C. Rae D'Arc's Blog, page 5

Behind the Scenes of “Don’t Date the Haunted,” Bonus Soundtrack

Now might be a fun time to share the soundtrack of this trilogy. I’m addicted to music (maybe because I was raised by a violin teacher and her office was below my bedroom). Seriously, it’s cheaper for me to pay for a music subscription than to buy all the music that I want. I don’t have any annual TV memberships/subscriptions, but I do have a YouTube Music subscription.

“Raid on the Castle,” by Harry Gregson-Williams (featured in “Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”)

As I mentioned on my “About” page, I play the harp and listen to heavy beat music. I sing along to vocals (don’t judge), so I need non-lyrical music while writing (or I will write the words to the song). While writing the first drafts of “Don’t Date the Haunted” and its following books, I listened to one of three playlists, titled: “Calm Classical,” “Haunted Classical,” and “Intense Classical.” I spent most of the time in the “Haunted” playlist, which included soundtrack music like Hans Zimmer’s “Inception,” “Chronicles of Narnia” by Harry Gregson-Williams, pieces from the various Harry Potter composers, and even the soundtrack from Total Annihilation (the computer game).

This playlist also included classical music such as “Dance of the Blessed Spirits,” “A Night on Bald Mountain,” “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,” “Notations IV,” “Fur Elise,” and “The Planets: Neptune.”

Non-lyrical Good Charlotte

In this same playlist, I also had random non-lyrical heavy beat music like the slow pieces from “Tron: Legacy,” covers by Apocalyptica, even “Introduction,” by Panic! At the Disco, and “A New Beginning,” by Good Charlotte. (Yes, I’m a 90s kid).

I stayed with that playlist for the first couple drafts, until my husband introduced me to Audiomachine. I listened to their “Chronicles” album while in the early stages of revising and drafting “Don’t Marry the Cursed.” This was how I discovered that I’m less distracted by the music if it doesn’t accompany a familiar movie.

THEN I discovered that one of my favorite pop artists had taken a couple years off to compose 11 albums of soundtrack-style music. It was perfect. Not only did I want to support the artist because I loved everything he produced, but it was a large variety of intense and moving music that didn’t have movies to distract me. I’ve linked his album of “Omaha Beach” because I listened to it the most.

Numbers 2-5 on this playlist are my favorites

If I could have everything I wanted, “Don’t Date the Haunted” would be filmed with the score by Adam Young, and the end credits song would be sung by Night Argent (from the Tri-Cities of WA).

Really, any of their songs would make a great movie ender for “Don’t Date the Haunted,” but something like this one is probably the most appropriate.

Not to be forgotten are the songs that inspired individual scenes or chapters, such as “Ode to Sleep,” by Twenty-One Pilots for chapter 2 and Pansy’s shower rap, and “Crystalize” by Gentri for the “toward” comment–you can read more about those in my BtS post of Chapter 2. Also, the theme song of Chapter 19, as mentioned in the BtS post.

Pansy’s Theme Song

Before I get into the theme songs for the characters, you should probably know that I chose these AFTER writing the books. Also, these songs are specific to the characters’ states in “Don’t Date the Haunted.”

So, if Pansy had a theme song, it would be “Survivor,” specifically by 2WEI. This specific version would also make good background music for a movie trailer.

Pansy’s theme song

Some runner-ups to Pansy’s theme song include:
“Demons,” and “Monster,” by Imagine Dragons (I kept going back and forth between “Survivor” and “Monster” on her number 1).
“Bird with a Broken Wing,” by Owl City
“Miss Independent,” by Kelly Clarkson
“MONSTERS,” by Shinedown

I’ll include a YouTube Music playlist of all these songs at the end so you won’t need to look up the runner-ups all on your own.A runner-up theme song for Theo

Theo’s theme song: “The Fighter,” by Gym Class Heroes
His ideal theme song would be more folksy/Celtic, but I chose these theme songs based on their lyrical concepts, not their tones.
Runner-ups: “I’ll Fight” and “Start of Something Good,” by Daughtry
“Deer in the Headlights,” by Owl City

