Sparkling with a light and humorous touch, this paranormal YA novel skillfully balances entertainment and substance. Violet Addison has just moved in with her dad above his funeral home in Florida. While some think it's freaky, it doesn't bother her -- she's comfortable with the dead. So comfortable, in fact, that she's perfectly happy to have conversations with the ghosts that hang around the house. What does bother her, however, is starting at a new school for her sophomore year and knowing that rumors will soon surface about her dad killing her mom during their last paranormal investigation. Violet knows that can't be true, even though she's never had a chance to ask her mom's ghost herself. But once school starts there's a bigger issue: a possible hellgate in the girls' locker room. "I couldn't very well explain that I needed to transfer out of gym because the locker room is full of vile, dripping evil," Violet notes. As she digs through her mom's old ghost-hunting equipment so she can investigate the malevolent force in the showers, Violet finds the unfinished report on her mom's fatal investigation. Hoping for answers and maybe some closure, Violet decides to finish her mom's write-up, never realizing how much danger she's about to uncover. Written in a clean and natural style, this novel manages to be both poignant and fun. Solid pacing and well-developed characters support a fresh take on this genre that will appeal on many levels.Violet herself isn't too sure what to make of the word "sparkling" -- no self-respecting spookygirl wants to be sparkly. I'm trying to convince her it's a compliment.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Spooky is the New Normal
Spookygirl is in the ABNA semifinals! It received a Publishers Weekly review as part of the contest, and I am totally wowed by the reviewer's take:
Friday, April 22, 2011
Small Persons with Wings
(Notice how the galley cover matches my lip gloss. That's always a good sign.)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Amazon.com Editorial Reviews: Spookygirl
The Amazon editorial reviews that got Spookygirl into the ABNA quarter-finals:
This is an extremely polished and professional piece of writing! Even without being remotely interested in the paranormal, and not being a big YA fan, I want to read more. The author has captured the voice of the narrator, has a knack for a dialog, a strong sense of humor (that never becomes ponderous) and the ability to shift from witty (controlling [Buster]) to poignant (her dread of school and the cliques) almost effortlessly. In fact, I'm astonished that the author hasn't been published yet, based on the caliber of this excerpt. Oh yeah, and it ended with a GREAT hook. If I don't get to read the rest of this, I will be tremendously disappointed!
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I really, really, really loved it. I would kill to have the rest of this manuscript in my hands. I am dying to know more about Violet and her life. In a time when Paranormal YA books are plenty, it is so easy to read similarities between them This one stands out as original and refreshingly different. I thought the writing was engaging and I was into this story from the very start. My only regret is not knowing what happens next!! This looks to be a fun book and I can see it turning into a terrific series!
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Thank you, Amazon editors and Vine reviewers! I appreciate your comments, and I'm glad you enjoyed getting to know Violet. :D
This is an extremely polished and professional piece of writing! Even without being remotely interested in the paranormal, and not being a big YA fan, I want to read more. The author has captured the voice of the narrator, has a knack for a dialog, a strong sense of humor (that never becomes ponderous) and the ability to shift from witty (controlling [Buster]) to poignant (her dread of school and the cliques) almost effortlessly. In fact, I'm astonished that the author hasn't been published yet, based on the caliber of this excerpt. Oh yeah, and it ended with a GREAT hook. If I don't get to read the rest of this, I will be tremendously disappointed!
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I really, really, really loved it. I would kill to have the rest of this manuscript in my hands. I am dying to know more about Violet and her life. In a time when Paranormal YA books are plenty, it is so easy to read similarities between them This one stands out as original and refreshingly different. I thought the writing was engaging and I was into this story from the very start. My only regret is not knowing what happens next!! This looks to be a fun book and I can see it turning into a terrific series!
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Thank you, Amazon editors and Vine reviewers! I appreciate your comments, and I'm glad you enjoyed getting to know Violet. :D
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Spookygirl: The Basics
Get the first chapter of Spookygirl as a free Kindle download on Amazon.
The populars at Palmetto High call sophomore Violet Addison "Spookygirl," and it's not hard to see why. As if living with her funeral director father in a tiny apartment above his mortuary weren't enough to make her a social outcast, there's a rumor going around that Violet can talk to the dead. Unfortunately, that rumor's true. Violet's not interested in crossing anyone over; she's as cool and impatient with the deceased as she is with the living. The dead can be incredible pests, though, and despite her reluctance to help the spirits who seek her out, soon she's reuniting a ghost jock with his goth girlfriend and investigating a hellgate in the girls' locker room. Each experience puts her closer to discovering the truth behind the paranormal investigation that resulted in her mother's death.
Along the way, Violet begins to recognize that real people with interesting secrets hide behind the high school stereotypes she assigns her classmates and teachers. She needs all the allies she can find -- after all, surviving high school is tough enough without a bunch of dead people spooking around.
Ghostbusters meets a gothed-up Glee in this mix of high school drama and supernatural snark. Although Violet deals with heavy issues -- the difficulty of being different and not fitting in among one's peers, the reality of death, the loss of a family member -- she does so with a sharp, dark sense of humor that keeps her narrative engaging and relatable for young readers.
Spookygirl is a 53,000-word young adult novel. Although it is slated as the first volume of the Riley Island Paranormal series, it stands on its own as a complete story.
Looking for more info on Spookygirl? Contact me at mintconspiracy (at) gmail-dot-com.
The populars at Palmetto High call sophomore Violet Addison "Spookygirl," and it's not hard to see why. As if living with her funeral director father in a tiny apartment above his mortuary weren't enough to make her a social outcast, there's a rumor going around that Violet can talk to the dead. Unfortunately, that rumor's true. Violet's not interested in crossing anyone over; she's as cool and impatient with the deceased as she is with the living. The dead can be incredible pests, though, and despite her reluctance to help the spirits who seek her out, soon she's reuniting a ghost jock with his goth girlfriend and investigating a hellgate in the girls' locker room. Each experience puts her closer to discovering the truth behind the paranormal investigation that resulted in her mother's death.
Along the way, Violet begins to recognize that real people with interesting secrets hide behind the high school stereotypes she assigns her classmates and teachers. She needs all the allies she can find -- after all, surviving high school is tough enough without a bunch of dead people spooking around.
Ghostbusters meets a gothed-up Glee in this mix of high school drama and supernatural snark. Although Violet deals with heavy issues -- the difficulty of being different and not fitting in among one's peers, the reality of death, the loss of a family member -- she does so with a sharp, dark sense of humor that keeps her narrative engaging and relatable for young readers.
Spookygirl is a 53,000-word young adult novel. Although it is slated as the first volume of the Riley Island Paranormal series, it stands on its own as a complete story.
Looking for more info on Spookygirl? Contact me at mintconspiracy (at) gmail-dot-com.
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