Synopsis:

Lee Lindsay doesn’t believe in witchcraft. Publisher
of a successful magazine in Santa Fe, a wife and mother, she has no time for superstitious nonsense.
When a routine interview leads her to an isolated mountain village, she has a fateful encounter with Juan
Mascarenas—a man rumored to be a brujo, or sorcerer—who leads her through an ancient awakening ceremony.

Suddenly, inexplicable things are happening to Lee. She experiences flashbacks to a past life as an Anasazi Indian.
An ominous raven watches her by day and invades her dreams at night. Worst of all, her dangerous passion for Juan is turning Lee’s well-ordered life into an uncontrollable nightmare.

Sexual obsession turns to terror as Lee struggles to save her family and her soul. Her only hope lies in the power within herself . . . because the brujo, who claims to have loved her and lost her centuries ago, has found Lee again. This time, he intends to keep her.

Note: This book is temporarily out of print. A limited number of autographed first edition paperback copies are now available.

“His power as a man enticed her.
His power as a sorcerer possessed her.
Now only her power as a woman can save her.”
Peter Saurberey, USA Network

“I loved this story so much I cancelled a European vacation to star in the movie version!”
Suzanne Somers

“The masterfully plotted thriller hooked me on page one and took me on an unforgettable journey. The minute I finished it, I was on the phone—optioning the movie rights..”
Martin Markinson, Producer/owner of Helen Hayes Theatre, New York.

“Jann Arrington Wolcott extracts new lifeblood from the Gothic thriller genre in this steamy
page-turner! She combines a deep-rooted knowledge of New Mexico with a passion for the exotic
and a flair for the dramatic.”
Jon Bowman, Editor, New Mexico Magazine

“A vivid and entertaining page turner!”
Judith Van Geison

BRUJO, Seduced by Evil is an engrossing tale of witchcraft, sex and suspense. It won’t let the reader sleep until the last page, and maybe not even then.”
Tracie Zeissel, Santa Fe New Mexican

“A spellbinding tale of a woman coming into her own power. A must-read for all Women Who Run With the Wolves.”
Peggy van Hulsteyn, award-winning author

“This book grabs you the throat and won’t let go, even after the last page turned. Wolcott expertly explores the unbelievable in this authentically researched tale of witchcraft in the American Southwest.”
Bobette Perrone, author of MEDICINE WOMEN, CURANDERAS and WOMEN DOCTORS.

Excerpted from the Las Cruces Sun News

“Quiet on the set! Rolling . . . Action!”
I watch from a corner of the darkened room as the scene—acted by Suzanne Somers and James Sikking—unfolds. My heart is racing. I experience a sharp thrill of deja vu. I’ve seen this drama played out before, perhaps a hundred times, in my mind. But now, my fantasy is actually taking shape right in front of me. Incredible! My characters, speaking dialogue that I had written (and re-written, and re-written!) in the privacy of my study, are springing to celluloid life before my eyes.

“This is such a thrill for me,” I said to director Tony Wharmby. “Thank you for inviting me here. I’ll try not get in the way.”
“Not at all,” Wharmby replied, his accent charmingly British. “Come to the set as often as you want. After all, if it weren’t for you, none of us would be here!”

Taken aback by his words, I looked around. All of this frantic activity—the talented cast and 75
member crew, block-long lines of trucks and trailers, huge lights and cameras, a helicopter, two
trained ravens (“Magic” and “Omen”), three cats, and a full grown gray wolf—all gathered together because of my story! Talk about magic! I basked in the glow of that realization for the rest of the three weeks I spent on the set.

How did it all happen? I have been asked the question over and over, by reporters as well as by friends and fellow writers seeking inspiration. After all, the chances of an unpublished manuscript by an unknown writer actually becoming a movie were several million to one. Yes, it took a lot of effort. I worked on the manuscript for seven years, rewriting it a total off eleven times while also writing regularly for several magazines. It took a lot of effort—and a lot of luck!

