Sammy knows the Gates of Guinee Voodoo ceremony should lead to the afterlife, not murder. She has seven days to stop a killer from finishing this now deadly ritual. Westcoast transplant Samantha Richardson has settled into New Orleans. With a budding romance, potential career change, and newfound family, she feels at home in the French Quarter. Sammy is drawn into the history of the city’s famous Voodoo queen as she helps her friend, Andrew, with the publication of his new book. Learning about the mysterious ritual Marie Laveau performed to reach the afterlife has Sammy’s attention as well as Andrew’s readers. The book is sure to be a bestseller until it leads to murder. With one of her best friends accused of the crime, Sammy needs to discover who is framing them. Is someone following in the footsteps of Marie Laveau? Or are they using the Gates to Guinee ritual to cover up a murder? There are seven gates to reach the afterlife. Can Sammy stop the murderer before they kill again? The Gates to the Afterlife is the second book in the The French Quarter Mysteries featuring West Coast transplant Samantha Richardson. Join Sammy as she explores the Big Easy by solving the mysteries of the past and present in this new modern, cozy mystery series. "Such a fun series! The characters are lovable, funny, and quirky. The story line, history, and mystery around every corner prevented me from being able to put my Kindle down." Amazon Reviewer "This story has an eerie undertone. It starts out so innocent. There are so many plot twists that it keeps you guessing. The characters are great. The story is just unique enough to make you want to read it in one sitting." Amazon Reviewer "You can feel the author's appreciation and love of New Orleans throughout the book, and it's enjoyable getting to know more about the city as well as becoming more invested in the characters." Goodreads Reviewer Many readers become writers; I am one of them. During my childhood in Maryland to my college years in Florida, my love of reading grew into a love of writing. Although much of it was school essays and newspaper articles. I dabbled in creative writing, but not as often as I would have liked. After earning my B.A. in English, I began my career in one of my favorite cities, San Francisco. As a toy and gift buyer, I used my skills for advertising copy, newsletters, catalogs and e-commerce websites. I loved the retail industry, but I missed personal and creative writing. I left the corporate world to enter the parenting universe. Being a stay-at-home mom to my fairytale children reminded me of the fictional worlds I used to read about in my earlier spare time. Who broke that toy? Who put back the empty milk carton? Raising kids is puzzling, but definitely a non-fiction endeavor. Now that my children are older and I have fewer parenting mysteries to solve, I returned to reading fictional mysteries. The more I read, the more I dreamed of writing my own novels. With my ever-supportive husband's encouragement, I broke out the pens and notebooks, signed up for classes, and re-entered the world of writing. Having lived on both the East and West Coast, I can draw from a variety of places to set my stories, but I chose New Orleans for my first series. This city became an obsession after reading Interview with the Vampire. My first visit was over twenty-five years ago, and my continued trips have cemented my love of New Orleans. I look forward to exploring New Orleans, and many of my other favorite places, through my mystery novels. Thank you for joining me! The Gates to Guinee is a Voodoo rite that supposedly leads to the afterlife, not to murder. Sammy has seven days to stop a killer from finishing this now deadly ritual. Samantha Richardson has settled into her new hometown. With a new romance and job, Sammy knows she's at home at Thibodeaux Mansion in the French Quarter. She's thrilled to help her friend, Andrew manage his shop, Lagniappe Books. He needs more time to work on the publicity of his new book, Marie Laveau and the Gates to Guinee. Featuring recently discovered information about the city's famous Voodoo queen and a ritual that connects you to the afterlife, Andrew's book is sure to be a success until it leads to murder. With one of her best friends accused of the crime, Sammy wants to find out who is framing him. Is someone using the Gates to Guinee ritual to cover up a murder or is this person following in the footsteps of Marie Laveau? With the help of old and new friends, Sammy explores the French Quarter, learning more about Voodoo, the city's history trying to catch the culprit red-handed. There are seven gates to reach the afterlife. Can Sammy stop a murderer before they reach the afterlife? Or worse, kill again? Jen Pitts is a lifelong mystery reader who turned her obsession into writing cozy mysteries of her own. When she isn't plotting fictional murder and mayhem, she's chugging coffee, traveling, reading, and