Oz’s theme song

Oz’s theme song: “I’ll Be There,” by Runaground
Runner-ups: “Never Gonna Be Alone,” by Nickelback
“Follow Me,” by Muse

Here are some sweet and innocent love songs for
Heather’s theme song: “Rainbow,” by Colbie Caillat
Runner-ups: “Call Me Maybe,” by Carly Rae Jepsen
“Love Story,” by Taylor Swift

Emma’s theme song: “Me Too,” by Meghan Trainor
Runner-ups: “Hey, Soul Sister,” by Train
“Teenage Dream,” by Katy Perry

Thanks to my roommates, I have some country songs for
Hank’s theme song: “Kiss a Girl,” by Keith Urban
Runner-ups: “Storm Warning,” by Hunter Hayes
“Sweet Home Alabama,” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

None of these are perfect, but hey, Mr. E’s a hard person to describe.
Mr. E’s theme song: “Lean on Me,” by Bill Withers
Runner-up: “Help!” by The Beatles
“What’s Up,” by 4 Non Blondes

A fast song for the masquerade: “Learning to Fly,” by Shepperd
A slow song for the masquerade: “Here for You,” by Peter Fenn
Theme song for the land of Horror: “Bleeding Out,” by Imagine Dragons
Theme song for the land of Contemporary, Romance: “Sweet Serendipity,” by Lee DeWyze

. . . Yes, I like a peculiar variety of music.

Here’s the YouTube Music playlist with all of the lyrical music (in order of mention from above) and the playlist for all of Adam Young’s non-lyrical music (that I use for writing).

PS. I don’t own the rights to any of these songs or videos.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-607992ffc918a', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

SNEAK PEEK of “Don’t Date the Haunted” FINALE!

With the publication of “Don’t Marry the Cursed” (book 2), I thought I’d celebrate by sharing a little sneak peek of the final book in the Haunted Romance Trilogy!

In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can find books 1 & 2 on Amazon (“Don’t Date the Haunted,” and “Don’t Marry the Cursed“)!

As for book 3, it already has an official title! Are you ready?

***drumroll***

Coming to Amazon in early October, 2021, the third book of the trilogy will be called…

.

.

.

“Don’t Dance with Death”

Back when the first book was still terribly titled “Haunted Romance,” and book 2 was titled “Haunted Adventure,” this book was titled “Haunted Return.” So . . . you can speculate what that means. . .

Soon after creating Pansy’s silhouette for “Don’t Date the Haunted,” I created Theo’s silhouette for “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” and ____’s silhouette for “Don’t Dance with Death.” (Read the excerpt below to learn his name!)

Here it is: the silhouette that I created for bluewaterbooks.com to create the cover!

Oh, you thought Pansy and Theo were holding hands with no one else?

Nope, there’s a little someone between them.

PS. this trio of pictures works better on tablets or computers.

As I’m still in the editing process of this book, sections and parts of the following are likely to change. However, the main concepts will remain the same.

Chapter One

We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.

– The Call of Cthulhu

THEO

“Happily ever after” was sometimes quite tiresome.

I sat in a padded throne and longed for Pansy to sit in the Marchioness’s identical seat beside me.  I wondered where she was as I idly listened to the petitions and reports from the lords.  My wife and flower still grew nervous with each meeting in the Presence Chamber and preferred other duties if possible.  At least her influence was seen in the ivy that grew up the stone wall.  Pansy suggested it, hoping to “bring some life into the room.”  She also did a number on the security, regularly checking the protocols and functionality of systems within Ruezdad and all of Eimad.  Maybe she was checking on them, or experimenting with medicines in her drawing room.

I pictured her in my mind with a small smile.  Some things did get better with age.  After six years of marriage, there were a couple of wrinkles around her brown eyes.  A few greys highlighted her black hairline, testifying to the responsibilities of royalty and parenthood.  I had a few of my own greys above my ears.  They grew while I tried to simultaneously learn two fields of study that were usually taught from childhood: how to be Marquis and how to be a wizard.

Someone coughed, and I blinked myself back to the matters at hand.

