A Winning Belief: The Lost Trinkets Series, #11

By Sherrie Lea Morgan

Healing a ghost's painful past could risk Shannon's hard-earned happiness.

With news of Shannon's talent going viral, she retreats to the one thing she can still control: returning the trinkets in her box to their rightful owners. This time, she needs a clue as to how to help Elaine, the local church's resident spirit. It comes in the form of an old coin, one that she senses was once one of many.

How coin and ghost are connected is a mystery she must solve to put Elaine's shadowed past to rest, heal the deep-running rifts in Petrie's Crossing—and free Shannon to build a bright future with her fiancé, Mitch.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Village Publishing
• Release date: Dec 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781949256192

Sherrie Lea Morgan

Sherrie Lea Morgan is an active member of Romance Writers of America, her local chapter Georgia Romance Writers, Paranormal Romance Guild. She lives north of Atlanta, GA with her twin sister, two dogs and two cats. When not working her current manuscripts, she enjoys spending time with her family. Visit her at: www.sherrieleamorgan.com; www.facebook.com/sherrielea ; Sherrie Lea Morgan (@slmorganwrit) | Twitter

Book preview

a winning belief

Shannon’s life has changed so much since she fled to Petrie’s Crossing for refuge. She has friends, a shop she brought back from the brink, and best of all, her wedding to Mitch to plan. She’s feeling settled. Safe. No more running and hiding.

She should have known not to trust that feeling.

News of little Clara’s recent disappearance and rescue has gone viral, and it seems everybody wants a piece of Shannon. The upheaval is threatening to destroy her hard-earned peace.

Retreating to the one part of her life she can control, Shannon and her ghost sister, Steph, explore the trinkets box for a clue that will help them figure out how to help Elaine, the local church’s resident spirit. It comes in the form of an old coin, one that Shannon senses was once one of many.

How coin and ghost are connected is a mystery they must solve to put Elaine’s shadowed past to rest, heal the deep-running rifts in Petrie’s Crossing—and free Shannon to build a bright future with Mitch.

Lost Trinket Series

a timed wager

a ring of truth

a secret escape

a hushed favor

a guarded decree

a sacred devotion

a cold hour

a cherished petal

a fragile bridge

a vacant hope

****

Heroes of Coweta County

Ghostdrums

Sweet Fatalities

Dead Bodies, Dead Languages

****

Wylder West Series

Wylder’s Magic

****

Salem’s Embrace

a winning belief

Lost Trinket Series Book Eleven

Sherrie Lea Morgan

Village Publishing

ACWORTH, GA

Copyright © 2021 by Sherrie Lea Morgan

All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Sherrie Lea Morgan/Village Publishing

PO Box 2519

Acworth, Georgia/USA 30102

www.sherrieleamorgan.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

a winning belief/The Lost Trinkets Series Book Eleven/Sherrie Lea Morgan.

ISBN Print: 978-1-949256-20-8

ISBN eBook: 978-1-949256-19-2

Editors: Marcia Migacz and Sara Miller

Cover for this book done by Yocla Designs.

This book is dedicated to those who believe spirits are always around us and not necessarily to scare us.

Glossary

psychometry (sīˈkämətrē) noun

1. the ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them.

manifestation (manəˌfesˈtāSH(ə)n) noun

d: an occult phenomenon; specifically: materialization

Medium (mēdēəm)

1. A person claiming to be in contact with the spirits of the dead and to communicate between the dead and the living

psy·chic (/ˈsīkik/) noun

1. A person considered or claiming to

have psychic powers; a medium.

ghost (gōst) noun

1. The soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness.

Forensic Psychic

1. A person who investigates crimes by using purported paranormal psychic abilities.

––––––––

Meditation

Meditation is the practice of turning one’s attention to a single point of reference. It can involve focusing on the breath, bodily sensations, or on a word or phrase, known as a mantra. In other words, meditation means pivoting away from distracting thoughts and focusing on the present moment.

Vision

3.c. direct mystical awareness of the supernatural usually in visible form

Entity (en(t)ədē)

Among psychics, this term is used to refer to another spirit or individual that seeks to communicate a message.

Grounding

Connecting with the earth both physically and spiritually.

Mys·ti·cal /ˈmistək(ə)l/ (adjective)

1.  relating to mystics or religious mysticism.

the mystical experience

2.  Inspiring a sense of spiritual mystery, awe, and fascination.

the mystical forces of nature

contents

Glossary

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chapter One

One of the most important things is grounding yourself. I sat on the floor, crossing my legs, lightly resting my hands on my knees as the morning sun peered through the glass and warmed my back. The best way to do this is to meditate. However, if for any reason you’re unable to meditate alone, you can always just go out into nature and hug a tree.

Maggie laughed and said, Oh come on, Shannon. Are you saying I should go and hug a tree?

Anything to ground yourself with nature helps. The earth gives out plenty of energy that we, as psychics, can use, and it’s an easy access spot. Hugging a tree is one of them, as funny as it sounds. Most people will go out to a park where there aren’t many people around and just sit there in the quiet, soaking in the energy from nature.

I get it. And what does this do for my ability? Maggie asked.

As you meditate and raise your energy, you’re able to clear your mind and allow for spirit to come through.

Come through? That sounds kind of spooky.

Remember you don’t always have to invite spirit to come through. In fact, it’s better if you make sure that your meditation or grounding time is simply for you to clear out your mind and raise your energy. However, if you’re preparing for contact, or as I do for my visions, you should ground yourself first. This can be done with a few simple steps such as watching your breathing, clearing your mind, and getting into a relaxed state.

That makes sense. What do I do when I’m scared?

First, remember that most spirits who speak with you are guides. If they’re not your guides, they are spirits trying to get a message through. You can tell the spirits whether or not you will listen and when. Some psychics will use an indication like a scarf, or hat, or even a pin. And they announced to the spirit world that they’re only available to receive messages when they’re wearing these items.

But when I heard those voices, I wasn’t inviting them to speak with me. So how did that work?

You were clearing your mind, and you were listening. You don’t necessarily have to invite them to speak with you. You can simply allow yourself to hear them. Responding is totally up to you.

Let’s just say, for giggles, I don’t want to do this. How would I stop it all?

I would strongly suggest meditation. Then, when or if a spirit arrives and attempts to speak with you, you simply let them know you’re not receiving messages. It’s your choice.

Thank you, that really eases my mind.

The key takeaway here is simply understanding that by meditating, you gain more control of what you are allowing or not allowing to happen. The higher your energy, the stronger your ability becomes.

That makes sense. So, do you meditate every day?

I do meditate a little bit in the morning to simply calm everything down. However, if I’m preparing for vision or reading or both at once, I will also take a few moments and clear my mind with some simple breathing exercises. And, as you’ve seen, I can control when I do get the visions with the simple act of wearing gloves.

I appreciate this very much. Are we going to meditate now?

I thought we would do a quick ten-minute meditation together, and I’ll walk you through it, so you have a good idea of what to do on your own and in your own place. Maggie nodded, and I pointed to the floor across from me. She sat, mimicking my position. Now close your eyes, relax your body, and we’ll inhale a long, deep breath.  As we release it, push all the thoughts from your mind.

We repeated the steps three times and then sat in silence.

After ten minutes, I open my eyes and smiled. All right, that’s it.

Maggie opened her eyes and rose. I followed suit, and we hugged quickly. I truly appreciate this, and I think it’ll help a lot, Maggie whispered.

We both headed out toward Trinkets.

What time does Mitch normally go in to work?

I shrugged. "Depends on if he has something planned or not. He went in earlier today