NEW RELEASE
Book Title: Light from the Grave
Author: Sara Dobie Bauer
Publisher: Carnation Books
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow Designs
Release Date: October 24, 2023
Genres: Paranormal M/M romance
Tropes: witches, anti-hero, age gap
Themes: grief, mental health, redemption, family
Heat Rating: 2 flames
Length: 94 000 words/374 pages
It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
I’m what nightmares are made of, but I’m not sure who’s more dangerous: him or me.
Blurb
In the world of witches, Keller Rex is a legendary monster—a dark sorcerer with a gift for suffering. He has long been the protector of the Zayne coven and their ancestral home in Charleston, South Carolina. When the family matriarch, Vivian Zayne, dies under mysterious circumstances, he is tasked with finding the only person who can open her sealed Book of Shadows: the son no one knew she had.
Dylan Quinn has never bothered to figure out why cats follow him everywhere, but it’s been that way for as long as he can remember. After the unexpected passing of his adoptive mother, he had to make a new home for himself in small-town Ohio. Things have been quiet ever since, but lately, there are strange voices in his dreams and a sense of being watched.
When a striking Southern gent appears in town, Dylan welcomes the distraction. Keller is handsome and charming, but Dylan can tell there’s something else, something eerie about him. And he discovers he's right, as Keller goes from being Dylan’s seducer… to his abductor.
Now back in Charleston, Dylan’s newfound family is shocked when it’s discovered his magical affinity is for death itself. Despite his fears, he’ll need to learn to control his terrifying powers in order to open the Zayne Book of Shadows. He also needs to keep his coven safe, and time is running out. The estate's protective wards expire on Halloween, and power-hungry witches from all over are ready to pounce.
While Dylan’s awakening darkness threatens to overwhelm him, Keller finds himself confronted by feelings he thought long dead. Keller will do anything to protect his young necromancer and open Vivian’s Book of Shadows, but the Zaynes are in for a surprise when Dylan resurrects someone he shouldn’t.
Excerpt
Dylan stood by his kitchen island drinking a glass of water and froze at the sudden arrival in his home. Keller moved with inhuman speed. He appeared right in front of Dylan, who gasped and dropped his glass, which shattered on the wooden floor at their feet. Taking hold of Dylan’s shirt, Keller shoved the smaller man against the fridge.
“What are you?”
Dylan’s chin trembled. “What?”
Keller clenched his teeth. “What are you?”
“I-I don’t understand, but I’d really like you to leave please.”
Keller let go of Dylan. He chuckled and paced halfway across the small apartment and back. He was tired of playing games, tired of trying to work his magic on someone who seemed impervious to his influence, so Keller chose truth. “Your family is waiting,” he said. “Long story short: your biological mother is dead. She was a bitch who won’t be missed, and there is no time to spare. Several lives depend on you, so we need to go. Now.”
“What the fuck, man?” His words shook. “I don’t know who you think I am, but my biological mother died giving birth to me. That’s why my adopted mom agreed to give me her family name.”
“Zayne,” Keller said.
Dylan took a startled step back and again rammed right into the fridge. “How do you know that?”
“Because your biological mother did not die giving birth to you. She died a week ago.”
“How?”
Keller snorted. “That’s up for debate.”
“I don’t—”
Keller held up a hand between them, a silent but visible order for Dylan to listen. “Your biological mother’s name was Vivian Zayne, and she was a very powerful witch. We, as her coven, didn’t know you existed until the reading of her will. Imagine our surprise.”
Dylan’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You come from a family of witches.”
“Witches aren’t real.”
“Are you sure?”
Dylan didn’t look sure of anything. He looked like a frightened child.
Keller leaned his elbows on the kitchen island. “How long have cats been following you?”
“They’re just … cats,” Dylan said. “They follow everyone.”
“They follow you. How long have they been following you? Your whole life, I assume.”
Dylan glanced at the row of cats watching from his bedroom doorway.
“We call them familiars.” Keller clicked his tongue and stood. “Now, you may continue to have an internal crisis on the drive to Charleston. You’re coming with me. You don’t have a choice.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” He reached for the chain around his neck—a nervous tic Keller had noticed before—but his fingertips found nothing.
With that, Keller leaned his head back and roared with laughter. He didn’t have much time to enjoy his dark amusement though, because even if Dylan didn’t believe in witches, he did believe in that necklace.
