About the Book:
Docia’s parents work hard to hide the truth from her about what she is. They want her to be a good Christian woman, and they believe secrecy is the only way to achieve that goal. They aim to keep their adult daughter under their protection for her entire life, but that plan is about to backfire. When Blane appears in the church basement during one of Brother Josiah’s demon lectures, Docia is immediately intrigued. She’s had little opportunity to spend time with boys her own age and is afraid she’s going to die a virgin. But she’s disappointed to learn that Blane is only there to learn about the demons. Why can’t she meet an ordinary man who isn’t obsessed with mythical creatures?
Docia doesn’t believe in demons. It’s all nonsense to her, and she doesn’t believe in her scheming grandfather’s version of God, either. She just wants to escape her family’s overprotection and get out on her own in the real world. She wants to be normal and live a normal life. But Docia is about to find out just how different she really is. And her parents are going to learn the hard way that the only way to protect their daughter is to allow her the space she needs to be her true self.
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Read an Excerpt from Demons of the Night
Docia laughed. “Wow,” she said. “I guess I need to do this more often. I didn’t realize how out of shape I am.”
“You’re in fine shape,” Blane said. “It’s this place. It’s sapping your strength already.”
Docia shook her head, refusing to allow herself to believe that this beautiful place was imbued with some sort of evil energy that could affect her in this way. She sat up straight and stretched her arms above her head, breathing deep.
An acorn thunked against the ground in front of them and bounced. Docia and Blane both glanced up in time to see another one flying toward them. A squirrel scurried across the branch above them as if it realized they had spotted it.
Docia laughed. “Are you throwing nuts at us, squirrel?” she said. She turned to Blane. “You didn’t tell me you had attack squirrels here,” she said.
Blane’s smile was forced. “Even the wildlife is trying to warn you away,” he said.
Docia rolled her eyes. The squirrel had run down the tree’s trunk and now hung from the bark on its back side. Its beady, little eyes stared around the edge of the tree at them.
“I think he’s trying to decide if we’re friend or foe,” Docia said. “I can’t imagine the vandals that usually hang out here are pleasant company for the wildlife.”
Docia slid off the bench and grabbed one of the acorns that had dropped in front of them. She crouched low, one knee digging into the dirt path. Then, she held the acorn out on her open palm and extended it in the squirrel’s direction. “Would you like your lunch back?” she asked.
The squirrel cocked its head to the side as if it were considering her offer. Docia smiled at Blane over her shoulder, but he frowned at her.
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” Blane said. “Squirrels can be vicious.”
Docia turned her attention back to the squirrel and clicked her tongue at it. The squirrel scurried down to the ground and stopped a few feet in front of Docia. It froze and stared at her.
Blane gasped. “Docia, don’t,” he said.
“Shh.”
The squirrel seemed to make up its mind about Docia. It ran for her hand and snatched the acorn from her palm. For a second, it sat back on its haunches and eyed her.
“Docia, seriously!” Blane was suddenly at her side, shooing the animal away.
The squirrel dropped the acorn and scurried away. It ran up the nearest tree trunk and disappeared into the foliage.
“Why did you do that?” Docia asked. “I wasn’t in any danger.”
“Squirrels can be really mean. What if it has rabies?” Blane offered a hand to Docia and helped her up from the ground. “Wild squirrels don’t usually come right up to humans like that unless there’s something wrong with them.”
Docia brushed the dirt from her knees and began hiking up the trail again. “They come up to me,” she said. “Animals have always liked me.”
About the Author:
Amanda L. Webster grew up in Effingham County, Illinois where she spent much of her childhood writing stories and running through the woods enacting those stories in her head. She is a veteran of the United States Air Force and has a master’s degree in creative writing from Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mandy works full-time at a state university and teaches writing courses at a local community college. She now lives in central Illinois with her dog, two sons, and two cats. She occasionally has free time, and that is when she writes.
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