CHARLES TOWN, W.Va., December 9, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Janice Franklin is bright, beautiful and gifted. Visions of her future have haunted her since childhood, but she has ignored them, until now. Jerri L. Shirley introduces an exciting new trilogy with the first installment, Mystique (now available through 1stBooks).
Mystique follows Janice, who has been gifted with the power of foresight, a power she has ignored her whole life for fear of alienation. When she is in her late teens, Janice learns she is pregnant. The father of her baby is leaving for college, while she still has a year of high school left. She tries to contact him for months, and when she finally reaches him, he tells her to never talk to him again. Scared and alone, she stumbles into the arms of another man, a Bostonian twice her age named Paul Everett.
Besotted with Janice, they marry quickly. He moves them to a small cabin in Berkeley County, W.Va. However, what seemed like a good thing quickly turns bad. In the isolated state, Paul keeps Janice locked up and forces her to cook, clean and cater to his inflated ego. As the years progress, she fights her situation and her gift. A nagging voice inside tells her to break free before it is too late. Those she loves may be out to manipulate her and could change and even end her life. As secrets are revealed, Janice and Paul make amends, but before she can escape and make a new life, there is one person she must confront.
With an exciting conclusion, Mystique keeps readers entranced throughout this riveting novel.
Jerri Shirley is from Jefferson County, W.Va., and has had the opportunity to travel abroad with her husband, who is now retired from the United States Marine Corps. She enjoys living with her husband and 10 year old daughter on their plush 15 acre farm, where she has just completed her sequel to Mystique, the second in the trilogy.
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