Attractive news-reporter, Priscilla Hart is guilty of using her charm to con Detective, Logan Payne out of privileged information for a homicide story she is covering. When the killer attacks her, she's forced to turn to the man she swindled for protection. Helping Priscilla is the last thing on Logan's mind. He's more interested in getting her to confess she fabricated the assault to get closer to her sources again. But as the case heats up, Logan finds himself torn between giving in to the smoldering desire he feels for Priscilla and distancing himself from her to focus on the biggest murder investigation of his career. Soon the trail of the predator leads to the unearthing of a mysterious medallion, and an ancient Cajun spell known as Cunja. Priscilla stands at the center of a sadistic voodoo priest's plan for revenge. As the clock of doom winds down, Logan will do anything to save her. But saving her, he soon discovers, is only the tip of the iceberg.
...This book is so good, it captured me from the first page. Cunja is a mysterious, graphic, paranormal, fantasy horror that James Patterson himself would be proud of. I look forward to reading more from author Donnette Smith!
-Carlette, blog talk radio host
...Cunja grabs the reader in the first few paragraphs, and like the teeth of a ravenous lion, does not let go until the end. Mrs. Smith has delivered with Cunja and is an author to be reckoned with. We will hear from her again.
-Jack Strandburg, author
...The author Of Cunja has done a fabulous job of meshing a truly terrifying idea with the well known and still respected ghosts of New Orleans. It was an honor to read this novel and it's one I will definitely read again. This book has it all. It will not disappoint.
-Night Owl Reviews
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A bit about my journey as a writer
It amazes me how we know at a young age what we're meant to do in life. It's like the one thing that comes so natural to us, people can't help but take notice. For me this was writing. But as most writers can tell you their journey to the published word is filled with frustration, desperation and, yes...a sense of accomplishment. Mine began in 1993 at the green age of 20, when I realized the only way to find solace from the need to write, was to, well...write.
I remember sitting up late at night when my husband and children were asleep. Alone in my kitchen chair, pen poised, I began writing my first novel. It wasn't long until I saved enough money to buy a Smith Corona typewriter. God, I loved that thing. Yeah, I know, this was when that savvy invention called the computer would have come in handy, but raising a family took precedence over affording such a luxury. Okay, getting back to the story. So, in the midst of happily sitting at my table and typing up my story, I ran across this book that demonstrated how to format a manuscript, write a query and synopsis. Now this thing was super cool, and I had to have it.
I rushed to the library and checked out a copy, then got back home as quickly as I could and read it cover to cover. Next came the query letter. Well, it sounded good to me, but the agent I sent it to didn't share my enthusiasm. I admit, it was a train-wreck. Those were the days. The rejection letter broke my writer's heart, and I gave up. Yup, just like that. In my state of devastation, I couldn't find it in my heart to pack up that Smith Corona and shove in the back of a closet somewhere where I'd never have to look at it again. Instead it sat on my table, next to my completed manuscript and my Websters Dictionary.
A few months later my house caught fire. My beloved typewriter was a hunk of melted junk. My dictionary, charred. The manuscript sat there, not so much as an ash touched it. Was God trying to tell me something? If he was, I ignored it for the next 10 years. Then I took a job at a local newspaper as one of their journalists. I put in long hours for little pay, but it awoke that writer in me again that I'd buried so long ago. This time there was no stopping me. I dug out that old manuscript and quit my job at the paper to concentrate on whipping it into shape. How many drafts did I write? That I couldn't tell you. I can tell you after many rejections, feedback, and critiques, Lady Gabriella grew into the kind of story I always dreamed it would be.
To read more about Lady Gabriella, including reviews and excerpts click here
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