Blog Archives
Girl Unseen
Athena Daniel’s Girl Unseen is a paranormal suspense novel that will have you hanging on to every word.
Pia Williams is a gifted medium who works for a television series, Debunking Reality. Girl Unseen begins when Pia and her crew are asked to investigate possible paranormal activity in a family’s home. While they record footage for the show, a spirit of an angry young girl appears to Pia. In a fit of rage, the entity kills a man. Pia is taken into custody and held for questioning by a detective who has no patience for things unseen. Looking for help she calls ex-Special Forces detective Nate Ryder. With Nate and the Debunking Reality crew by her side, Pia sets out to uncover the terrible truth of what happened at the old lighthouse keeper’s cottage.
Girl Unseen is the third installment of Daniel’s Beyond the Grave series and a fantastic addition at that. The novel offers suspense, twists, action, and romance – everything a story needs to make it impossible to put down.
In the first chapter, we meet the Debunking Reality crew and witness a murder. I was instantly sucked into the story by such a riveting beginning! I immediately wanted finish the novel so I could find out what happened! Each page kept me wanting to read more as Pia uncovered more and more about Sarah’s past and death.
The plot of Girl Unseen kept me guessing the entire time. The majority of the novel is from Pia’s point of view, so we only know what she knows. As she tried to solve Sarah’s mystery, I tried to guess along with her, but was surprised every time. Occasionally, Daniel switched to Nate’s point of view to give us another perspective. This helped me immerse myself in the story, because I was seeing characters and situations through different eyes.
Daniel’s characters are well-developed! They seemed like real-life people you could meet anywhere. Every character had a defined personality, and their actions reflected that.
There were very few things about Girl Unseen that I did not like. I do think that it could have been longer. It was a quick read with great ideas and intense action scenes, but I think more detail and depth would add more to the story. Also, I was a little annoyed about how frequently Pia’s resistance toward relationships was brought up. I understand why Daniel mentioned it – Pia’s trust issues were vital to the romantic tension – but I think there was a different way to create the same effect. It seemed like Daniel kept repeating the same thing, which made it more redundant rather than helping you understand Pia better.
I thoroughly enjoyed following Pia and her crew. Girl Unseen is the perfect book for someone looking for a quick read with lots of suspense.
Pages: 274 | ASIN: B071Z1RMZ1
The Fugitive’s Trail
In the lobby of a prestigious Wall Street investment firm, one man is dead and another seriously injured. The man accused of the crime now a fugitive.
When the Director of the FBI personally orders Special Agent Sean Kruger to New York City to find the fugitive, Kruger questions the reason. Told to shut up and do his job, he starts looking into the case. What he finds is troubling. Eye-witness accounts seem contrived with little variance between individual testimonies. The more he hears, the more he feels someone is manipulating the story.
As the investigation unfolds, he discovers the only information known about the fugitive is a HR file from a former employer. Public records of the man do not exist.
The fugitive is a ghost. A ghost who has disappeared.
When Kruger unearths information the investment firm lied about the incident in the lobby, he learns there is a possibility the fugitive was defending himself. He also discovers another individual is searching for the fugitive. An individual who has no interest in allowing the truth to be discovered.
When the cat and mouse game turns lethal, Kruger must use all of his skills and experience to find the truth, protect the fugitive, and ultimately stay alive.
Evolved From A Pirate
J.C. Fields Author Interview
The Fugitive’s Trail centers on the skills of Special FBI Agent Sean Kruger as he must track down a fugitive that apparently doesn’t exist. What was the inspiration for the setup to this exciting novel?
Dropping off the grid and disappearing has always intrigued me. How would someone do it? What skills set would a person need to accomplish such a feat? So the book started with a basic, what if.
The character of Sean Kruger was conceived in 2006 when I was involved with an online writing blog. The original character was just, Kruger. A scallywag, a nefarious individual with no moral scruples. During the blog, he became Sean Kruger. My laptop hard drive is littered with discarded stories about him. Gradually, over the years, as I developed the character, he evolved from a pirate to a person of moral integrity. And finally an FBI Agent, the character we find in the Trail series.
As the concept of a story concerning dropping off the grid started to grow, I decided it was a great venue for introducing the reincarnated version of Sean Kruger. One thing led to another and The Fugitive’s Trail was born.
