Janet Kay and Rainy Lake Rendezvous

 This review originally appeared at Wisconsin Writers Association

Rainy Lake Rendezvous, by Janet Kay

Psychological drama,  232 pp
May 2020, Independently published
Reviewed by Lisa Lickel, www.LisaLickel.com
 
Print $15.95
Ebook $2.99
Buy on Amazon

About the Book:
AN INTRIGUING TALE OF LOVE, LIES, AND FAMILY SECRETS - WITH A SUPERNATURAL TWIST. This is the long-awaited sequel to WATERS OF THE DANCING SKY.

Determined to reclaim Beth, the ex-wife whom he divorced ten years ago, Rob leaves behind his former identity as a prominent Chicago attorney and embarks upon a secretive mission to rescue her from the man whom he believes is holding her hostage. Together, he and Beth will begin a new life in a remote cabin in the Canadian wilderness.

But Beth has finally found peace and is no longer living in fear of her delusional ex-husband. She is happily remarried to an Ojibwe artist who honors his ancestors' cultural beliefs and traditions. They live on a wilderness island on Rainy Lake along the Minnesota/Canada international border where they are raising ten-year-old Jason.

Jason's idyllic childhood takes an unexpected turn when he awakens from a dream to find himself on a bizarre wilderness adventure with a stranger - accompanied by a spirit from beyond this world. This transformational journey, filled with twists and turns, leads to the discovery of long held family secrets that will change all of their lives forever.

Can they let go of the past, learn to forgive, and move into an uncertain future together?
Genres: Psychological Suspense, Wilderness Adventure, Supernatural
 
"Rainy Lake Rendezvous is a tale that begins with obsession and madness but becomes, in the end, a journey with something quite different in mind. Janet Kay offers readers a rich tapestry of intrigue, of history, of Ojibwe lore and culture… “ William Kent Krueger
 
My review:
Janet Kay’s creepy and delusional ex-lawyer Rob Calhoun, aka Bob Johnson, will make you think twice about taking that vacation in the deep north woods. Rob has never been short of charm, until he divorced his wife for a pregnant girlfriend/wife number two who promptly disappeared with the son he never knew nor cared about. Ten years’ worth of obsessive preparation to rescue Beth, the wife Rob should never have let go, leads to an intriguing, terrifying series of revelations that will keep readers turning pages.
 
A mysterious message repeats in Bob’s head…Bob has a rendezvous with death. As we learn more about Bob, his ex-wife Beth and new husband Seth, and their young son Jason, the deeper we’re drawn into this tale of spirit guides, premonition, and the results of choices that haunt them. Taking on a new persona, Bob’s careful plot winds across the US-Canada border and onto First Nation lands through the legendary boundary waters and islands of Minnesota and Ontario. Fall and its treacherous weather add to the suspense. Bob justifies his mania by believing Seth must be holding Beth hostage and he must save her.
 
Seth’s thought-provoking grandmother holds the story together as she whispers to each of them from beyond messages of warning, comfort, and a purpose that needs to be carried out.
 
A sequel to Waters of the Dancing Sky, echoes of reincarnation from earlier lives complement contemporary events. The profound message of forgiveness, “forgiving others—and yourself—were the keys to letting go of the past and embracing a future filled with endless possibilities” leaves the reader with hope. Kay’s tale of possibilities is recommended for high school-age readers and up who love adventurous drama and mysteries. Mild language and alcohol use.

About the Author
Janet Kay lives and writes on a pristine lake in the woods of northwest Wisconsin.  Drawn to nature since she was a child, she sees it's wonders as a source of renewal, reflection and connection with something greater than oneself.  Her lifelong interests include creative writing, travel, photography, exploring nature, and spending time with family and friends.  She has a special interest in the Victorian era and in the paranormal. http://www.novelsbyjanetkay.com/

The Sisters, a ghostly tale by Janet Kay

The Sisters
Janet Kay
published 2018 by World Castle Publishing
264 pp

$3.99 ebook
$15.99 paperback
also available in hardcover

Buy on Amazon
Buy on Barnes and Noble
Goodreads

About the Book

Bella and Jimmy, long lost soulmates, rediscover each other in a chance encounter that forever changes their lives. Jimmy, however, is already engaged to marry Bella’s sister, Veronica.

Heartbroken, they continue along their destined paths in life, journeys that flow from the shores of historic Galveston Island on the Gulf of Mexico to the icy depths of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota. Along the way, life confronts them with devastating losses – and experiences that defy explanation.

Bella seeks solace through her spirit guide and visits to the other side of life.

The sisters, torn apart by their love for the same man, spend many years locked in a cycle that fluctuates between feuding and estrangement. It is only after Jimmy’s death that they begin to discover secrets buried within a past life they once shared. Secrets that may help them to unravel this bizarre love triangle.

Can they find a way to heal, to forgive, and to break free from the karma that has haunted them for an eternity? Or, is it too late to penetrate the veil separating the world of the living from the land of the dead?

My Review

The Sisters, steeped in the occult and spiritism, is a cautionary tale of three souls locked in a cycle of jealousy, rage, and despair. This lifetime could be their chance at forgiveness.

Kay’s novels are set in exotic eras of unusual settings, always painstakingly researched with believable characters experiencing the reality of their situation. In this story, Bella relives the shock of a soul lost in the devastation of the 1900 hurricane that shredded Galveston, Texas. But the gift of Bella’s spirit guide is only the means to show her truths of a battle that she can ultimately decide to win or lose…again.

