The story of a couple that meets at a support group for the possessed…

By Paul A. Destefano

Release Date: April 18, 2022

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Length: 292 pages

Soft Cover: ISBN: 978-1509241231; $16.99; E-Book, $4.99

Enrique Marin wants a quiet life after the death of his wife. Just one problem stands in the way–he’s possessed by the misanthropic English demon, Tzazin. A violent night under demonic influence accidentally leads Enrique to love, and it’s anything but quiet. Shy, autistic yoga instructor Elle thought allowing herself to be possessed by the very-not-shy sex demon Key would help her find love. She finds Enrique, but she didn’t count on coping with the anti-demon bigotry of society. Fate–and AA meetings for the possessed–brings them together, but hostile forces, demonic and human, fight to keep them apart. It might cost them everything to keep their love alive.

Enrique approached the church feeling more like a lost tourist from the Dominican Republic than someone on national watchlists. Peering up at the untended vines coating the wall, he ran a hand through his short black hair. He glanced back at the street and then followed Ebbs down the stairs to the basement side entrance.

“I don’t even think he’s a real priest,” came the familiar British tones in the back of Enrique’s mind. “He’s not wearing a collar. This is bollocks. He can’t teach you anything about controlling me you don’t already know, and I’m certainly not going to listen to some pudgy little unshaven monk or whatever he is. Don’t go in.” Enrique stopped halfway down the cracked steps and bent, turning his back to Ebbs to tie a shoe that wasn’t untied. Ebbs waited by the door, gently humming to himself. “Shut up, Taz,” Enrique said, barely above a whisper. “If you would behave in the first place, we wouldn’t have to be here.” “Still bollocks,” Taz said. Enrique stood and wiped his hands on his jeans before descending. At the base of the stairway, he stomped his work boot into the puddle that reflected a third figure only he could see pacing behind them. Ebbs fished for keys in the pocket of his beaten brown leather jacket. He unlocked a door barely held together by decades of flaking paint. It swung open smoothly and silently. Stepping aside, he extended a hand and indicated Enrique should enter before him. Enrique didn’t move. “It’s a safe place,” Ebbs said, scratching the mottled gray of his unshaven neck. Enrique had heard that before. “Sometimes, that first step through the doorway is the hardest.” Enrique looked to the source of the voice, a silhouette up the hallway that nearly reached the ceiling. “I’m Dante Serrano,” the deep calming voice continued. “I moderate the group. Father Clancy here told me you would be coming. Enrique, right?” Dante’s head nearly grazed the hanging fluorescents as he approached, extending a massive hand in greeting. Enrique nodded and stepped in, trying not to stare too obviously at Dante’s dark eyes, nearly a foot above his own. “Tell you what,” Dante said with a bright grin. “I’ll answer your questions first, make you more comfortable. Come on, follow me. The answer to your first question, seven-foot one. Second question, no, I never played pro, got some bum knees. You know everyone sees a black man a head and shoulders over them, and they think, damn, that guy shoot some hoops. What you don’t hear is how much a damn problem it can be being so tall. Sure—never need a step stool, get to help all the shorter folk reach that top shelf in the grocery store. I’m not saying there are no perks. I’m saying there’s sometimes a hidden price. Considering where you are, I’m guessing you know that all too well.” “You mean considering what I am?” Enrique said, following the giant man through a doorway. Dante turned, shaking his shaved head. “No, man, no. Who you are. You got a problem? Okay. But that does not define you. A man is a lot of things—a plumber, a mechanic, a husband, a father. But you are never less a person before that. You are always you. Good man. Bad man. That’s not my job to tell you. But you. No matter what your problem. You are a who. Never a what. Just because a taxi picks up a bad passenger, that does not make that taxi’s a bad taxi. You get me?” “Actually, you’re a pretty awful taxi,” Taz said. “I get you,” Enrique said, shrugging and looking around. He stepped into the center of the circle of empty chairs in the small room. Beyond a table of coffee and doughnuts, a young woman with long blonde hair over a tight-fitting outfit standing with her head down and her hands clasped by her waist. She pushed dark glasses farther up the bridge of her nose but didn’t speak. Enrique looked to the ceiling.The lights were no brighter where she stood, and certainly not bright enough to warrant sunglasses. “Well, hello, hello, what do we have here?” Taz said. “Perhaps this group isn’t complete bollocks after all.” “That’s Elle,” Dante said softly. “Yoga teacher. She’s one of our members. She’s on the autism spectrum and sometimes needs a little time to adjust to new people in the group. She’ll warm up to you.” “Hi, Elle,” Enrique said with a small wave. “I’m Enrique.” “The others will be by in just a few minutes,” Dante said, pouring coffee into a cardboard cup. “Just like Elle needs some time, we’d like to get to learn a bit about you. Me and our very own Father Clancy Ebbs to start. Just to, you know, get comfortable.” “Ex-Father,” Ebbs interjected. “In Coena Domini.” “Excommunicated,” Dante translated. “But still good enough for us. And still always Father to me.” “And there are two of you,” Enrique pointed out. “In case I’m more than one can handle.” Elle tilted her head in curiosity. “Can never be too careful at first encounter,” Dante said. “Coffee? It’s actually pretty good. Here, give it a try and grab a chair. Any.” Enrique pulled off his light jacket and hung it on the back of one of the folding chairs. He took the offered coffee and added a sugar cube from the table. If Dante weren’t in the room with him, he would be considered tall. Enrique sniffed the coffee, blew on it, and sat, one hand rubbing the worn knees of his jeans. “Want one?” Father Ebbs asked, helping himself to a powdered doughnut. Enrique shook his head. “You a talker or a listener?” Dante asked, leaving one empty chair between them when he sat. “Truthfully,” Enrique said, “I usually don’t shut up. But I’m not, I’m not really…” “Not comfortable talking about your passenger? I get it,” Dante said with a nod. “I don’t like it either,” Ebbs said. “You?” Enrique asked, turning to the ex-priest. “I would have thought—” “Occupational hazard,” Ebbs said. “Father Ebbs got his passenger right around when the rift opened, Dante said. “He’s an early adopter.” “No one had yet come to terms with…you know.” Ebbs brushed powdered sugar from his lips. “The whole ‘demons are coming to our world and are real’ thing. It was before anyone knew what was going on. It was an exorcism of one of the first. A little girl. I invited her in. My passenger, not the girl. She took the offer. Violastine. Viola. And, as a result, I got excommunicated from upstairs.”

