Book Tour: Amanda Cadabra and the Hidey-Hole Truth by Urban Fantasy Author Holly Bell...

About Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth:

Amanda Cadabra’s life LOOKS perfectly normal...
But looks can be very deceiving.

In the picture-perfect English village of Sunken-Madley, a young covert witch is laying
low. Amanda Cadabra has her reasons.

Orphaned when her family’s van mysteriously plunged over a Cornish cliff many years before, Amanda is keeping herself to herself, quietly working for her grandfather’s furniture restoration company, hoping the world will leave her alone.

However, soon Amanda’s peace is disturbed by the arrival in the village of the inquisitive Inspector Trelawney, dogging her footsteps as he investigates the strange fate of her family. But the persistent detective becomes the least of her problems, as a restoration job at the Tudor manor propels the young witch into a swirl of mystery and intrigue.

Events quickly conspire to drag Amanda into the building’s murky past and its even more dangerous present. Armed only with her wits, her grumpy feline familiar, Tempest, and a wand, Amanda Cadabra is going in.

A body, ghosts, hidden passageways, and a host of unanswered questions soon emerge. Can Amanda dodge the inspector long enough to solve the Manor’s many mysteries and unravel her own past before the scandal of murder engulfs the village?

Exclusive Excerpt: The ancient magic of Sunken Madley

Rewind 2,000 years. In the South of England, and to the north of the great River Thames, a tribe is settling and spreading. They are the tribe called the Catuvellauni. The Ancient Forest that once covered the country is long gone, and they tend their flocks on the ground cleared for crops and pasture. Yet still there are deep woods, and here, within their shade, on a raised plateau, subterranean water is forced into the light of day at a spring. Beside it, a woman stands, a staff in her hand. With her is a young couple, waiting anxiously. For this is a place of magic, of healing, of insight.

The woman points her rod at the freshet and speaks the words of a spell. She passes her hands near the body of the girl. Together the three cast herbs and flowers into the tiny stream. The girl and her husband embrace the woman and with smiles depart. In the spring, a child will be born.

Follow the tour to read exclusive excerpts, interviews, and spotlight posts:

https://saphsbookpromotions.blogspot.com/2026/09/book-tour-schedule-amanda-cadabra-and.html

Meet the Author:

Cat adorer and chocolate lover, British author Holly Bell’s life changed in a day. A best-

selling author friend convinced Holly that she could write cozy mysteries, after many years

experience with non-fiction, photography and video making.

Holly devoured all of the Agatha Christie books long before she knew that Miss Marple was

the godmother of the Cozy Mystery. Her love of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings meant that

her first literary creation in this area would have to be a cosy paranormal. Since then, the

series has grown to include the genre of urban fantasy mystery.

Having derived immense delight from the adventure of writing Amanda Cadabra and The

Hidey-Hole Truth, its 8 sequels and 1 prequel to date, Holly has more in the pipeline, with

the 10 th book in the series now in the making. The third in the series Amanda Cadabra and

The Flawless Plan has just come out on Audible in audiobook format, joining the first two

books. The World of Amanda Cadabra shop for bookish gifts on Redbubble has just begun

rolling out its Sunken Madley School collection.

Holly lives in London, somewhere near the place that inspired her quaint, peculiar but

apparently perfectly normal fictional village. Readers will know better.

Her favourite feline is a black cat called Bobby. He is black. Like her favourite hat. Purely

coincidental.

Holly loves to hear from readers. Find her on the contact page of the amandacadabra.com

website, or on Facebook as Holly Bell Author. She always responds in person.

