Season Of The Devil: Love & Evil In Palm Beach by Pamela Southwood

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About the author:

See Amazon Author Page For Bio And Reviews

What inspired you to write your book?

THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!!!

Here is a short sample from the book:

1 DEVIL’S ISLAND
And on the eighth day God created Palm Beach…
Palm Beach was bustling with activity as the global elite toasted another new year and
migrated back to its gilded shores via yacht and private jet. The shop windows reflected
their polymer and spray-tanned faces as they strolled down Worth Avenue on their way
to dine at the exclusive restaurants. Their flawless diamonds sparkled under the quaint
The town was open to all, but only the hand-picked few were truly allowed to enter and
embrace the dream. This select inner circle was deeded access to the private collections,
reserved tables, and the invitation-only galas and cocktail parties that were held inside
the magnificent turreted estates. Their net worth, secrets, and lies remained securely
locked behind those grand doors. It was surprising that the tiny island didn’t sink into
the ocean with the sudden shift of weight from the sizable egos that returned each
The “Season” had begun!
Everyone knew about the philanthropic side to Palm Beach and the generous charities,
but very few were aware of its nefarious underworld and the island’s covert
societies. Many of their affairs took place at the Whitestone Country Club where the
members usually convened off-season without their spouses to attend these darker
Though no one was privy to the club’s register, it boasted the names of prominent men
throughout the world. They were the leaders, the scholars, the athletes, and the kings of
business. They devoutly swore to uphold the club rules or face dire consequences. Above
all, they always knew when to give the Devil his due.
The limited membership of the Whitestone had always been a special group. These
Illuminati primarily came to Palm Beach to spiritually cleanse themselves in order to
regenerate their strength. The sacrifices that they believed were needed in order to
secure their worldly powers were conducted through rituals only practiced by the top
echelon of the club known as the Black Veil Society. They were the true fallen angels and
only a few of these members were even aware of the others.
It was a rare treat to be invited to a Whitestone party and the decadent frivolity could
go on for days. An invitation to a Black Veil affair was quite the opposite, and it was
never a privilege to be the Guest of Honor.
The high-level political candidates, and the ones already elected, were the easiest to
spot on the island as they zoomed along the peaceful streets in their spandex bicycle
shorts with their famous faces hidden under their protective helmets. Their blood lines
were impeccable; bestowing upon them their perfect hair and dashing good looks.
Brandishing their gold star wives, and scrubbed spot-free backgrounds, it would seem
that these individuals were intentionally superficial; almost as if they were created or
molded by an outside entity. And in return for their good fortune, they were consistent
in paying homage to the club’s enigmatic founder. His dark prophecies structured their
Kristen Winslow was the quintessential Palm Beach girl! She was a beautiful blonde
debutante with deep blue eyes and perfect facial structure. Kristen was 5’6, all legs, and
very fit. Like her mother, she had been groomed to marry a successful man and let him
Both her parents were silver spooned. Her mother was descended from fine English
lineage with not just one, but two occupants from the Mayflower that were officially
documented. The Matriarch was blue-blood WASP all the way, belonged to the
“Daughters of the American Revolution”, and never failed to let everyone know it.
Kristen’s father was the CEO of a major aerospace company and very active in politics.
Kristen was born very late into the Winslow marriage. It was not easy being the
youngest in a family filled with narcissists. Each new birth was greeted with resentment
from the other siblings. Even at those early ages, they realized the meaning of greed and
having to share the wealth. Kristen was so distant from the others that she might as well
have been an only child. She felt very alone at home.
Of course, according to Mrs. Winslow, since Kristen had won the baby lotto, it meant
she was supposed to be living the American dream with the perfect husband, Mercedes,
four children, and the majestic house in Chicago’s affluent suburbs on the north shore of
Lake Michigan. It was also socially mandated that she wintered in Palm Beach in an
equally impressive ocean-front mansion.
This is what “North Shore Brats” grew up to expect. It was deemed to be a non-stress
life of the Garden Club, charity balls, and an ATM card that never came up declined. By
no means, was there ever to be a struggle to just merely exist…
Now it was already mid-January. Kristen would have normally left for Florida by now
and would be lazing in the sun, instead of freezing. But this Season was different and
sadly she would not be included in the usual festivities. This was definitely not going to
She was sliding into her last large chunk of change and was considered broke, by her
standards, until Margaret, the new Step Witch passed. Only then, would Kristen receive
the “big” money from both of her parent’s estates.
The illustrious Arthur Winslow never imagined that he would suddenly be struck to
the ground by a heart attack a week before his 75th birthday. He had been in perfect
health and not a gray hair in sight! The Old Gold Digger, who he married a short time
before he died, was currently living off the interest on the principal of the estate, which
by itself, was quite substantial. She was also probably floating in the Winslow’s Palm
Beach estate pool right now. Poor Kristen did not like that woman one bit and could not
From the outside looking in, one would assume that Kristen was only used to living
like she had always done. The easy way! Just like when she was still at home receiving
her weekly allowance, credit cards paid by her father, and no obligations to anyone!
Even though she made sufficient earnings to pay her bills from her sporadic work as a
free-lance fashion writer, this was still not enough to feed her voracious wardrobe needs
This unwelcome hardship signaled the onset of a new chapter in Kristen’s life that
would prove difficult to endure. She was not prepared to fully enter the 9 to 5 working
world, and at times, she did not want to even try. She realized that she needed to find a
very rich man, and she had to do it now!
At least that was how it was supposed to be for her. But deep down, Kristen knew that
she was eventually going to have to fend for herself, and strangely enough, she preferred
it that way! She liked to be in charge of her destiny. She was different from her siblings
and the others in her world. She truly cared more for others than herself. Whenever she
felt the need to put on airs, she quietly laughed within at the absurdity of it all. Social
status was an evil entity and it always presented a challenge not to be sucked into its
game. To her, money represented security, not greed. It was also a comfort food for the
love that was lacking in her life. Her parents were always too busy to give her the
attention that she longed for. And sometimes this manifested into her taking it out on
herself. But, despite any of her feelings about it, and at this time in her life, she still had
to go on with the charade; it was expected of her.
As soon as Kristen began her ascent to the next tier, she became less sure of her
footing. The wealthier men that she now encountered had more acquired tastes and a
higher threshold for excitement. She would either need to conform to meet their
demands or present a challenge in order to hold their interest.
And, if Kristen ever managed to regain her rightful position on her beloved island
again, it was inevitable that she would eventually meet up with someone from the
Whitestone clan. She was already in their sights, but was not perceived to be quite ready
yet. Her progression was being carefully tracked and it would be only a matter of time
before she was called forth. In the meanwhile, she had many frogs to kiss and needed to
learn more about herself before she could rise to that level and find her prince!