Blog Archives
Helping A Young Ghost
Ghost Boy follows a group of friends who set out to help a ghost in need and solve a curious mystery while facing a dangerous threat. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
When I was young I loved to read middle-grade mysteries that included adventures. I particularly liked the ones where the kids thought it out and talked to people who gave them helpful information. This enabled them eventually to solve the mystery, mostly without any adult help. These books had a few scary moments, but there was also kid fun to balance things out.
I like history a lot and wanted to include a look at the town’s past mining industry. This helped me to tie some elements of the story together.
Finally, to add another layer to the book, I thought kids might like to read a ghost story. That’s why I included this in the story. I tried to imagine how kids would react to helping a young ghost find peace.
The characters in your story are intriguing and well developed. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I worked on this book over about six years. I’d written eight nonfiction children’s books and hundreds of articles and stories, but this was my first fiction book. My characters changed a lot over that time. At first the dialogue I wrote for them didn’t sound realistic. So, I had my characters write journal entries about themselves and the mystery. I found this to be very helpful.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
When I was researching the historic element of the book I read a lot about the pioneers of this area. They had to be resilient. I tried to show this in the book’s characters. They encountered problems and sometimes made mistakes, but they didn’t give up.
I think this idea of not giving up is an important concept for kids today. Most kids encounter problems of various sorts in their lives. The important thing is for them to not give up on their dreams.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
From the start I wanted there to be three Ghost Boy books. The main characters would stay the same and the books would all feature adventure as well as a mystery.
I’m about halfway through the second Ghost Boy book. In The Secret of Cougar Pass the kids explore a cave that they later learn is said to be cursed. But they want to go back to help a young ghost connect with his long-dead parents.
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After Tyler Scott finds the skull, he’s shocked when the ghost asks him to help find his dad, who has probably been dead for years. He and his friends Addy and David Jacobson set out on the seemingly impossible quest. They have to work hard to solve the mystery before whoever is watching them does more than just threaten.
In Ghost Boy, by Jan Burns, we see these children setting out on a seemingly impossible quest to help a young ghost. Will their friendship hold up after things become dangerous?
Life Lottery: Pandemic Life Stories
Life Lottery: Pandemic Life Stories contains an enthralling collection of stories all told in less than 200 pages. Author Ionel Rusanu takes readers on a thought-provoking journey through life during the pandemic. In the form of short stories, we witness a plethora of different emotions and circumstances that are affecting the characters much as they would everyday people. From drug addiction to cope with pain, financial struggles, and domestic abuse, there is no stone left unturned in this poignant collection of short stories.
This is a well-written collection of stories that does a fantastic job of setting up characters in intriguing circumstances in a short amount of time. With many anthologies we will end up with stories that range in quality, but one thing I like most about Ionel Rusanu’s book is the consistency. Each story skillfully conveys the emotion of the characters, imbuing the story with its own unique feel, and setting up the plot and conclusion succinctly. Readers will be taken on an emotional-rollercoaster as they breeze through these intriguing stories. Some stories are humorous while others are thoughtful, but all have their own message.
The author does a fantastic job examining and displaying all aspects of the human condition. I enjoyed how readers are able to understand the actions of characters, empathizing with them, even when they are the antagonist. You almost sympathized with them to a degree. The first story in the collection is a shining example of this at work. Another thing I enjoyed was the simple writing style. Rusanu conveyed the stories messages beautifully without the use of flowery language or unnecessary metaphors. You got the point of the story immediately but you are not left underwhelmed by the writing. A short story collection such as this deserves a straightforward approach. When you’re asking a reader to think deeply about life’s struggles, you can’t add the weight of deciphering poetry. The subject matter is poetry within itself.
If you are looking for a thought-provoking but quick read, check out Life Lottery: Pandemic Life Stories by Ionel Rusanu. This is an absorbing collection of stories that blends genres and ideas in creative ways and will leave readers pondering well after the stories end.