After two reports of missing children, we had reason to suspect a cannibalistic witch lived in the northern foothills.  The lords and I formulated a plan for the expedition.  A dozen witch hunters would be enough.  More than likely, the witch had moved on and disappeared since the last sighting.

The lords left with plans, assignments, and encouragement.  The last one held the door wide for a grizzly bear who stood on his hind legs and wore a samurai’s kimono.

“Master Bahr?” I asked.

The massive warrior bowed.  “The young prince would like a word with you.”

“Send him in,” I said.

He stepped back to make room for the one person he was assigned to guard.  A child stepped into the Presence Chamber.

Aeron Fromm, the Earl of Margen.  My son.

A little man of five years, he was truly a beautiful child, and I cherished that he was half mine.  He had my blue-green eyes with Pansy’s darker skin tones.  His blond hair surprised us both, though it slowly darkened each year.  We figured he would have my dark brown hair by the time he reached adulthood.  He had Pansy’s nimbleness and keen awareness with my eagerness to learn.  Pansy worried that he asked far too many questions for his own safety.

“Father?”

“Yes, Aeron?” I asked.

“I want to show you something…if I may?” he added as a formal afterthought.

I pinched my lips, both proud and annoyed at my son’s training.  As much as I wanted a casual relationship with my son, the formalities would serve him well as Margen’s future duke.  I smiled and squatted to his eye level.  “Of course.  What is it?”

“Hold this,” he said, handing me an oak board.  I took it with one hand and held its center.  “No, you hold it wrong.  Like this, see?”

My son took the board back and held it up by the edges between his palms.  “This is how Master Bahr hold it.  Now you try.”

I suppressed a grin as my child spoke to me the way his personal guard spoke to him.  With the wooden board between my palms, I angled it to the side.  

He threw his fist through the board and shouted, “Pah!”  I winced as the board broke from the impact and bits flew towards my face.

Aeron had the best trainers of Margen and Pansy’s coordination, though it was still the punch of a child.  My son beamed with accomplishment.

“Look!  Look!  I breaked the—”

“Broke?”

“Oh, I broke the board!”

“Yes, you broke the board.”  I grinned.

“Can that be my title?  Can Eimad call me Aeron, the Best Puncher in Novel?”

I laughed.  “You are still young.  You will find many more talents and skills for Eimad to title you.  To receive a title is a great honor and not to be taken lightly.  They are only given to royalty and great Heroes.”  Besides, any title would be considered a nickname until it was made official on his twelfth birthday.

“Then I want to be a Hero.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

My son fiddled with his leather bracelet.  He liked to wear it all day, though its only magical function was to absorb nightmares.  Some kids carried blankets for security.  Aeron wore his bracelet.

“Cousin Farris say—” I gave him a look “—says they will name me after Mom and call me ‘The Unsettling,’ which means weird.”

I frowned.  “Your mother’s title is ‘The Unsettled,’ which does not mean weird.  It means—” I considered a simple explanation of her paranoia for Hauntings and speed ability.  “It means she moves a lot.  Besides, you are not unsettling.  Farris was just teasing you.”  Still, I made a mental note to talk to King Aenirin and the attitude of his youngest child.

Aeron shook his head.  “He calls me unsettling because I do not have magic or a ability.”

That phrase rang far too many familiar bells.  I took my son by his shoulders.  “Aeron, people with abilities have difficulty learning magic.  You know that.  The only way I learned wizardry was through a gift.  Uncle Dunstan’s ability is very strong, so he struggles to learn Priest magic.  Aunt Di, however, has no ability and picked up magic naturally.  The fact that you are unable to do magic proves you have an ability.  We just need to discover it.  You have plenty of time.”  I, for one, was ten years old before I met Lord Freund, whose ability was to see others’ abilities.  Except, his ability was stolen by my wicked step-mother.  I vaguely remembered her comments about some dark ability born within Pansy’s womb.  Unfortunately, confirming with anyone was impossible since the only other witnesses of the broken mirror’s prophecy were dead.  Maybe it was better if Aeron’s ability was left unknown.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-607057d581cfa', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Behind the Scenes of “Don’t Date the Haunted,” Chapter 20

I’m freaking out for so many reasons right now.