The biggest piece of luck was a magazine assignment several years ago to write a story about Marty Markinson and his wife, Arlena, owners of the Helen Hayes Theatre in New York and part-time Santa Feans. The Markinsons became close friends.

While rafting down the Colorado River with our spouses a few summer later, Marty mentioned that he would like to read “that manuscript you’ve been working on for so long.” I got it to him as soon as we were back on dry land. Two days later, Marty called to say, “You know, Jann, I think this would make a great movie!” He optioned the film rights and arranged for screenwriter Bill Svanoe to write the screenplay, which was sold to Wilshire Court Productions, a branch of Paramount. I was in serious shock.

Everyone had warned me to be prepared when I got to Tucson, where the movie was being filmed. Svanoe’s original screenplay had been through several revisions in the past few months. No telling what had become of my original story. Chances were, I wouldn’t recognize my characters or my plot. After all, the title had been changed from Brujo (Spanish for “witch” or “sorcerer” ) to the more provocative Seduced by Evil. I was afraid that wasn’t a good sign.

I could hardly wait to get my hands on a copy of the final “shooting script.” After a quick scanning, I read it through carefully. Although some significant changes had been made, my characters and the essence of the story were still intact.

Suzanne Somers is not only gorgeous, she’s perfect as my journalist/heroine Lee Lindsay. A fine, intuitive actress, she brings a sensitivity and almost uncanny understanding to the role. During a quiet moment between scenes one day, I told her so.

“I love this part,” she said. “It’s exactly the strong dramatic role that I’ve been looking for—a welcome departure from the dumb-blond roles I’ve been typecast in.” She gave me a quick hug. “thanks for writing it. You’ve helped my career.” I beamed. “And you’ve certainly helped mine!”

I’ve been a fan of Jim Sikking, since he played the leader of the SWAT team in Hill Street Blues and starred in Narrow Margin with Gene Hackman. He was charming and believable as Nick Lindsay, Lee’s straight-laced scientist husband. And the beautiful Julie Carmen, (I loved her as Joe Mondragon’s wife in The Milagro Beanfield War!) was perfect as Reyna (Socorro), Lee’s devoted and doomed friend.

I was made to feel like a part of the team. I was consulted, my opinions listed to, by the cast and the director. Emmy-award winning costume designer Bob Moore asked how I thought Lee should be dressed in the final scene. I saw his sketches for her leather costume and celebrated with him when the finished product arrived from Los Angeles, several days later. “Perfect!” I told him. “That’s exactly what Lee would wear!”

Although I was having the time of my life, I found myself wondering during private moments just how much adrenaline overload my body could stand. The work on a movie set is intense; the hours are irregular and long. One night during the second week, I left the set around 6 p.m. to return to my hotel room and work on another writing project. When I called the production office the next morning, I was told that filming had continued the night before until 2 a.m. Because SAG (Screen Actor’s Guild) rules state that the cast and crew must be given 12 hours between one day’s shooting and the next, the call to work on this particular day wasn’t until 2 p.m.

I arrived on the set at 4:30 in the afternoon, just in time to observe the filming of the much-anticipated “shower scene.” In this scene, my dripping wet heroine is menaced by the image of her sorcerer lover. I slipped into the bathroom and crouched down behind a camera to watch.

The scene is going well. Hot water hits the top of Somer’s head and runs down her Thigh-Master-toned body as more than 30 members of the crew—camera operators, makeup and wardrobe supervisors—hover just out of camera range.

Director Tony Wharmby, perched on an elevated camera seat level with the shower head, leans into the steam. “That’s it, Suzanne,” he coaches. “Turn slowly, eyes closed. Beautiful. Now, lift your head to the left—that’s it—the water feels wonderful. Let it hit your neck. Yes, that’s it. Good. Now raise your right arm and brush your hair out of your eyes.”

