December 2021
Dear friends,
After several years, I've finally finished writing The Scars We Choose, Book Two and am releasing it on Tuesday, December 21, 2021.
Because the completion of Scarlett and Julian's story is kind of a big deal to me, this month's Haint Bluesletter is dedicated (for the most part) to the series.
Here's what I'm most excited about sharing with you this month:
-
Book One is FREE 12/13-12/17
-
Book Two includes a bonus backstory
-
Character muses are included below
If you celebrate the holidays, I wish the merriest and happiest of seasons and a bountiful new year. Otherwise, no matter who is reading this, I wish you peace and prosperity in 2022.
As always, thank you for supporting this indie writer's dreams!
Love and light,
Mandy
book two is finally here!
Before you read Book Two...
Be sure you've read Book One!
Click on the image below to grab your copy of Book One.
12/21/2021
Scarlett Rose has a story to finish, and like her name, it doesn’t entirely belong to her.
Fifteen years have passed since she ran away and built a new life in New Orleans—fifteen years without speaking to her mother, Faye Waverly, the person responsible for separating her from Julian Rose, the scarred boy whose magical eyes and mysterious rum bottles have never stopped haunting... and finding her.
Now, after nearly two decades of estrangement, Faye has called Scarlett back to the Waverly family’s sprawling Georgia estate to care for her ailing father, Roy. Leaving Louisiana means allowing her mother to interfere with her life again, which has consistently resulted in heartache. She’ll have to leave behind the sisterhood she’s formed with Pinkie Perideaux and her adoptive daughter, Genevieve, who is slowly recovering from severe amnesia.
When Scarlett settles in Georgia, she remains in touch with the women, continuing her story, including how she lost Julian Rose for what she believed was forever. As she shares her memories, she not only uncovers Genevieve Perideaux’s true identity, but in making good on a promise to Ms. Pinkie, secrets are revealed, and they connect the Vodou Seer to everyone Scarlett loves most.
As time passes, Scarlett worries that Ms. Pinkie’s third and final binding ritual—the one performed to bring Julian back to her again—has failed. But the magical woman remains hopeful, and with nothing to lose, Scarlett has no choice but to wait and see.
The second book in a two-part series, The Scars We Choose is a reflective story about how we define love, the ways in which we cope when overcoming adversity, and the consequences that can arise when we allow other people, places, and events to affect our decisions, and ultimately, our happiness.
book one is FREE 12/13 - 17!
.jpg)
.jpg)
book two: bonus short story
With every purchase of Book Two, receive a free bonus short story:
the backstory for one of the series' most puzzling characters.
reviews.
"I have no clue how to go about reading other books without comparing them to this."
Did you read one of my books?
You did?! Have you left a review yet? If so, THANK YOU!! If not, please do consider. Reviews are what keep indie books like mine afloat amongst the sea of novels available to readers like you and me.
Click the buttons below to leave a kind review on Amazon and Goodreads.
A. Lee Hughes
Mandy Lee
books similar to TSWC series
If you enjoyed...
...then you'll love
help an indie author out?
on a personal note...
The Scars We Choose
Album of Muses
Of writing, two things can be true: art imitates life and authors always inject aspects of themselves into their work. Both points lend to the reason why it took me so long to write Book Two.
You see, one of the main characters, Roy Waverly, was fashioned after my father, Ray Moore. In Book Two, you'll discover what happens next with Scarlett's father... a future my own Daddy didn't have a chance to see.
I explain more in the acknowledgements section of Book Two, but for now, here is a photo of my Daddy. When I wrote Roy Waverly, this is the guy I saw. I think about my Daddy every single day, but especially on December 8.
Wonder what the other main characters look like? Here are their muses.
This is my Granddaddy Don, the kindest man I've ever known.
Griz is one of my best friends!
This is my Granddaddy, my favorite person when I was a little girl. You'll meet Fred Frye in Book Two.
I thought of The Green Mile's John Coffey when writing Zeke.
Hello! It's so nice to meet you.
About Mandy
In her more than thirty years as a storyteller and visual designer, Amanda “Mandy” Hughes has written and designed more than a dozen works of upmarket, literary, and women’s fiction under pen names A. Lee Hughes and Mandy Lee.
She is the founder of Haint Blue Publishing Company, LLC, an editing and design service that helps indie writers achieve their self-publishing goals.
Mandy is a tarot enthusiast with over seven years’ experience using the cards to enhance creativity. She lives in Georgia with her husband and two boys, both furrier than the two who recently left the nest (but not by much).
Follow her on Instagram
