One of the themes that runs through the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator series (and probably through most of my books, to tell the truth) is that of personal power. What does Reg (or another character) do when faced with an insurmountable obstacle? In Reg’s case, being a paranormal setting, it may be something as big as a magical being intent on taking over the world. That’s a pretty big obstacle. But in other series, it may also be Chloe’s struggle with homelessness and a traumatic history. Or Renata’s ongoing battle with mito and paranoid schizophrenia.
Like Reg, many of my characters struggle with marginalization, past traumas, finding a place in the community, and knowing who to trust. Reg has had to face some of the challenges in the first 12 books of the series by herself, digging down deep inside herself to find a solution to her problem within herself. But many times, she needs to call on others for help. It is only by combining her power with the knowledge and gifts of others that she is able to overcome what seemed like an impossible situation.
So, let’s talk about some books that include women protagonists accessing their power in the face of opposition!
Magic Ain’t a Game
Blast from the past!
Spring equinox was supposed to be a fun time in Black Sands.
The magical Spring Games are being held in town, with all kinds of new talent and tourists pouring money into the economy. Of course, Reg wasn’t invited to participate, but she figured she’d have a good time watching the entertainment, learning more about how magic works outside of fairy tales, and maybe making some coin with psychic predictions for the tourists.
But instead of the promised state of balance the equinox was supposed to bring, a power shift within the community has disrupted everything, Reg is under investigation for magical crimes, and her footing in Black Sands is more precarious than ever.
“Tell me again how this was all supposed to be fun?”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love this spellbinding series. I know I’ve said this before, but this series really does get better with each book. The magical crimes investigation had me on the edge of my seat throughout. The excellent storytelling combined with well developed characters and a complex plot make this one great read. —Sandy, Goodreads reviewer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Let the games begin. Reg has more to worry about than the games as her past comes back in a unexpected way. I love these magical characters and this series. Looking forward to what comes next. —Kandy, Goodreads reviewer
Like paranormal mysteries? Psychics, witches, fairies, and more! Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author P.D. Workman waves her wand to transport readers to the myth- and magic-filled small town of Black Sands for another paranormal cozy mystery to be solved by Reg Rawlins and her friends.
A self-professed con artist practicing as a contact to the dead, a drop-dead gorgeous warlock, and a psychic cat—what could go wrong?
Fall under Reg’s spell today.
Make it a bundle:
With another angry look, Julian walked away from them.
Reg breathed out slowly, watching him until she could no longer see him. “Good grief. What’s wrong with that guy?”
“You showed great restraint in not lighting him on fire,” Sarah complimented.
Mito
Gabriel has dealt with mysterious medical issues his whole life. Just when he finally thought that they had all of the answers and he was on the road to good health, he is apprehended by DFS on the grounds of medical neglect.
At first, he thought that he would be back home in a few days, once the misunderstanding was cleared up. But when Renata tells Gabriel her crazy conspiracy theories, Gabriel feels the first pangs of doubt. Is there really a conspiracy?
Will he ever be able to get well and go back to his mother, or is he doomed to be another guinea pig for Doctor De Klerk?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The plot was FANTASTIC. I’ve read a lot of stories about foster children, but never anything quite like what happens in Mito. I never even realized that medical kidnap could very well be a thing happening “behind the scenes” in foster care, but after reading this book my mind is blown. I just. Wow. I don’t want to go into a whole lot of detail so I think I might stop this review here, but, gah. I can’t even form words I’m so freaking mind blown.
This book was amazing!!
—Britt, Goodreads reader
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Renata was annoyed, her voice blunt and clipped and her face set. And she was the one who knew what she was doing. She might be younger than Gabriel, but she had far more experience with running away. And so far she had remained at large, in spite of a big network of people looking for her.
Chloe
Chloe had always been the perfect daughter. Diligent, obedient, good at caring for the other children when Mom wasn’t home. She always worked hard and did everything she was asked.
But she couldn’t please her mother and the parade of stepfathers. It seemed like the harder she tried, the worse the abuse got.
Chloe had known for a long time that she was two people. The Chloe who watched and the Chloe who experienced. She had been watching for so long, she wasn’t sure she could feel anything anymore. But if she can’t overcome her past and start living in the real world, she knows she will lose herself forever.
Placed on the In the Margins Committee Recommended Reads, 2018 by Library Services for Youth in Custody.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Chloe’s happy ending is hard-won, and a reminder that there are children (and adults) out there who need help, and that we should never look away when there may be signs of abuse or neglect.
Make it a Bundle!
Chloe shrugged. Yes. They were done. Because she had found the dog and John wouldn’t have it in his house. She waited to see if he would change his mind, having discovered the line that she would not cross. It was just a dog. And she would keep it out of his way. John could have everything else he wanted and the apartment was big enough for all three of them.
John’s face grew dark. Flushed red, hard as flint. An ugly, brutal scowl.
“Get out of here, then. You and that beast just get out of my house.”