Bella and her older sister Veronica are two sides to the coin of an old-money, well-established family on Galveston island. Bella has always had a wild side, whereas Veronica has always been a “stuffed shirt,” concerned with reputation. Bella seems to have inherited all the passion between the siblings. The story opens at the death of Veronica’s husband Jimmy, a self-made man chosen for her by her father, but living a double life. Since girlhood Bella is the sister who accepts the hauntings of her ancestral home while Veronica pooh-poohs the whole notion…until the death of the girls’ mother a short two months after Jimmy. While Bella writes her spirit-guided novel in her cozy little cottage, strange occurrences at the family home send Veronica looking for answers at the island’s Witchery shop. The sisters meet by chance downtown when Bella finishes her book, and decide to call a truce. But the reconciliation is short-lived when Bella simply can’t find a happy place, even for a moment, whenever Jimmy’s name is invoked. Jimmy isn’t the only soul with a secret.

Upon accidentally overhearing gossip, Veronica is forced to look at the truth of her life. She attempts to reconcile with Bella one last time in a triumphant party to celebrate Bella’s book. Tragedy sends Veronica over the edge to search for understanding the lies she’s accepted and reinvented through several lifetimes. But forgiveness can’t be one-sided. Veronica’s revelation, “That’s the way I’d always handled troubling situations in my life—locking my emotions away someplace deep down so I wouldn’t have to deal with them,” shows how these souls have struggled.

Told in first person through four characters, Kay explores an imaginative idea about choice, justification, reunion, and reincarnation. “We decide what’s right and wrong,” declares a spirit on the other side. Those who like ghosts and the occult will find a lot to think about in this tale of love and loss.

About the Author

Janet Kay lives and writes on a lake in the woods of Northwest Wisconsin. Drawn to nature since she was a child, she sees it as a source of renewal, reflection and connection with something greater than oneself. She has previously published two novels, Waters of the Dancing Sky and Amelia 1868. Her work can best be described as a blend of paranormal, historical, fantasy, romance, spiritual and visionary fiction. Janet Kay’s lifelong passions include creative writing, travel, photography and spending time with family and friends. She frequently combines these interests as she explores new and exciting destinations to set her novels.

Waters of the Dancing Sky, a love story

"There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love - the only survival, the only meaning." Thornton Wilder

About the Book: Sometimes you must tiptoe across that bridge linking this world with the next. Sometimes, it is the only way to put the twisted pieces of one's life back together again.

Beth Calhoun is a middle-aged woman haunted by a tragic past - the drowning death of her young mother, the shame of having no father. Escaping from an abusive marriage, she retreats to her family's wilderness island home on Rainy Lake along the Minnesota/Ontario international border. Here she embarks upon a journey of self-discovery that flows through a series of wilderness adventures, past and present. As she delves into her mother's old diaries, she discovers long-held family secrets including the identity of her mysterious father. Spirits of the past emerge as she struggles through a complex web of emotions and shifting relationships. Can she forgive and put the past behind her? Can she learn to trust and to love again?

Waters of the Dancing Sky is an inspirational love story, an intriguing blend of fact and fantasy that weaves an appreciation of nature and local Ojibwe culture into mankind's eternal search for meaning.

About the Author: Janet Kay lives and writes on a lake in the North Woods of Wascott, Wisconsin. Drawn to nature since she was a child, she sees it wonders as a source of renewal, reflection, and connection with something greater than oneself. Her lifelong passions include creative writing, photography, travel, and spending time with family.

Waters of the Dancing Sky is her debut novel. It has earned excellent reviews and a 5-star rating on Amazon.com. It is available for $16.95 through her publisher, Llumina Press, via her website; Amazon.com; Barnes & Noble; Ingram; Baker & Taylor; and many bookstores. E-books are also available for $5.95 through Smashwords, Kindle, Nook, Apple, Diesel, Sony, and Kobo.

For more information, check out her website. It includes her blog, Janet Kay's Journey, a photo gallery, and opportunities to enter her promotional contest.

She is currently working on her next novel, tentatively titled Amelia 1868. It will be set in the antique country town of Walnut, Iowa and the old western ghost town of Virginia City, Montana. A sequel to Waters is also in the works, based upon numerous requests from readers.

What Others Are Saying About the Book:

"An elegantly told story filled with twists and turns, pain and tenderness, conflict and resolution. Touched by spirits of Native Americans long passed from this world, emboldened by the majesty of the North Woods, this is a story about the universality of life - a book about the magic of the human spirit and the often wisp-like will of the humann mind. Highly recommended reading for lovers of life everywhere." Don Bacue, Executive Editor, International Features Syndicate

"All great storytelling is about love, death, and birth. This book transported me into Beth's world, making me feel its mysterious magic and stark reality. Not since Tolkien's Trilogy have I fallen into a book so completely." Gary Hetts, Member of St. Croix Writers, Solon Springs, WI

"The hero seeking light in the fog of an unsettled past, in the swirl of a disturbing present, and finding courage to embrace the unknown future...all elements of a true mythic story. Waters of the Dancing Sky is a soul journey that unfolds like a plot of a Hallmark Channel movie." Frank Zufall, Spooner Advocate

"...a true communion of place, character, and plot. Waters of the Dancing Sky is a complete vision, one with reverberating depths and serious surprises." Laura Kasischke, author of The Life Before Her Eyes