books
The Gift Series
The brain’s abilities are underused, underestimated, and largely unexplored.
The heroines of these stories are diamonds in the very rough who have The Gift from family propensities. They use their mind reading abilities to make the world a safer place while relying on their spiritual beliefs to filter and address others’ motives and actions. As the line of books develops, the focus of The Gift and its true source will be discovered. Each book, preferably read in the order below, presents The Gift, introduces a new set of characters, and presents scenarios of interaction between characters from past books.
Caveat Emptor
Books by KB may contain conservative viewpoints, religious ideologies, politically incorrect scenarios, a few naughty words, occasional, mildly inappropriate behaviors, activities beyond ‘neuro normal’, and plain old imagination.
Ms. Susanna, The Road to Real
Susanna Masters thought teaching had been tough! Retirement arrives with multiple catastrophes, trials, and sorrows as she races headlong into more trouble than she could have ever imagined.
Living in rural Georgia her entire life had not prepared Ms. Susanna for interacting with the elegant business mogul, Vladimir Kasun. As one of many potential buyers for her property, he takes personal interest in protecting her from the threats that had assailed her. Susanna’s immediate fascination with her ‘soul mate’ throws her entire family into dangerous adventures and a new life. Life’s delights surprise her as she falls in love faster than any heroine whose life she had crafted in her unpublished novels.
Will Susanna find happy-ever-after is a perfect storyline ending or “just a sweet, stay tuned” saga?
Ms. Anya, The Gift Revealed
Unemployed and searching for purpose, Anya Galloway Archer’s knight in shining armor, Bowie Bonner, offers her a dream job as a model. The Yankee clothing designer doesn’t have a clue his new employee, though unskilled in modeling, will turn his company tail-over-teakettle by nightfall. Anya’s expertise in business and marketing sends Bonner Fashions into overdrive, but it’s her hereditary, paranormal bonding that shifts Bowie and Anya into spontaneous attraction warp speed.
Back in Georgia, Anya’s family business is at risk. When she returns to remedy the situation, she runs into a powerful, rogue militia. The criminal cadre is exacting its own brand of genocide on kidnapped Americans and unsuspecting illegals being smuggled into the country. As Anya accepts and uses her Gift, others in her family take ownership of their own skills and join her to defeat evil.
Will Anya’s Gift drive a wedge in her new relationship? Will The Gift cause moral downfall, or will it become Anya’s life’s purpose?
Ms. Madison, Loose Ends and Unexpected Beginnings
Madison Blackstone, computer genius and part-time FBI analyst, finds herself in the midst of another complex, criminal conspiracy. New treacheries arise by the machinations of some of the same players that had plagued her family several years ago.
As an emotional late bloomer, her adventure leads her to develop her self-concept beyond her Asperger’s tendencies. Falling in and out of love is another step into adulthood’s challenges. Madison’s coming of age transition reveals her sweet nature and personal struggles to understand herself and her Giftings.
Her uncanny understanding of the criminal mind allows her to have almost unlimited security clearance that helps her solve the crimes. But when she learns the true source of her Gifts, will she have the confidence to continue her sleuthing? Will continuing to pursue just retribution for unpunished felons lead her back into the darkness?
Can she accept the Gift and the wise advice she has previously rejected?
Ms. Sierra, For Such a Time as This
Sierra Knowles identifies as a scarred, undesirable freak. Though a successful, Atlanta businesswoman, Sierra suffers abuse from family and others until she resists their disapproval. Rejection by her savior and hero, Captain Kasey Knells, drives Sierra to a new, confident life until her job involves her with a group of dangerous traffickers. Captain Knells comes with a surprising troop of heroes and swoops her to safety and into their unusual lifestyle. Learning she had been manipulated and now shares a supernatural bond with the crime fighters, Sierra rebuffs their alliance.
During a period of unexplainable darkness and self-obscurity, Sierra connects to childhood friends who care for her during her trials. Kasey’s group and Sierra’s old friends find mutual strengths to combat the traffickers who are expanding their criminal enterprise to San Juan. Their confrontation of good versus evil brings little resolution.
