Category Archives: Reluctant Medium
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Reluctant Medium #99cents 09/18/2022
Look for Reluctant Medium tomorrow at Just Kindle Books https://www.justkindlebooks.com/ . The first in the Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mysteries. Read how Rachel began her psychic journey, however reluctantly. Meet her friends, both the quick and the dead who helped her.
Find it at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qJtdCf
“I really enjoyed this book! This book kept me up way too late. I can’t wait for the next one!”
“Collins has done her research into Native American culture and values, and it shows. I highly recommend Anasazi Medium. Trust me. You won’t be able to put it down.”
Santa Fe reporter Rachel Blackstone bungles a Native American ritual to return the dead. Instead of the father she believes was murdered, an evil spirit returns. Worse yet, Rachel is seeing ghosts. While some are helpful, others lead her astray. Problem? She can’t always tell them apart. Where does the totem wolf fit in? She turns to a Hopi shaman and her best friend Chloe to help her solve the mystery. One thing is certain; this spirit has got to go back!
Also available in paperback:
Also available at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dlgPoV
“Collins creates a world that breathes these legends into existence…”
99 Cents Book Promo 5/7/2021
Reluctant Medium 3-day Sale: 99 Cents
The shaman told Rachel: “Allow the power to flow through you. Don’t try to capture it. You wish only to borrow it.”
All Rachel Blackstone wants is to talk with her father; solve the mystery of how he died. Using a Native American ceremony given to her by a shaman, she summons him in this paranormal mystery. Instead, a soul intent on revenge slips through and threatens people she loves. Now the Santa Fe, New Mexico reporter must follow the evil spirit, uncover its purpose and send it back. But how?
See our ad in eReaderIQ 5/7/2021 under Daily Deals & Steals: Mystery & Thriller Category. Special price good through Sunday.
Review: “I totally enjoyed reading “The Reluctant Medium,” and am thankful to see it is a series, so I can look forward to more. A very fast-paced story …“– Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes, Mallory Heart Reviews
Book Review: Reluctant Medium
Author Willow Croft Reviews Reluctant Medium
My thanks to Willow for her fun and unique take on reviewing. Due to a lengthy winter storm, this is making a late appearance. And yes, I too know the carousel at Santa Fe Place is long gone, but it was still circling when I wrote the book.
Read the rest of the review at Willow Croft’s Bringer of Nightmares and Storms: https://willowcroft.blog/2021/02/17/riding-the-carousel-round-and-round-and-round-again/
Ghost Story for Halloween
Contact: Presence, A Short Story
Rachel Blackstone, the Reluctant Medium, is startled when a clock flies across the bathroom while brushing her teeth. Is it a message from the spirit world? She and best friend Chloe hold a transition ceremony and wait for further contact. But will it be peaceful or have they summoned another evil entity?
To Buy Click on the Link Below
Excerpt of Forthcoming Book
Rachel Blackstone’s Greatest Challenge Yet
Anasazi Medium: A Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mystery is due out in August 2020.
(Copyright 2019 by G G Collins)
Meet Kiyiya, Rachel Blackstone’s Spirit Wolf.
They ate in silence for a few minutes. It tasted like the best meal Rachel had ever eaten. Everything always tasted better, the sun looked brighter and the birds sang sweeter after a close call. She could feel the adrenaline losing its punch as she came down and began to feel tired.
“Where did the yellow water come from?” Chloe asked.
“No clue, but I’m going to find out. I got a sample on the way home.”
“Rachel, that’s great. What made you think of that?”
“Something’s very wrong,” Rachel said. “First the bird kills, the otherworldly appearance in my backyard, his prediction, the deaths of the university officials, and now being in the right place at the right time to rescue Anna. And there is the ever growing Dog Star.
“My understanding is the yellow water and fish kill is another sign of the impending end of the fourth world.”
They were thoughtful for a few minutes.
