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?
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
Nancy,
ReplyDeleteIt 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
Oh James!
DeleteYou 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
What a great blog post, Loni and Nancy! Full of the irreverent humor which characterizes James. Can't wait to read this book.
ReplyDeleteHi Magda,
DeleteThanks so much for dropping by. Hugs!
Magda,
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to meet you! I've been told humor can soothe a woman at times. Hope you enjoy our story.
--James
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Hi Magda,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for dropping by. Hugs!