JR Diminski appeared in an early draft of the story, originally conceived as a throw-away character. The more I wrote more about him, the more intriguing he became. I know it sounds weird, but as you write, some characters become more important to the story. Such was JR’s future. He is now as important to the Trail series as Kruger. After a comment by my oldest son, I am planning a standalone novel with him as the main protagonist.
Sean Kruger is an FBI agent and I felt that the daily interactions of the agency was well handled. Did you do a lot of research to maintain accuracy of the subject?
A lot of research, reading and a chance encounter with an FBI agent on a plane bound for California.
I have more experience with corporate bureaucracies than I care to discuss and the FBI is a huge bureaucracy. Looking back on my business background, it was easy to extrapolate how a huge entity like the FBI would function.
The Fugitive’s Trail is a genre-crossing novel with elements of a crime, drama, and suspense as well. Did you start writing with this in mind, or did this happen organically as you were writing?
A passion for reading was a gift from my mother. Authors like, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, Daniel Silva, David Baldacci, James Rollins, Lee Child, Frederick Forsyth, Craig Johnson, Ben Coes, and numerous Indie Authors were consumed before I started The Fugitive’s Trail. The adage of ‘write what you enjoy’ is how I approach novels. As you can see from the books I read, my influences include various genres.
I don’t outline, but I know where I want to start and I have a general idea of where I want to finish. The exciting part of the journey is the middle. So, to answer your question, it happens organically.
I have zero qualms about cutting wholesale sections of a manuscript if it stops working. The Fugitive’s Trail took five years to write. But during those years, I learned a lot from numerous starts and stops encountered along the path. The original manuscript is nothing like the final book.
A good editor is essential to a good novel. I was lucky, I found a good editor. It also helps to have an active critique group.
This is the first book in the Sean Kruger series. Where will book two take Sean Kruger?
Book two of the series will find Kruger pursuing homegrown terrorist. A third novel, planned for a summer 2017 release, will feature Kruger confronting the return of a serial killer introduced in my short story titled “The Forgotten Brother Affair.” This story is available for free on my website.
The original plan was to write a trilogy, but a fourth novel, with Sean Kruger as the protagonist, has over 40,000 words in a first draft. I am not sure about the title at this stage, I haven’t decided if it will be a “Trail” book or not.
I am striving to write distinctly different books with each installment. So many authors write the same book over and over and after a while it gets boring. My goal is to keep from going down this path. If I do, the Trail series will conclude.
For now, I have a few more Kruger stories up my sleeve.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
In the lobby of a prestigious Wall Street investment firm, one man is dead and another seriously injured. The man accused of the crime now a fugitive.
When the Director of the FBI personally orders Special Agent Sean Kruger to New York City to find the fugitive, Kruger questions the reason. Told to shut up and do his job, he starts looking into the case. What he finds is troubling. Eye-witness accounts seem contrived with little variance between individual testimonies. The more he hears, the more he feels someone is manipulating the story.
As the investigation unfolds, he discovers the only information known about the fugitive is a HR file from a former employer. Public records of the man do not exist.
The fugitive is a ghost. A ghost who has disappeared.
When Kruger unearths information the investment firm lied about the incident in the lobby, he learns there is a possibility the fugitive was defending himself. He also discovers another individual is searching for the fugitive. An individual who has no interest in allowing the truth to be discovered.
When the cat and mouse game turns lethal, Kruger must use all of his skills and experience to find the truth, protect the fugitive, and ultimately stay alive.
Obsessed with the Idea
Robin Christophersen Author Interview
The Passer follows Eleanor on the one year anniversary of her boyfriend’s death as new powers awaken inside her and she is visited by other worldly beings. What was the inspiration for the setup to this thrilling novel?
In June 2009, I was readying to go on stage during a performance of The Three Musketeers when an idea for a story flashed in my mind. That night before I went to bed, I recorded my thoughts in a notebook for a series of three stories, put it in the drawer of my nightstand and forgot about it. A year later I came across the same notebook and happened upon the page containing my three sentence synopsis. The subject matter dealt with death, loss and grieving expressed through a supernatural lens. I’m not entirely sure what prompted my somber thoughts, especially since I had not experienced the loss of a loved one in quite some time, but even as I read my words I had written a year earlier, something deep within me yearned to tell this story.
