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Vivid Memories
Out of Body follows a teenage girl experiencing weird dreams who discovers they are not dreams but out-of-body experiences. What inspired the setup of your story?
Sometimes I dream that I’m flying, and after one particularly vivid dream, I wondered, “What if these aren’t dreams? What if my spirit actually leaves my body while I’m sleeping and goes flitting around town?” My next thought was, “What a great premise for a novel!” The idea marinated in my brain for a couple of years before I finally got around to turning it into a novel.
In many contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?
Absolutely. I have vivid memories of my angsty teenage years. Unrequited love, shifting friendships, school drama—I lived it all, so it was easy for me to incorporate those elements into my story. For instance, in Out of Body, Abby has brilliant imaginary conversations with the boy she likes, but when she encounters him in person, she morphs into a tongue-tied idiot. Yep—been there, done that!
This sets up the novel to deliver some very entertaining scenes. What scene was the most fun to write?
At one point in the story, Abby’s astral travels take her to a very bizarre place, so I had to do some serious world-building. Those scenes were fun to write because I could let my imagination run wild. Since this was a made-up fantasy world, I didn’t have to worry about adhering to the laws of physics or biology. I just had to make sure everything seemed plausible in the context of the story. Constructing that world from scratch made me feel a little bit like a demigod: powerful, omnipotent, creative.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
Astral projection is a fascinating subject, one with infinite plot possibilities, so there could very well be additional books. Since finishing Out of Body I’ve been working on an unrelated project, but I do have a solid idea for a sequel. In Out of Body, Abby sets out to save her cousin after he gets lost on the astral plane. Without giving too much away, I can say that in the sequel, Abby will be the one in trouble, but it will be a different sort of trouble. Her world will be turned upside down, and she will have to go on the run as she figures out how to save herself.
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Out of Body
In Out of Body by Kimberly Baer, we meet Abby, a teenager grappling with the loneliness and loss she feels after her cousin and best friend, Logan, moves to a new town. Set against the backdrop of a town steeped in supernatural history, the story begins on Halloween—a night when Abby, now without Logan, finds herself alone. While attempting to distract herself with a horror film, Abby begins to notice strange and unsettling occurrences: objects shifting location and clothes seemingly moving on their own. These eerie happenings leave her questioning her sanity. However, when Abby uncovers the truth behind these strange events, her life takes a dramatic turn, revealing that her connection to Logan is far deeper and more mysterious than she ever imagined.
The book’s tagline, “Astral travel is amazing…if you survive the trip,” immediately draws readers into its blend of the supernatural and science fiction, and the story delivers on these promises. Baer’s novel is a captivating Young Adult fiction piece that dives into the spooky and unexplained. The opening line—“Dad’s recliner was rocking by itself again”—hooks readers right from the start, setting the tone for a story filled with intrigue and suspense. Beyond the central plot of a teenage girl discovering her hidden powers, Out of Body touches on themes that resonate deeply with its young adult audience. The novel explores common adolescent struggles, from friction with parents and feeling isolated at school to dealing with social anxiety. These relatable themes make the story not only an exciting supernatural adventure but also a meaningful exploration of the challenges that many young readers face.
Out of Body is a perfect escape for readers of any age, whether they are currently navigating the complexities of adolescence or have already been through it. It’s the kind of book you can easily imagine curling up with on a cozy autumn evening, offering both a thrilling story and an emotional journey. I highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a captivating and relatable read.
Pages: 292 | ASIN : B0CQ34D8H5
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