Links:

The Amanda Cadabra Urban Fantasy Cozy Mysteries (in order):

Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth

Amanda Cadabra and The Cellar of Secrets

Amanda Cadabra and The Flawless Plan

Amanda Cadabra and The Rise of Sunken Madley

Amanda Cadabra and The Hidden Depths

Amanda Cadabra and The Strange Case of Lucy Penlowr

Amanda Cadabra and The Hanging Tree

Amanda Cadabra and The Nightstairs

Amanda Cadabra and The Twilight Toxin

Prequel: The Grange Trilogy - The Philip Rayke Mysteries

Prequel Short Story: Tempest’s First Day (Free on amandacadabra.com)

Audio books:

Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amanda Cadabra and The Cellar of Secrets

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amanda Cadabra and The Flawless Plan

Amazon UK

Amazon US

The World of Amanda Cadabra Shop

Guest Post: A Writer's Imagination by Paranormal Romance Author C.D. Hersh...

 

People frequently ask how and where we got our ideas to write one story let alone a series. Honestly, sometimes it's not easy, almost like ramming your head into a huge cement abutment. Yet thankfully storylines and scenes magically appear in our minds. Sometimes more than we want.

Every book demands who, what, where, and why. The plotline. From time to time that necessity confuses those images into a gnarled mess. But we work through it. 

So how do we find ideas that allow our imaginations to run rampant? Magazines and old telephone books are marvelous for coming up with character names. Be sure to follow the mix and match theory. That means do not use the full name of any one person or you might find you have a lawsuit in the making.

We love to travel and often our imaginations are sparked by a billboard or other people on the road, even pit stops offer fodder for a new story. Those diners and rest stops are a wealth of fodder too an author.

The grocery store is another great place to gain ideas. For example – the next time you’re in the store take a good look at the lady scanning your purchases or maybe it’s the bagger who draws your attention. Maybe on this trip you notice something different about one or the other. Maybe something different in her dark brown eyes as if they’re hiding a secret. Of course, you can’t ask, so you allow your imagination to take over. What if she’s a crime stopper by night? After a hard day on her feet, she shrugs out of her sweat filled uniform then into black jeans, a black turtleneck, and low-heeled boots. She shakes out her chocolate brown hair from its topknot and it cascades to her shoulders…You get the idea.

As writing partners, we bounce ideas off each other with the C in C.D. Hersh writing explicit notes. After a few days or we revisit C's list and start the occasionally wonderful, but more often heart wrenching, practice of elimination. After all, what writer doesn’t love his/her words? We do our best not to judge or tick off each other too much since we're married. Besides, I love my wife. Seeing her happy makes me happy. 

Here is a little about our shapeshifter series on Amazon. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we did writing them.

TITLE: The Turning Stone Chronicles

GENRE: Urban fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

HEAT LEVEL: Sensual

Three ancient Celtic families. A magical Bloodstone that enables the wearers to shape shift. A charge to use the stone’s power to benefit mankind, and a battle, that is going on even today, to control the world. Can the Secret Society of shape shifters called the Turning Stone Society heal itself and bring peace to our world?

Find out in The Series The Turning Stone Chronicles

Book one of the chronicles titled “The Promised One” available on Amazon
In the wrong hands, the Turning Stone ring is a powerful weapon for evil. So, when homicide detective Alexi Jordan discovers her secret society mentor has been murdered and his magic ring stolen, she is forced to use her shape-shifting powers to catch the killer. By doing so, she risks the two most important things in her life—her badge and the man she loves.

Rhys Temple always knew his fiery cop partner and would-be-girlfriend, Alexi Jordan, had a few secrets. He considers that part of her charm. But when she changes into a man, he doesn’t find that as charming. He’ll keep her secret to keep her safe, but he’s not certain he can keep up a relationship—professional or personal.

Danny Shaw needs cash for the elaborate wedding his fiancée has planned, so he goes on a mugging spree. But when he kills a member of the secret society of Turning Stones and steals a magic ring that gives him the power to shape shift, Shaw gets more than he bargained for.