By the end of the summer of 2010, I was obsessed with the idea of a woman who develops supernatural abilities that have been dormant within her since birth and how these powers are triggered by the tragic loss of a loved one. In October of that year, after returning from a vacation in Northern California- what would turn out to be the setting for The Passer – I made the decision to write the book. For the remainder of the year I delved into some old favorite subjects-Greek, Roman and Celtic mythology- as well as Mysticism and the teachings of Esoteric Wisdom throughout the ages. All this fueled my desire to sing a song about death and grieving and in February of 2011 I began in earnest the first draft of The Passer.
Eleanor is an intriguing character. She is an accomplished actress and a professor as well. What were the driving ideals that drove the character’s development throughout the story?
I have had many readers tell me they admire Eleanor, both for her accomplishments and her struggle against a transformation that is beyond her control. Also, there are those who find her undeveloped and whining at times, mainly in regards to her ever-suffering devotion to her deceased boyfriend, as well as her head-scratching romance with her brutish, former husband. Eleanor harbors all these characteristics by design. Without revealing too much about her ultimate destiny, she will continue to develop, grow and surprise us (hopefully in a delightfully shocking way) by the end of the series.
Regarding Eleanor’s dual profession, that is based on two individuals who are/were (one is now sadly deceased) both university professors and active performers in their given fields. The one who most closely represents Eleanor is a gifted Shakespearean actress I had the pleasure of performing with in A Midsummer Night’s Dream who at the time was about to receive her doctorate in theater.
I felt that Eleanor’s powers were subtle and built rather dramatically. What was the inspiration for her powers and how did you keep it believable in the story?
From the moment the story was conceived I knew it would have a supernatural element driving the plot. As Eleanor took shape in my mind, her struggle to cope with her loss unearthed these abilities she had no idea she possessed. As she travels through her journey of discovery we are there with her, which helps to keep it real. The continuing acceleration of Eleanor’s powers is a key element that will play out through the entire series and will drive the plot to its final conclusion.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
We are currently editing the second installment of The Passer series, Ghostworld, which is scheduled to release in fall 2017. The story will begin where it left off at the end of The Passer.
There are two other projects underway. The first is Why I Love You The Passer Series, titled The Order.
Also in the works is The Magical Series based on Eleanor Bouchard’s sister Josephine Bouchard. Josephine returns to Ohio to live in her childhood home, only to discover that it is sitting on top of a supernatural fault that is brimming with activity.
The Amazing Amelia Monroe Series follows the precocious six-year old girl from The Passer as she matures in her powers while learning the truth about her deceased mother and biological father’s past.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Twitter
Eleanor Bouchard wants her life back.
After a year of desperately mourning her deceased boyfriend, Dr. Eleanor Bouchard, a theater professor and acclaimed Shakespearean actress, is ready to move past the despair that nearly destroyed her. But, on the anniversary of his death she is summoned by a frightening apparition with a message:
Help him believe…
As she attempts to unravel her ghostly messenger’s meaning, she begins to experience harrowing visions of a missing woman and discovers she possesses otherworldly powers that have been lying dormant within her, waiting for her to awaken.
While Eleanor struggles against her emerging powers, Daniel Archer, her former love, has troubles of his own. His wife has suffered a tragic death and now the famous actor, along with his precocious step-daughter, Amelia, seeks sanctuary in Eleanor’s secluded home in River Mist, California-whether she wants him there or not.
As their lives intertwine, Eleanor discovers a fateful connection to Daniel and Amelia and suspects that the haunting events that brought them together quite possibly were destined to be.
See Me Forever
![See Me Forever by [Oriel, Susann]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-IoEO6tqL.jpg)
See Me Forever begins in an old alluring home in Erradale Bay where Arianna Harte, a beautiful woman oozing with class, purchases the home in hopes to begin a new life. A spirit is instantly drawn to her, becoming obsessed with wanting her to himself. Edmond Nathaniel Wilde is the man behind the spirit, a well-spoken man who comes from the Victorian era where sins such as infidelity are not to be tolerated. Meanwhile, Logan, a detective, is investigating an incident involved with Arianna’s home and finds himself beginning to fall for Arianna’s beauty and charm. Between a passionate spirit and a detective filled with skeletons in his closet, Arianna will be thrown into a dark and brooding love triangle with supernatural twists.
