Hi folks,
My latest release, Beauty & the Bigfoot (Yes, it’s a
Bigfoot romance!) offers readers a quirky look at the legend of Bigfoot. When I
told people I was writing a Bigfoot romance, they said, “You’re kidding,
right?”
Nope! Maybe I watched too much In Search Of… as a child,
but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in “unexplained
phenomena” (aka: the strange and unusual).
Beauty & the Bigfoot is my third paranormal romance. My first, Confessions
of a Vampire’s Lover, is a more serious love story, and Killer in Wolf’s
Clothing takes the concept of werewolves in a very different direction.
Beauty & the Bigfoot started out with the premise:
“What if a cryptozoologist’s daughter fell in love with a captured Bigfoot?” I
liked the idea, but I wasn’t sure where I could take it.
Later, when I was doing research for the book, (Yes,
there was a lot of research involved!), I came across several historical
accounts dating back to the 1500s of huge, hairy “wild men” living in the
woods. Native American tribes had several names for Bigfoot and they took the
subject seriously. After reading these stories, my imagination took over. (Once
you read the book, you’ll see how it all ties in together. If you think you
know how the story ends, think again!)
The book was a lot of fun to write and I
had a great time creating the characters. Through Tara and her eccentric
father, Charlie, I was able to turn up the camp level and add in many wacky
references and asides. They don’t exactly take the situation seriously, and
neither should readers. It’s called a paranormal comedy for a reason.
So, is Bigfoot real? Is the Patterson film a hoax? Are
there Sasquatches roaming the forests of the Pacific Northwest? I don’t know
for sure, but I do know that the legend continues on – with a happy ending – in
Beauty & the Bigfoot.
Here’s the synopsis:
Beauty & the Bigfoot
Can true love exist between the species?
Tara’s world is anything but normal. Her father is known
as the resident crackpot – just because he’s on a personal mission to catch a
Sasquatch. Despite all of the “Bigfoot evidence” cluttering their house, Tara never
really believed in Bigfoot – until the day her father brought him home.
She affectionately names her father’s prized catch ‘Joe’
and discovers there’s something oddly familiar – and erotic – about him. With a
media circus descending on her father’s ranch and a showdown brewing with the
local sheriff, Tara risks her life to save Joe.
When Tara finally succumbs to her animalistic urges, she
learns that Joe is not exactly who – or what – he seems. Joe is more than a
Sasquatch – he’s her soul mate!
A mild excerpt:
Tara shook her head and sighed as she entered the
cluttered den. She adjusted the framed certificate from the Cryptozoological
Society recognizing her father as a “Certified Bigfoot Investigator.” It hung
on the wall in a place of esteemed honor—next to an 8-by-10 enlargement of
frame 352 from the Patterson film. The infamous shot showed a female Bigfoot in
mid-stride looking over her shoulder at the camera.
As much as she loved her dad, she had never understood
his obsession with Bigfoot.
“Charlie MacAllister’s Bigfoot Museum” was her father’s
pride and joy. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases were crammed with dusty paperbacks
titled It Lurks in the Woods and Some Call it Sasquatch!
Notebooks detailing
his expeditions, sightings, and other “evidence” were stacked next to the
loveseat. Scrapbooks filled with tabloid articles proclaiming I WAS BIGFOOT’S
BRIDE and BIGFOOT SIGHTED IN UFO were strewn on the coffee table. Her mother’s
antique china closet held plaster casts of Bigfoot tracks.
She opened the back door, letting in the fresh July air.
The den needed to be aired out and cleaned, and she could only do that when her
father went on a “field excursion.” If she was lucky, she would be able to
vacuum and dust before—
“Tara! Where are you?” Her father raced into the den,
then scowled as he spotted her. “What are you doing in here? Are you trying to
clean again? What did I tell you about that?”
She stared at her father like he was from another planet.
His medium-brown hair stuck up all over his head like horns, he hadn’t shaved
in days, and his clothes were covered with dirt and brambles. It was no wonder
why the whole town considered him a raving kook—among other things.
“Come on, come on! You’ve gotta come out and see it! I
did it. I did it.”
“Now what?” she forced herself to ask. How many times had
Dad rushed in with the “biggest discovery of the year” only to show her a photo
of another Bigfoot track? She hated to dampen his enthusiasm, but she had been
surrounded by Bigfoot paraphernalia for her entire life and she just wasn’t
interested in it anymore.
“I got him. The big male. You know the one.” He gestured
at a framed, grainy photo of something running through the woods. “Him.”
She rolled her eyes. Her father wasn’t like other Bigfoot
researchers who wanted to catch any old Bigfoot—No, Charlie MacAllister was on
a personal mission to catch one particular Bigfoot. One he claimed had been
living within five miles of their house for years.
“Dad, if this is a bear cub, or a—”
“No. You’ll see. Now I’ll finally be able to prove that
I’m not the nutcase everyone in town thinks I am.”
She let her father drag her into the backyard. “Oh my
God! What is that?”
She ran to the flatbed trailer and stared at the
unconscious creature. It lay stretched out on its back with its hairy arms and
legs shackled to the metal trailer frame. Dad had captured something, all
right. There was no mistaking what it was. She had seen enough photos of
Bigfoot to know him anywhere.
“You did catch him.” She looked at her father. “But,
but…” For once in her life, she was speechless.
Her father grinned and folded his arms across his chest.
“Well, now do you believe me? I told you I caught Bigfoot. You should listen to
your old man. He knows what he’s talking about.”
Her mind whirled. How was it possible? After twenty years
of searching, her father had done it. He had actually captured Bigfoot.
***
Order your copy of Beauty & the Bigfoot here:
24 Symbols: https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=2358085
I hope you have as much fun reading the story as I did
writing it! I welcome comments and questions from readers, so feel free to
contact me via my website, blog, or social media.
AND...... my October newsletter just went out! It's filled with links to my paranormal romances and horror stories. Read it online here: http://mailchi.mp/5f95a4cbe380/kellis-quill-newsletter-new-issue?e=a49cf7ab1f
Happy Haunting!
Kelli
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