First of all, “Don’t Marry the Cursed” is released TODAY! You can order the ebook or paperback on Amazon!

The second reason I’m freaking out is this is the LAST CHAPTER of Behind the Scenes for “Don’t Date the Haunted!” Squee!
It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, just in case. If you haven’t read “Don’t Date the Haunted,” please-please-please go finish it before reading this post of Behind the Scenes! If you don’t have it yet, you can get it from Amazon! Then, I highly suggest you start with the beginning Behind the Scenes posts of the Cover and Prologue.

Okay. You’ve read it, right? You’ve finished the WHOLE thing?
And you left a rating/review on Goodreads and/or Amazon?

Thank you.

Now, breathe.

The poltergeist is killed. Oz and Sean are there. Theo’s saved.

“This was the weirdest Haunting I’ve ever had.”
“This was a fearsome Adventure,” Theo agreed.
“Indeed, a most peculiar Case,” Mr. E added.
“Most definitely,” Heather concluded, “a haunted Romance.”

– “Don’t Date the Haunted,” pg. 236-237

And there’s the name of the Haunted Romance Trilogy. You may recall in my Behind the Scenes of the Cover that “Haunted Romance” was the original title of this first book. I changed it because it was terribly vague and didn’t portray the comedy aspect. Shaela (my book cover creator and writing friend) suggested keeping it as the name for the trilogy. I agreed because I didn’t want it to be known as the “don’t” trilogy. That’s just negative.

Siblings

An interesting thought that I didn’t realize until recently, is that many of my stories have a common theme; an older brother with a strong relationship with his younger sister. Pansy has Oz. You’ll see it again in “Don’t Marry the Cursed.” In my first finished novel, a boy regrets leaving his younger sister in a militaristic bunker. In a series that I hope is published serially (even if it’s written by a friend), the main character is a soul who lives the last couple weeks of people’s lives–dying over and over–as his sister watches over his comatose body.
As the youngest of four (and the oldest is only five years older than I am) I’m kind of close to my siblings. We constantly fought as kids, but they’re my best friends now. I’m not surprised that this subconsciously showed in my stories.

A Plot Hole on Purpose?

While I did my best to resolve every question and issue, I’m sure there are little mistakes here and there. (Even JK Rowling and Stephen King have mistakes). My second editor actually encouraged me to have a plot hole, because plot holes are common tropes to horror stories. (Seriously, how did “The Ring” girl have access to a phone and why “Seven days?”) My editor also suggested that I highlight the plot hole because the unique satirical tone of this book allows it. So, we get the question:

Mr. E spoke first. “I’ve never heard of a teleporting liquid before. How did it get here and where did it go?”
I scoffed. “We just battled a fusion of a poltergeist with fire and angels. You honestly expect to understand the science of it all?”
“I suppose not,” he grunted.

– “Don’t Date the Haunted” pg. 236

Other Questions Left UnansweredWhat’s next for Pansy, Theo, and their friends?What did Sean do to save Theo’s life?What do the lengths of Theo’s auras mean?What is really in Mr. E’s notebook?

Those first three will be answered in the sequel, “Don’t Marry the Cursed.” The last one isn’t plot twisting, so it’s added as a fun note in book 3.

The Mystery of Mr. E’s Name

I love researching names. My own first name means “Follower of Christ,” so I try to live up to that. I use frequently when naming and researching my characters. Sometimes, I get inspiration from work, where I’ve been trained to use a machine that engraves names/words/dates onto books. I’ve seen some…interesting…names to engrave on scriptures and journals.

This is what our engraving letters look like.

When putting the individual letters away, sometimes I have fun jumbling them together to create “fantasy” names like Dayson, Iradel, and Jamend. Playing with the similarity of “nathan” between Jonathan and Nathaniel, I combined them to make Jonathaniel (emphasis on JON-ath-AN-iel). The name technically comes up in Behind The Name, but it has no references.
You can look forward to spotting Mr. E in all of my novels based in Novel (under one name or another).

