I had the honor of being an ARC reader for Indigo by Karen Hulene Bartell. Let me tell you, this book earned its 5 stars. Indigo starts off with the popular being-left-at-the-altar beginning; and then it goes in a completely different direction. With perfect timing, our main character Raluca learns that she has inherited a cabin from a deceased aunt she didn’t know existed. While attempting to clean the place up in order to sell it, Raluca uncovers family secrets, curses, and diseases. Intertwined with these investigations is the brewing of a new relationship that can mend her broken heart.

I loved that the paranormal aspect of the story focused on windigos. In a world of vampires, werewolves, and dragons, I thought this was a wonderfully unique choice for the monster. Karen also really leaned into the suspense in a way that I enjoyed. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a story that made me read with the lights on. The non-romantic parts of the plot stood well on their own. I didn’t feel anxious to get back to the romance like I have experienced with other stories. All around, this was a great read, and I highly recommend it.

In addition to my review, I have interviewed Karen, so let’s give her the floor!

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Can you introduce your story, world, and characters?

Starting over after a broken engagement, Raluca Olson inherits a Northwoods cabin from a mysterious relative. Bloodcurdling shrieks, hanging trees, and stories of hellhounds make the log cabin inhospitable, but then she meets Dylan McCoombs. The attraction is immediate and mutual as he answers questions about her Grand Aunt Winny. He also shares the Anishinaabe legend about windigos. Some believe they’re spirits that inhabit people. Others say they’re simply morality tales for children about social taboos like cannibalism or incest, but psychiatrists define the concept as a culture-bound syndrome.

Raluca wants to flip the cabin quickly and resume her life in Chicago. But realtors contend that the rustic cabin needs an overhaul, and she is short on funds. Dylan helps her renovate, and as they spend time together, the magnetism evolves into a relationship.

During renovations, she discovers a diary and scrapbook that offer clues about her aunt, the area’s founding family, and a “certain family member” that never left. Gradually, she learns she’s related to the Marchands and “all the Marchand women are carriers, but the men bear the family curse.”

What is the family curse? The diary reveals that the family suffers from hemophilia and porphyria. But the journal suggests that a third inherited trait is passed from one generation to the next…something evil…

Because porphyria leads to anemia and causes acute light sensitivity, sufferers are pale, which is why porphyria inspired vampire stories. Another symptom of porphyria is excessive facial hair, which caused the disease’s association with werewolves. When the European settlers’ folklore collided with the Anishinaabe legend of the windigo, the Marchand myth was born.

Is a windigo an unclean spirit, a morality tale, or a culture-bound syndrome? Is that what’s leaving gutted animals on her doorstep?

Grappling with bloodthirsty prowlers, unscrupulous realtors, and neurotic neighbors isn’t challenging enough. Just when Raluca relearns to trust her instincts in a new relationship, her blindsiding ex arrives with an engagement ring and an attitude.

How does this HEA unfold? Raluca must solve an eight-generation mystery of family dysfunction, as well as deal with greed, murders, meth labs, and forest fires to marry the man she loves. Then, just as she discovers marital bliss, a package is delivered.

That sounds like a lot of twists and turns! What inspired this story?

Three years ago, we moved into a new neighborhood, where I’d walk my dog past a nearby cemetery. Each day,  I’d see more elements for a story that was slowly developing: a “devil’s chair;” a creaky, hanging sign; a bare patch with just a footstone, a “hanging tree;” swerve marks on the road beside the cemetery; a mailwoman who chewed and spit; and a neighbor whose family suffered from hemophilia and who swore some of the events (that I ultimately wrote about in Indigo) actually happened to her in another cemetery. Elements of truth embellished with an overactive imagination is how Indigo came to be.

I love how much of our lives make their way into our stories. Can you give  us a brief look at your writing process. Are you a plotter or pantser? How much time did you spend on this project? What is your writing schedule like?

I’m definitely a pantser – although I did plan Indigo a tad with a story arc, and it took about 18 months to write. I try to write every day, but sometimes it’s 350 words, and other days, when I’m on a roll, it can be 4-5,000 words.

Who are you outside of writing?

I’m a Master Naturalist, a Master Gardener, and a member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, so it seems I’m always outside – gardening, kayaking, hiking, or helping with the various projects, plant sales, and flotillas. I walk our dog Tory every day, and my husband and I sing in the church choir every Sunday.

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Meet Karen and her latest book, Indigo.

The author of 29 published books and Indigo (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249818067), Karen Hulene Bartell was born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually. Her earliest playmates were fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night–reading feverishly. Novels offered an imaginative escape, and she began her first novel at nine, learning the joys of creating her own HEAs. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, she lives in the Texas Piney Woods with her husband and *mews*–three rescued cats and a rescued CATahoula Leopard dog.

Reeling after her fiancé dumps her, Raluca Olson inherits a rustic cabin from an unknown relative. Eerie incidents and rumors of a mythical windigo alarm her, but she’s determined to learn the truth about her dysfunctional family before she flips the property.

Despite unscrupulous realtors, bloodthirsty prowlers, and a devious ex, her life improves with a rescued puppy, and passion ignites when she meets Dylan McCoombs, but…

What does a demonic half-beast share with a psychosis and porphyria? Are monsters born or formed? Nature or nurture? Is a windigo spirit genetic? More importantly, does she carry the gene?

Stay up to date with Karen at www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/