M.C. Lavocat

I hate writing autobiographical information because it is either very awkward sounding, or I'm going to embellish to the point of absurdity. Does the fact that I love cheese really matter to anyone? Or, maybe that I sneak my favorite chocolates out of my kid's Halloween baskets, under the guise of checking the candy for anything suspicious? I doubt it...

So, what that leaves is this: I am married to the guy that made me think of forever. He has the uncanny ability to make me laugh, even when I want to pinch his head off. I am the mother of four small children who are all exhibiting early signs of developing the twisted sense of humor that their father and I share. I love to make up bedtime stories for my kids and I really love it when they make up stories for me. I have a billion thoughts in my head at any given moment, and I am so happy to have pulled a few out to share in written form.

I hope you enjoy my first book, please let me know what you think! I'm currently working on Book 2 in The Soul of Voodoo series, "Power"; It should be finished early next month. Thanks for reading!

Website: http://soulofvoodoo.wordpress.com/
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• Of Stone & Mist on March 24, 2013
  
  Okay, do you remember being in junior high and learning about the use of imagery in literature? I think that my teacher used Shakespeare to explain every literary technique; thus, in the case of imagery, it was Romeo and Juliet. Stay with me here...a prepubescent girl, Catholic school, and the imagery of Romeo and Juliet; I can still remember the heavy sighs and distracting daydreams that accompanied those particular lessons. What I'm getting at is this: I learned long ago just how strongly words can induce feelings, emotions, and images. However, not every author can pull out the kind of imagery that plays the story like a movie in your mind as you read, but Ms. Hawk absolutely does! The author's phenomenal use of imagery in Of Stone and Mist had me so caught up in the events of the story that I would catch myself giggling one minute, and curling into a tight ball while attempting to push my iPhone away from me with my big toe soon after. Alright, I'll admit it, I am a scaredy-cat. I have never liked horror movies, and I slept clutching a crucifix for at least a year after reading about Anne Rice's Witches of Mayfair. However, with the few exceptions of toe-nudging, I couldn't put this book down! So many things drew me into this story, the imagery is a big factor, but it wouldn't have worked without the strong MC, Jessa. I loved Jessa, she was written so realistically that I connected with her almost immediately. There were times when she would do something stupid and I wanted to pop her head like a grape, but what made her great is that she would acknowledge her poor decisions and learn from them. She has a great voice too, a little snarky, but loaded with courage and intelligence. I had connected with her so thoroughly that it was Jessa's anxiety or fear, more than anything, that would get me all antsy-pants during a particularly dark scene. Unlike the TSTL heroine, who makes crap decision after crap decision, Jessa uses genuine courage and ingenuity to act during some of the darker scenes. I really enjoyed the development of the romance between Jessa and Mitch as well, they had a great connection. I particularly liked the moments when they were exploring the house together, their interactions and shared looks made me giggle! Final thought...this was a great read, that draws you into the story and keeps you at the edge of your seat! You will love Jessa, but most of all, you will love her refreshingly honest reactions to the events of the story!!