Friday, April 26, 2013

W IS FOR LONI LYNNE’S DEBUT NOVEL, WANTED: ONE GHOST.

Believe in Fate!

Happy Thursday, everyone,


Today, I’m delighted to introduce you to a wonderful author, Loni Lynne. W is for Loni Lynne’s debut novel, WANTED: ONE GHOST.

Loni was the first person I met the day I joined Maryland Romance Writers. I can’t tell you how nervous I was walking into that meeting almost thirty minutes early. Loni gave me a big smile and made me feel so welcome. Moments later, she had me helping set out snacks. I have had such a wonderful time getting to know her.

I’m going to do something really different with this post. I would like to you meet Loni in her own words.  After she tells us a little about herself, I get to interview Loni’s hunky ghost, James Addison. That’s right, I’m interviewing a ghost!  Well, he’s not a ghost now, but he was…I think I will just let you met him and discover how unique he is for yourself. But first, Loni, I can’t thank you enough for visiting today and bringing James with you.  Can you please tell all of us a little about yourself. 


Loni Lynne…

My name is Loni Lynne and I’m a stay at home mom, domestic goddess, U.S. Navy Veteran and lover of all things vintage/shabby-chic/Victorian and antique. From china cups and tea sets to lace doilies crocheted by hand (my grandmother made the best) I believe a touch of femininity never goes out of style.  Growing up all over the country, I have been blessed with experiencing a good deal of culture and lifestyles. Much like my personality, I have eclectic tastes in what I like to read and write. There is no 'one' genre in which I settle for. 

God and fate have been big influences in my life. Both have taken me places I never thought I’d be, both in the physical sense and in the spiritual. I wrote brief stories and snippets of life as it happened to me in my youth, and was encouraged by my teachers to continue to write. Blessed with a loving supportive family growing up, I was able to explore my options which at times have been put into use in my stories. The Navy--and fate, afforded me the opportunity to meet my Army, "Annapolis-native" husband and team up with him to parent our two beautiful daughters. 

Years ago, my husband gave me the best birthday present ever--a laptop, a membership to Romance Writers of America and a goal to complete a  manuscript for submission by my next birthday. I did it. WANTED: ONE GHOST is my début novel. Believe in Fate!    

WANTED: ONE GHOST— INTERVIEW


James Addison talks about his role in Loni Lynne’s debut paranormal romance, WANTED: ONE GHOST  arriving June 3, 2013 from Crescent Moon Press:

Nancy:  Thank you for being here today on my blog. I love your costume, James.
James: Actually, this is my normal clothing. I’m most comfortable in breeches and linen shirts. I’m having tea with the Friends of Kings Mill, Maryland Ladies Auxiliary later today.  I’m part of the festivities for Kings Mill Days these next few weeks. Dr. Freelane from the historical society thought I would make a perfect ‘James Addison’.
 Nancy: Who better to play you than—‘you’.
James: My thoughts exactly!  So, what would you like to know, my friend?
 Nancy: Your character—
James: I have superb character! (He preens)  It was a joke.
 Nancy: Of course.  As I was saying, your character is unique.  You are over two hundred and fifty years old?
James: Nearly 271 years of age actually. I was born December 16 in the year of our Lord, 1742 in England.
 Nancy: Wait a minute! You don’t look a day over thirty-five.
James: (Laughing) Actually I was killed at the age of thirty and two.  I’ve been haunting Kings Mill, Maryland since.  I think in whatever realm I was in, there is no sense of time.
 Nancy: So you’ve been here since 1774? 
James: As a spirit…yes.  It wasn’t until Dr. April Branford rescued me from my hellish wanderings a few days ago that I was able to interact with others.  It’s rather odd really. I’ve been here, seen the changes in time, and yet have not been able to interact at all. I was as shocked as she to realize she could see me, much less communicate with me.
 Nancy: Dr. Branford, tell me about her.
James: Ah yes! She’s saucy and sweet, and as intelligent as I’ve ever known a person to be—and has this unusual gift for being able to touch things and tell their past. She calls it psychometry.  In my day she might have been considered a witch.
 Nancy: You were a ghost when she met you?
James: It was a ghost tour, really. She actually thought I was one of the tour guides. I didn’t have the heart to tell her otherwise. It might have frightened her. So when we met up again at the cemetery on All Hallows Eve, I didn’t think anything about it until—(he grins and shakes his head)
 Nancy: Until what?
James: I’ll let you all read that scene for yourselves:

Excerpt from Wanted: One Ghost
The roots of the firs were tangled and exposed in areas, moss and lichen grew around the bottom of the obelisk grave marker, a layer of dead branches and fan-like fir needles surrounded the base. April could read the month and year of his death but the date was a bit obscure.
She buried her nose into a fresh tissue as she held back a sneeze so she didn’t alert the rest of the group of her whereabouts.
Wiping her nose she knelt in front of the tombstone and placed the end of the flashlight between her teeth to give her direct light on what she was doing. The soggy ground soaked into the knees of her jeans. She could hear the faint voices of the group from just over the rise, yet she felt a prickling of unease. Glancing around, she didn’t see anything.
She wiped moisture from the front of the headstone with her scarf, revealing the blackened embossing on the aged marble. Angling the paper over part of the intricate design, she fumbled with the pencil in her gloved hand. The cumbersome gloves had to go. Removing the offending obstacles and tossing them to the side, April rubbed her pencil over the markings, steadying herself against the marble with her other hand.
A jolt of heat coursed from her palm to her shoulder and she jerked back. Falling onto her bottom, she dropped the pencil and paper. Nearly choking on the flashlight, she threw the light to the side and fought to catch her breath. Still tingling from the shock, she shook her arm to relieve the pain.
She picked up the flashlight again and slowly approached the gravestone. Her heart thudded in her ears. Reaching out for the paper and pencil she had dropped, she kept her eye on the stone as if waiting for it to move. Cautiously, she leaned forward and touched it. The marble was as cold and even-surfaced as an old tombstone in late October should be.
Confused, she inched away on her knees, backing away from the headstone, a frightening wariness settling over her as she slowly stood up and continued moving cautiously away from the monument.
“Henry Samuel is not worthy of your fascination, Dr. Branford.”
April gasped and whirled, shining the flashlight into the night. There, mere inches in front of her, stood her mysterious tour guide. A moment of relief caused her to catch her breath before the toe of her boot caught on a loose tree root, sending her falling through a chilly mist of air. She landed on her hands and knees.
Quickly, she turned over and stared up at her re-enactor, who stood between her and Henry Samuel’s grave. So close she should have fallen into him. And then the truth of the situation hit her. She crab crawled away from him and the tombstone, her eyes wide with horror.
She couldn’t think. “Oh my God! Oh my God!” Her voice shook with the only words she could say.
He smiled down at her, tilting his tricorne back on his head, revealing those damn hypnotic eyes.
 “I haven’t heard a lady say that to me for some time. Nice to know I haven’t lost my touch,” he preened.
“You’re…not…real,” April gasped, holding her chest as she tried desperately to find her footing. “You’re…a…ghost. You really are a ghost!”
 He shrugged. “I suppose so. No one has told me any differently. But then no one has been able to talk to me in two hundred and thirty-eight years. You’re the first.” With an elegant flourish, he bowed to her.
“Oh my God!” She was shaking so badly she couldn’t move. Her muscles had frozen. The seat of her jeans was wet but she wasn’t sure if she had peed herself or the damp ground had soaked into them.
He extended his hand in a gentlemanly fashion to help her up, but she only stared at the proffered limb. He sighed.
“Of course. It would do me no good to try and help you up since I’m…”
“…not real. You’re not real. This isn’t happening to me.” April closed her eyes and tried to repeat the mantra over and over again, hoping her mental state would finally sort out the situation and thrust her back into reality. She opened her eyes. He was still there, his infuriatingly charming smile, just short of a laugh, etched into one devilishly handsome face.
Scrambling for purchase she grabbed her articles, keeping a close eye on her specter and quickly walked backwards down the knoll until she was on the cobblestone path. She had to get out of here. Where was the damn exit!


 Nancy: But you’re not a ghost now.
James: No. That is something April will have to explain but I’m not sure she knows all the details either. I still think it has to do with Fate. I’ve been dead for 238 years but never went beyond the boundaries of Kings Mill’s historical district or what I knew of my time on Earth. Then suddenly, I meet her, a historical researcher with a unique gift and I’m born anew.
 Nancy: What is next for James Addison and April Branford?
James: (Looking at his pocket watch) Oh dear! Look at the time…I really must be going. I shouldn’t let the ladies auxiliary down now, should I?
 Nancy: I get it…you can’t say.
James: Let’s just say, tell me how the story ends when you’ve read it…I’m anxious to know what happens myself.
 Nancy: James, thank you for taking time out and talking with us today. I look forward to seeing what takes place between you and April.
James: (Placing his tri-corne on his head and winks) As do I.
To see what happens to James and April, be sure to read, Wanted: One Ghost coming June 3, 2013 from Crescent Moon Press.


Loni, oh my, that was so much fun. I can’t wait to get my hands on my own copy of WANTED: ONE GHOST. Thank you again for being my guest and interviewing James was a real treat!
For more information about Loni Lynn, you can find her here:

As always, I would love to hear what you think. If you have any questions for James or Loni, ask away. I’m sure they will both write you back. Until tomorrow, 

((Hugs to all))
Nancy C. Weeks
Author of In the Shadow of Greed
Release date 29 April2013

7 comments :

  1. Nancy,
    It was delightful to talk with you! Loni speaks highly of you. I hear you have a book coming out very soon, too. All the best, sweet lady.

    --James

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    Replies
    1. Oh James!
      You are such a charmer. Yes, my debut novel is coming out in three days! It was great meeting you. I can't wait to read your story. Thanks so much for visiting me today. xoxo

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  2. What a great blog post, Loni and Nancy! Full of the irreverent humor which characterizes James. Can't wait to read this book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Magda,
    How wonderful to meet you! I've been told humor can soothe a woman at times. Hope you enjoy our story.

    --James

    ReplyDelete
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  5. Hi Magda,
    Thanks so much for dropping by. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete