Drouth

First Page

March 1935

Libation, Kansas

In the space between drunk and sober there’s a borderland where reality is nothing more than a hazy blur with sharp edges. Alice took a gulp of the storm that headed toward her and thought that the beginning of a duster must be like the first few shots of whiskey; bitter but invigorating, with a nasty bite that stings the next day. She didn’t drink, but she knew what it was to be drunk, and this storm already had her stumbling.

Wind punched her cheeks and grabbed at her dark waves of hair as though trying to drown her under the cold press of the gusts. Swiping the strands from her face, she turned to check on the cloud that churned on the horizon. 

“Shit.”

Wind snatched the word from her lips and flung it forward, burying it in grit. The storm would envelop her in fewer than ten minutes. If she wanted to keep her wits about her she had to keep moving. 

A marauding band of shadows followed her progress along the edges of the darkening sky. Outlined in a blur of white and gold, the static of the storm crackled around their misty bodies like the gold sparks of a firework. They were almost beautiful as they played in the electricity from the storm. Alice envied the ease with which they lapped up the duster, how they floated on the static like they were in the arms of a cool stream. 

Pitch

At 109,000 words, DROUTH is historical fantasy set in the American dust bowl. DROUTH combines the macabre terror of The Year of the Witching with the strength of women’s endurance found in The Four Winds and the dark optimism of the musical Hadestown. It is the perfect fit for readers who love sweeping tales of magic, love, and heartbreak. DROUTH is a stand-alone novel with series potential.

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