grimm Cases, Origins, but overall, about 75% of the book has been entirely revisioned with new plot points, mystery, and interpersonal relationships. Also, unlike Origins (originally a Wattpad release), there is now a clear beginning, climax, and conclusion in each individual novel, which allows them to be read alone or as part of the ongoing series.
I hope that you will enjoy Shadows of Nightshade as much as I enjoyed writing it. Truly, it is an honor to write about Bianca and her boys, and all of these characters are near and dear to my heart.
Trigger Warning: This series deals with the aftermath of severe childhood trauma.
EXCERPT: What irony Bryce and my first private conversation would
take place because of my weakness. Sleeping in class. It was a shameful thing,
and an ultimate insult to educators worldwide.
What would he do? I had no idea of the standard procedure for this sort of
offense. Getting into trouble at school had been Finn’s job. How did professors
punish college students? If the situation were reversed, and Bryce were my
student, I would expel him.
Hopefully, he was more forgiving than me.
My unknown future worried me, however. It was high time to research.
However, I wouldn’t look on the internet. Even though my fingers itched to
search ‘sneaky professor punishes a bad girl’ to gain an accurate picture of my
fate, I suspected it might not be a good idea.
I’d only recently come to terms with the knowledge that I’d been living in a
sheltered world. I was hesitant to explore the world out from behind the safe
filter I’d been hiding behind.
What if there was a reason? What was so horrible about the internet that made
everyone think it was better to hide the truth?
My stomach twisted at the thought of bothering Damen over such a trivial
matter. He was an important person. But… I was scared.
He’d said I could text him anytime. Did he mean it?
Me: I have a question.
I wasn’t expecting a quick reply—if he even bothered to send one at all—but my
phone vibrated only seconds later.
Damen: Hi, baby girl. ♥ What’s your
question?
My face flushed—I’d officially received my first emoji. Did this mean I could
use one too?
Not yet. This situation was dire.
Me: How do professors punish bad students? It’s kind of scary and I’m all
alone.
As my question was sent, a weight lifted from my shoulders, and I fell back
into my seat, relieved. Knowing that someone out there would be honest with me
and would steer me right was a different sort of feeling. Now, I could just—
Damen: Where the fuck are you?
AUTHOR BIO:
Writing is her moonlighting passion, and she loves having the opportunity to share her perspective as a disabled (profoundly hard of hearing) woman. During the daylight hours, Lyla works as a principal / lead design and development specialist focusing on user experience and accessibility. When not working, Lyla is usually indulging in one of her many hobbies such as amusing her children, gardening, crocheting, interior decorating, baking, cooking, or playing video games.
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
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