“Rachel, I wonder,” Chloe said. “Should we visit the Valles Caldera? Is there anything we could learn there?”
“I think there might be,” Rachel said thoughtfully. “The last time I was there I did an interview for the Longmire TV series coverage, back when they were filming the series in New Mexico. We ran several stories on that production. The Valles Caldera was used as Sheriff Longmire’s ranch location.”
Valles Caldera, New Mexico. Longmire ranch in series by the same name.
“Quite a drive from the Las Vegas where they filmed the downtown and sheriff’s office scenes,” Chloe said.
“Yes, I know. I drove to both sets for the interviews and again to Madrid and the Mine Shaft Tavern that was used as the Red Pony bar.”
“I hated when that series ended,” Chloe said.
“Yup, me too. Seems like the good shows always end too soon.”
“And Supernatural is ending,” Chloe added. “Don’t know what we’ll do without Sam and Dean to guide us on these, uh, mystical excursions.”
“At least they got 15 years,” Rachel said. “Longmire only got six.”
Rachel changed the subject.
“You know, I’ve had those herb plants sitting on my back porch all summer. I think after what happened today, I’d like to do a little gardening.”
“You want help?” Chloe asked.
Rachel raised an eyebrow in question. She’d never seen Chloe plant any of her gardens.
“Well, I could ask my gardener if he would have time to plant it for you.”
Rachel grinned.
“No, but thank you for the offer. I think I need to do something physical.”
“Okay,” Chloe said. “I’m going to check in at the office, see if anything critical is a foot and then go home to a hot bath and a glass of wine.”
“Do you think they will still grow?” Rachel asked.
“What?”
“The herbs.”
“Sure, everything but the parsley will likely come back in the spring. Sometimes my parsley even overwinters,” Chloe said. “Of course, as you so generously pointed out I don’t cultivate my own so my gardener may have secrets to plant longevity that I don’t know.”
“I just can’t see anything else dead for awhile,” Rachel choked.
“I know,” Chloe said and hugged her friend. “Seeing those dead men will haunt us both for a long time. Go get your hands dirty and forget about today.
“I’ll let myself out.” Chloe was gone in a whirl of her long dark hair.
Chile Pod had finished her dinner and was glazing out the kitchen window at a bird picking at the remnants left on the ground from the feeder.
“You stay there. You can watch me plant the herb bed.” Rachel grabbed a jacket off the hook near the door and went into the evening air.
She’d bought the herb plants in spring and somehow she never got around to planting them, but somehow remembered to douse them with water several times a week. There just never seemed to be a good time. Now the leggy plants were root bound. Rachel hoped she could save them.
During the spring she had bricks delivered. In a fit of energy, she had turned the soil, laid the bricks in a 6-foot square and mulched it. In the meantime, deadlines came and went. Time passed without planting the herbs.
Because she had mulched the garden all she had to do was push the organic matter away, dig a hole and add the plants. First, Rachel took a knife and cut the roots back as she remembered her father doing when she was a kid. It would help the roots grow in a more normal way. She planted lavender and then added rosemary, thyme, oregano and fennel.
With that done, Rachel picked up the bucket against her house and brought it to the garden. Inside were an assortment of stones and crystals she had collected for the past several years. She placed each among the herbs; a river stone here, a quartz there and a lovely piece of petrified wood.
When it was all watered in, Rachel went inside the house and came back with several gazing balls in purple, blue and red crackled colors. In the center of the herb bed she placed a stand and added the larger purple gazing ball. She positioned the smaller ones on the ground and stood back to survey her handiwork.
Satisfied and feeling better, she headed back inside. Before she reached the safety of the backdoor, a wolf howled. Rachel was now recognizing the various warnings that Kiyiya made to alert her. This howl was an announcement, not an urgent warning.
Rachel stopped immediately, her pulse quickened and her breath turned to fog as the temperature dropped. Once again, the rattling sound commenced, the vapors seemingly came from nowhere and formed into a column. She had no idea who or what to expect. Would it be the Native American she met most recently or someone or something altogether different?
