Deadly Vengeance by Ava Bradley

By Cathy Perkins

In a city most flock to dreaming of being discovered, four siblings with unique abilities will go to any lengths to stay hidden.

After losing their father to a corrupt police officer’s negligence, the Massaro sisters harbor deep distrust of law enforcement. They do their best to keep their psychic abilities secret, but meddling outsiders with good intentions pop up at the worst of times. Keeping a low profile is now more important than ever; years of red tape have delayed their wrongful death suit against the city, and 21-year-old Giselle Massaro is about to lose her younger sisters to the foster care system. But when a neighbor shows up with an impassioned plea to find a kidnapped girl, Giselle cannot refuse to use her incredible gifts before the kidnappers make good on their threats, even if it means putting her family back under the scornful eyes of the local police.

This month, I caught up with Bradley to ask about her upcoming release and the planned quartet of books.

The four Massaro sisters center the novels, forming the theme and bond, with Giselle featuring prominently in DEADLY VENGEANCE.

Bradley says, “[The sisters’] bond is powerful. They know there is as much danger as brilliance in their powers, and none can forget that their father was killed while using his abilities to help others.”

We chatted about the powers the women hold. Bradley indicated when Giselle’s neighbor asks her to find a kidnapped child, Giselle feels she can’t refuse to help, even if it risks her own family.

“While the sisters—Giselle especially—harbor a deep-seated fear of persecution for their unique psychic traits, they recognize the power of their abilities and how beneficial they could be in saving lives. Giselle understands there are elements she can’t control: the outcome of their wrongful death lawsuit and interference from child protective services.” The bad outcomes—the risk to her own family—would be hard for Giselle to live with, because if she refused to help, the death of the kidnapped girl would be impossible to live with.

Bradley mentions her strong beliefs in the otherworldly. “I have always believed that man’s claim that he is alone in the universe not only proves his ignorance, but his arrogance as well. The same goes for the power of the mind: who’s to say what the brain is capable of? Our modern-day science may seem spectacular, but we are nowhere near a full understanding of the human mind.” Writing paranormal romance gives Bradley an outlet to explore and bring some of these “what ifs” to life.

A graphic artist as well as an author, Bradley loves the control that goes with indie publication. “Quite simply, whether I design it myself or hire it out, I have the final say on exactly what goes on my covers. I once found a glaring flaw in one of my small press covers and the publisher couldn’t do anything about it because it had already been published. Now, I have the control over tweaking and reloading covers, or completely changing them out if I choose. I absolutely love that nobody can tell me ‘no you can’t.’”

Next up for Bradley is Mallory’s story. “This girl takes boldness to a whole new level. Her best friend was murdered while dancing at a strip club. What does Mallory do? She charges straight ahead to work undercover there, of course. This is personal, so she has no qualms about taking off her top if it means she’ll find a killer. Fortunately for her she has a strong private investigator in her corner as she uncovers a lot more than she bargained for.”

*****

The author of Edge of Midnight and August Unknown, Ava Bradley loves edge-of-your-seat thrillers, but believes every story is better if there’s a guy who gets a girl in the end. To Ava, a book without a Happily Ever After is like a cake without frosting.

To learn more about Ava, please visit her website.