OWL MANOR – THE DAWNING NOW AVAILABLE on AMAZON!!

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We would believe that we have command over destiny, spend our lives trying to carve out our desires. But sometimes the tide sweeps us in paths beyond the imagination. And we have no choice but to swim powerless towards the fog that awaits us, and to wonder why.

This is the story of Eva. Stifled by the repression of women in the 1800s, trapped in a loveless marriage, Eva lives a life of dissatisfaction and frustration. Fate leads her to the Rocky Mountains during the gold rush in 1859, where she finds unexpected hope at Owl Manor, a strange, dark place with owls in the very fabric of its walls. But the stakes are perilous. Shadows wander the dim corridors, and the owner of the manor is moody and volatile. Does she dare trust him?

Owl Manor – the Dawning, the first standalone book in a trilogy of Gothic romantic suspense novels, is inspired by authors such as Daphne du Maurier (Jamaica Inn, Rebecca), Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Marina, Shadow of the Wind), Kate Morton (The Forgotten Garden). Filled with Poe-esque atmosphere, dark desires and supernatural elements, this book is a must read for fans of the modern Gothic.

https://amzn.to/2yhfmbq (kindle)
https://amzn.to/2QP8Z63 (paperback)

Reviews for Owl manor – the Dawning

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“Owl Manor the Dawning is an amazing Gothic horror novel that instantly takes you back to a time where life was harder and misery seemed to love company. The story follows Eva, Mr. Bradstone, Gilbert, and Joseph on a wild ride to madness, and every single unexpected twist and turn left me breathless. 

Zita Harrison’s writing is reminiscent of Poe, in which the entire story comes alive and leaves you anxiously turning the pages to see what is going to happen. The foreshadowing is amazing, and if you aren’t careful, you just may miss it (and it is so much more fun to find them the second time around!). 

Zita Harrison does an incredible job with this epic gothic horror novel. Her story will stay with me long, and I will never look at owls the same again!”

– Silvia Curry, Silvia’s Reading Corner

Owl Manor – the Dawning: a Gothic Romantic Suspense Novel, Now Available for Pre-order on Amazon Kindle!!!

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THE HAND OF FATE IS EVER PRESENT.

We would believe that we have command over our destiny, spend our lives trying to carve out our desires. But sometimes the tide sweeps us in paths beyond the imagination. And we have no choice but to swim powerless towards the mist that awaits us, and to wonder why.

This is the story of Eva. Stifled by the repression of women in the 1800s, trapped in a loveless marriage, Eva lives a life of dissatisfaction and frustration. Fate leads her to the Rocky Mountains during the gold rush in 1859, where she finds unexpected hope at Owl manor, a strange, dark place with owls in the very fabric of its walls. But the stakes are perilous. Shadows wander the dim corridors. And the owner of the manor is moody, erratic. Volatile. Can he be trusted?

Owl Manor – the Dawning, the first standalone book in a trilogy of Gothic romantic suspense novels, is inspired by authors such as Daphne du Maurier (Jamaica Inn, Rebecca), Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Marina, Shadow of the Wind), Kate Morton (The Forgotten Garden). Filled with Poe-esque atmosphere, dark desires and supernatural elements, this book is a must read for fans of the modern Gothic.

Now available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle

Review:

“Owl Manor the Dawning is an amazing Gothic horror novel that instantly takes you back to a time where life was harder and misery seemed to love company. The story follows Eva, Mr. Bradstone, Gilbert, and Joseph on a wild ride to madness, and every single unexpected twist and turn left me breathless. 

Zita Harrison’s writing is reminiscent of Poe, in which the entire story comes alive and leaves you anxiously turning the pages to see what is going to happen. The foreshadowing is amazing, and if you aren’t careful, you just may miss it (and it is so much more fun to find them the second time around!). 

Zita Harrison does an incredible job with this epic gothic horror novel. Her story will stay with me long, and I will never look at owls the same again!”

