Jagged Feathers The White Rune Series Book 2
Military Romance, Romantic Suspense
The Wild Rose Press, Inc
January 31, 2022
334 pages
Vann Noble did his duty. He served his country and returned a shell of a man, wounded inside and out. With a missing limb and battling PTSD, he seeks healing in an isolated cabin outside a small Texas town with a stray dog that sees beyond his master's scars. If only the white rune's magic can bring a happily ever after to a man as broken as Vann.
On the run from hired killers and struggling to make sense of her unexplained deadly mission, Nakina Bird seeks refuge in Vann's cabin. She has secrets. Secrets that can get them all killed.
A ticking clock and long odds of living or dying, create jarring risks.
Will these two not only survive but find unexpected love along the way? Or, will evil forces win and destroy them both?
2022 RCA Author Interview with Jan Sikes
Interview by Sherry Perkins
As a one-time military spouse, I do love some military romance. So does Jan Sikes. In fact, she likes it so much that she writes it but with a paranormal twist. Join Jan as her returning warriors and the women they love join forces and conquer their demons.
Vann Noble showed up as a character in Ghostly Interference, the first book of The White Rune Series, when he delivered a letter to my main character from her deceased brother. That letter held the white rune that then got passed from book to book, so his part in the story was essential.
But when Vann showed up, he touched my heart and I knew he needed to tell his story. And he needed a chance at a happy-ever-after. He had so many physical and mental obstacles to overcome from a severe war injury that left him with an amputated leg and PTSD. So, he needed a heroine that would accept him as he was and help him conquer these debilitating issues. And what better way than with a primal need to protect her? She came with some heavy life-threatening baggage. Together, they had lots to work through.
2. What bit of advice you would give to new writers?
Take your time. There’s always the urge to rush to get your first book published but I advise you to take your time, make it the best it can be, and, most of all, don’t skip the editing process. There is nothing that will kill a good story faster than a book riddled with errors. It isn’t easy to write a book, but if you have a passion to tell a riveting story, go ahead and do it. Don’t procrastinate. Get started and see where it leads.
Besides a good story, my book touches on some of the raw and honest issues that many men returning from war face. Then, my female character brings another layer of conflict into the story with her psychic abilities that she struggles to accept and understand. It is a multi-dimensional story with some steamy romance scenes.
“Wait.” Vann held up his hand. “Start at the beginning. Who gave you the package?”
“My boss, Mr. Gordon.” She paused and coughed into her arm. “I worked for a law firm in Newton. I’ve only been there a couple of months.”
“Okay. Go on.”
“So, I came to work on a Friday morning, and there were two Latin American men dressed in expensive suits waiting to see Mr. Gordon. They weren’t on his schedule, and I’d never seen them. He hadn’t arrived yet, so I asked them if they wanted to wait. But Mr. Gordon didn’t come in. When I tried to call him, he didn’t answer. I started getting a bad feeling. And I got flashes of men with angry faces, cursing, and the sound of a shovel connecting with hard ground.”
“What did you do?” Vann tried to imagine her fear.
She cleared her throat. “I told the men that I didn’t know where Mr. Gordon was, and he wasn’t answering his phone. They left after an hour or so.”
“Who do you suppose they were?”
“I’m getting to that. Almost the minute the two men were out of sight, Mr. Gordon crawled through the window in his office and called for me. He was disheveled and looked as though he’d been trekking through the woods, with dirt and pieces of leaves and grass on his clothes.”
“I hope you locked the office door behind the two men when they left.”
“I hadn’t, but as soon as Mr. Gordon came in, I did. He was wild-eyed and almost incoherent. He shoved this package in my hands along with the key and told me to deliver them. Then he handed me a bus ticket. I was totally freaked out and tried to ask questions. The only thing he said was that the Montoya Cartel was going to kill him. He said this package would take care of his wife and son and that I was the only person he trusted to deliver it.”
Vann scrubbed his chin and leaned forward. “The Montoya Drug Cartel?”
Nakina nodded.
“That’s who is after you?”
“I suppose so. I was on the bus, and I kept getting a strong premonition they were following, but I couldn’t figure out where to get off or what to do. When I’d ran from the office, I only grabbed my backpack and not my purse. That was a big mistake because I didn’t have any money. And then my phone died, and I didn’t have any way to get a charger.”
“How did you wind up in Cedar Springs?”
“When the bus stopped, I decided it was time to make a run for it. I thought I could hide for a few hours and then catch the next bus to Dallas. But, every time I got close to the bus station, I saw them. So, I hid in the alleyways behind dumpsters until the morning you found me.” She stopped and bent over, coughing. “That’s how I got sick.”
“So you hadn’t had any food and were exposed to the elements for days before I found you?”
She nodded. “I managed to find a few scraps to eat. Enough to keep me alive. I truly don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t come along when you did. I had decided to try to make it to either a fire or police station and figured I would find them in the middle of town somewhere.”
“Then why wouldn’t you let me take you to the police?”
“Because then I got even more scared. What if they were in cahoots with them? All I can say is that it was a strong feeling.”
Vann leaned back in the chair and stretched his legs in front of him. “You don’t know what’s in the package?”
She shook her head.
“I think it’s time to find out.”
ABOUT JAN SIKES:
Jan Sikes writes compelling and creative stories from the heart.
She openly admits that she never set out in life to be an author. But she had a story to tell. Not just any story, but a true story that rivals any fiction creation. The entertaining true story comes to life through fictitious characters in an intricately woven tale that encompasses four books, accompanying music CDs, and a book of poetry and art.
And now, this author can’t find a way to put down the pen. She continues to write fiction and has published numerous award-winning short stories.
She published her debut paranormal romance novel, Ghostly Interference, Book 1 in The White Rune Series, in 2020, which won a bronze medal award from Reader’s Favorite. Jagged Feathers, book 2 of that series, won an Honorable Mention from Reader’s Favorite, took 4th place in the North Texas Book Festival Book Awards Contest, and is nominated for the 2022 Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice awards. Saddled Hearts, Book 3, released on October 19, 2022, earned 5-star reviews from Reader’s Favorite, and a crowned heart review from InD’Tale Magazine.
Jan is an active blogger, an avid fan of Texas music, and a grandmother of five. She resides in North Texas.
CONTACT JAN SIKES AND ORDER Jagged Feathers, and The White Rune Series AT:
UNIVERSAL LINK: https://linktr.ee/Rijanjks
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00CS9K8DK
AUTHOR WEBSITE: http://www.jansikes.com/
BLOG: https://jansikesblog.com/
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jan-sikes
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanSikesBooks
PINTREST: http://www.pinterest.com/jks0851/
TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/jansikes3
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC__OEL3TxJ2MV5eYkUdz_7w