First of Many Kisses

The pace of Pansy and Theo’s romance is both contemporary and regency in style. While they don’t have their first kiss until the last chapter (like most regency/proper romance books), they’ve also only known each other for two months. Sure, I know people who’ve married sooner than that, and Theo would have asked her to marry him if Pansy experienced “Love at first sight” with him. But, he respects her need to wait and figure things out on her own.

At the funeral, Pansy steps away from the grieving families and Theo follows. I love their adorable awkwardness.

[Theo] stroked a strand of my hair behind my ear. It wasn’t long enough to stay, and I smirked as it slipped in front of my face again. He fingered it back and held it there, cupping my cheek.

– Don’t Date the Haunted, pg. 239

Short hair. Hah.
Then, Theo’s quote of “Smiling because of you” was an actual text I received from a boy I once hoped to date. I’d asked him “How are you?” and that was his reply. Yeah, my lonely heart melted with so much gushy happiness that I wanted to include it in a book.

The main reason Theo’s smile has so much influence is because I crushed on guys for their smiles. It would have been too easy to make Pansy into bulky muscles (who could take care of themselves in Hauntings and “protect her”), but…I’m not personally into body builders, so it would have come off as superficial. Besides, many “bulky men” in horror novels are either the Hauntings or too much into themselves. Theo’s physically fit (and don’t worry, you swooners, there’s a shirtless scene in “Don’t Marry the Cursed”), but Pansy’s biggest physical draw to him is his ready smile and blue-green eyes.
Funny how those are the features I based off my husband.

The story doesn’t end here

Oz promised Pansy that her Hauntings are over, but that doesn’t mean life is dull and droll. Over the next summer, she helps Heather with a stalker Romance (a short story that I hope to someday publish), and her life takes a big turn for Adventures after graduation.
Follow Pansy and Theo’s next Adventure/Haunted Romance in “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” released TODAY!
You can read the first chapter here, then buy the paperback or ebook on Amazon!

Thank you!

Whooh. And that’s the end! Thank you so much for reading “Don’t Date the Haunted” and joining me for these Behind the Scenes posts! If you enjoyed reading “Don’t Date the Haunted,” I’d really appreciate a rating/review on Goodreads and/or Amazon! Seriously, the best way to thank an author is to leave a positive review!
Again, thanks for taking this journey with me to explore Behind the Scenes of “Don’t Date the Haunted!” It’s been enlightening for me to review the first drafts of this book that I wrote back in 2016. I’ve learned so much about writing, crafting the art, cultivating it/editing, publishing, and marketing since then. I’m no pro, but going over these first drafts helps me see how far I’ve come.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-60671a9493b66', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Behind the Scenes of “Don’t Date the Haunted,” Chapter 19

If this chapter had a theme song, it would be “Into Darkness,” by Thomas Bergersen. Not only did I listen to this song (among many others on the “Audiomachine Radio”) while editing this book, but every time I hear it, I go to this chapter in my mind.

Yes, it’s 9:20 minutes long. Just wait to 5:55. For someone who was raised on symphonic and enjoys “heavy beat” music, this hits all the right chords.

Alright, if you don’t know what book or chapter I’m talking about, PLEASE read “Don’t Date the Haunted” through chapter 19 BEFORE reading this post! THIS IS THE CLIMAX! I’m not kidding! Extreme spoilers ahead if you haven’t read the book! If you don’t have “Don’t Date the Haunted,” you can get it on Amazon or in my Shop.

To start off, here’s a personal experience.

If you’re going to die, do it on your own time, not mine.

– Mr. E, “Don’t Date the Haunted,” pg. 223

My high school had a literary and art magazine, and I had the joys of being the Poetry Editor in Chief for my senior year. When publishing our magazine, we took a field trip to the printing warehouse. We didn’t have funds for a bus to take us, so we separated into three cars to drive ourselves. That was when our teacher/supervisor explained how we were under her responsibility and said the quote above. I gave it to Mr. E as a funny sentiment to show that he cared.

As the climax, a lot of the little changes in earlier chapters created big changes here. It wasn’t until the final drafts that Emma had her phone to take selfies and Pansy used it as a flashlight and GPS here. Originally, she used her own phone. In another draft, Mr. E lent her a flashlight with GPS.