– Silvia Curry

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OWLS and DEATH

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OWLGHOST copy
Since ancient times, many different cultures have been associating birds with death. Especially OWLS. In his thesis, “On the Relationship between Birds and Spirits of the Dead,” Christopher Moreman gives us some fascinating facts, some of which I plucked out (pun intended!) for us to enjoy:
“…The Egyptian soul, called Ba, is depicted as a bird with a human head. Human-headed birds also appear among the ancient Greeks as sirens, or soul-birds…”
“…The North American Osage describe various spirit worlds, the highest of which is populated by birds embodying human souls…”
“…A pre-Islamic tradition that has survived in some parts of the Arab world explains that a murder victim will return as a white owl, screeching for vengeance…”
“… in Northern India, owls and bats might embody “the malevolent dead”…”
“…Some Pima Indians believe that at death the soul inhabits the body of an owl; an owl’s hooting portends death as it calls out for a soul to embody…”
“…Virginian folklore describes the cries of owls as “ole folks talking”…”
“…Various kinds of birds embody spirits of the dead in Brazil and Paraguay and among the Asabano of Papua New Guinea…”
“…The owl, for instance, appears most commonly as a death symbol. “The owl’s natural characteristics, its sudden pounce on its victims, its eerie cry, its preference for darkness, and the carrion smell of its nest made it the sinister messenger of the death goddesses”…”
Mmm lovely. And here I was thinking it was just a silly ghost story!!! Thank you Mr. Moreman for all the research!
Check out this AMAZING video of an owl in motion below!!!
OWL MANOR – THE DAWNING, a novel by Zita Harrison
available on Amazon, fall of 2018!!

Owl Manor – The Dawning, coming in the fall of 2018!!

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final cover copy

The hand of fate is ever present. We would believe we are in complete control, spend our lives trying to exercise that control, but sometimes the tide sweeps us in directions beyond the imagination. And we have no choice but to swim towards the unforeseen thing that awaits us, and to wonder if it was meant to be.

This is the story of Eva. Stifled by the ignorant attitudes towards women in Colonial America, unable to reach her full potential, Eva lives a life of dissatisfaction and frustration. Fate leads her to the Rocky Mountains in 1859, and the shadow that lurks in the dark halls of Owl Manor, where she finds unforeseen fulfillment.

WRITER, BOOK COVER DESIGNER

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Hello and welcome!

me with art copy

I am a writer of suspenseful romance, a blogger, and a book cover designer. All my life I have been passionate about both Writing and Art and am now happily writing and creating Art in the form of Graphic Design as well as personal Art.

BOOKS: My first novel, Ink – Beneath the Stain, came out in July 2016, and I am currently working on my second novel, Owl Manor, the Dawning, a supernatural romance full of suspense. You can read more about these books on my BOOKS page.

BLOGS: I like to write about anything inspiring related to Art: books, movies, musicians, paintings, sculpture, etc. You can find these at BLOGS, ETC.

BOOK COVER DESIGNS: With over twenty years of Graphic Design experience, I designed the covers for my own books. Then I decided I wanted to do more, and put together some mockups to display my design skills. Below are a few samples, and you can check out my BOOK COVER DESIGNS page for more designs, BOTH FICTION AND NON-FICTION, and special offers!

OTHER DESIGNS: My OTHER DESIGNS page has samples of work I did as a Graphic Designer for various firms as well as my own personal artwork.

Feel free to leave comments. I would love to hear from you!!

Another excerpt from Owl Manor – The Dawning. Coming soon!

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forest scene copy

“After a while, I came to a clearing and stopped to catch my breath. Here, no light from the moon penetrated the canopy of trees, and the darkness was thick, throbbing, the stillness complete. I could hear my heart, the far away rhythm of a primal drumbeat, and my breath, like the rushing sound of water…flowing, receding. As my eyes slowly adjusted, shapes materialized out of the blackness. The silhouettes of stately conifers, silent guardians of nature; smaller mounds of underbrush, a fallen tree trunk. And scattered over it all, streaks and spots of snow, like an outcrop of white mushrooms. Something scurried across the ground, and I squealed, heart pounding, body tingling with heightened awareness. Then I laughed softly. It was just a small animal, maybe a mouse. And I slowly became aware of other sounds: low hooting, hissing, snapping, rustling…the forest spoke, swelling and pulsing with life. I closed my eyes and listened. And felt as though I were melting into something vast and endless. What on earth was happening to me? I felt fanciful, starry-eyed, like the sort of female I had always looked down upon. Under some sort of spell. The spell of Owl Manor, a place where reason fled in the wake of delirium.

Then an icy breeze touched my cheeks.”