Author Spotlight: Bernita Harris

Our guest today us author, Bernita Harris, who has worked as a short-order cook, a library assistant, and a less-than- serious actress before winning a university fellowship and earning a Masters in English Literature. Subsequently, she worked in public affairs and later as a forensic consultant in occult-related material, events, practices and beliefs.

A Libra and left-handed, she is drawn naturally to the sinister side of justice. She has grown four splendid children and now lives in an old house in the Thousand Islands with a German shepherd, a “mostly” corgi and ten thousand books. A Canadian who hates the cold and thrives on spring, she spends her time writing, tending her herb and flower gardens and negotiating with the dead.

Previous to DARK AND DISORDERLY, her first novel, she has published occasional pieces of non-fiction, poetry and several short stories.  Welcome Bernita!

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

Name: Bernita Harris

Porn Star Name: ~snicker~ Rowdy Hunter

Author Spotlight & Contest with Linda Robertson

We are absolutely thrilled to have friend and author Linda Robertson on our site today. Linda Robertson not only writes, she is an artist, plays the piano and electric guitar, composes and was in a super-cool rock band four children ago. Now that her four sons are older, she’s looking for a new band. Originally from Mansfield, Ohio, she’s a graduate of Ohio State University and currently lives in Medina, Ohio. She loves sci-fi action movies, her boyfriend says she’s a geek, and she firmly believes there’s never a bad time to eat ice cream.

Us to Linda! Keep reading for your chance to win a signed copy of either Hallowed Circle or soon to be released Fatal Circle (in stores June 29th, 2010).

Name:  Linda Robertson

Porn Star Name: Brandy Stewart…or Fluffy Stewart.

(This would be the name of your childhood pet along with the name of the street where you grew up.)

Website Address: www.wolfsbaneandabsinthe.com (it’s getting re-vamped for the release of FATAL CIRCLE so go check it out!!!)

Writing Age:

I’m not certain how to answer this so, guessing, if we start with “infant writing” being what I wrote in elementary school, then “toddler writing” was in middle school, and “child writing” was in high school. “Tween writing” would be everything up until I got published, and “teen writing” would be what I’ve done since. I’m equating being published with getting a driver’s license here—instead of the state permitting me to drive on the roads, the publishing industry has allowed me to put my books on the shelves. That’s where I am now. I’ve learned SOOO much from my editor in this process. Paula Guran ROCKS! I don’t think I could claim that “appropriately mature” stage until I’ve done this professionally for ten years or so, like being tenured in.

First Published Work: VICIOUS CIRCLE

Current Release: FATAL CIRCLE

INSPIRATION AND MUSE

If you could live in any fictional universe/world what would it be?

The Star Trek world!!!! I’d have to be in Starfleet…I LOVE Klingons.

If you could have lunch with any author dead or alive whom would it be and why?

I had to think about this, but the Bronte sisters would surely lead an interesting conversation.

If you were locked in a room for 48 hours and forced to watch one TV show the entire time, which television series would you choose?

True Blood because I’ve only seen the first season!

What is the most outrageous or bizarre thing you have done in the name of “research”?

Tromped around Cleveland late at night taking pictures…some through the chain-locked doors that opened just enough to snap a picture of the service tunnels under the rail system. Mwahahahahaha.

What is your latest release?

FATAL CIRCLE

What inspired you to write said story/book?

It’s the third in the series, so it’s the natural outgrowth of what the characters have dealt with in the first two. I wanted to raise the stakes—for all of these destined people. So I looked at them all individually and asked: What would push them? What would hurt them? And how can I weave those answers together? The weaving is the fun part.

Fab Five

• Coffee or Tea? Definitely JAVA! With chocolate and peppermint, of course.
• Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate.
• Vampire or Werewolf? BOTH!!!
• Meatie or Veggie? Meat.
• Salty or Sweet? Sweet.

Last but not Least

Three words that describe you:  goofy, creative, semi-introverted.

Win a signed copy of Hallowed Circle or Fatal Circle!

