Linda Andrews Paranormal Journey

June 10, 2008

Your House Might be Haunted if…

1.                  You inherit a house from a relative you never heard of.

2.                  The oldest, creepiest person in town, issues a dire warning about the house, then disappears before you can question him/her further.

3.                  You find a tombstone or ancient artifacts while landscaping your new yard.

4.                  The person you bought your house with is a die hard skeptic and never sees anything that you do.

5.                  You go into your son’s room to watch the mobile spin, only to realize your son doesn’t have a mobile.

6.                  You never have to turn on your air conditioning, even during summer.

7.                  Your dog barks at a room when no one is there.

8.                  You hear voices through the white noise on your TV.

9.                  You think your significant other has joined you in bed, only to turn over and find a body-shaped indentation in the cold and empty bed.

10.              You take pictures of your family or friends and find extra people in the picture.

News

A Knight’s Wish received a 5 Angel review from Fallen Angels Review. Kim N said, “A Knight’s Wish by Linda Andrews was a wonderful story that held me captive for two days until I finished it.”

Dancing in the Kitchen, a sequel to A Knight’s Wish, will be released this summer.

Kelly Faloon won an ebook copy of Ghost of a Chance from The Romance Studio.

Contests

I am still waiting to here from the winner of the $20.00 Amazon gift card. Please check your spam boxes to see if it is you.

Why did you become a writer?

I think I was born a writer. Books were my friends from as far back as I can remember. Until I learned to read on my own, I was always trying to talk somebody into reading to me. I used to go around narrating my life. For example, “She handed the ball to Candy.” Of course, my playmates had never heard of a narrating girl before, so they made fun of me. I quickly learned to keep the narration in my head. I pretty much tried to pretend my odd habit had never happened, until one day my (adult) daughter said that the narrating thing was simply an indication I was meant to be a writer. Cheryel feels vindicated. J

I see that you include paranormal elements in your books, have you had any
paranormal experiences?

Actually, yes. Many times I’ve heard footsteps when nobody was home but me. Years ago, I experienced several episodes of a cat rubbing against my legs—but when I looked there was no cat. The strangest was a quick glimpse of a ghostly figure, but I’m not convinced there isn’t a mundane explanation for that one. I wish I knew for sure. I’m also a bit psychic, although the ability never seems to manifest itself when I need it.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest release, Shadows of Evil, and what spark prompted you to write the story?

Here’s the official blurb:

For Kia Wolfe, moving to an isolated mountaintop is an act of independence from her demanding family and ex-fiancé. She’s literally dreamed about the regal old house for years, and for the first time in her life she feels at home. She’s here to stay, even though the house’s history of violent deaths is enough to scare off most people.

I think Shadows of Evil was years in the making. I grew up at the foot of a mountain. Every time we went up there, the curvy road and isolated areas fascinated me. Eventually a character, Kia Wolfe, appeared who was strong enough to dare living in an area like that, alone, in a big old house. And of course the house had to be haunted. Garrett, the contractor who did the repairs to her house (and who lives on the mountain too) keeps trying to warn her that the house is evil. But she doesn’t believe him, besides, she loves her new home. He keeps coming around to watch out for her and try to convince her to move. She keeps refusing, but they do come to a different kind of agreement.

Of the books you've written who is your favorite character and why?

I love all my characters, even the villains are fun to deal with since I really never know what they’re going to do—or why they do it. I have to admit, though, Kia from Shadows is definitely one of my favorites. She’s such a stubborn character who refused to let her writer—or her hero—tell her what to do. As she drove Garrett crazy, she was doing the same to me. It was a blast!

Do you plot your stories out or do you just start writing?

I do some overall plotting, but I’m mostly a seat of the pants type writer. I like to pretend the book is a movie and play “clips” in my head of pieces of pivotal scenes. This actually gives me a basic structure. Besides that, I know how the story starts and have an idea of how it ends (that always changes, a little or a lot, depending on how the story actually plays out). I used to plot more carefully, but things would always get changed to the point that I finally gave up and let the characters have their heads.

You participated in an eclectic anthology called Southern Comfort, with proceeds benefiting the American Red Cross, can you tell us how you were chosen to participate in the book?

