A warm welcome to author E.J Russell joining us today here at Love Bytes to talk about their new release “Stumptown Spirits”.

The Witch’s Castle, the site of the local legend central to Stumptown Spirits, is a real place. It sits in Portland’s Macleay Park (part of Forest Park), next to Balch Creek. The site was originally part of Danford Balch’s homestead. Through a series of more or less shady deals, Balch’s property passed from his widow to her next husband, then to the attorney handling the Balch affairs. Eventually, it was purchased by Donald Macleay, an early Portland real estate developer, who later donated it to the city (it’s said) because the taxes were too high.

Portland is famous for its civic green spaces, and this was one of the first gifts of property designated explicitly as a park. So Danford Balch, despite being the first man legally hanged in Portland, was also (in a somewhat convoluted way) its benefactor.

When I was writing the first draft of Stumptown Spirits, I relied mostly on pictures and videos of the Witch’s Castle that I found online. But during revisions, I wanted to see the real thing, so I decided I needed to bite the bullet and—yes, that’s right—take a hike.

Curmudgeonly Husband and I headed out to the Portland West Hills last July and cut into the Wildwood Trail behind the Audubon Society center, following the trail along Balch Creek. I was surprised when we got to the building itself—I expected it to be larger, for some reason, and more prominent. But it’s just plunked down at the spot where the Upper Macleay Trail hits the Wildwood Trail. I actually gave Trent a line about my reaction: I thought it would be bigger.

I took lots of pictures of the site, and even my own video tour (thank you, iPhone). When I filled out the cover art form for the book, I included one the shots I took (I always stick pictures in my cover art forms, because descriptions are not my fave), and let Riptide know I had a high-res version of the photo if they wanted it.

Then when the awesome L.C. Chase was working on the cover, she asked for the picture. So that stone building on the cover? That’s the picture of the Witch’s Castle I took on the hike last July.

If you want to see some additional shots from that hike, here’s the link for my Pinterest inspiration board: https://www.pinterest.com/ejrussell/stumptown-spirits/

When CH saw the cover, he said, “That looks exactly like the Witch’s Castle.”

Heh heh heh. That’s it. Exactly.

About Stumptown Spirits

What price would you pay to rescue a friend from hell.

For Logan Conner, the answer is almost anything. Guilt-ridden over trapping his college roommate in a ghost war rooted in Portland’s pioneer past, Logan has spent years searching for a solution. Then his new boyfriend, folklorist Riley Morrel, inadvertently gives him the key. Determined to pay his debt—and keep Riley safe—Logan abandons Riley and returns to Portland, prepared to give up his freedom and his future to make things right.

Crushed by Logan’s betrayal, Riley drops out of school and takes a job on a lackluster paranormal investigation show. When the crew arrives in Portland to film an episode about a local legend of feuding ghosts, he stumbles across Logan working at a local bar, and learns the truth about Logan’s plan.

Their destinies once more intertwined, the two men attempt to reforge their relationship while dodging a narcissistic TV personality, a craven ex-ghost, and a curmudgeonly bar owner with a hidden agenda. But Logan’s date with destiny is looming, and his life might not be the only one at stake.

Buy Links:

Riptide Publishing

Amazon

About EJ Russell

E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business-intelligence consultant. After her twin sons left for college and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class, she returned to her childhood love of writing fiction. Now she wonders why she ever thought an empty nest meant leisure.

E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, the only man on the planet who cares less about sports than she does. She enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

Connect with E.J.:

• Website: ejrussell.com
• Blog: ejrussell.com/bloggery/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/E.J.Russell.author
• Twitter: twitter.com/ej_russell
• Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ejrussell/
• Google+: plus.google.com/+EJRussell

To celebrate the release of Stumptown Spirits, EJ is giving away $25 in Riptide credit. Leave a comment to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 21, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!