“Quirky…romantic…sexy…”

Author Interview:

1. Tell us a little about how this story first came to be.

The book came to be while walking to the diner with my wife. We were talking about how some friends of ours met, and how so many people have strange meetup stories. We started talking about meeting people at literal meetings, and maybe finding someone at a support group isn’t the healthiest option. Then it just struck me that finding someone to date at a support group for possessed people would be a pretty big red flag. The whole concept grew from that image.

2. What, if anything, did you learn when writing the book?

Writing from a purely original concept, rather than the ghostwriting and IP writing I was used to, is a lot more fun. You’re allowed to derail your own train.

3. What surprised you the most in writing it?

How quickly it flowed. From concept to outline to draft to edit for submission was maybe two months. Mind you, this was in lockdown, so there wasn’t a lot else to do.

4. If it’s not a spoiler, what does the title mean?

Riftsiders is the PC word for what were commonly called demons. Unlawful Possession is a pun, working with what if possessed people were breaking the law. Each book in the series will have a twisted interpretation of a crime as the title. The second book is Riftsiders: Identity Theft. That has nothing to do with stolen credit cards, but you can start guessing.

5. Were any of the characters inspired by real people? If so, do they know?

In the sequel, the character of Guidry the Technomancer, mentioned in the very ending of book one, is actually my son. He most definitely knows.

6. Do you consider the book to have a lesson or moral?

Absolutely, and it was the driving force behind the character and plot design. It’s about the real world demonization of various minority groups, here literally represented as demons. Hopefully people begin to wonder why some people get treated as monsters just because they’re a bit different.

7. What is your favorite part of the book?

The strange love triangle of Enrique, Elle, and Key, the demon that possesses Elle.

8. Which character was most challenging to create? Why?

Violastine. This is a horrible, disgusting demon inhabiting one of the protagonists, an ex-priest. I can’t go really deep into it without saying too much. Let’s just say demons don’t hold to human values or morals of what’s right or wrong, and I hope people question it in the case of this wretched creature.

9. What are your immediate future plans?

Keep the launch of book 1 active, get the edits on book 2 and work on that, and get chugging on book 3.

Paul A. DeStefano and his wife live on Long Island, NY, with a strange menagerie that includes a dog, a few cats, sugar gliders, a bearded dragon, and several grown children that have not left.

After graduating from Hofstra University with a split degree in English and Acting, he worked in the board gaming and roleplaying industry for decades, including officially licensed projects for Star Trek and Lord of the Rings. He did not win the Origins Award for Best Miniatures Rules in 2004 and has forgotten that bitter defeat. When not playing and working on games, he is sometimes found touring internationally, giving lectures on worldbuilding and character design.