Within a couple of minutes, it was the Native who stepped from the fog. Rachel braced herself and waited.
Again, he spoke in a language she didn’t understand, but the words appeared in her mind in English.
“The blue star grows in the sky,” he pointed.
“I know,” Rachel replied. “What I don’t know is who or what is causing it?”
“The evil men.”
“Who are the evil men? What are they doing to cause the star to grow?” Rachel asked.
“I do not know them,” he said. “They are of this time. Not of mine.”
“Do you know what they are doing that is wrong?”
“Taking from our land.”
This wasn’t going well. There was a lot of time and space between them. Rachel didn’t know if she could span the centuries. She tried to keep her words simple to enhance his comprehension.
“I’ve been looking for these men, but haven’t found them. I’ve looked to see where…where work is being done. I’ve checked for mining and drilling permits.”
“I don’t understand,” he said.
“I’m sorry. It’s when men remove earth by digging into the ground.” He nodded with some understanding.
“I’ve been trying to uncover what these men are doing along with two friends who are helping me. And I think that two men were killed who may have known what I need to know.”
The man was silent for several minutes. Rachel thought he was about to disappear leaving her in more confusion.
“Do your powers take you to the Land of the Dead?” he asked.
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That took her off guard.
“I…I” she stammered. “I don’t know.”
“You must talk with the Skeleton Man.”
“How can I do that? I don’t know how.” Rachel asked.
“You have friends in spirit?” he said as though having inside knowledge.
“Uh, yes.” As far as Rachel knew that would be one spirit. The Hopi shaman, Joseph, who had helped her before.
“You should talk with spirit,” the Native said. “Time grows…” He searched for the word. “Short. Everyone will die.”
“I understand, but I don’t know what to do,” Rachel felt panic seeping into her soul.
“You must talk with the Skeleton Man.” He faded from her view in a whiff of smoke.
Read the entire series: Click on the book.
#Free Three Days. Reluctant Medium Paranormal #Mystery.
Reluctant Medium Set Free
Beginning Sunday, August 12, 2018 at midnight, Reluctant Medium will be FREE for three days.
Reluctant Medium is the first in the Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mystery Series.
Click on the cover to download for Free.
It all began innocently enough, Rachel only wished to speak with her dead father. A journalist, he had died under mysterious circumstances. She employed a Hopi ritual she hoped would accomplished this.
FROM THE BOOK: “Rachel learned the ancient ceremony while researching an article about the Hopi Nation. Some Native Americans and followers of eastern philosophies believe one can call back the dead. In her interviews, Joseph, a Hopi holy man, had recounted instances. It was unusual for tribe members to discuss such things with outsiders, but she had written a sensitive portrayal of life within the reservation and Joseph warmed to her. He liked Rachel’s sincerity and the deep respect she had for their traditions.”
As the ceremony progressed, Rachel began to feel anxious as things she didn’t understand developed in her living room.
FROM THE BOOK: Her body trembled as she watched the vapor seep first from
the seam where hardwood floor met plaster and then from the intricate crown molding. It poured from beneath the couch like mist on a lake and slid along the wallpapered ceiling, coming ever closer while she watched, fascinated, but with growing anxiety. The hissing began softly, rising to the clamor of a den of disturbed rattlesnakes. Midpoint in the room, the two streams rose and dipped to join in a common countenance. The darkest colors of the miasma collected in an eerie spiral holding pattern, while the particles which reflected light crept away like fog throughout the room, closing off escape.
Once a figure materialized before her, Rachel knew something wasn’t right. She was certain it wasn’t her father.
FROM THE BOOK: “You’re sputtering, Rachel.” He knew her! “How is brother dearest? Still looking over his shoulder?” The comment carried a threat.
