K. R. S. McEntire is from the generation that dashed through platform 9 ¾, fell in love with vegetarian vampires and motorcycle-riding werewolves, and took down a corrupt government during the Hunger Games. Her sorting hat placed her in Gryffinpuff (she's convinced it's a thing).

McEntire remembers how magical it felt to follow wardrobes into unimaginable worlds, and she hopes to bring that same joy to the next generation. Her earliest introduction to swords, dragons, and mythical kingdoms was playing RPG games alongside her father, and she's glad that writing allows her to build her own epic worlds.

She runs the Facebook page Diverse Books With Magic, where she promotes diversity in speculative fiction. McEntire lives in Indianapolis with her husband and her two sons, Justus and Kaden.

Alice and the Voodoo Queen by K. R. S. McEntire

A demon-hunting mad hatter. A voodoo-loving red queen. A tragic love story that transcends life and death.

Life is good for Alice and Jay. They're living together in a luxurious penthouse, their wedding is in one week, and the hardest decision they have to make is whether they'll honeymoon in Fiji or Japan.

Alice tries not to jinx her good fortune by asking too many questions—like how Jay can afford Fiji on a restaurant manager's budget or why he refuses to introduce her to his family.

When Jay disappears a week before their wedding, she must go down the rabbit hole and dig up the truth about her lover. With the help of a demon-hunting mad hatter and a potion that connects humans with the spirit realm, she discovers a world of voodoo, spells, gods, goddesses, spirits, and her biggest challenge: Jay's mother—the voodoo queen.

 

REVIEWS

  • "The elements of Alice in Wonderland are so creatively imagined into the world of voodoo. It was a wonderful quick read."

    – Goodreads Review

  • "I enjoyed every moment of this story. Alice's character is entirely relatable, being the young and in-love teen willing to go to dangerous lengths for the person she loves. Being someone who's "dabbled" with Louisianan witchdoctors in the past, I could definitely tell that K.R.S. has done her research on Haitian Voodoo. If you enjoy short stories with dangerous spirits, reclaiming lost lovers, and strong, realistic female leads whom we all can get behind, definitely check this one out!"

    – Amazon Review

  • "What a retelling! Trust me, you've never been down a rabbit hole like this... It's a darkly haunting wonderland that borders on the edge of insanity wrapped up with magical voodoo elements and a timeless love story to top it off. There's nothing else to say but "Wow!""

    – Amazon Review
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

"As your maid of honor, it's my job to make sure we have a good time and seeing as you've already turned down male strippers, there's only one logical conclusion left." My best friend, Courtney, was saying as she slid me a cherry martini. The long, dark curls that framed her face bounced as she moved and spoke enthusiastically.

From the moment I'd taken a seat at the bar, Courtney hadn't stopped talking. I waited, knowing she'd have to take a break for air eventually.

At 1:00 p.m., the bar was mostly empty, but every movement Courtney made drew attention from every man in the room, and some of the women, too.

She had that effect on people, and her uniforms did a great job showing off her curves.

They stole glances at her as she chatted to me, and I wished she would calm down a bit. I came here to tell her something important.

"I say forget strippers, forget a hotel party. How about a boat cruise? We can party on the sea," Courtney said.

"Hotel party… sounds fun," I mumbled before taking a sip of my drink. I stirred the cherry that Courtney had stuck to the side of my glass around the liquor thoughtlessly. I rarely came to the bar when I wasn't working, but Courtney and I had become close and I needed to see my girl.

A week had passed since Jay left, and I hadn't told my friends about his disappearance. It was time to fess up.

"Hotel party? Are you even listening to me?" Courtney crossed her arms over her chest. "I said we should take a boat cruise. Kevin, what do you think?"

I glanced up from my drink and saw that our coworker, Kevin, had approached. He was the quintessential tall, dark, and handsome. I secretly shipped him with Courtney, but he insisted they were just friends.

He grinned from ear to ear when he saw me. "Alice! Hey, stranger. I haven't seen you in a week. It looks like we are always scheduled at different times."

I'd switched my schedule on purpose. I didn't want to tell my friends that my fiancé had abandoned me, but after a full week, I didn't have much choice.

"Yea… about that." I looked down at my drink and mustered up the courage to spill the tea. My voice cracked as I whispered, "Jay is gone."

Courtney and Kevin were silent for a moment, and I listened to the sound of glass and tableware colliding with each other, the soft murmur of voices chattering throughout the room, and took in the faint scent of alcohol and bleach in the air.

"Gone?" Kevin's deep voice sliced through the silence. "What do you mean 'gone.'"

"I haven't heard from him in a week," I admitted.

"Oh, sweetheart." Courtney moved from behind the bar to stand next to me. Her arms wrapped me in an embrace. "I was wondering why you were looking so rough."

Her eyes looked me up and down judgmentally, but then she smiled again. "He's trash, clearly," Courtney said. "You can do way better."

"I've taken down men much scarier than Jay," Kevin said. "Just throwing that out there." In a past life, Kevin was an amateur wrestler who toured the country and played at events. But for the past year, he's been working at the bar and seemed happy to slow down a bit.

I shot Kevin a warning look. "I'm not sure he left because he wanted to."

Courtney tilted her head to the side. "Elaborate."

I sighed. Where to even start?