The Secret of Spirit Lake follows a 14-year-old who has her life uprooted and finds herself experiencing haunting events in her family’s new Victorian lake home. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone else, and I actually thought it would be great to move somewhere new where no one knew me. So I decided to write a book exploring the journey of a teenage girl who does just that. The house where I grew up was over 200 years old, and several family members claimed it was haunted, although I never saw or heard anything, and I am actually pretty skeptical when it comes to ghosts. But I find the possibility intriguing enough that it found its way into my story. Also, I moved to a lake in Virginia when I retired, and I wanted to write a story set at a lake. 

What is it that draws you to write books for teens and young adult readers? 

For the past eight years, I have been volunteering for an organization called Childhelp, which serves children who have been abused and/or neglected. Over that period, I have run several book clubs with some of the older girls, aged 11-14. Having read many young adult books with them, I gained some insight into what types of plots and characters appeal to them. I also have three grown daughters, and I remember the types of books they liked to read as teenagers. I have always wanted to write, and teenagers, especially girls, seemed like a natural target audience for me. 

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

I was interested in how both Amy and Penny face the different challenges that life throws at them, and how they mature as a result. How teenagers deal with hardship. The importance of friends and relationships, even with a ghost.

I find a problem in well-written stories, in that I always want there to be another book to keep the story going. Is there a second book planned?

I am not planning to write a sequel to The Secret of Spirit Lake, because I am not sure where I could go with it. But I am working on a book tentatively titled Glo-kids, which is about teenagers who discover that they are half-alien. They can transform into energy, and they need to fight an evil energy being. It is currently in the editing process, and I am now thinking about a sequel. Writing young adult novels is fun!
 
 
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