Before she could think of anything to say, the arrogant spirit hastened to the front door and vanished, through it, beyond it, into the night.
Rachel stared at the door, willing it to reveal the truth of what just happened. She’d made a terrible mistake. “Oh, my god,” she whispered. “What have I done?”
Now it’s up to Rachel to send back the undead with the help of her best friend, spirit animal
and her psychic cat. Along the way she meets an actor filming his series in Santa Fe. She is drawn to him, but he’s married. In the meantime, her divorce from her husband, a documentary producer, is going forward. Will her boss be receptive to taking her back at High Desert Country magazine? And she’s developed a new talent; she sees dead people, no really. Change is everywhere.
Amazon Book Giveaway
Reluctant Medium Book Giveaway
There are 5 copies of Reluctant Medium (Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mystery) available as an #AmazonGiveaway. Here’s where you can enter to win one, but don’t delay.
https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/ddc435ce8ec2bc48
Click on the cover to enter the Amazon Giveaway
Synopsis: All Rachel Blackstone wants is to talk with her father; solve the mystery of how he died. Using a Native American ceremony given to her by a shaman, she summons him in this paranormal mystery. Instead, a soul intent on revenge slips through and threatens people she loves. Now the Santa Fe, New Mexico reporter must follow the evil spirit, uncover its purpose and send it back. The shape-shifter has horrific powers. Rachel is tormented by what she has unleashed. There’s more. She’s seeing dead people; which frankly give her the creeps. Some are helpful; others lead her away from the truth. One spirit, a lone wolf, seems to have an uncertain allegiance. What she, and friend Chloe—both fledgling women sleuths—uncover is an earthly scam involving both the quick and the dead. Rachel must play a dangerous game of fantasy treasure hunt to stop the ruthless ghost. To survive, she must discover her own psychic powers during a climatic supernatural storm of earth, wind and fire. In this thriller, to fail is to die. Reluctant Medium is first in the series.
If you enjoy Reluctant Medium, please consider writing a short review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Thank you. Good luck!
Happy Holidays from Santa Fe, New Mexico
Merry Christmas from Santa Fe
Photo Copyright by G G Collins 
Home of the Reluctant Medium, Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mysteries & Dead Editor File, Taylor Browning Cozy Mystery series.
Cosmic Cocktail Party in Lemurian Medium
Carl Sagan & Benjamin Franklin Attend a Cosmic Party
by G G Collins (Copyright 2017)
See on PBS
Recently I watched “The Farthest: Voyager in Space.” Actually I’ll admit to seeing it three times. (Read my review here on Parallel Universe https://paralleluniverseatlarge.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/review-the-farthest/ . The late Carl Sagan played an important role in the Voyager project. If you haven’t seen it, it is playing on PBS.
While writing “Lemurian Medium” I went to the NASA website and looked at photos taken by Voyager to describe the planets as Reluctant Medium Rachel Blackstone took an astral journey to save a kidnapped friend.
Doing the research for this novel was quite fun. I ran across some notable people, namely Carl Sagan and Benjamin Franklin who both apparently believed in the possible existence of extraterrestrial life.
I wanted something lighthearted to occur during Rachel’s escape as it was quite tense at times. When she burst onto the astral plane she discovered it wasn’t the same plane she arrived on. But this level had a twist. There was a celestial cocktail party going on!
As she observed the varied types of aliens in all shapes and sizes, drinking colorful cocktails in odd vessels, and then she spied some humans like herself. There was Sagan and Franklin talking with beings from other worlds.
I wanted to honor them in some small way. Sagan was of hero of mine. Through him I became interested in the cosmos because he made it accessible. Cheers!
Cover Reveal
Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mysteries Re-Covered!
First: Reluctant Medium.
Rachel will need help from her spirit wolf to solve her first scrape with the supernatural.
Cover design by Tatiana Vila of Vila Design. Check out all her designs at https://www.viladesign.net
G G Collins
GG Collins Mysteries 
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