Guest Author: Kelly Abell

Today, Literary Escapism is excited to welcome Kelly Abell, author of Haunted Destiny.

Destiny Dove is the only survivor of a tragic car crash that killed her parents and baby brother. A teen uprooted from her home, she is forced to live with her eccentric grandmother whom Destiny has been taught her whole life to fear. She must start her life over living with an old woman who is not only a stranger to her, but just strange. All Destiny wants is to fit in with kids like her and begin to pull her life back together.

But Destiny soon discovers she is not like the other teens at all. She has developed the family gift of being able to see and talk to ghosts and her estranged grandmother will be the one person who can help her understand what the fates have dealt her…a haunted destiny. Being the town freak does not put Destiny high on the potential friends list, but Jake Turner sees something in her that the other teens from Blake High don’t. Destiny is actually able to put her unique talent to use and help Jake communicate with his recently deceased sister forming a bond between them that no one else can share or know about. In an extraordinary twist of events, Jake’s girlfriend Amy receives some furniture with some frightening ghostly spirits attached to it, and Jake turns to Destiny for help.

Now Destiny must struggle with a force she is unprepared to handle. When a party at Amy’s becomes a showdown between good and evil will Destiny have what it takes to save Amy and the others? Will the help of her grandmother, two resident ghosts and a surprise visitor be enough to rid the Morgan family of the evil possessing them and allow Destiny to finally gain the acceptance she so desperately wants? Or will the ancient evil destroy them all?

Want to see more?  Check out the first chapter here.  Make sure you stick around to the end.  Kelly has a really interesting contest running and I have some details below.
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Writing About Things That Go Bump In the Night

Hi Jackie. Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today. I am an author of both romantic thrillers and young adult paranormal and I am often asked, “How do you write about ghosts?” “Where do you get your material?” “How do you do your research?”

These are all very good questions and fun to answer. The world of the paranormal is an exciting world to write about because there really are no rules. Because it is “para” normal, anything can happen. You can have people use psychic powers, manipulate energy, control forces of nature…I could go on and on, so really there is not much research needed. I might also add that these stories are fiction so that gives the author a license to get away with a great deal.

Having said that, I think it is important to maintain an aspect of realism to anything you write in order to have the reader relate to it. If it is too far fetched a writer can lose credibility. In my book Haunted Destiny I write about a teenage girl, Destiny, who loses her family in a car accident. She is forced to now live with her estranged grandmother who is the town palm reader and also a medium. Destiny quickly discovers that she has a gift…she can see and speak to spirits. Knowing this is a straight ticket to “Weirdsville” for her friends so she tries to keep her talent a secret. The local football hero, Jake, whom Destiny has a crush on, loses his sister to a drunk driver, and of course Destiny can see her. As Destiny and Jake grow closer, Amy, Jake’s girlfriend, is less than pleased. When Amy comes into possession of some wickedly haunted furniture, guess who is the only one who can save her? Will Destiny use her gift to save her arch enemy and risk the entire town finding out what she can do?

In writing Haunted Destiny I wanted Destiny’s experiences to be as authentic as possible so I spent some time reading books about mediums. Sylvia Brown’s books were quite an education and very helpful, thank you Sylvia. I must admit that I’ve drawn upon my own experiences as well. I don’t think there is anyone who hasn’t felt that weird feeling or “a presence” from time to time of someone who has passed on before you. It’s a connection we all feel and personally I find it very comforting. I’ve also experienced the “unexplained” in my own life. A strange smell, a coin showing up where it makes no sense to be, bumps and thumps and a calm windless day…you get the idea. Things like this tend make a writer’s imagination run wild! Take advantage of it and see what you can come up with!

Thanks for having me today, Jackie and I’d love to hear from your readers. I am published by Hearts On Fire Books, a wonderful publisher, and you can purchase my books at www.heartsonfirebooks.com as well as other popular sites. Please feel free to visit my website www.kellyabellbooks.com to see more about me and my books and visit my blog called Writing Tips for Writers.

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Contest details via Kelly’s website:

I thought it would be fun to let my readers choose the next cover for Book Two in the In Lies Series Captured In Lies!

This time YOU get to choose what the cover of my next novel looks like! Choose a cover (shown here) and vote for your favorite by clicking on the picture and submitting your entry. All votes will be entered into a hat for a drawing and the winner will receive an In Lies Prize Package including an ecopy of Captured In Lies, Your Name in the Acknowledgement of the book, and some other very special goodies! Voting ends on March 31st.

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

7 Comments

  1. Hi Kelly!

    Lovely post, and I really like the premise of your story “Haunted Destiny”, it sounds like a wonderful book. MUCH good luck with your terrific books, and keep writing the magic….

    Hugs to you,
    Denysé

  2. Kelly –

    Love the banner – Wow! (Already entered the contest.)

    Happy Writing,
    Lea Ellen {night owl in IL}

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