Pages: 168 | ASIN: B09V37STC3
Phoenix: The Rise (Phi Athanatoi Book 3)
Carissa Alkippes is a demi-god, daughter of greek god, Ares. She is unable to control her powers but is learning to get a better grip on it. Being a demi-god can be dangerous, but has its wonderful moments (such as having cool powers and visiting the home of the gods, Olympus). Having danger around every corner means Carissa’s loved ones are in danger. She is determined to keep her grandmother and Aunt Paula, as well as mankind, safe from the darker things that lurk in the shadows. Along with her close friends, and mated vampire Xen Lyson, she fights the creatures most people have nightmares of.
Carissa is a strong and well thought out character that I loved following. She is put in situations that most people would not be comfortable with, as we expect with action packed paranormal novels, but what I enjoyed most about her character was how she thrived in those situations and how she handled them. This made her character a compelling protagonist to follow and one readers will easily enjoy following over a long series.
Xen Lyson and Carissa share a telepathic bond that gives their relationship an intriguing depth. Though they are placed in tough situations, the couple’s relationship doesn’t waiver which, to me, makes this novel stand out from other paranormal romance novels where the couple in the story often, and easily, struggle with this kind of stuff. In this novel author Efthalia has transcended that issue and taken her characters relationship to a new level.
Adam and Kane, Xen’s friends and colleagues, are also interesting to read about because they keep the story light and entertaining, which is welcome in a novel that is dramatic and emotional. The scenes about Greek gods add a fascinating layer of complexity to the story. The unique feel the author is able to imbue in her story with the creative use of mythology is something that kept me coming back to this novel again and again. While I enjoyed this rousing paranormal action novel I would have liked to have seen the characters challenged a bit more in the fighting scenes. The action scenes were fun, but I wanted to feel the danger a bit more.
Phoenix: The Rise is a gripping urban fantasy novel with alluring characters and a story that feels deep and meaningful. Well written and surprisingly deep, this is a great read and a fantastic addition to a spellbinding series.
Pages: 342 | ASIN: B09GKVX173
Really Stretch My Creativity
Ashes, Ashes follows a teen magi who is juggling family drama, school crushes and magical responsibilities when she draws the attention of a banished goddess seeking to restore her power. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
There wasn’t one “moment” of inspiration for this story. Each part morphed and clicked, adding pieces until I had a solid foundation on which to build. I’ve always loved creature stories, and werewolves in particular, but I didn’t want to write a run-of-the-mill werewolf story. I started looking for similar creatures to use instead, and landed on hellhounds. Originally the hellhound was connected to a witch, but as I did more research looking for historical witches to base my antagonist on I came across Hecate, and she took the place of the witch. With Hecate, the connection to ancient Greece built itself.
The family drama and school issues arose as I moved forward in my draft. My favorite characters to write are teens, and even though my teens have magical abilities, they still live in the modern world and face the same struggles and challenges that normal teens do. Balancing those struggles with the added magical responsibilities was definitely a challenge.
Adrienne Young is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind her character’s development?
By nature of her position and responsibilities, Adrienne needed to be strong, both physically and emotionally. The same attributes that strengthen her as a magi also ostracize her from her peers, giving her a degree of isolation and social awkwardness. Throughout the story I tried to put her into situations that would help her to see and value her own strength and allow her to come into her own as the leader I knew she could be.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
I had a lot of fun writing Adrienne performing the soul searching ritual in the hidden cave. The pacing is somewhat slower in that scene, which allowed for more observation and expository writing. Since everything occurs within her mind, there were no physical or magical rules I had to follow, and it gave me a chance to really stretch my creativity.
This is book one in your Mortals & Shadows series. What can readers expect in book two?
Book two is going to shift gears a little bit and focus on Mason’s adventures instead of Adrienne. Mason has a fairly abrasive personality, and I want him to have the chance to grow as a character into someone readers can root for and maybe even like. The other characters will still have their part to play, but they won’t take center stage again until later in the series.