Being a professional full-time blacksmith for several years made him realize how much less painful it was to go back to writing. He’s been lucky enough to hold the Top Humor Writer badge at Medium multiple times and has had his work narrated by James Cosmo (Lord Mormont from Game of Thrones) on multimillion-dollar Kickstarter projects.

It is also worth noting that having never taken any bassoon lessons, he still cannot play one.

His latest book is the urban fantasy/paranormal romance novel, RIFTSIDERS: UNLAWFUL POSSESSION.

Visit his website at www.PaulADeStefano.com or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and Instagram.

Sponsored By:

No Gods, Only Monsters
by Steve McHugh
Series: Antiquity Chronicles
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Intended Age Group: Any
Pages: 250
Published: May 1, 2022
Publisher: Hidden Realms Publishing LTD (Self Published)

Diana, the Roman Goddess of the hunt, lives alone on the far edge of the Roman Empire. When an old friend arrives looking for help, Diana finds herself thrust back into her old life, and old problems.

With innocent lives caught in the crossfire, Diana realizes that the only way to ensure the safety of her friends and loved ones is to do what she does best: hunt her enemies down.

A Clash of Titans • If Someone Asks if You’re a God, You Say Yes • Wonder Woman

Amazon Us / Amazon UK / Goodreads

Author Interview:

1. Tell us a little about how this story first came to be.

I’ve always enjoyed Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, times in history like those, they’re endlessly fascinating. So, I knew I’d one day write a book set in those times.

With the Hellequin Chronicles series of books, there were multiple gods and goddesses from those time periods. The entire Roman, Greek, Egyptian, etc, pantheons were all real in the Hellequin world, so I had a wealth of characters to chose from.

There was one character I knew I was going to tell a story about, and that was Diana, the Roman Goddess of the Hunt. She’s a pretty big character in the Hellequin universe, and plays a large part in those stories, but she doesn’t really talk about her time back when people thought those gods were real, so I wanted to show how she became the badass she is in the Hellequin books and the journey she had to take to get there.

2. What, if anything, did you learn when writing the book?

There’s a young girl in the book who’s deaf, so I did research into when sign language was first created and how well known it was. It’s has some interesting links going back to at least ancient Greece when people who knew sign language sort of kept it secret from those who didn’t. I hadn’t known any of that before starting the book.

3. What surprised you the most in writing it?

Well, it was meant to be a 20,000 word novella. It’s now a 73,000 word novel. That was a bit of a shock.

4. If it’s not a spoiler, what does the title mean?

It’s basically alluding to the idea that the pantheons of the time weren’t really gods, they were just powerful beings (sorcerers, elementals, etc) who mostly had no one telling them what they shouldn’t do. It works about as well as you’d think. A lot of those gods were little more than monsters.

5. Were any of the characters inspired by real people? If so, do they know?

No real people in this one. I have based people on real life people before and I do tell them. Unless I’m killing them off because I didn’t like them, then I change the name of the character to give me plausible deniability.

6. Do you consider the book to have a lesson or moral?

Don’t anger someone who can literally tear your arms off and beat you to death with them. It’s a fair lesson, I think.

7. What is your favorite part of the book?

The relationship between Diana and a certain Roman Goddess. They have been friends for a long time, and were occasionally more than just friends, and they have this dynamic that’s a lot of fun.

8. Which character was most challenging to create? Why?

There’s a villain in the book who’s name I won’t mention because spoilers, but he was quite hard to make both really evil and unpleasant, but without moving into the moustache twirling villain cliche.

9. What are your immediate future plans?

I’m currently working on books 2 and 3 of my new series, Riftborn, book 1 of which is with my publisher and hopefully I’ll have more details about the release of book 1 soon.

On top of that, I have a sequel to my first scifi book, Blackcoat, to write, and I plan on finishing my first epic fantasy book. So, I have a lot to be getting on with.

About the Author:
Steve is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy. His book, Scorched Shadows, was shortlisted for a Gemmell Award for best novel.

Steve was born in a small village called Mexborough, South Yorkshire, but now lives with his wife and three young daughters in Southampton

Author Website
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Starts: April 28th, 2022 at 12:00am EST , Ends: May 4th, 2022 at 11:59pm EST

Day: May 2, 2022

Spotlight & Author Interview – Riftsiders: Unlawful Possession + Excerpt

Author Interview:

Spotlight & Author Interview: No Gods, Only Monsters + Giveaway