My longtime buddy, Richard Clawson, is known as “Mr. Christmas.” He has celebrated Christmas all over the globe, searching for the perfect Christmas. “After spending my first Christmas in the ancient city of Santa Fe,” he says, “I knew my search had ended. I had found the most traditional and unique celebration of all. I asked Jann to collaborate with me on a book that would be popular from coast to coast. We guess we succeeded! Good Morning America called it ‘one of the best Christmas books ever.’”

What fun we had, putting this project together! Although the food photography was done in San Francisco, most of the book was photographed in Santa Fe, making use of the many talented photographers in this area. World renowned photographer, Scott Christopher, took the show-stopping cover photo of a snow-covered red chile wreath on an antique, turquoise-painted door.

Let me brag a little about Richard—one of the most talented (and fun!) people I know. Widely known as a Christmas designer, he’s appeared on television from coast to coast, demonstrating holiday cooking and the making of decorations. He’s created decorations and ornaments for the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum, of New York, and the White House Christmas tree, as well as some of the nation’s most famous stores.

Because of the popularity of CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION, Richard and I are collaborating on
A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS, which we hope to have in bookstores by Christmas, 2007.

Another project, CELEBRATE LAS VEGAS, a theme party/recipe book
will be out spring 2006.

A holiday cornucopia, this lavishly illustrated book captures the ambience and mix of cultural traditions—Indian, Spanish, and frontier American—that lend pure magic to a Santa Fe-style Christmas, Creating a dazzling celebration, internationally known Christmas designer Richard Clawson presents a treasury of Southwest recipes, menus, and party plans for children and adults, as well as hand-crafted decorations, ornaments, and gift ideas that will inspire readers to add to their own enjoyment of Christmas. His recipes and craft designs are illustrated in stunning color photographs portraying the traditional festivities and exquisite winter scenes that attract so many visitors to the Santa Fe region during the holiday season, Raising Christmas cookery to a fine art, Clawson presents over one hundred recipes that include variations on traditional favorites and zestful original dishes with a Southwestern flair. His clear, detailed instructions for making inexpensive tree ornaments, wreaths, craft and food gifts, and decorated gift packages will appeal to the creativity of young and old and add to the fun of gift giving and decorating for Christmas.

In lively vignettes, writer and third-generation New Mexican, Jann Arrington Wolcott evokes the spirit and history of Santa Fe. She introduces the reader to well-loved regional traditions that remain alive today—such as Las Posadas—the reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter, the luminarias and farolitos that light their way, the masked Matachines dancers, traditional feasts and decorations, and a more recent addition—an anonymous “Spanglish”version of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” A glimpse into the past is provided by members of old New Mexico families—Indian, Spanish, and frontier American—who share their earliest memories of Christmas as well as traditional holiday recipes.

Synopsis:

DEATHMARK is a gripping story about a dangerous love that bridges three centuries and two radically different cultures.

Callahan O’Connor is living in two different worlds. By day she is a strong Western ranch woman whose highly original artwork has led to a successful career in the elite Santa Fe art scene. But her nights are filled with vivid dreams—or are they memories?—of life as Sun-in-Her-Face, a passionately in love Lakota Indian.
Callahan’s worlds collide when she meets Luke Bennett, a young male escort, while promoting her dreamworld-inspired art in a prestigious San Francisco gallery. Luke has mysterious scars that match wounds she sees in her dreams—wounds inflicted by the girizzly bear that killed her 18th century Lakota husband.

Is Luke a bridge to her haunting dreams? A lover from a past lifetime? Or just a clever con artist? With the spiritual guidance of Red Feather, a Native American shaman, Callahan undertakes a life-changing search for answers between the worlds.
With Luke, Callahan surrenders to a passion she believed existed only in her dreams. But she doesn’t know the secret her reckless lover is hiding. And what she doesn’t know can destroy her.
Now she must search her soul for the strength to survive—to fight a deceptive and ruthless killer.