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When Hecate sets her sights on Liza, Adrienne’s sister, the fight turns personal. With a band of unlikely allies and time running out, Adrienne may have to choose between saving the world or saving her sister.
Ghost Boy
Dancing Creek was a dusty old town, a brick and mortar relic of times long past. For Tyler, the old fashion charms it held were also home. Like any old town though, Dancing Creek also held its share of secrets, a fact Tyler learned after making a grisly discovery in the quarry behind his family’s house. By inadvertently stirring up a decades old mystery and a scandal that rocked the small community, Tyler also comes to realize that for every person who’s happy to reflect on the past, there’s another someone who will do anything to keep it buried. Can he help the town finally find closure, or will the mystery endure?
Ghost Boy by Jan Burns hits the ground running from the first paragraph and continues at a steady pace during the remainder of this short book. Painting the image of a picturesque, sleepy town that could be taken straight from the pages of a history book, Burns introduces Tyler, along with his two best friends Addy and David. After finding human remains on his family’s land, Tyler and his friends are naturally curious about who they could be and how they got there. Despite being warned against asking questions, the three decide they simply have to know. What they learn is a story dating back to the days when Tyler’s grandfather was sheriff and Dancing Creek was still an active mining town. As it turns out, the disappearance of a miner and his son has haunted Tyler’s grandfather for years, and is the only case he never solved in his role as sheriff. I enjoyed the solid foundation to this story, setting it up to be an intriguing mystery on its own, but we’re then given a compelling supernatural layer as well. This turns an intriguing mystery story into a riveting paranormal crime thriller.
While Ghost Boy follows some common genre tropes, I found the characters of the story to be well-developed and one of the main reasons I kept coming back to this book. Add to this the seemingly deep back story (or surprisingly deep for a novella anyway) and you have a story that fans of paranormal mystery novels will find hard to put down.
The plot is curious and absorbing, but I felt it was too short. The story is concise and ensures readers are consistently entertained, but I felt like this was a blueprint to a larger more compelling story that begs to be explored further. I would have loved to read more of the history of Dancing Creek and the lives of the characters from its mining days.
Ghost Boy is an absorbing supernatural crime thriller with a captivating murder mystery at its core and a cast of interesting characters that elevate this short story and makes you beg for more.
Pages: 88 | ASIN: B0B545QXLN
The Reluctant Detective
Ruby Roy and the Murder in the Falls follows a woman professor who finds her boss dead and must discover who is behind the murder before more people die. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The protagonist, Ruby Roy, and the story is loosely based on me and my background as an Indian American assistant professor in a university in upstate New York located near the Falls. However, I must note here that Ruby is a more exaggerated and far more exciting version of me. And of course I should clarify that thankfully there have been no such macabre deaths at my university! There are a few other similarities between me and the protagonist. My dad is a diplomat like Ruby’s. I’m married to a French-Canadian man like Cleo in the novel. And just like Ruby, I have two beautiful cats, Million and Nobel
Dr. Ruby Roy is a fun and energetic character with a strong personality. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I would pitch Ruby Roy in the following way: if Miss Marple were younger, plus-size, clumsier, and risk-averse, she would be Dr. Ruby Roy, the reluctant detective of my novel. Ruby is intelligent, kind, and cheerful, yet goofy, absent-minded, and cowardly, and often finds herself in hilarious situations quite accidentally. I wanted to make Ruby relatable to most individuals who dream of being an armchair detective from the comfort of their homes but often fear the dangers associated with the actual job. She represents an imperfect individual, an educated, young adult of mixed race, struggling with her weight and anxieties, her doubts and fears, as she struggles with her own weaknesses while trying to do the right thing.