When the boy charged for his bedroom, Keller sprung into action. He wrapped his arms around Dylan’s upper body and held him captive against his chest, but Dylan still struggled against him, struggled to reach the necklace Keller saw hanging on the lamp by Dylan’s bed.
Keller spoke with his lips against Dylan’s ear. “All you had to do was wear that necklace, and I couldn’t control you. What a day to forget to put it on, hmm?”
In his arms, Dylan gave up fighting but did tremble with silent tears.
“Shh,” Keller whispered. “I’ll only hurt you if you make me.”
Dylan started shouting. He called out for help, but Keller covered his mouth with his hand and subdued his screams. The dampness of Dylan’s warm breath mixed with the saltwater of his tears against Keller’s palm.
Then, something strange happened. Keller found himself thrown backwards. He landed with a thud against Dylan’s bedroom wall. Dylan was no longer in his arms. Dylan was also no longer screaming. Keller, recovered from the invisible attack, raised his head to find Dylan standing in front of him—Dylan, but not Dylan. His eyes had gone black, just like they had in the coffee shop. Tiny black veins appeared around his eyes and spread down his cheeks.
Keller stared in wonder while cats hissed from Dylan’s windowpane but came no closer. “There you are, gorgeous,” Keller said.
About the Author
Bestselling romance author.
Bisexual witch.
Feminist. Pro-choice. Anti-censorship.
Timothee Chalamet freak.
Horror movie aficionado.
Vampire mermaid in a past life.
Sara Dobie Bauer somehow survived her party-hard college years at Ohio University to earn a creative writing degree. She lives with her precious Pit Bull in Northeast Ohio, although she’d really like to live in a Tim Burton film.
Author Links
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Giveaway
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Spooky Stuff: Writing Witchcraft as a Witch
By Sara Dobie Bauer, author of Light from the Grave
I suppose you could say I “came out” as a witch about two years ago, although I’d been practicing since I was fourteen, saw The Craft, and thought, “I wanna do THAT.” For the record: witchcraft is not Satan worship or human sacrifice. For most of us—especially me as a “green witch”—witchcraft is about setting intentions, using herbs to heal, and paying attention to the moon.
In Light from the Grave, I got the chance to use my real knowledge to infuse details into the story and characters. In the book, I’d say I’m somewhere between Mama and Uncle Zelig. Mama is a nature witch, who’s into gardening and, well, voodoo. Zelig is a potion master who uses herbs and other, ahem, creepier ingredients to achieve his goals.
Leading man Keller explains it best: “Witchcraft is about intention. It’s about the energy you invoke and channel into whatever work you’re doing.” It’s the same idea as manifestation or even setting goals, to be honest. Witches just use herbs, crystals, candles, and moon cycles to strengthen those “goals.”
Dylan, our hapless baby witch, has to learn all this the hard way. Unlike the rest of the Zayne coven in Light from the Grave, he did not grow up with witchcraft. He thinks he’s going mad for half the book—which does add some lovely comic relief to a story that has very sad elements. (Thank you, adorable and hysterical Dylan.)
There are things in which I do not dabble; love spells are definite no-no’s. Trying to force someone to love you through spell work is like forcing someone with celiac to eat a loaf of bread. The love will be more an illness than a genuine feeling. This might be why I write romance novels. I hate insta-love. I need to watch the characters learn each other and find things to love. I need to watch them conquer conflicts together. Plus, there’s the first kiss, first snuggle, first … you get the idea.
I would also never dabble in dark magic like hexes or curses, which is something Dylan must battle as a necromancer. If one practices dark magic, does that person become darker and darker the more spells cast? In Light from the Grave, Keller certainly believes this, but Dylan fights against the idea, striving to continue to be a “gay ray of sunshine.” Does dark magic make a person inherently dark? That’s a matter of opinion, it seems.
I use witchcraft almost exclusively to heal myself, like the time I made a spell jar to banish my ex-husband’s energy from my house. (Not a curse or a hex, okay? I just wanted positivity!) I also built a rather heart-wrenching spell to ease my own grief after losing my dog.
Of course, there was also the time I pulled a Mama and healed a dying wisteria bush in my yard with overwhelming success. She often tries weaving her long green limbs into my front door, for instance, as if to say, “Hi, Mom!”
I really enjoyed adding my own knowledge to this book, and I hope it adds reliability and Easter eggs for those “in the know.” Even if you are a muggle (kidding), there is power in setting intentions and making goals. And don’t forget connecting with nature; a spooky cemetery walk never hurts. Happy Halloween!
