Winter Prey — T.M. Simmons

Terrified she will harm her newly-adopted daughter in the throes of a PTSD flashback, Kymbria James travels to the far Northwood of Minnesota to work with a Native American healer. The windigo of tribal lore had awakened just days before Kymbria's arrival, perhaps drawn early into this forty-year cycle by the connection between it and Kymbria. All too soon Kymbria will uncover the reality of the fabled monster's existence and their shared past, risking all she gained in her fight to overcome her downslide into mental instability.

Silas McCoy is well aware of the new cycle of awakening. Indeed, he is in the Northwood at the agreement of Keoman Thunderwood, the Ojibway healer, seeking to confront this cannibal windigo. The day he came home to his mountain cabin to find his wife and son taken by a different windigo, he vowed to find a way to eradicate the supposedly unstoppable monsters. Nothing but his own death will halt his quest for vengeance.

As the monster captures one tribal member after another and drags each off to its lair, Kymbria is finally forced into Silas's quest to learn how to destroy it. Even when she learns the truth her mother has kept hidden for forty years, she has no choice other than to continue. Somehow, even without Silas's assistance, she must confront both her emotional situation and the monster…if she can find the courage to do so.

Reviews:
Winter Prey is a novel that works on a number of different levels amazingly well and when I first read it, I wasn't sure which I appreciated more: Simmons' ability to create characters that the reader really cares about, or her ability to write in a style that makes the book almost impossible to put down. This is the kind of horror that is more about the feeling it creates than it is about the kinds of descriptions it offers. Simmons takes some of the familiar elements of horror stories and turns them on their head, making the reader look at familiar situations in a completely new light. Floyd Brigdon, Trinity Valley Community College, Department of English; She Never Slept, Assistant Editor

A riveting story that hooked me from beginning to end. Mary Kennedy, author of The Talk Radio Mysteries

Winter Prey is one of the crowning pieces of T. M. Simmons' writing. She's crafted an exciting tale of mysticism and monsters expertly interwoven with the spice of budding romance. Her love of the far-north Minnesota landscape and Native American culture shine through in every aspect of this book, from the vivid descriptions of the North Woods to the endearing "Grandmother" Nodinens and the simultaneously down-to-earth yet enigmatic Keoman, Kymbria's childhood friend and Midewiwin counselor. Kymbria, the protagonist, is an engaging blend of strong modern female and devoted mother, who manages to be the heroine of the book without crossing that line into the unrealistic fantasy of warrior princess (sword slinging or gun toting). Handsome tribal outsider Caleb rings true as the haunted yet persevering male lead and Kymbria's romantic interest, whose heroics never trivialize Kymbria's, nor are they falsely cheapened to enhance hers. Simmons maintains just the right balance of heat and tension between them to make these two wounded souls shine. The entire cast of characters is captivating, and even the windigo itself prowls off the page as a multifaceted monster with a troubled past and a new purpose this hunting season. From start to finish, Winter Prey is a supernatural thrill! A. D. Guzman, author of Ghosts in the Footprints Anthology, Hadley Rille Books