I saw the call for submissions on www.Ralan.com, which is a great resource for writers of shorter works, by the way. I submitted a story called “Misha” about a slightly inept witch, her odd cat, and the strange man next door. I was thrilled when they accepted my story.

What was the funniest thing you learned about your hero/heroine from writing their story?

Kia Wolfe was suppose to have a different name altogether. At the time I was doing the preliminary work on the book, I kept seeing a neighbor’s Kia, and I thought it would be a great car for my heroine. She, however, didn’t like this idea. She told me in no uncertain terms that her NAME was Kia, and that she dives a Jeep. I argued, but she didn’t listen. I finally gave in.

Can you describe your office or where you normally work?

Our extra bedroom is my office. Since it’s technically an “extra” room, we’re always putting something in there “for now.” You can imagine how that works. We just moved to a new place, so right now the place is a bigger disaster area than usual. At the moment, I’m surrounded by boxes! Between trying to write, real life, and unpacking, it doesn’t look good for my poor office anytime soon. I’m trying to get the most important things organized, but it’s a struggle.

What are you currently working on?

I just turned in the sequel to Shadows of Evil (Wy’s story), and I’m hopeful my editor will like it. I also recently finished the edits for Keepers of Legend, a novella coming out from The Wild Rose Press later this year. Right now, I’m working on a sequel to Keepers and I’m doing the preliminaries for the third book in the Mountain Shadow’s series.

Do you use any unusual techniques (i.e. tarot cards, personality tests) to create your characters?

Not really. I like to use character journals where I just type and let the characters talk to me. I also use the first couple of chapters to get to know the characters, then I get a better idea of where the story is going. I guess my work is a collaboration between me and my characters.

Do you have any upcoming events where readers can meet you?

I don’t have anything planned at the moment, but I’m hoping to change that in the near future.

Thank you for joining us this month, Cheryel. I just couldn’t resist interviewing you after reading your bio.

Cheryel Hutton was born in a tiny hospital located above the drug store where the famous Scopes Trial had been hatched and plotted many years before. Cheryel’s childhood was traumatic, filled with painful and terrifying hospital visits and scarce emotional support. To escape the trials and tribulations of her life, she built herself an elaborate fantasy world. Unlike the real world, in this one any danger or pain could be fought and defeated with the help of imaginary, but supportive friends and family.

Her grandmother loved to read, and it was through her that Cheryel was introduced to the wonderful world of books. Cheryel memorized books before she could read, and began writing down her own stories almost as soon as she learned to write. It was in the telling of stories that the real and fantasy worlds came together for her. At first she only wrote stories for herself, but when her fifth grade teacher had good things to say about the short story Cheryel had written for an assignment, the pride that something she had imagined and created could be appreciated by someone else was an amazing feeling. She decided then and there that she would like to do more sharing of her writing. It was a scary proposition, though. Overcoming the fear and insecurity she’d grown up with enough to share her stories with the world would be one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

There were other, more mundane, problems too. Though she continued to write, life got in the way more times than not. Marriage and later divorce, raising two daughters as a single mother, and all the day to day crisis that everyone faces. She worked as a Registered Nurse until health problems forced a career change and a return to college. While there, she wrote essays and stories for the campus newspaper. She also established, edited, and wrote for a newsletter for and about students with disabilities. Reminded of how much she loved to write, she decided to get serious.

Cheryel has had articles, humor pieces, and short stories published in local newspapers, small press, and online magazines. The most recent were “Alev Ha-Shalom” in Lost in the Dark and “Nightfall in G Flat” in Romance Rendezvous, and a story in Southern Comfort: A charitable Anthology, whose profits benefit the American Red Cross.

She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and Smoky Mountain Romance Writers (where she currently serves as member-at-large), the Fantasy, Futuristic and Science Fiction chapter of RWA, and runs a small local support group for female genre writers. 

Cheryel is the mother of two grown daughters and grandmother of five (three girls and two boys). She holds a green belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is involved in disability awareness. She lives in Chattanooga, TN with her husband and their two dachshunds, Cujo and Sugar.

Now that you’re appetite’s been whetted, please visit her website www.cheryelhutton.com and drop her a line.

Thanks everyone and see you next month.