The Mark

by Ray Rowan

This fictional story tells the author's version of Banshee's - delightfully suspenseful, thought provoking, and occasionally humorous - meant to take the reader on an escape from reality. The story allows the reader to enter a world of unreality to escape from life's cares for a few hours. This take-you-there story is located in the Southern United States, and it tells of a Southern Girl that allowed her mother to talk her into committing the unforgivable crime of murder. Murder in the worst degree by killing her father. This unknowingly awakens "The Mark," which had until now been dormant, on her anyway. Once awakened, it can never be put back to sleep as the family curse creates havoc with her life, pushing her to go even further along the road of no return.

Vivian discovers the lifelong birthmark on her lower back which holds dark secrets to a shared family history that she never dreamed existed and was never told of by her mother. The ancient curse carried down through the generations creates havoc with Vivian's life, but in the end helps her to find family, love, and connection through the shared trait held from her so long. Vivian is pulled into the nocturnal Banshee life causing her to fall even deeper as she is pursued by a hounding reporter wanting the story of a lifetime. Ever pushing back, Vivian is helped by her full-fledged Banshee cousins from the homeland as they try to help her escape a determined Banshee hunting detective from the homeland that always gets his Banshee as they try to throw off the hounding reporter. As you read this fascinating fictious story you will be thrown into the life of a typical Banshee which do not exist... or do they?

313 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2023

About the author

Being reared by a family that always had a ghost, historic, or amusing story to share. I can remember tales of haunted houses, haunted graveyards, stories of the Civil War, times of struggle, bygone days of the horse and wagon, or taunting a friend or family member. My Great Aunt, always ready to share a good story as she seemed to enjoy a wide-eyed youngster eager to listen to her never-ending folktales of a haunted house or graveyard, my grandfather which weaved his stories of times gone by, or many other family members eager to share with me as a young lad.
Now as an older adult and those cherished family members have since passed on. I enjoyed sharing a few stories to a select few and never planned to write until encouraged by a teacher from one of the many on-line courses I have taken as I consider myself to be a lifelong student and I am forever asking about or wish to learn more about history, science, or literature.
Born and raised in the south and having traveled across this great country it has given me ample opportunity to meet those ready to share or hear a story or two. Pulled from those gone on, enriched by friends met on my travels, and my own added twist makes each suspense, Western, or wherever my next story may take me.

Reviews

[Susan Scarboro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating story of suspense, family, betrayal and murder. Drew me in couldn't put it down. You can't go wrong-with reading this book. Great read

[Ray Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course, I gave it five stars. I wrote it...