See Me Forever, written by Susann Oriel, is a beautifully written love story that has a touch of all the right genres; including action, mystery and supernatural elements. It is hot and steamy, romantic and at times frightening, providing a story line that is full of entertainment for all readers.
The words drip with elegance and sweep the reader through a colonial home. Gargoyles adorn the outskirts of the beautiful colonial styled Oak Lane property, giving the reader a glimpse into a home which would have been luxurious in the Victorian era. Susann’s style of writing is easy to read but descriptive; the conversations and interactions between both spirit and human are easily imagined and felt by the reader.
I love the way Susann Oriel describes Arianna Harte. She is innately beautiful but also physically stunning, catching the eyes of suitors around her. But she isn’t sleazy or forward and has a level of class and integrity that is to be admired. Her encounters with others are filled with lustful desire and will leave the reader feeling as though their blood is on fire. Arianna’s is a sensitive, different from a medium in that she sees the spirits as well as feeling them. This particular talent will land her in sticky situations as she sees the faces of those who pass everywhere she goes.
The story begins with more questions than answers and I was eager to know how Edmond had passed. There is an element of suspicion surrounding his death and how his first wife may have died. A woman who previously lived in the home is now an elderly lady and once held Edmonds affections. How do they fit together to form the pieces of the puzzle? You will have to read it to find out!
You’d be mistaken to think that this novel is only a love story. There are mysterious plot changes, broody characters and action scenes that will leave you begging for more. I would recommend See Me Forever for those who enjoy a romantic novel but also enjoy their haunted house styled stories.
Pages: 296 | ASIN: B06XXML53F
Goo of the Gods
P. Joynes’s novel Goo of the Gods, part of the Rising Saints High series, centers around the life of teen prodigy Jonah Polopolus and his traumatic past. Under pressure to live up to his famous father’s reputation, Jonah joins the Sci-6 team and learns that Science Club is so much more than an after-school activity. Jonah must balance his “normal” teen responsibilities (if you call dangerous science projects normal) while also befriending a beautiful ghost who haunts him and seeks his help. Once Science Club turns into a battle of good versus evil, Jonah and Sci-6 must use their unique traits and scientific prowess to defeat demons, save their school, and solve the mysteries behind their hometown’s tragic history.
There’s something suspicious about the tragic accidents and missing people in Jonah Polopolus’s hometown, and Sci-6 plans to figure it out. D. P. Joynes’s Goo of the Gods, part of the Rising Saints High series, is a suspenseful YA science fiction novel with twists that keep you on your toes. With a dynamic plot and an intriguing protagonist, I found this novel quite compelling and hard to put down.
Jonah, a brilliant science student, returns to his hometown five years after the death of his parents and begins his junior year of high school. He’s constantly reminded of his famous father, Dr. Jeremiah Polopolus, and his brilliant discoveries. I loved how the novel jumps between flashbacks to Jonah’s childhood trauma and his present reality, while also interweaving Dr. Polopolus’s journal entries. While there were a few moments that needed more development, I thought that Joynes did an excellent job with transitioning between the past and the present. I liked that this format let me piece together Jonah’s puzzling life.
Even though the novel jumped between time periods, there was a consistent motif of good versus evil throughout the novel, like when Jonah faced situations where people’s actions didn’t easily fit into one idea. Urged by the suspicious, yet charming Dr. Ug, Jonah joins Science Club and is thrown into a competition against a team whose members have a demonic appearance. Jonah and his friends call themselves Sci-6, and they bond over their project on gray “goo.” I feel like the goo becomes a metaphor for something much deeper than its modest appearance, as Jonah is constantly trying to understand the “gray” areas of life.
While working on their “goo” project, Sci-6 encounters many strange occurrences and dangerous situations at CorPP, Dr. Ug’s laboratory. Jonah also faces a unique problem: he’s haunted by a ghost, named Ambriel, who seeks his help. These supernatural situations show how Joynes masterfully blurs the lines of science and faith. Major plot events combine these two typically opposing concepts, which is quite unique for a novel in this genre.