Back in Georgia, Sierra uses her natural business skills and extraordinary powers to launch a new enterprise which could change the lives of thousands. The traffickers take another stab at eliminating Sierra. Who will be the hero this time?
Will Sierra’s unusual skill set help defeat the true enemies to allow her to explore her life options?
Ms. Sina, They Called Me Angel
Missionaries’ daughter, Sina Dahlgren, was trafficked at an early age and faced horrendous trials that resulted in a fractured personality. In her freed adulthood, the strangely pigmented public speaker and crusader finds hope in the skills of brain surgeon and researcher, Dr. Eric Kim Galen. With heavenly aid and the help from the irresistible doctor, Sina must constantly confront her normal character traits as well as deal with residual emotional challenges and weaknesses to become whole. As she struggles in the physical realm, she is given special abilities to recognize and fight spiritual battles. Sina finds the combined strength and giftings to free her from her past and set her on a new life path, but will her newly bonded personality hold as she confronts Dr. Galen’s vices and emotional disconnects? Constantly threatened by Dr. Galen’s former lover and the one who sold her as a child, Sina must choose to forgive or destroy. Is her urge to annihilate the monsters stronger than God’s love?
Will she ever find ‘normalcy’ and the home she always wanted?
Ms. Emily, The Ignis Fatuus Ploy
What was she thinking? Emily Thurston, Atlanta surgeon and avowed city girl ends up in the mountain backwoods north of Atlanta after winning an invitation to a horror-writing seminar. Little did she know her daughter, Clarissa, and their creative writing teacher, Zane Grant, intend to set her up romantically with his dissembling dad and famous author, Zachary Grant. The kids are determined to win a trip to the Bahamas from an ongoing contest perpetrated yearly by Zachary’s family.
In the midst of expanding her writing skills, she and the class of imaginative sleuths-in-training seek to find the culprits who caused the mayhem that plagues the property. The bodyguards brought in to protect the ladies end up needing protection from the matchmaking plans of the older members of the class.
Health issues and an immediate attraction to her teacher cause Emily to question her life’s trajectory. When she is threatened by the class bully, she must use her past experiences to protect her future.
Will her ignis fatuus ploy keep her from a chance at love?
Ms. Pinkie, Battle Songs
Pinkie Burns, the rough talking martial arts instructor and cellist, tries her hand at romance. A hero in skivvies, Michael Jones, is a willing object of her affections and hires her to teach music and self-defense at Jones School for the Gifted.
After years teaching self-defense to women, Pinkie comes home to reconnect with her real mom, but her foster family and friends provide the emotional support she needs to overcome past hurts and present difficulties. As a rape victim at thirteen, she fears being helpless in another attack and holds fast to the resulting hate and unforgiveness.
Pinkie’s memories of the rape and of the mysterious hero who has saved her many times in the past keep her from committing to anyone. Her spicy mouth and hot temper deter anyone from committing to her!
As she tries to overhaul her personality, she has the opportunity to confront her tormentors. How many of them will survive? Does she have the spiritual strength to fight the darkness that frightens and torments her?
Will she ever find the love of her life that will accept her, imperfections and all?
Ms. Cassandra, Game On!
Dr. Cassandra Guthrie deals with the tragedy that destroyed her entire family and begins a job near her birthplace. Dr. David Wilson warmly welcomes her into his practice and into his life. Despite their shared, lifelong history and earlier intimations of a future together, a sudden, debilitating, physical trauma causes David to drive Cassy away.
Cassy’s meltdown sends her speeding down the highway, resulting in house arrest and a friendship with two police who know the cause of her grief. Cassandra’s emotional frailty keeps her on a roller coaster, but the couple’s oversight helps her come to terms spiritually and romantically. They, with many others, address the wickedness that continues to plague David and Cassandra.
As they work through their relationship, the continued attacks on their lives send them to a local sanctuary where they can remain unmolested. David’s condition is still of uncertain origin and Cassandra’s wounds at the hand of her nemesis must be considered if they are to confront the evil. In their weakness, will they be able to defend themselves?
Can they hope for a future together?
