Writer, humanist,
          dog-mom, horse servant and cat-slave,
       Lover of solitude
          and the company of good friends,
        New places, new ideas
           and old wisdom.

Roses are following me around. 

In my first mystery/thriller/crime/urban fantasy, I named my police officer-witch, “Rose.” 

Names are a funny thing. When you give one to a character, it can instantly color them and lead to interesting places.  I don’t know why that name popped into my head at the critical moment of creation. I’ve tried to figure it out:

Was it a subconscious play on my last name, “Thorne”? 

Was I thinking of my grandmother whose name was “Rose”? 

Or was it just that it was fun, because as Rose herself says, 

“‘Rose’ is a difficult name. For one thing, it made me a target throughout childhood for “smells the same” taunts. For another, it sets up an assumption that fails to describe any part of my nature, conjuring an image of a tiny gray-haired woman. I am neither tiny—standing barefoot at 5’8”—nor gray-haired—dark curls minimally tamed per Birmingham police uniform regulations—and I’m more prickly thorns than soft petals.”

A one-armed man gave me the climbing rose in my yard (not that one-armed man, if you are of an age to have watched “The Fugitive”). It is in full bloom as we speak. That rose bush taught me valuable lessons (See “The Rose Wars.”)

Rose (the police-witch) got this for a cover:

 

All sorts of roses seem to show up in my life—a painting from a friend, a favorite scarf I never noticed had a black-and-white rose pattern, the two dozen long-stemmed roses my ex-husband (#2) sent me when he wanted to make up. That last one may be cheating since it was long ago. If my current husband sent me roses, I would definitely freak out (you have to read House of Rose to know why.)

Book two of the Magic City series is finally making its debut as House of Stone.

 

Just want to be clear, that is a red diamond in there—in case the universe wants to do that “Law of Attraction” thing, I’m good with it!

Here’s a  promo moment for the new novel:

Witches and warlocks abide in Birmingham, Alabama in three ancient
Houses—Rose, Iron and Stone. They arrived over a century ago to draw their
powers from the abundant ores beneath Red Mountain. Rose Brighton, a Birmingham
police detective, is the last witch of House of Rose and possibly the most
dangerous thing since the hydrogen bomb. A terrifying encounter with House of
Iron has mentally crippled Becca, her best friend. While Becca struggles to
find herself, Rose battles to control her own abilities and the supernatural
attraction that pulls her to a mysterious, handsome warlock.

 

When magic kicks in at the scene of her first homicide, she learns
that her partner—the mentor and friend she depends on—is lying to her, and she
is on her own. Unraveling the murder entwines Rose in a web of greed and profit
involving a promising new medicine. Someone is willing to kill to keep a cheap
drug from the market. Not only do countless lives depend on Rose’s skills as a
detective, the fate of a unique race of people facing extinction also rests on
her shoulders . . . and some of them are determined to kill her.

 

Praise

“Thorne delivers a spellbinding thriller, an
enthralling blend of real-world policing and other-world magic. It’s a wild
ride of high stakes that pits the warm humanity of Rose and her friends against
chilling powers of darkness in a battle that is both ages old and totally of
today.”

—Barbara Kyle, author of The Traitor’s Daughter

“A deftly crafted and riveting read by an author with
an impressively deft ability to hold the reader’s rapt attention with her original
fantasy novel “House of Rose.” Readers new to her will look eagerly forward to
the next title in her new Magic City Stories series. While very highly
recommended for personal and community library Contemporary Fantasy Fiction
collections, it should be noted that “House of Rose” is also available in a
digital book format.”

—Midwest Reviews

“Rookie cop Rose Brighton never imagined that a simple
suspect chase into an alley would lead her into dark passages where she would
question her definition of reality, her own identity, and whether she was pawn
or prey. HOUSE OF ROSE is a gem.”

— DP Lyle,
award-winning author of the Jake Longly thriller series

“The life of Birmingham, Ala., rookie cop Rose
Brighton, the narrator of this promising paranormal series launch from Thorne (Noah’s
Wife), veers into the extraordinary one night. . . . Thorne, a retired
captain in the Birmingham PD, grounds the fantasy with authentic procedural
details and loving descriptions of the city and its lore. Readers will look
forward to Rose’s further adventures.”

—Publishers Weekly

“T.K. Thorne is an authentic, new voice in the world
of fantasy and mystery. THE HOUSE OF ROSE blends the realistic details of
police work with magic. The result is an explosive story that will keep you on
the edge of your seat as Rose learns of her true heritage…and the dangerous
powers that are her birthright. Pick up this story—you’ll thank yourself over
and over again.”

—Carolyn Haines,
USA Today bestselling author of the Sarah Booth Delaney, Pluto’s Snitch, and
Trouble the black cat detective mystery series.

“Although
“House of Rose” is speculative fiction, a kind of fantasy, T.K. Thorne is so
knowledgeable about Birmingham and law enforcement that it is also, truly, a
police procedural and a thriller—something for everyone. House of Rose” is the
first of a series which should be a hit.”

—Don Nobles,
reviewer for Alabama Public Radio

T.K. is a retired police captain who writes Books, which, like this blog, go wherever her interest and imagination take her.  More at TKThorne.com