Charleston, South Carolina is one of the most-visited cities in the United States. History buffs love its prominent role in both the American Revolution and the U.S. Civil War. Architecture enthusiasts thrill at the sight of the gorgeous homes and public buildings, the wrought iron gates, and antebellum plantations as well as so many beautiful churches that Charleston is nicknames the “Holy City.” Others come for the woven sweetgrass baskets, the carriage tours, and the city’s international reputation as a foodie paradise with eclectic regional cuisine and acclaimed restaurants.
Who knew it was also the epicenter of dangerous magic and malicious supernatural activity?
Welcome to the world of the Deadly Curiosities novels and short stories.
Trifles and Folly is an antique and curio shop located in the heart of historic, haunted Charleston and it hides a big secret. Since its founding over three hundred and fifty years ago, Trifles and Folly is the front for the Alliance, a coalition of mortals and immortals who get dangerous magical objects off the market and out of the wrong hands. When they succeed, no one notices. When they fail, the devastation gets usually gets chalked up to a natural disaster.
Cassidy Kincaide is the current owner of Trifles and Folly, which has passed down through her family since its founding. Cassidy is a psychometric—able to read the history and magic of objects by touching them. She always regarded her talent as an oddity until her Uncle Evann died and willed the store to her. Along with Trifles and Folly came its mission for the Alliance and Cassidy’s new business partner, Sorren. Cassidy has had to learn how to manage her gift to keep it from knocking her flat on her butt with every particularly vivid vision. She’s also learned how to use her gift defensively to draw on the remembered magic or power remaining in an artifact. Cassidy is protected by a ghostly golden retriever, the spirit of her old dog, Bo. She also has a lively Maltese dog named Baxter.
Teag Logan is Cassidy’s assistant store manager at Trifles and Folly. He was working on his Ph.D. in History until he found his true calling with the Alliance. Teag has Weaver magic, the ability to weave spells into fabric, which also enables him to weave data streams together to access hard-to-find information, making him one hell of a hacker. Teag is a champion mixed martial artist, excelling in the Filipino style of fighting as well as Capoeira, a Brazilian fighting tradition.
Sorren founded Trifles and Folly in 1665 and has been its silent partner ever since, working with generations of Cassidy’s family and the Alliance. He’s a nearly six hundred-year old vampire who was the best jewel thief in Belgium before he was turned. Sorren has other shops like Trifles and Folly and other mortal teams of partners all over the world. Sorren doesn’t have magic; the Dark Gift that animates him is magic. In a fight, his speed, strength and accelerated healing provides a significant edge, and he’s been part of the Alliance long enough to have built a large network of supernaturally-gifted friends, both mortal and immortal.
Between the two novels and the many short stories and novellas, the Deadly Curiosities world has a large supporting cast. Some of those people are also part of the Alliance, and use their magic in the fight against supernatural threats. These characters recur from one adventure to another, drawn in when their magical and fighting skills can help turn the tide. I enjoy these ‘secondary’ characters tremendously and love making them quirky and memorable.
Charleston itself is a character in the Deadly Curiosities series, since my intention was that the stories really couldn’t be set anywhere else. I’ve done my best to imbue the books and stories with what I’ve experienced as the quintessential elements—the landmarks, signature foods, gardens, architecture, history and activities. My goal is to show you Cassidy and Teag’s world populated with people they see on a regular basis, many of whom know nothing about their secret role as supernatural vigilantes. Having lived in the South now for twenty years, I try to weave in customs, regional language, and the tastes, smells, sounds and textures that make Charleston unique. I hope that if you have been to the city, the books bring back fond memories and that if you ever visit Charleston, you’ll find it familiar from the books (minus the part about supernatural threats destroying the world).
About the Author
Gail Z. Martin is the author of Vendetta: A Deadly Curiosities Novel in her urban fantasy series set in Charleston, SC (Dec. 2015, Solaris Books); Shadow and Flame the fourth and final book in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (March 2016, Orbit Books); The Shadowed Path (June 2016, Solaris Books) and Iron and Blood a new Steampunk series (Solaris Books) co-authored with Larry N. Martin.
She is also author of Ice Forged, Reign of Ash and War of Shadows in The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven, Dark Lady’s Chosen); The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn, The Dread) and the urban fantasy novel Deadly Curiosities. Gail writes three ebook series: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures, The Deadly Curiosities Adventures and The Blaine McFadden Adventures. The Storm and Fury Adventures, steampunk stories set in the Iron & Blood world, are co-authored with Larry N. Martin.
Her work has appeared in over 20 US/UK anthologies. Newest anthologies include: The Big Bad 2, Athena’s Daughters, Heroes, Space, Contact Light, With Great Power, The Weird Wild West, The Side of Good/The Side of Evil, Alien Artifacts, Cinched: Imagination Unbound, Realms of Imagination, Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens.
Find her at www.DeadlyCuriosities.com, on Twitter @GailZMartin, on Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms, at DisquietingVisions.com blog and GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com, on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/GailZMartin and free excerpts on Wattpad http://wattpad.com/GailZMartin.