It is worth noting that over the years, there have been very few fictional female detectives—especially women of color—in the mystery genre who have been celebrated and given as much love as a Holmes or a Poirot. It is also rare to find a female sleuth who makes you laugh, not because she lacks the mental prowess to solve cases akin to a Clouseau, but due to the odd and humorous situations she finds herself in.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I wanted this novel to be inclusive and honest with the underlying themes of love, kindness, and empathy for all. And I believe this is at the core of what makes this story relatable for people from all walks of life. It was also important for me that this book brings joy and happiness to readers, especially after the struggles we have all seen and faced during the pandemic.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m currently working on the second book in the Ruby Roy mystery series titled “Ruby Roy and the Hawaiian Mystery” which should be ready for release sometime next year. I also have an idea ready for the third book which is tentatively titled “Ruby Roy and the Fishy Affair in Kolkata.” So, for those who have enjoyed the first Ruby Roy mystery, there’s a lot more on the way.
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Dr. Ruby Roy is a twenty-nine-year-old, goofy, warm, and absent-minded professor in her third year at Baron University, located a few miles from the Falls. A plus-size woman of mixed Indian and Canadian roots, and cursed with an overactive imagination stemming from watching too many Bollywood and Disney films, Ruby is struggling to make her mark and stay out of trouble. It doesn’t help matters that she keeps stumbling into a series of embarrassing incidents, even as she desperately tries to keep her superiors in the College happy. Unfortunately for Ruby, things take a turn for the worse when she discovers her Chair’s dead body in his office. But who could have killed him? And why? Suddenly all the Poirot, Marple, Sherlock Holmes, and Father Brown books she loves reading seem to have come to life as she finds herself in the middle of a real-life murder mystery. And with the murderer on the loose, no one is safe. With the help of her husband, Cleo, her very own Watson, Ruby tries to solve the mystery before she is next on the killer’s list!
Creativity Inspires Creativity
The Magical Tarot Deck follows a magical family who is targeted by a stranger that stole a tarot deck, allowing him to attack the family from afar, they must find out who it is before they disappear. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Clearly, I love tarot cards! How they work, the different decks! This is how the Madigan Chronicles came into existence all those years ago. The thought that it would be so cool if the main characters represented the Major Arcana and what would happen if the cards came to life and got used against them. It started as a screenplay for a movie, but it was too complex for an hour and a half story. Many years later it had changes completely, but “the Magical Tarot Deck” did end up being the main focus of a whole book!
What was your inspiration for the interactions and backstories of their characters?
This is a difficult question. I get inspired by many things and it’s something I actively pursue. I’m a big believer that creativity inspires creativity, so I like to do things that touch on my stories. Long walks in a forest or along a beach. Make spells, which I sell on my website http://www.underthewitcheshat.com . Life is about experiences, and writing is molding these experiences, observations, feelings— mix it with a healthy dose of fantasy and create characters and stories. It’s an opportunity to explore dualities in us, as a re-occurring theme in my books is ‘balance’. There are always two sides to a coin!
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
I generally know where a book is going, but I leave plenty of room for surprises when I write. This will eventually be a six-book series and even though I know how it must end, story lines have been changing along the way. If I plot in too much detail, I lose interest in the story. I like to be taken on a ride sometimes with what goes on in my head!
What can readers expect in book 3 and when will it be available?
“The Wand” the Madigan Chronicles #3 is available! In the third installment of the Madigan Chronicles, the struggle to keep the elemental powers safe continues, and the family dramas deepen.
Ceri has a hard time finding the balance as the Keeper of the Land in Fairy and being human. Alienating her daughter, who finds a dangerous friend in Mab, the Queen of Fairy.
In the meantime, Maeve must face up to her teenage trauma and wrestles with accepting her true self. Bridget does her utmost to help her twin, to make up for some of the pain she had caused by leaving her behind all those years ago. At the same time, she is forced to take on a responsibility she never wanted and upsets the entire family in the process.
Currently I’m writing “The Cup” the Madigan Chronicles #4 in which the world expands, and we also get to know more about Luna and Freya.
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The Magical Tarot Deck is comprised of twenty-two cards, and on each card, a family member is illustrated. When a question is asked and a particular card comes to life, the person on the card gets ripped from wherever they are in their current life, until they fulfill the question.
LITERARY TITAN 