The Sun Rises Over Seven Sisters Read online

  “And what good stock it is too,” he purred playfully. As I kissed him I pretended I didn’t hear a giggle or two coming from the direction of that old oak tree.

  “You hear anything?” I asked cautiously.

  “Nope. Let’s go.”

  We drove out of the woods and down the bumpy, beaten path, back to the road that would lead us to the future. Our good future. It was going to be a good one. A curse-free one.

  I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. “Thank you,” I whispered to no one in particular. I knew everyone who was supposed to hear it would.

  Author’s Note

  It’s the last page of the book and you want to close it, but you just can’t. The characters are not merely names on a page. You know them, understand them—you’ll miss them. You were with them throughout the journey, a witness to their heartaches and triumphs. You walked through the Moonlight Garden, swam in the Mobile River and explored the old house. You have unanswered questions. There should be more to this story!

  I hope you feel this way about the Seven Sisters books. If you do, that is the best thing I could ever hope for. I know I do. Like you, it is difficult for me to say goodbye to these friends, but at least they will live on for us in the pages of these books and we can visit them again and again. For me, if you miss them, that’s proof that I’ve done my job. I told the story I wanted to tell, and I hope you enjoyed it.

  I remember when I began to write Chapter One of the first book. I had such a compulsion to put it all on paper. It was during a difficult time in my personal life, but at the end of every day I found an escape—a forgotten plantation called Seven Sisters. And there…Calpurnia waited to be found. Muncie hoped to be loved. Carrie Jo wanted to be understood. It was a delight to make that happen for the characters, and by doing that I made it through a major transition in my life. I highly recommend writing as therapy.

  Although I was born in Antigua in the British West Indies, generations of my family have called Mobile home, and that’s where I spent much of my time as a child. I used to love visiting my grandmother; she lived in a rural part of the county. She had the most amazing old house in the country, complete with wisteria vines, bushy hydrangeas and, of course, forgotten paths in the woods that led to mysterious places. We always came back to Mobile, no matter where my military family traveled, and I loved every one of those returns. I’ve had the privilege of visiting dozens of states and have even traveled overseas but this…this mosquito-laden bowl of humidity has always been home. And it will continue to be so.

  I enjoyed weaving real places and people into my stories. It was a delight to share downtown Mobile with you, and if you ever get the chance, come visit. I joke about the skeeters and the heat, but that’s nothing compared to the people, the food and the architecture.

  One of the biggest questions I am asked is this: “Is Seven Sisters a real place?” Answering that is difficult. It’s a yes and a no. As far as I know, there was never a plantation in Mobile called Seven Sisters, but we’ve lost so many of those old houses, so who knows? I did base much of the structure of the house on real houses: the Oakleigh Manor in Mobile and the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion. You can tour both of those!

  As far as dream catchers go, maybe people can go back in time and dream about the past. I have enough room in my belief system to allow for a bit of magic. Don’t you? I’ll let you make up your own mind about ghosts and such.

  So what lies ahead? I have a few things in the works. As I mentioned on my Facebook page a few months ago, I am working on the screenplay for Seven Sisters. I think Carrie Jo deserves a movie, don’t you?

  I have also completed a historical fiction series about Queen Nefertiti. It’s called the Desert Queen series and I’m very happy with it. If you fancy a bit of adventure in ancient Egypt, check it out. The first book in that series, The Tale of Nefret, is free on Kindle.

  At the moment, I am swimming my way through an urban fantasy called Sirens Gate. It’s about an angsty siren, her human boyfriend and a host of other supernatural creatures who descend on Mobile’s Dauphin Island. It’s so fun to write about mermaids and vampires!

  I also have a new spooky plantation series coming this fall, called the Sugar Hill series. There will be three books in that one: The Wife of the Left Hand, The Ramparts, and Blood by Candlelight. I can’t wait to introduce you to the Dufresne family and take you through their plantation, Sugar Hill. Like Seven Sisters, the series will be chock full of Southern folklore and historical places.

  Thanks again for staying with me through this series. I appreciate all your kind words, the reviews and the emails.

  Don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list or follow me on Amazon or BookBub so you can get the newest release information right in your inbox.

  See y’all soon.

  M.L. Bullock

  Read more from M.L. Bullock

  The Seven Sisters Series

  Seven Sisters

  Moonlight Falls on Seven Sisters

  Shadows Stir at Seven Sisters

  The Stars that Fell

  The Stars We Walked Upon

  The Sun Rises Over Seven Sisters

  The Idlewood Series

  The Ghosts of Idlewood

  Dreams of Idlewood

  The Whispering Saint (forthcoming)

  The Haunted Child (forthcoming)

  The Heart of Idlewood (forthcoming)

  The Desert Queen Series

  The Tale of Nefret

  The Falcon Rises

  The Kingdom of Nefertiti

  The Song of the Bee-Eater (forthcoming)

  The Sugar Hill Series

  Wife of the Left Hand

  Fire on the Ramparts (forthcoming)

  Blood by Candlelight (forthcoming)

  The Starlight Ball (forthcoming)

  Athena’s Revenge (forthcoming)

  The Sirens Gate Series

  The Mermaid’s Gift

  The Blood Feud

  The Wrath of Minerva

  The Lorelei Curse (forthcoming)

  The Island Jinx (forthcoming)

  The Fortunate Star (forthcoming)

  The Southern Gothic Series

  Being with Beau

  Connect with M.L Bullock on Facebook. To receive updates on her latest releases, visit her website at M.L. Bullock and subscribe to her mailing list.

  About the Author

  Author of the best-selling Seven Sisters series and the Desert Queen series, M.L. Bullock has been storytelling since she was a child. A student of archaeology, she loves weaving stories that feature her favorite historical characters—including Nefertiti. She currently lives on the Gulf Coast with her family but travels frequently to exotic locations around the globe.