Once again, a big thanks to Linda Robertson for joining us at Wicked Jungle. Ask Linda a question and you are  automatically entered into drawing for a free signed copy of either Hallowed Circle or Fatal Circle! And yes, international contestants are eligible.

To get you started, here is a sneak peak of Fatal Circle.

My living room clock read two-forty-six a.m. It was no longer Hallowe’en night, but All Hallows Day. Or, as some called it, All Saints’ Day. But it was no saint who held me in his arms—it was a wærewolf.

“I think you’d like my apartment, Red.” Red. That’s me. Persephone Alcmedi to the rest of the world. Seph to some. Red only to Johnny, my not-exactly-Big-Bad-wærewolf. “It has that open-living concept.”

I wasn’t fooled. “It’s a glorified dorm room, isn’t it?”

“If, by ‘glorified,’ you mean it has a private bathroom, then yes.” Johnny sniffed, affecting annoyance. “Something I sacrificed when I moved in here.”

I’d had to forfeit my home’s vampire defenses three weeks ago to save a friend’s life, Johnny had temporarily moved into the third-floor attic room—for protection purposes only. In the three weeks since, those defenses had since been reinstated, but he’d remained. Being the epitome of “tall, dark, and handsome,” I hadn’t complained.

“C’mon.” Johnny’s deep blue eyes glittered seductively. His voice dropped low. “Nothing’s more romantic than a bachelor pad.”

We’d both had a hell of an evening. Words like “hectic” or “demanding” didn’t begin to cover it. I must have been the only one suffering from fatigue.

Read More Here

ENETER THE CONTEST

Each person who posts a comment will get one entry in the contest.

You can get an additional entries by doing the following (note these are in addition to posting a comment. You must comment first to be qualified).

• Option A: Tweet about the contest on Twitter (you must include @wickedjungle for your tweet to qualify each tweet will get you an additional entry).
• Option B: Become a follower of our blog (only new followers joining between the time of the contest will be counted).
• Option C: Promote the contest on your blog (you must include a link below to your blog post to be counted as an official entry).

Contest Ends Sunday July 4th at  Midnight (Eastern) !!!

Demon’s Are a Girls Best Friend by Linda Wisdom

DEMONS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND

By Linda Wisdom

Chapter 1

Oh yeah, just another Saturday night hitting the clubs, watching the dancers, feeling blood stream out of my ears.” Maggie O’Malley winced as Static-X’s Destroyer screamed from the state-of-the-art speakers embedded in the club’s walls. Still, she couldn’t stop her hips from moving to the throbbing music. If she wasn’t there on business she would have been out there dancing. “Why don’t you just shoot me now?”

“Any females get naked yet?” the voice of Frebus, one of her team members, rumbled from the mic in her ear. “It’s only a matter of time ’til somebody gets caught up in the moment and starts tearing off their clothes. You gotta love shapeshifters cuz they’re always the first to get down and dirty.”

Maggie played idly with the crystal earring that dangled almost to her bare shoulders. She considered her jewelry a much better look for a mic and earpiece than the usual spy gear. If only she could mute the music for an hour. Or ten.

“Sorry sweetie, I’m only seeing half-naked, but think positive. The evening’s still young.” She grinned as she heard the low groan in her ear. Frebus and her other backup, Meech and Tita, were strategically placed around the interior, on the lookout for one particular degenerate in the sea of questionable characters.

She made her way through the hordes of glassy-eyed, gyrating dancers, skillfully avoiding the groping hands on her ass and breasts. She muttered a spell against any who returned for another feel. Nothing like a magickal zap to the genitals to spoil the mood. Judging from the yelps that followed her there were at least five who tried.

Maggie didn’t believe in giving anyone a second chance.

She viewed the large creature-populated underground club with an expression of distaste and the desire for her olfactory senses to be on the fritz.

“Haven’t some of these guys ever heard of deodorant?” she muttered, passing one scaly creature that fell in the ‘totally gross’ category. It peered at her through red slitted eyes and hissed, its forked tongue flicking toward her. Maggie hissed back and moved on.