Book two of The Turning Stone Chronicles titled “Blood Brothers” available on Amazon.
When Delaney Ramsey is enlisted to help train two of the most powerful shape shifters the Turning Stone Society has seen in thousands of years, she suspects one of them is responsible for the disappearance of her daughter. To complicate matters, the man has a secret that could destroy them all. Bound by honor to protect the suspect, Delaney must prove his guilt without losing her life to his terrible powers or revealing to the police captain she’s falling for that she’s a shape shifter with more than one agenda.

The minute Captain Williams lays eyes on Delaney Ramsey, he knows she’s trouble. Uncooperative, secretive, and sexy, he can’t get her out of his mind. When he discovers she has a personal agenda for sifting through all the criminal records in his precinct, and secretly investigating his best detective, he can’t let her out of his sight. He must find out what she’s looking for before she does something illegal. If she steps over the line, he’s not certain he can look the other way for the sake of love.

Book three of The Turning Stone Chronicles titled “Son of the Moonless Night” currently available on Amazon.
Owen Todd Jordan Riley has a secret. He’s a shape shifter who has been hunting and killing his own kind. To him the only good shifter is a dead shifter. Revenge for the death of a friend motivates him, and nothing stands in his way . . . except Katrina Romanovski, the woman he is falling in love with.

Deputy coroner Katrina Romanovski has a secret, too. She hunts and kills paranormal beings like Owen. At least she did. When she rescues Owen from an attack by a werebear she is thrust back into the world she thought she’d left. Determined to find out what Owen knows about the bear, she begins a relationship meant to collect information. What she gets is something quite different love with a man she suspects of murder. Can she reconcile his deception and murderous revenge spree and find a way to redeem him? Or will she condemn him for the same things she has done and walk away from love?

Book four of The Turning Stone Chronicles titled “The Mercenary & the Shifters” available on Amazon.
A desperate call from an ex-military buddy lands a mercenary soldier in the middle of a double kidnapping, caught in an ancient shape shifter war, and ensnared between two female shape shifters after the same thing ... him.

The first four books of their paranormal romance series entitled The Turning Stone Chronicles Series page are available on Amazon. Their standalone novella, Can’t Stop The Music, is in the Soul Mate Tree collection with twelve other authors from various genres.

Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to the husband and wife co-authors whose pen name is C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s while co-authoring a number of dramas, six which have been produced in Ohio, where they live. Their interactive Christmas production had five seasonal runs in their hometown and has been sold in Virginia, California, and Ohio. As high school sweethearts, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after. Which is why they write it!

When they aren’t collaborating on a book, they enjoy reading; singing; theatre and drama; traveling; remodeling houses (Donald has remodeled something in every home they’ve owned); and antiquing. Catherine, who loves gardening, has recently drawn Donald into her world as a day laborer. Catherine is an award-winning gardener — you can see some of her garden on their website.

They are looking forward to many years of co-authoring and book sales, and a lifetime of happily-ever-after endings on the page and in real life.

You can see excerpts of their books, connect with, and follow C.D. Hersh at:

Website

Facebook

Amazon Author Page

Twitter

Guest Post: What Fashions Your Fiction? by C.D. Hersh...

We’re talking about things that have lead us into the paranormal genre. What happened in our past that led us to be interested in writing our series, The Turning Stone Chronicles?

Catherine’s mother loved good old fashioned monster and horror movies. In fact, she got so scared watching a monster movie when she was pregnant with Catherine that she got goose bumps. Later, when Catherine developed what appeared to be permanent goose bumps on her arms, her mother said she had “marked” her by watching such a scary story during pregnancy. One could say, based on this story and the old wives’ tale her mother’s explanation came from, Catherine’s destiny to write about the paranormal developed in the womb. In reality, the steady diet of supernatural themed movies and television shows she viewed as a youngster had the biggest influence. Vampires, werewolves, things from outer space, Frankenstein, zombies and ghosts whetted her appetite for the paranormal and made her run like mad past the graveyard when she had to walk home in the dark, wear a cross at all times, and avoid going out alone on a full moon. Thanks Mom.