And more books…
Desert Rose
Alone in a foreign land, will Jennifer lose her freedom as well as her missing daughter?
In an instant, Jennifer’s life is forever altered.
When her ten-year-old daughter, Sarah, is abducted in Dubai, expats Jennifer and her husband Kevin are thrown into an unimaginable nightmare. With very little help provided by the local authorities and the US Embassy, Jennifer watches her life erode away and the tension in her marriage increase. Driven by rage and desperation, she is forced to make decisions she never thought possible.
An investigation without answers. A cover-up. A conspiracy. A betrayal.
There is no turning back.
What would you do if your child was taken?
The Once and Future Witches
In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.
But when the Eastwood sisters―James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna―join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote―and perhaps not even to live―the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.
Chicago Blue
She’s not a karate expert.
She can’t pick a lock.
And she certainly isn’t a master of disguise…
But Riley is stubborn, and this is her city. She’s not going down without a fight!
If you like female characters who are strong, funny, and real, then you’re going to love Kay Riley, a Chicago cop wrongly accused of a terrorist bombing, and on the run for her life. A wiser woman might flee the country, but Riley is determined to clear her name. Armed with a quick wit and some friends who don’t mind breaking a few laws, Riley becomes an amateur vigilante. Can she stop the killer before they strike again?
Zero Sum Game
Cas Russell is good at math. Scary good. The vector calculus blazing through her head lets her smash through armed men twice her size and dodge every bullet in a gunfight, and she’ll take any job for the right price.
As far as Cas knows, she’s the only person around with a superpower…until she discovers someone with a power even more dangerous than her own. Someone who can reach directly into people’s minds and twist their brains into Moebius strips. Someone intent on becoming the world’s puppet master.
Cas should run, like she usually does, but for once she’s involved. There’s only one problem…
She doesn’t know which of her thoughts are her own anymore.
Feeding Frenzy
Witches — Necromancers — Inappropriate table manners!
The town of Loon Lake looks calm, but below the surface, clans of witches and wizards clash like sharks. First-year student Tonya isn’t privy to her family’s darkest secrets, but when campus is overrun by a deadly eating epidemic, only she can resist the hidden, mind-controlling entity behind it.
Meanwhile, Tonya’s new friends, artist Priya, and Digital Ninjas Drake and Zain, want to create the creepiest art installation Loon Lake Cemetery will ever know. Too bad what’s lurking in the graveyard is deadly.
Untrained and overmatched by occult conspirators, Tonya will need to develop magical abilities she never knew she had. Can she uncover the mystery behind the epidemic and save her town?
Winner of the coveted Watty Award, Feeding Frenzy is a witch’s brew of intrigue with a dollop of comedy, a teaspoon of romance, and a pinch of horror.
Trail of Lightning
While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters.
Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last best hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine.
Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel the rez, unraveling clues from ancient legends, trading favors with tricksters, and battling dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.
As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive.
Multiple Motives
A killer rips her near-perfect life apart… and he’s not finished!
Psychotherapist Kate Huntington helps other people cope with the horrible things that have happened to them, but she herself has led a charmed life—until now. When a series of what seem like random events takes a sinister twist, it becomes apparent that she and her lawyer friend, Rob Franklin, have a common enemy.
But the lead police detective has a different theory. He’s convinced Kate and Rob are lovers and he seems determined to build a case against them. As the attacks escalate, they are forced to investigate on their own. Who hates them enough to want them both dead… and doesn’t seem to mind if others get caught in the crossfire?
Moth Busters
Free July 28- August 1
The Truth is Out There … Way WAY Out There…
Growing up in backwoods Florida, Bobbie Drex has seen it all – from two-headed turtles to two-timing boyfriends. Her life of hard knocks has left her short on cash, but she’s still packing enough snark to give any whack-job a run for his money.
Or so she thinks.
But when a mysterious stranger arrives at her mechanic shop seeking repairs to his rundown RV, suddenly it’s Bobbie who’s in for a complete overhaul…
Norman Bates in a turban. Gonadal twins. Mothman pooper-scoopers.
In an instant, the world she once knew skitters totally off its Southern axis!
Is the mystery man crazy? Or is he the only sane one in the bunch? The more Bobbie discovers about him, the less certain she becomes about reality itself…
Planting Pearls
A new name and a new home.
A scary ex-husband …
And a ghost.
When Selkie Moon escapes her controlling husband to start a new life in Hawaii, she’s under pressure to support herself, while keeping hidden from her ex.
But when she encounters a so-called haunting, Selkie delves into the mystery surrounding an old Honolulu house.
Are there dark forces at work and is a child in danger?
Or is something else going on?
As Selkie gets caught up in something that’s way beyond her skillset, the disturbing events not only hint at secrets buried in her own past, but she unwittingly makes herself a target for the man she’s fleeing from.
Will her mad dash for freedom end in disaster?
Or can she discover the inner strength needed to win?