The club’s name, Damnation Alley, fit the interior with its glossy black walls, black glass bars pulsing with neon, ice blue and black lights casting an unearthly glow on the preternaturals thronging the interior. Any unlucky human who managed to get past the door didn’t exit in a body bag or someone’s stomach.

She’d hoped to spend tonight with a bowl of popcorn and DVDs at home, but one of her team members got word that a fugitive they’d been after for the past month would be at the club tonight. Maggie and her team were sent here to bring it in.

She locked gazes with a vampire she remembered going up against a year ago. He flashed fang. She responded with a smile that promised a repeat of what had happened before. The vamp wisely turned away.

At first glance, Maggie looked like a typical party gal in her barely there black skirt and bandeau top. Shiny silver glitter accents covered the fabric that bared her shoulders and taut midriff and only she knew of the protective spells woven into the fabric. A dazzling diamond-encrusted black widow spider with ruby eyes was tattooed on one bicep. Dangerous bling. Don’t leave home without it. Her chin length pale blonde hair was sleeked back with glittery gel, making her features look sharper than usual tonight. She smiled at one man, who focused his attention on her mile long legs ending in black stilettos.

Maggie believed in themes and tonight it was dangerous sexy female on the prowl. The better to destroy you with, my dear.

She cast her senses wide, searching for her prey. Her gaze skittered to a halt when it reached a man standing in the doorway leading to the private rooms.

A few inches taller than her almost six feet, he was also dressed in black, but he didn’t look like the typical club goer. The silk shirt and slacks looked well-tailored and suited his tanned skin, dark eyes, and spiked hair. He oozed danger. Judging by the hungry looks women were directing his way, they didn’t mind the danger part at all. Maggie didn’t miss that most of the females were much more generously endowed than she was. She normally didn’t mind her slender athletic figure, but there were times it would be nice to have more to stuff into her bra than a middling B cup.

No time to play, pretty boy. Maggie’s got other creatures to fry. But stick around and maybe we can fit in a dance later on.

What a concept. Your everyday witch having an evening out where she could flirt with a gorgeous guy, get in some dancing, and just talk. When was the last time she’d had a date? Did she have enough fingers and toes to count back that far?

She purposely looked away until her stare slammed into an odd looking creature standing at the rear bar.

“Okay, that thing is butt ugly.” Maggie noted the bloated body dressed in rags. She was positive he wouldn’t smell all that good either. Not that it seemed to bother those around him.

“Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, blondie,” Meech’s disembodied voice reminded her. She caught a glimpse of the big blue-skinned monster on the other side of the room, guarding a side door. He was grinning as his voice continued through the mic. “While some think you’re smokin’, all I see is that you’re damn scrawny, your nose is out of place, and those pearly whites aren’t jagged enough, plus they’re not healthy unless they’re gray or yellow.”

“Aw, baby, you know just what to say to make a girl feel good about herself.” She took a quick glance down to make sure the girls were at their best advantage. Nothing like giving a perp something to look at while she takes him down.

Not that anyone around here would notice. They’d just think it was another S&M show. Another thing Damnation Alley was known for. Although at present she didn’t notice all the sex shows that had gone on here when Ratchet owned the club.

“Oh Frebus, you bring me to the classiest of places,” she purred.

“Better than that tavern two months ago. Plus, this one needs to be put down before he causes any more trouble. Him being here tonight is pure luck for us.”

“Just stay on alert in case I need back up. Bloaters aren’t the type to go quietly.” Maggie put her hips to work as she glided over to the bar. She could feel the dark-haired man’s eyes on her with a searing intensity, but she kept him on the back burner.

“Hi.” She flashed her sultriest smile at her quarry.

The creature looked up, revealing a puce-colored fleshy face, round chartreuse eyes, and a dark slit for a mouth.

“You are witch.” His hissing words resembled a serpent’s sound as he looked at her from the top of her head to the tips of her shoes.

“No one’s perfect.” She rested an arm on the bar top, acting as if the putrid stench emanating from his skin didn’t assault her olfactory senses. “Buy me a drink?”