Ultimately, the discovery of old journals inspires them to figure out what, or who, is truly behind the tragedies in their lives. Sci-6 embarks on a mission to conduct risky experiments in order to uncover the truth, help Ambriel, and defeat demons. Even though I wished that Jonah’s friends, Gia and Naomi, had more consistent character development, Jonah’s dynamic characterization made the story that much more enjoyable. It was great to see how Jonah learns to think about the world in both scientific and supernatural ways. The novel ends on a captivating note, and I can’t wait to see what Jonah and his friends do next.
Pages: 183 | ASIN: B01NCNCL4M
The Deaduction Agency
Do you like TV shows like Psychic Detective, The Dead Files or Medium? If you do, this book is for you. A team of psychics, telepaths and remote viewers—along with police support—investigate several cases of disappearances, murders, and missing persons.
The author opens the book with a foreword with many examples of actual cold cases, murders and disappearances that were solved by psychics. Some of them went on to fame and fortune, while others work quietly with police, presumably to this day. However, the fictitious psychics at this agency have skills and near-future technology that gives them powers above and beyond what famous psychics can do.
The founders, Richard, Honey, Rose, and Chuck, are joined by Joe Fraser, a billionaire from the U.S., joins the firm to help them make connections with local law enforcement. Their first case is a real challenge, involving a contentious divorce rife with infidelity and manipulation. Could Ms. Nicky Lestrange be married to a psychopath, or are there even darker things afoot? Honey’s psychic trail leads them into the life of a man who is hiding more than a much younger girlfriend. This case is the longest and most detailed of all, and the rest of the book delves into cold case files and unsolved mysteries, and the individuals on the psychic teams that resolve them.
The Deaduction Agency had a slow start that bogged down the opening of the novel. The first two chapters seemed caught up in describing every detail of the office and their technology but didn’t flesh out the characters very well. Some of it was high-tech and interesting, but I found myself wanting to get back to the “Case of the Deranged Husband.” Once that first case gets underway, we get to know the characters very well, and the rest of the story shines through.
The many the cases undertaken by the psychics range from very quick and easy, like the “Case of Spontaneous Eruption,” to edge-of-your-seat cases, where one of the team members places herself in danger to catch a serial killer. My favorite was the “Case of the Prodigal Son” which offered a surprising conclusion. Each case is like a series episode, which makes it fun and easy to read. One involved a scene of vigilantes murdering two men. In another, a pedophile ring is broken up, and after the perpetrators are arrested, their memories (and their quite literal demons) are destroyed by a machine called a “spectrometer.” Later, we learn what became of those men, and while it doesn’t absolve the Agency, the mediums would be able to use their machine for a different purpose. Indeed, by the end of the novel it’s clear that the Agency is changing its focus—for better or worse, it remains to be seen—and greater things lie ahead for Richard. With all of this there’s still a primary plot that develops throughout the course of each investigation.
If you like tales of paranormal activity, remote viewing and the powers of the mind, The Deaduction Agency is a multi-layered story with intriguing characters that you’ll enjoy.
Pages: 316 | ASIN: B00Y2I8DB4
A REPLY FROM THE AUTHOR:
A final, general observation on the review itself. The opening scene is criticized for its excess of descriptive detail, That is almost a verbatim criticism made by another reviewer, Marta Cheng in 2015, who stated: In some places, such as near the beginning of the book, there is an inordinate amount of detailed explanation provided as to the set up of the agency’s offices – details that detract from the momentum of the story. In response, I cut down the detail to a mere 360 words, which is hardly inordinate! It also became apparent that Marta (who got fond of changing her surname to put me off the scent) had not read the book in its entirety and was intent on having a dig at another reviewer from the same stable as herself.
To emphasize why it was done, I then suffixed the description with the following sentences:
Richard, the most senior partner in the agency, was busying himself constantly re-arranging brochures on a side table in the waiting area in reception. It was a quirky habit of his that Honey found most annoying. It also reflected his fussy preoccupation with orderliness and exact measurements.
Naturally, he was the architect of the office layout, which Honey was often tempted to rearrange, solely to unsettle him.
Love scenes soon followed as well! Some of this preoccupation is revisited later, as part of Honey’s tangled love life. What more can an author do?
LITERARY TITAN 