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Author: Deb

Ghost Novel Review: The Night Strangers

Ghost Novel Review: The Night Strangers

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The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian I LOVED this book. That is, I loved half of this book. Here are some of my notes to self–“right from the start I adore the style,” “this is refreshing after the last lackluster book,” and “Thank you, Crown Publishers for not italicizing the prologue!” (For more on the great prologue controversy, read my post on prologues here.) It begins so well. A goose-downed (as in a-gaggle-of-geese-downed-the) plane ends in  a failed landing (notwithstanding…

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Ghost Lessons: 5 Things the Dead Teach Us About Life

Ghost Lessons: 5 Things the Dead Teach Us About Life

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                5 Things the Dead Teach Us About Life Today I’m so excited to participate in my very first guest post over at Melissa’s Midnight Musings. Melissa made it so easy for me to chat about one of my favorite topics. I hope you’ll join us by clicking here. And while you’re visiting, be sure to sign up for a cool giveaway!  

Interview with a Cover Artist: Part 2

Interview with a Cover Artist: Part 2

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Cover artist Matt Hinrichs is back with us today for part two of our interview. Well, Matt, yesterday The Book Designer  posted the monthly e-cover design awards. As usual, well worth a viewing. See the contest entries here.  Although your Moonlight Dancer cover didn’t win, it did garner this praise from Joel Friedlander: “Very artful blending of illustration and lettering, this cover stands out.” That’s pretty sweet praise. Congratulations! Matt, what is your process as you begin a book cover design?…

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Interview with a Cover Artist: Part 1

Interview with a Cover Artist: Part 1

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Today, we are happy to welcome cover artist Matt Hinrichs. We have so much to talk about that we’re doing this interview in two parts. So, let’s get started! First things first. Here is the cover Matt designed for my just-released novel Moonlight Dancer. I’ve already received compliments on the cover! Matt, when did you know you wanted to be an artist? As far back as I can remember, I was attracted to imagery (cartoons! Sesame Street!) and loved to…

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Ghost Novel Review: The Winter Ghosts

Ghost Novel Review: The Winter Ghosts

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The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse In The Winter Ghosts, a despondent Freddie Watson mourns the loss of his favored brother who perished in WWI. Even ten years after the war, Freddie cannot rid himself of a paralyzing case of survivor’s guilt. After crashing his car in a snowstorm in the French Pyrenees, he hikes to the nearest village where some of the local denizens give him a cold reception. However, he soon finds himself invited to a fête, treated…

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R.I.P. Reading Event 2012

R.I.P. Reading Event 2012

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Today is my birthday. Or was when I began this post. (Alas, I’m a slow writer.) But I have a gift for you. R.I.P is here again! Hard to believe a year has gone by, but there it is. And autumn, the best time of the year, arrives. And with autumn, comes R.I.P. R.I.P (Readers Imbibing Peril) is the brainchild of Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings. It’s an opportunity for those of us who like things that go bump in…

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The Ghost Within: Writing the Paranormal Wave

The Ghost Within: Writing the Paranormal Wave

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Ghosts. I think about them. A lot. You know that. I read ghost novels, review ghost novels, and this week, I even published one—Moonlight Dancer. Funny thing is, I’ve never seen a ghost. And I don’t even know if I believe in them. So, why this fascination? It comes down to what I term The Ghost Within. I bet you’ve got a little ghost within you, too. My inner ghost is about yearning. About loss. Growing up, I was a…

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Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan

Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan

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Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan With Ghost Month starting this week, this is the perfect time to review Water Ghosts. This book was originally published under the title Locke 1928, and until I neared the end of the book, I would have said Locke 1928 was a better title than Water Ghosts. This is one of those novels in which the town becomes a kind of character, similar to Empire Falls by Richard Russo. And indeed, author Ryan paints…

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Self-publishing Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Have To) Part 1

Self-publishing Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Have To) Part 1

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In her memoir, One Writer’s Beginnings, Eudora Welty describes her childhood forays to the local library. The stern librarian, Mrs. Calloway, would look up from her desk, “her dragon eye on the front door” and if sunlight passed through young Welty’s dress, the librarian sent her home. “You could just put on another petticoat if you wanted a book that badly from the public library” (29). Welty did. Thankfully, the librarians in my experience bear no resemblance to Mrs. Calloway….

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Neverwhere, the Final Installment

Neverwhere, the Final Installment

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I am a genuine “giver” applicant for the 2013 World Book Night. My first duty as aspirant was to nominate four books I deem worthy of giving away. It was my great pleasure to nominate Neverwhere, which I found to be a fantastic read. Now, sadly, our group read of Neverwhere is over, and it’s time for final thoughts. Our fearless leader Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings has asked us to consider the characters we found compelling as well as…

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Neverwhere Discussion Part Two

Neverwhere Discussion Part Two

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Hi everyone. Today we embark on part two of our discussion of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere courtesy of Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings. Carl has prepared the questions below. I hope you’ll join us! 1. Chapter 6 begins with Richard chanting the mantra, “I want to go home”.  How do you feel about Richard and his reactions at this point to the unexpected adventure he finds himself on? More than once during this section I sensed allusions, the first being Wizard…

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Paranormal Novel Review: Neverwhere

Paranormal Novel Review: Neverwhere

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Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Harper Collins, 386 pages This isn’t a traditional ghost story such as I usually review. This is more of a ghost-as-metaphor-for-the-forgotten-ones story. But that’s actually a quest I seek in the ghost stories I read, the yearning that drives one to cross barriers and struggle to connect. You’ve wondered, I know you have, what would happen if one day you went left instead of right, if one day you stopped because a street person asked for…

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