“Witches do not drink maiden grog.” His gray claws wrapped around a clay goblet.

“The main element in the grog is a virgin’s urine,” Tita whispered in her earpiece.

Maggie’s smile didn’t slip even as her brain screamed euuwwww!

“You’d be surprised what I drink.” She cocked a delicate brow. “They have private rooms here.” She ran a scarlet polished nail over his claws while moving forward enough to brush her breasts against his arm.

At the same time the creature’s gaze fastened on her bare skin, she whipped iron-laced restraints out and slapped them on his wrists.

“You bitch!”

“Aw, now you’re just sweet talking me.”

The Bloater roared, rearing back and striking her with his chained claws, sending her sailing up onto the top of the bar.

Maggie didn’t have time to react, finding herself thrown down the slippery slab. Drinks scattered everywhere and ear-splitting shrieks rose above the din. As she slid to a stop, she saw her quarry trying to escape, scrambled to her feet, and ran after him while others tried to stop her.

“Cerberus Guard!” she shouted, even as she knew there would be those who didn’t appreciate the authorities being there.

Before her prey reached an exit door, Maggie launched herself with a leap worthy of a football player and tackled him to the floor.

“You are under arrest,” she began even as she realized he was inflating like a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloon, and it didn’t look like he intended stopping any time soon.

“We’re on our way!” she heard Frebus shout from her earring.

The second her three team members shouldered their way through the watching crowd, Maggie’s prisoner had reached the breaking point.

And that’s when he blew up, splattering pea-green goo everywhere.

###

“‘Easy peasy,’ he says.” Maggie’s fulminating glare sliced through the hulking creature shuffling beside her as she and Frebus crossed the parking lot to the waiting SUV. Everyone else stayed out of range as the thick liquid dripped off her body. No wonder. She’d be a mile away if someone was walking around with Bloater goop on them. “‘It’s just a Bloater. We’ll be in and out in seconds. No one will even notice what’s going on. No mess,’ he assures me.” Her fingers flicked angry magick in his direction.

He hunched his shoulders up around his large head. “Intel told me—”

“Your Intel sucks rocks.” A shower of said stones rained on the furry beast. She wiped the pea-green liquid cement from her chest. A few muttered words turned it to puke green ash. She wasn’t happy she couldn’t do the same to the glop that coated her skirt and top. No way she’d go naked in front of her crew. “Frebus, I am not happy about this. Plus, he managed to explode, so I don’t have anything to take back but this!” She flicked the glop at him.

He hung his head in shame, his shaggy blond fur draped around his wide face.

“Where do I send the bill?” A new voice reached her from behind.

Maggie’s temper was already at the boiling point. Turning around to face the sexy man she had locked eyes with in the club was all she needed, considering her look was now somewhat less than “dangerous sexy female.” She only wished they could have danced before she got slimed.

“I am impressed, Cerberus Guard,” he commented. “You were in my club barely ten minutes and you managed to destroy one of my bars and the surrounding walls.”

“Two words. Soap and water.”

His dark eyes glinted with laughter under the orange phosphorous lights that dotted the parking lot.

“Is this something you do on a regular basis? If so, I will have to look into sturdier furniture. I’m also curious. Where exactly did you hide those restraints?” His gaze swept over her with an alarming thoroughness. “Tell me something. Do people tell you you look cute when you’re carrying a weapon?”

“Not if they don’t want to end up seriously hurt.”

Maggie walked toward the man. Her nostrils flared as she caught the faintest hint of sulfur before it drifted away to be replaced by a whiff of sandalwood and male.

Demon blood.

“And you are?” She already knew he wouldn’t reveal his true name, since demons held them close to the vest. A body held too much power if they knew a demon’s real name.

“Declan.”

His voice washed over her head like a warm shower. Not good at all.

Says you. The words raced across her skin, meaning Elegance, her spider tattoo, was making her feelings known.

She lifted her chin.

“Declan what?”

“Just Declan.” He tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. Just another guy looking to make time with a pretty girl who just happened to splatter Bloater goop all over the main floor of his club. Oh well, no one’s perfect.

“And demon.”

His eyes flashed silver for a moment. “No one’s perfect… witch.”

“Aw, and here we were just getting to know each other.”

“Are you this brave when your muscle isn’t close by?” Declan asked, his gaze briefly resting on the creatures lounging against the SUV.

A smattering of laughter and guffaws sounded.

Maggie waved a hand. Bubbles of protective power enclosed each team member, but Declan had no doubt that they didn’t hide behind the protection if their leader was in trouble.

“I’m the muscle, sweetheart. But I wouldn’t discount my backup, because they don’t like it if anyone makes me cranky.” She cocked a shapely hip. “I suggest you vet your clientele more thoroughly if you don’t want further visits from the Guard.”

“We don’t exactly run background checks.” His dark gaze wandered over her body, sending prickly heat along her nerve endings. “Perhaps you’d care to come back in for a drink and we could discuss how to better safeguard my club?”

She glanced toward the door where the oversized guard stood glaring at her. “The Cerberus Guard is always ready to protect those that need our skills. Anyone in the Houston area knows where we’re based and how to contact us. And once we’ve finished our job …”

Maggie’s smile brightened as she lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. The parking lot lights winked out leaving the area in darkness, as though a heavy blanket had dropped over the area.

“Fuck me!” Declan widened his eyes and even then he couldn’t see a thing.

Before he could draw a second breath, the lights came back on.

Maggie and her team were gone.

His shoulders shook with his laughter. “I must say the witch knows how to make an exit.”

Writer’s Bio

Linda Wisdom was born and raised in Huntington Beach, California. She majored in Journalism in college then switched her major to Fashion Merchandising when she was told there was no future for her in fiction writing. She held a variety of positions ranging from retail sales to executive secretary in advertising and working for a personnel agency.

Her career began when she sold her first two novels to Silhouette Romance on her wedding anniversary in 1979. Since then she has sold more than eighty novels and one novella to six publishers. Her books have appeared on various romance and mass market bestseller lists and nominated and winning a number of Romantic Times awards and Romance Writers of America Rita Award. A number of Linda’s backlist, including her Hex paranormal series, has been optioned for film and television.

She lives with her husband, Barney, spoiled mini white Schnauzer, Syd, an equally spoiled parrot and Florence, her tortoise with attitude in Murrieta, CA

Want More? Check out the Linda Wisdom Author Spotlight.

Author Spotlight: Linda Wisdom

Today’s guest is author Linda Wisdom. Linda sold her first two novels to Silhouette Romance on her wedding anniversary in 1979. Since then she has sold more than eighty novels and one novella to six publishers. Her books have appeared on various romance and mass market bestseller lists and she has been nominated for and won a number of Romantic Times awards and a Romance Writers of America Rita Award.

Thanks Linda for taking part in our author spotlight at Wicked Jungle!!

Name: Linda Wisdom

Porn Star Name: Princess Constitution

Website Address: www.lindawisdom.com

Writing Age: From the moment I could pick up a crayon.

First Published Work: Dancer in the Shadows, Silhouette Romance, 1980

Current Release: Hex in High Heels, Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend coming spring 2011

INSPIRATION AND MUSE

If you could live in any fictional universe/world what would it be?

I guess my own since I’d love to hang out with the witches.

If you were locked in a room for 48 hours and forced to watch one TV show the entire time, which television series would you choose?

Supernatural – Dean is so hot!

What is the most outrageous or bizarre thing you have done in the name of “research”?

I must be very boring because I don’t think there is anything.

What is your latest release?

Hex in High Heels

What inspired you to write said story/book?

Blair wanted her story told and the grungy elves I came up with just made it more fun!

Fab Five

• Coffee or Tea? Coffee
• Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
• Vampire or Werewolf? I have to choose? Werewolf
• Meatie or Veggie? Total carnivore
• Salty or Sweet? Sweet

Last but not least–three words that describe you:

Snarky, funny, loyal (I always have a shovel and alibi ready)

Contest: Linda’s Prizes and Freebies!

Linda was kind enough to offer us a sneak peak at her next release: DEMONS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Chapter 1

“Oh yeah, just another Saturday night hitting the clubs, watching the dancers, feeling blood stream out of my ears.” Maggie O’Malley winced as Static-X’s Destroyer screamed from the state-of-the-art speakers embedded in the club’s walls. Still, she couldn’t stop her hips from moving to the throbbing music. If she wasn’t there on business she would have been out there dancing. “Why don’t you just shoot me now?”

“Any females get naked yet?” the voice of Frebus, one of her team members, rumbled from the mic in her ear. “It’s only a matter of time ’til somebody gets caught up in the moment and starts tearing off their clothes. You gotta love shapeshifters cuz they’re always the first to get down and dirty.”

Maggie played idly with the crystal earring that dangled almost to her bare shoulders. She considered her jewelry a much better look for a mic and earpiece than the usual spy gear. If only she could mute the music for an hour. Or ten.

“Sorry sweetie, I’m only seeing half-naked, but think positive. The evening’s still young.” She grinned as she heard the low groan in her ear. Frebus and her other backup, Meech and Tita, were strategically placed around the interior, on the lookout for one particular degenerate in the sea of questionable characters.

Read More Here

Win a signed copy of Hex In High Heels!

Once again, a big thanks to Linda for joining us at Wicked Jungle. Share your thoughts or ask a question and you are automatically entered into drawing for a free signed copy of Linda’s current book Hex in High Heels.

Each person who posts a comment will get one entry in the contest.

You can get an additional entries by doing the following (note these are in addition to posting a comment. You must comment first to be qualified).

• Option A: Tweet about the contest on Twitter (you must include @wickedjungle for your tweet to qualify each tweet will get you an additional entry).
• Option B: Become a follower of our blog (only new followers joining between the time of the contest will be counted).
• Option C: Promote the contest on your blog (you must include a link below to your blog post to be counted as an official entry).

Contest Ends SUNDAY June 27th, 2010 at  Midnight (Eastern) !!!

Author Profile: Janni Nell

Our guest today is author Janni Nell. After growing up in a beachside suburb of Sydney, Australia, Janni Nell traveled overseas, working in the UK before returning to Sydney, where she now lives. Janni began writing in her late teens. She has won prizes for short story but her dream was to publish a novel. Carina Press fulfilled that dream when Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator was published 14th June 2010. Janni’s goal is to write more books featuring Allegra and her drop-dead gorgeous guardian angel, Casper. When Janni isn’t writing, you can find her line dancing.

Author Profile

Name: Janni Nell

Porn Star Name: Lassie Paloma.  Doesn’t sound too bad. Maybe I’ve missed my true calling!

Website Address: www.janninell.com

Writing Age: Teen. I began writing poetry and moved on to novels.

First Published Work: Circles –  a short story.

Current Release: Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator Read more

Allegra Fairweather: Paranormal Investigator by Janni Nell

Allegra Fairweather here. Paranormal investigator. Got problems with specters? Shapeshifters? I’m the woman to call. Just don’t call me a Ghostbuster. The last guy who did that ended up flat on his back with my boot at his throat.

With my 99.5% success rate, solving the mystery of a bleeding rose that has sprung up on the shores of Loch Furness should have been an easy gig. But already I’ve heard the shriek of the local banshee, discovered two bodies (and then lost two bodies), and had a near-death encounter with a three-hundred-year-old ghost. And perhaps most dangerous of all, the hot pub owner who hired me now wants to show me exactly what’s under his kilt.

Luckily, I’m ably assisted by my very own guardian angel. I’m grateful for his help-but he’s also drop-dead gorgeous. A bit distracting when I’ve got a mystery to solve, and the clock is ticking…

Read more

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

To be honest, the first question I asked myself when I learned that Stephanie Meyer would be releasing a new novella in the twlight universe called The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner the first question to pop into my head was, “Who the hell is Bree Tanner?” Aparently I’m not alone.

