Rogue Gadda rounds off the BookBabes marathon, and is a surprising guest in my repertoire today: it’s a YA. But for those of you who, like me, might shy away from Young Adult anything, I can only command you to wait! Check this out.
Nicole Murphy has written a delicious piece that strokes all the right notes. Read this excerpt and tell me what you think; does it hook you as much as it did me?
Mixing Like Oil & Water
Charlotte took Anna’s hand. There was a tingle that seemed somehow familiar, but before she could place it the sensation was swamped by feelings of dark ambition, extreme determination and smug superiority.
She’d been right — Anna wasn’t at all a nice person.
Charlotte forced herself to remain professional, and she allowed the memory of Anna and her desires to guide her as she chose the oils.
Eight. It was a small number to select from, but every one of them felt right in a way Charlotte hadn’t really experienced before. Somehow, she felt sure that Anna would require all of them.
She wasn’t happy about that. There was the potential for some disturbing combinations.
“Now, I want you to keep that thought uppermost in your mind and start smelling the oils. If you feel drawn to a particular oil, then go with it. Don’t try to anticipate, don’t try to second-guess yourself. You’ll know when an oil is right. When it is, put it aside.”
Disturbingly, Anna did choose all eight oils — a lot of different scents. Charlotte looked at the selection then up at Anna.
“You kept just one thing in your mind.”
“Oh, yes.” The corners of Anna’s mouth turned up. “It was very easy for me to choose what is important to me.”
“This is more oil than I’ve ever seen anyone choose.”
“What I was thinking about is very complicated.”
Something in her tone, in her eyes, sent a shiver down Charlotte’s spine. “I’ll be interested to see what potion this creates.”
She started to mix them, Anna directing her when a scent began to overpower the others. Finally, Anna held the bowl under her nose, took a sniff and closed her eyes with a smile.
“Perfect,” she said. “You are a talented woman, Charlotte.”
Charlotte took the bowl and started to bring it to her nose, but stopped as soon as the beginnings of the scent reached her. Power. Darkness. Death.
She forced herself to put the bowl down carefully, when she wanted to hurl it across the room. “That’s an amazing formula, Anna.”
“Isn’t it?” The other woman smiled. “It’s the scent of my dreams.”
What do you think?
Doesn’t it just make you wonder? Why is this dark woman looking for a fragrance? Who is Charlotte, and what does she do? You can find answers to all this and more by hieing thyself out rightthissecond and purchasing Rogue Gadda for your very own. You can find it on the Kindle, at the iBook store, and on Kobo. Or, for a deeper taste of Nicole’s strange new world, you can read the longer excerpt.
Nicole’s site also has much more information on the rest of her series.