Ghosts, goblins, spooks, and eerie beings have been written about for years. I grew up reading about them, and watching television shows and movies featuring the unknown. And frankly, I just fell in love with the paranormal. I was a huge fan of Ghost Hunters—so much so that when I found out they were going to be filming in Tombstone Arizona, I flew there for one week just to meet them.
I have always wanted to be a writer, so it was natural for me to merge my two passions together into a young adult paranormal book. It took me a few years to get up my nerve to actually get it completely written and submitted. Being an older author trying to get published for the first time, had me worried. I thought my time had come and gone. I was ready for tons of refusal letters that most authors get the first time. But to my surprise I had a contract in hand two weeks after I submitted the book to a handful of publishers. My world started spinning, but in a good way. Things were moving fast and I was not prepared for it since I was sure it would not be published. I have now learned to always expect the unexpected, for all things are possible.
The characters in my book feel like family to me, like my children. I breathed life into each and every one of them. (No pun intended, Frank.) For you see, even though Frank is dead, he is very much alive in the spirit realm. He makes friends with young Jake, who is a die-hard skeptic helping his parents with their cable show called Paranormal Properties. And Jake has a best friend, a tomboy nicknamed Tank. She knows about Jake being able to see ghosts even though his parents do not. Frank and Jake make a deal, if Jake will help Frank solve his murder, he will help Jake’s parents get proof of ghosts on tape for their ghost-hunting show. It is a mix of Scooby Doo, Goosebumps and Hardy Boys.
The main character, Jake Weir, is a 14 year old boy who realizes he can see and hear ghosts. Hauntings are most intense around children entering puberty, as kids this age are emitting immense amounts of energy. This is very true of Jake. He comes to terms with seeing ghosts even though he was a huge skeptic up until he met Frank Barrone, Dusks oldest ghost.
I would love to share some interesting facts about ghosts.
Most ghosts are happy, but some still cling to an emotional pain. Frank is a happy ghost, although he wants to find out who murdered him and where they buried his body.
They can make sounds that are audible. True, but Jake can hear Frank talk just like he did when he was alive. They have meaningful conversations.
Ghosts favor night due to the decrease in daytime energy use. Not true with Frank, he comes and goes all times day and night. He is not limited to night appearances.
Ghosts retain all the memories and emotions of their lives. True, Frank recounts several instances in his life with Jake.
Ghosts make friends with other ghosts from different eras. And they can also make enemies with same ghosts. You will see what I mean towards the end of the book.
If a spirit was a jerk while living, they will probably still be a jerk while a ghost. Frank has that holier than thou attitude and it comes out every once in a while. He is not a jerk though, just a bit on the pushy side.
Some alleged hauntings are actually a "residue," which is a past event that replays itself over and over. This actually happens in chapter four of my book but also has ghosts interacting with each other. This chapter was my favorite to write, I made the live world seem dead and the dead world very alive!
I hope I have taught you some things about ghosts you did not know, how they interact with our world and their own world. How some ghosts want nothing more but to be noticed by the living and acknowledged in our every day life. I also hope you enjoy my book.
Paranormal Properties Book One
Tracy Lane
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: Pants on Fire Press
ISBN: 978-0982727171
ASIN: B00BMHF6X6
Number of pages: 192
Word Count: 33,000
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/NwIoLYHHznU
Book Description:
Jake Weir, while on the set of his parents ghost hunting TV show, agrees to help a ghost investigate a 61 year-old murder.
Jake Weir is not like the other kids in Dusk, North Carolina. Then again, Dusk, North Carolina is not like other cities. Known as one of the most haunted cities in America, behind Salem, Massachusetts and New Orleans, Louisiana, Dusk is ground zero for Jake’s ghost hunting parents.
The Weir family has arrived in Dusk eager to scope out some of the town’s 127 reported “paranormal properties,” which just happens to be the name of their own ghost hunting show: Paranormal Properties. What Jake doesn’t know, and what his parents could never imagine, is that Jake can see ghosts! And hear them. And talk back to them! This talent comes in handy when he runs into Dusk’s oldest, most famous ghost: one Frank Barrone, a one-time lounge singer made famous by his booze-soaked ballad, “Barroom Eyes.”
Frank was gunned down by a local mobster in 1951 and has been searching for his killer ever since. When he learns that Jake can see and hear him, Frank makes young Jake a deal: if Jake will help Frank find his killer, Frank will help his parents find a ghost to film for their upcoming Halloween Special on Public Access Channel #319. Jake enlists the only friend he’s made in Dusk, an overweight tomboy nicknamed “Tank,” to help him track down Frank’s killer. As clues emerge and old leads heat up, Frank and Jake learn they make quite a team. But will Jake find Frank’s killer? And will Frank find a real haunted house in time for Halloween?
“Paranormal Properties is a great, family-friendly Young Adult novel about a boy who can talk to ghosts. Equal parts Scooby-Doo, CSI and the Hardy Boys, you will enjoy getting to know Jake, Frank and Tank as much as I did. Now, if only ‘Paranormal Properties’ was a real show I could watch on TV every week…” ~ Rusty Fischer, author of Zombies Don’t Cry
About the Author:
I was fascinated with the paranormal when I was very young. I always felt like someone was around me even when I was alone. It caused me to be inspired to write a paranormal book where a teenager can see and hear ghosts and actually makes friends with one.
I use to love to write short stories in school and always wanted to be a writer. But raising children and working jobs I just could not find the time to indulge my passion. Then my children grew up and I ended up having two teenagers at home who did not need as much attention from me. I started toying with the idea of writing once again. So setting aside 5 to 10 minutes per day to write at least one page I could end up with a book a year. Now Paranormal Properties is published and I have a list of 8 more books to write. I don’t think I”ll be slowing down anytime soon.
http://tossysbooks.blogspot.com/Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/46688-paranormal-properties
Tour Wide Giveaway
4 signed print books and sets of 2 trading cards
6 sets of two trading cards
Open to US shipping
Tour Wide Giveaway
4 signed print books and sets of 2 trading cards
6 sets of two trading cards
Open to US shipping
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