Photo by Evgeni Dinev from freedigitalphotos.net

Her grandmother also contributed to Catherine’s taste for fantasy. Grandma’s favorite scary story, which she told to her grandchildren at nearly every visit, was about an old woman who accidently dug up a monster’s big toe, while hoeing her potatoes, and ate it for dinner. (Why the toe was not attached to the monster is lost somewhere in Catherine’s memory, but the gist of the story remains.) The monster, naturally, was upset and haunted the woman every night, moaning, “I want my big toe.” The haunting drove the old lady crazy and the monster gobbled her up in revenge. Catherine also reread Mary Poppins and Grimms Fairytales, two of the books on Grandma’s shelves, every time she visited.

And of course, we can’t forget Walt Disney. His romantized tales of fairy godmothers, men under curses who could only be released by true love’s kiss, and evil witches have primed children everywhere to love the paranormal. Catherine was no exception.

Aside from his science-fiction fantasy Tom Swift books, Donald’s other genre influences have been television shows like The Twilight Zone and comic books—a reading choice of many boys. His favorites included supernatural heroes like Superman, Flash Gordon, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Aqua Man, and the Justice League of America. Lois Lane, with her unrequited love for Superman and inability to see the value of Clark Kent’s love, influenced his taste for romance. Donald also attributes his foray into the paranormal to Catherine. Having spent two-thirds of his life with her makes it hard to ignore what she’s interested in … and makes him a smart man for paying attention.

Can you attribute your love of the genre you write in or read to a childhood influence? If not, is there another instance you can point to that started you down a particular genre path?

Now here is a little about our paranormal series, The Turning Stone Chronicles.

Three ancient Celtic families. A magical Bloodstone that enables the wearers to shape shift. A charge to use the stone’s power to benefit mankind, and a battle, that is going on even today, to control the world. Can the Secret Society of shape shifters called the Turning Stone Society heal itself and bring peace to our world? Find out in the series The Turning Stone Chronicles.

The Promised One, book one: When homicide detective Alexi Jordan is forced to use her shape shifting powers to catch a paranormal killer, she risks the two most important things in her life—her badge and the man she loves.

Blood Brothers, book two: Shape shifter Delaney Ramsey’s daughter is missing, and she is bound by honor to protect the man she suspects of the deed. To bring him to justice, she must go against her code, the leader of the secret shifter society, and the police captain she is falling for.

Son of the Moonless Night, book three: Thrust back into the world of paranormal huntress, Deputy Coroner Katrina Romanovski must unravel a string of murders she believes are vampire attacks. When she discovers the shape shifter she’s in love with is the murderer, she must reconcile her feelings for him, examine her life of violence against paranormals, and justify deceiving him in order to bring him to justice.

The Mercenary and the Shifters, book four: A desperate call from an ex-military buddy lands a mercenary soldier in the middle of a double kidnapping, caught in an ancient shape shifter war, and ensnared between two female shape shifters after the same thing ... him.

C.D. Hersh–Two hearts creating everlasting love stories.

Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after.

The books of their paranormal romance series entitled The Turning Stone Chronicles are available on Amazon. They also have a short Christmas story, Kissing Santa, in a Christmas anthology titled Sizzle in the Snow: Soul Mate Christmas Collection, with seven other authors. Also a standalone novella, Can’t Stop The Music, in a collection with thirteen other authors.

They look forward to many years of co-authoring and book sales, and a lifetime of happily-ever-after endings on the page and in real life.

Learn more about C.D. Hersh on their website and their Amazon Author Page.

Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Welcome to the Magical World of Fairy Falls…

When I ‘built’ the mythical town of Fairy Falls over ten years ago, I drew from all of my childhood and adult experiences from vacationing and living in cottage country. When you think of a small, northern tourist town, what emotional cord does it strike? Vacationing with the family when you were young? Visiting your grandparents at their cottage? Camping in the backwoods with your friends? Whatever vision you conjure, I’m sure you have plenty of happy memories of that special place. That’s the basis of creating the town of Fairy Falls. I wanted to give my teen psychic mystery book series a nostalgic feeling coupled with a sense of adventure and…wait for it…the supernatural. Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expected the unexpected.

Fairy Falls has always been a magical place, but for some reason it seems to be a haven for those with psychic abilities. In Lost and Found, the animals at the Fairy Falls Animal Shelter need a champion to save their shelter, and find one in rebellious Meagan Walsh, who’s a bona fide telepathic animal communicator. There are others with different psychic powers who have been (or will be) drawn to Fairy Falls, not to hide, but feel that they have been forced here by circumstances beyond their control. Or could it be a matter of serendipity that has brought them to this small, tourist town?

Fairy Falls is like any small town with a mayor, deputy mayor, and a selection of town counsellors. At the moment, Mike MacGregor is at the helm as this town’s mayor. Unfortunately, Mayor MacGregor is in mourning with the loss of his wife, Joy, who sat on as one of the counsellors for Fairy Falls. She was viciously attacked and murdered, and her killer is still at large. These characters are featured in the next installment of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, Blackflies and Blueberries.

There are four long weekends during the summer months, and Fairy Falls relies on these holidays to

Fairy Falls Festival

boost their economy enough to keep the town running all year round. The first long weekend is in May where firework celebrations dominate the skies. The second is at the beginning of July which includes more fireworks, street parties, and begins the farmers’ market season. The long weekend in August falls on the first Monday of the month, and is one of the busiest times of the year for Fairy Falls. Festivals are usually held during this long weekend, with the bathtub races in the Vista River as the highlight. The fourth is usually on the first weekend of September, when Fairy Falls hosts their famous fall fair which includes concerts, carnival rides, and a smash-up car derby. A word of caution: make sure you book a hotel/motel room or campsite early if you plan to come during these long weekends!

Lacrosse is very popular in Fairy Falls. Even the local high school has a winning team that’s hard to beat. Summer swells in population with the tourists and cottagers, so fishing, boating, water skiing, and tubing are favorite sports and past times. In the long winter months, hockey is the staple along with curling, as well as snowmobiling across the network of frozen lakes and trails. And believe me, you’d better have a sport or hobby to keep you busy during a Fairy Falls winter, because sometimes the ice doesn’t come off the lakes until May. Brrrr!

Downtown Fairy Falls

So what would I recommend tourists see or do in Fairy Falls? When we used to live in cottage country, we’d visit the local bakery in the tiny town five minutes south of us. The smell of fresh baking does something to a body. Sometimes it takes you back to when life was simpler. The downtown core of Fairy Falls hosts such a bakery, and is situated so you can sit at one of the ample tables beside the Vista River and enjoy your sweet treat, while watching the boats slowly putt by. Or better yet, book a boat tour to go on a three-hour cruise that takes you through a lock system, and into Blueberry Lake. Don’t forget to wave at Gertie Ellis if you catch a glimpse of her on the shoreline while she’s inspecting her blueberry bushes.

The Jester Burger

Other draws to this tourist haven include The Court Jester, the local bar and grill, serving up down-home, mouth-watering food that you can’t get anywhere else. I suggest you try their Jester Burger, topped with a slice of Canadian back bacon and pepper jack cheese, and piled high with onions, garlic, and mushrooms, all fresh from the Fairy Falls Farmers’ Market. Add a pint of locally brewed Blackfly beer, and this meal will bring tears of joy to your eyes! Sit on the patio and enjoy the view of the Vista River where it may transport you to back to those good old days, and happy childhood memories. Oh, and make sure you don’t forget to stop by the Fairy Falls Farmers’ Market on Saturdays to score a deal from one of the crafters, produce, or food stands. Tell them Sharon sent you…