What’s Willow Lake all about anyhow?

I’ve recently finished a novel called Willow Lake and I’m trying so hard to finish entering edits into my computer.  Editing, you see, is the devil.  Do not dispute this fact–it is plain truth!  Regardless, I figured that since I have finished this piece, I should probably tell my readers about it.  It’s been a while since The Demon King was published and I don’t want everyone to think I’ve just been sitting around on my computer all day looking at pictures of cute little kitty cats.  I do look at them, but I’ve been writing too.

So, off  the top of my head (because I’m too darn lazy to write a real blurb and synopsis at the moment–that comes after edits lol), I’m going to tell you about Willow Lake.   Here goes.

The main character of the story is Celia Burne, a young woman who has just lost her mother and sister (in totally different ways) and has decided to move all the way to LaGrange, Georgia (not Texas, for all you ZZ Top Fans) for serenity and solitude.  She buys a nice old two story farm house with a lake and a gigantic yard (and willow tree) and takes herself, her stuff, and her dog into the next stage of her life with the intentions of starting anew.

Before too long, Celia realizes that she isn’t alone in the new house.  She has a roommate.  A dead one… And not only does she have a dead roommate, but she can see him perfectly and decides they should be friends (or something like that–I can’t give all my secrets away!) and Celia spends most of her nights under the willow tree or in the attic with Gray, the dead guy.  It doesn’t bother Celia that Gray smells like dirt and lake water and has navy blue fabric stitched all over his face, preventing her from seeing what he really looks like.  It doesn’t even bother her that he can’t talk because Gray has other ways of communicating with her.  Also, he has a fondness of bringing her presents.

After a bond is formed between Celia and Gray, she discovers that he’s not the only dead person left on the property, but the other presence is much darker, much more deadly.  Through help from an elderly neighbor/new friend, Velma, Celia begins to put together the pieces of a World War 2 era murder mystery/love triangle, in turn, piecing together Gray’s past.  Gray begins to show Celia bits of his past through his own special form of time travel (or realm travel, if you wish to look at it that way) and Celia is given a gift no other living person has ever been given, to her knowledge.

Toward the end of the story, Celia realizes that Gray is only left behind on earth because he has unfinished business.  She is forced to make a decision–help him finish his business or selfishly keep him from walking through the light.  You, as the reader, will have to ask yourself one thing, though–Is Celia helping Gray or is Gray helping Celia?  The very minute the book is available, I’ll share the purchase links and you’ll have to read the story to unravel the mysteries for yourself.

~Rhiannon Mills.