Tainted Harvest

She escaped servitude for a worse fate. Now she wants everyone to know what happened.Travel writer Simone Doucet is searching for a meaningful life, but she hasn't found a purpose yet. But after she accepts an assignment that takes her to Magnolia Sunrise - a historical bed-and-breakfast on the bluffs of Natchez, Mississippi - strange events begin to take place.Frightful images of a young slave girl, Delphine, haunt her nights. The first night at the B&B, Simone is transported to 1863, antebellum Natchez. Through spectral eyes, Simone sees Delphine's history; the horrors she witnessed and was subjected to.Delphine wants everyone to know what happened to her, and she won't stop haunting Simone until she tells her story. But why has Delphine chosen Simone, and will this awakening bring new purpose to her life, or open up more untold mysteries to be discovered? For as long as I can remember, I've had a book in my hand. At the age of seven, I'd often read to my mother at night around the fireplace. A fond memory I'll forever cherish. My origin is Monroeville, Alabama, but at nine-years-old, I moved to New York City-a stark contrast to my natal roots. The Deep South remains firmly ingrained in my soul as I craft worlds from my city dwelling. Often, I've evoked memories of a carefree girl who climbed trees, ran barefoot on Alabama red soil, lolled on green pastures, and traipsed along wooded paths picking blackberries. When I came to live in New York City with my aunt, an actress and educator, I traded tomboy ways for an artistic existence.I live and work on the Upper East Side of Manhattan where I share my life with family and good friends. But every so often, a familiar aura of sultry breezes, dusk, pitch-black, and haunting Alabama spirits, unseen in the cloak of night, whisper their stories, a place that calls to me when I write. Hopefully, one day I'll capture those experiences on paper. A mystery series by E. Denise Billups.