Check out this newly released featurette from Summit Entertainment, which introduces Bree Tanner to the world. (Note: Bree Tanner will make her movie debut in the Eclipse film, to be released on June 30th 2010.) Read more

Behind-the-Scenes with Megan Crewe

This week’s guest blogger is Megan Crewe, author of YA novel, Give Up the Ghost. Megan lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and two cats. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies and magazines such as Brutarian Quarterly and On Spec.  GIVE UP THE GHOST is her first novel.  You can learn more about Megan by visiting her website at www.megancrewe.com.

Guest Blogger: Megan Crewe

As an author, I think the question I get asked most is “Where did you get the idea for your book?” This is often difficult to answer, and not just because inspiration can be mysterious.  The truth is that one book idea comes not from one specific place, but from many different sources, all blended together into something new and exciting.

To give you an example, here are some of the pieces that came together to form what is now my first novel, GIVE UP THE GHOST:

Life

When I was in high school, I overheard some younger girls talking about how they were avoiding another girl they used to be friends with, whom they’d now decided was too weird.  They made fun of her and laughed about how no one wanted to hang out with her any more.  That stuck with me, and made me wonder what it’s like being on the receiving end of that sort of “friendship.”  And eventually it produced Cass, GHOST’s main character, who had her own friends turn on her in junior high.

Fiction

Because I write YA, I’m always reading YA fiction.  One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that most real-world protagonists who are saddled with a supernatural ability (like talking to ghosts) resist their talent and wish they were normal.  I started thinking it’d be interesting to write about a character who embraced her ability, and incorporated it into her everyday life.  In GHOST, I explored what might happen if someone relied too much on her supernatural talent, at the expense of the good parts of “normal” life.

Mythology

While writing GHOST, naturally I drew on my knowledge of standard ghost lore.  I played around with the idea that ghosts may be waiting for some sort of trigger to move on, and that they might be stuck in the time period when they died.  The existing mythology gave me something to build on, and also inspired some of the plot’s twists and turns.

Research

After I determined that my main character had been bullied and ostracized, I wanted to make sure I portrayed what had happened to her authentically.  The book that helped me the most was ODD GIRL OUT by Rachel Simmons.  It allowed me to create a believable backstory for Cass and to understand how her experiences would have shaped who she was.

Good Old Random Inspiration

Before the research and the writing, the book first came into being one night when I was drifting off to sleep.  The image of a teenage girl talking to her dead sister like it was an everyday thing popped into my head–out of nowhere, or some unknowable part of my unconscious.  That’s where the mystery of creativity comes in.  I may be able to see where the pieces of the idea came from, but there is a spark I can’t control, that made it all more than just the sum of those parts.

Contest: Win a signed copy of Give Up the Ghost!

Once again, a big thanks to Megan for joining us today on Wicked Jungle. We want to keep the conversation going so this contest is going to be all about comments! Given the gossip girl nature of the book, we want to know what your experience was (or is) like in high school. Did you loose a childhood friend as you entered teenage life? Did you ever participate in gossip? What was the craziest gossip rumor to hit your high school?

Each person who posts a comment (in response to the above questions) will get one entry in the contest.

You can get an additional entries by doing the following (note these are in addition to posting a comment. You must comment first to be qualified).

Option A: Tweet about the contest on Twitter (you must include @wickedjungle for your tweet to qualify each tweet will get you an additional entry).

Option B: Become a follower of our blog (only new followers joining between the time of the contest will be counted).

Contest Ends Saturday at 12PM Eastern!!!

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

This week we have a sneak peak of the new YA novel, The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. The book is available now in stores and has had fantastic reviews. And of course, to encourage you to share the love, we are running a contest that includes some awesome Body Finder SWAG!!!! We’ve got a poster, signed bookmarks and an awesome tote bag to give away, so there will be more than one winner.

To enter the contest simply read the prologue and post a comment below. You get one entry for commenting, one entry for each time you tweet about the contest on Twitter. (Note: you must be a follower of Wicked Jungle and include @wickedjungle in your tweet for it to count!). The contest ends Saturday March 27th at 12PM Eastern!!!

