We have seven weeks until Cemetery Tours hits Amazon! In the spirit of shameless self-promotion, I decided to interview myself!
What inspired you to write Cemetery Tours?
There were a lot of ideas that went into creating Cemetery Tours. I’ve been a fan of ghost stories all my life. After I wrote my first manuscript (currently under serious revision), I decided that I wanted to write a ghost story.
It took me a while to figure out how I was going to go about doing that. I knew I wanted a guy who could see and talk to spirits. I knew I wanted there to be romance, but I didn’t want it to be with a ghost. I knew I wanted there to be a ghost best friend. I knew I wanted there to be some sort of twist. The real challenge was figuring out how to do all of that in a new way that would make people want to read and keep them interested.
Can you tell me a little bit about the main characters?
The main character is a young man named Michael Sinclair, who has spent his entire life to keep his ability to see and communicate with the dead a secret. The female protagonist is Kate Avery, Michael’s new neighbor, whose brother, Gavin, is haunted by a malevolent spirit. Finally, there’s Luke Rainer, the lead paranormal investigator of the popular television series, Cemetery Tours.
What was your favorite thing about writing the book?
There are so many things I love about writing. I love creating dialogue. I love all my characters. I love that I can go back and read what I’ve written and think, “Man, I really want people to read this!” and not, “Oh my gosh… this sucks… I can’t believe I wrote this crap.” I loved writing the creepy scenes. I loved writing the relationships between the characters. I always love making up soundtracks and imagining what the movie would look like.
What was the hardest part of the process?
Basically everything that wasn’t writing. It’s all hard. But looking back, it really wasn’t all that bad. I think the worst part was formatting the manuscript, figuring out page numbers, and writing the stupid summary on the back of the book were the absolute hardest parts of the entire process. I also didn’t like having to ride the train downtown to the court house to get the business certified.
What do you want people to take away from the book?
Most of all, I want people to read the book and think, “Wow, that was a fun read! It scared me, it surprised me. I couldn’t put it down. I love the characters. I want to share this book with my friends, and I’d totally read another book that she wrote!” Basically, I just want people to like it. I didn’t write it because I wanted to prove a point or make some sort of religious or political or philosophical statement. I want people to read it and enjoy reading it. I want it to be fun.
What do you hope to accomplish through your writing and publishing endeavors?
My own castle in Scotland would be nice, but since that’s sort of a lofty goal, I’d have to say that I’d consider even one book sold an accomplishment. Seriously, it’s a huge deal to work on something for so long and to finally see all that hard work pay off. I’m not there yet, but I’m close!
Honestly, though, I would love to be able to make my living as an author. I have a lot of books in my head, several of which are in the early stages of being written. Writing is what I want to do with my life. Well, write, travel, take pictures, and save marine life.
Will there be a sequel?
Yes! In fact, I just finished Chapter 5 of the first draft. It will hopefully be released sometime next year!
Do you believe in ghosts?
Absolutely!
Are you going to write any other books besides Cemetery Tours?
Oh yeah. I have a trilogy, my first manuscript, a fairy tale collection, and at least three other ideas for stand-alone novels all in the works. I plan to be writing for a long time.
A Platform of Sorts 
Sounds so good!
Thank you! I hope you read it and enjoy it! 😀