Hummingbird Moonrise follows the descendants of a man who made violent choices, leading to a family curse forged in dark magick that lasts for five generations. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

As a trilogy, I wanted to make the storyline unique from the other books. With my first two books – Murder Under Redwood Moon and Moonset on Desert Sands – Arista and Auntie are unsuspectingly dealing with ‘symptoms’ of their ascendant’s deeds. They had the unknown serial killer in book one. In book two, they had Arista’s psychotic uncle out for blood. For the final installment, I wanted Auntie and Arista to stumble upon the cause of the continued chaos and misfortune, root it out, and work toward their HEA! The inspiration came from my own maternal grandfather who was not so different than Bethie’s – dog trader, retired Navy, and full-blown cuss – so the character was quite familiar and easy to create.

What is one pivotal moment in the story that you think best defines Arista?

While Arista started this trilogy as an ideological day dreamer in book one, I wanted her to exponentially grow throughout the Murder, Tea, and Crystals trilogy. (The secret revealed – a discreet Coming of Age trope!) In book two, she found her anger as well as grief. But she also learned to better trust her instincts. For Hummingbird Moonrise, Arista finds her truest self at her toughest trial. Without giving it away, the moment when she taps the warrior within her is her defining moment. Also, we cannot overlook that Auntie, a close second of a Main Character, manifests a long-time endeavor in this final installment as well! To have a defining moment in your mid-70s shows that you are never too aged to realize your own greatness!

The Kelly family curse began with one man, generations ago, who left his descendants to continue paying the price for his choices. Do you think there’s a single moment in everyone’s life, perhaps not as traumatic, that’s life-changing?

Each of us has our own experience that contributes to our personality. I’ve read a few books that believe some of it comes from the soul wound that we carry from generations past. If we are lucky, we know what the damage is, as knowing is half the battle! Why do ‘these’ matters trigger us into rage, ‘those’ scenarios bring us to tears, and ‘that’ action cause us to melt into a soft, cuddly lamb. If we take a good look at ourselves yet still cannot ascertain why we react the way we do, a next step may be to inquire with our family members and discover more about our past. 

Where do you see your characters after the book ends?

While I left an interesting development late in Hummingbird Moonrise, and my ideas are vast as to what comes next, it is up to the readers if my characters get to express their next phase of magick and mayhem!

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