For additional fun, you can click on the link to watch the book trailer for The Body Finder, and of course  the prologue is below. Enjoy!

A BIG THANKS TO KIMBERLY for joining in the Wicked Jungle Fun!

PROLOGUE

Violet wandered away from the safety of her father as she listened to the harmony of sounds weaving delicately around her. The rustling of the leaves mingled gently with the restless calls of birds and the far-off-rushing waters of the icy river that lay beyond the trees.

And then there was another sound. Something she couldn’t quite identify. Yet.

She was familiar enough with the meaning of this new, and misplaced, noise. Or at least with what it signified. She had been hearing sounds, or seeing colors, or smelling smells, like these for years. For as long as she could remember.

Echoes, she called them.

She looked back at her father to see if he had heard it too, even though she already knew the answer. He hadn’t, of course. Only she could hear it. Only she understood what the haunting sound foretold.

He walked casually behind her, at his same slow and steady pace, keeping a watchful eye on his eight-year-old daughter as she ran ahead of him.

The sound whistled past her again, carried on the breeze that sent crisp, golden leaves swirling around her ankles. She stopped briefly to listen, but once it passed she continued on ahead.

“Don’t go too far,” her father dutifully called from behind her. He wasn’t really worried about her out here. These were their woods.

Violet had practically been raised in this forest, learning about her surroundings, learning how to tell what direction she was facing by the lichen growing on the tall tree trunks, and knowing how to tell the time of day by the position of the sun…at least on those days when that sun wasn’t obscured by the gloom of cloud cover. This was easy territory, even for an eight-year-old girl.

She ignored her father’s warning and wandered off the path, still listening to that something that was beckoning her forward. Her feet felt propelled by a will of their own as she struggled to make the sound into something coherent, something she could identify. She stepped over fallen branches and walked through a sea of fern fronds that grew up from the damp ground.

“Violet!” She heard her dad’s voice breaking through her concentration.

She paused, and then called back, “I’m right here,” although not as loudly as she should have before she started walking again.

The sound was getting stronger. Not louder, but stronger. She could feel the vibrations practically resonating beneath her skin now.

This was how it was with these things. This was the way these feelings came to her. They were indescribable, yet to her they made perfect sense.

And when they called to her she felt compelled to answer.

She was close now, so close that she could hear a voice. That was what this echo was, a voice. Single and solitary, seeking someone—anyone—to answer it.

Violet was that someone.

She stopped at a mound of damp dirt covered with a thick layer of rotting leaves. The soil was oddly out of place amid the undergrowth, with nothing living springing up from it. Even Violet knew that the soil was too newly placed to have fostered life just yet.

She knelt down, feeling the pulsating echo coming from beneath. She could feel it reverberating within her veins, coursing hotly through her small body. Without waiting, Violet brushed away the leaves and debris with a sweep of her coat sleeve, before she began earnestly scooping at the soft earth beneath with her hands.

She heard her father’s light footsteps catch up with her and his gentle voice ask, “Find something, Vi?”

She was too lost in her task to answer, and he didn’t pry. He was used to this, his little girl searching out the lost souls of the forest. Without speaking, he leaned against the soaring trunk of a nearby cedar and waited without really watching.

Violet felt her fingertips brush against something hard and smooth, cold and unyielding. She shuddered against a disturbing awareness that she couldn’t quite name and kept digging.

She sank her fingers into the moist soil once again. And again, they touched something chillingly firm.

Something too soft to be a rock.

And it was back, that nagging something that was trying to get through to her.

She reached in again, this time not to dig, but to sweep away the thin layer of dirt to get a better view of what lie beneath. She had captured her father’s interest and he leaned over her, looking into the shallow hole.

Violet worked like an archeologist, carefully sifting and brushing across the top of her discovery, so as not to disturb what might be buried there.

She heard her father gasp at the same time she recognized what she had uncovered.  She felt his strong hands reaching for her from behind, pulling her firmly by the shoulders away from the fresh dirt and gathering her into his strong, safe arms…away from the sound that was calling to her…

And away from the girl’s face staring up at her from beneath the soil.