Theo’s Fate

On a bigger scale, Theo’s captivation looked very different in the earlier drafts. Before I gave the poltergeist a strength for water, it had a fetish for knife-throwing. Before I pushed Theo down a glass elevator shaft, I knocked him out and tied him with rope to a basement pipe. Before I had the poltergeist possess Sean more fully, it possessed Marcellette (who was then named Marquise), and had her do his dirty work.

“Let go of Theo!” I shouted.  “This is between you and me, no one else.”
The poltergeist looked around himself, like he was merely there to enjoy the architecture.  “True, this is purely between us, but sometimes other hands are needed for the dirty work.”  He snapped his fingers and I saw movement to Theo’s side.  A brunette woman emerged from the side path, holding a sharp kitchen knife.
“Marquise?” I asked, disbelieving.  “What are you doing here?”
“I am here to do my master’s bidding,” she said monotonously.  Her face didn’t wear her usual proud sneer, but a tired glaze of boredom.
“You’re hypnotized,” I realized.  She didn’t respond to me, but with a flick of the poltergeist’s wrist, she jabbed the knife up to Theo’s heart.
“No!” I shouted.
“So you know the consequences now,” the poltergeist said, calmly rubbing his hands.
. . . . .
The poltergeist’s grin widened.
It jabbed a finger at Marquise and she stiffened again.  Before I could shout or say anything, she plunged the knife into Theo’s chest.  The basement echoed with shouts; pain from Theo, agony from me.  The knife might as well have gone through my own chest, the way I felt ripped apart and torn from the inside.  The worst part was I was trapped, and unable to help him.  I couldn’t hold him in my arms one last time.  I couldn’t share with him what I was sure would be ‘true love’s first kiss.’  I heard it was powerful enough to save people from near death.

– Very Terrible First Draft of “Don’t Date the Haunted”

So, Theo was originally stabbed, not drowned.

For all drafts except the last, this scene was like a Harry Potter 4-graveyard duel. I had every person killed by the poltergeist involved in this battle. At most, this included not only Sean, but Emma, Marcellette and her fiancé, Gretta (Pansy’s roommate in Horror), and Sean’s roommate who died in the boating accident. Then Oz was always there as Pansy’s personal protector. Funny enough, this was a reason for me to kill fewer characters because I had to determine where to put them in this final battle.
In the first draft, it was Emma (not Sean) who saved Theo with Pansy’s help.

Emma released Theo from his bonds and I caught him as he collapsed.
“Theo,” I said, stroking his bangs from his face.  His skin was tense and cold.  I wondered about trying the ‘true love’s first kiss,’ as I bent forward.
Emma quirked a smile.  “Hold on,” she said, “no need for loose-lips now.  We don’t want him to feel lip-raped, right?“
I sat back, stunned.  She’s cracking a joke about our argument?  Now, of all times!?
“You were willing to sacrifice your life for this man,” she said. . . . . .
“Yes,” I said, not caring to waste another second.  “Whatever it takes to save him.”
Emma smiled again, chuckling to herself, “You are a Romantic.“

Yep, I originally had a lot more emphasis on the “true love’s kiss” in Romance. I wanted to believe in true love at first sight and true love’s kiss when I was younger. I even thought I’d experienced love at first sight, except it was definitely one-sided.

I changed it to make Pansy question love entirely, turning the simple fact that she falls in love with Theo into a miracle.

As for the miracle that saves Theo’s life…well, you’ll need to read “Don’t Marry the Cursed” to find out exactly what Sean did. Don’t worry, you don’t need to wait long. It comes out NEXT WEEK!

Mr. E’s Involvement

Another big change from this chapter was exactly what Mr. E and Pansy’s friends did to help her. In all earlier drafts, it was pretty vague. All I said about it was:

(During their chat after the sprinkler failure)

“What if we split up again and we have a baited pair on one level, and the rest upstairs to pressurize the air vents and create a torch flame from above?”
“I don’t know how you’d make that work-” I started, but cut myself off as a sudden chill came over me.
“Easy,” Mr. E said, “I’ve seen plenty of crooks do it-“
“Pansy,” a whispered chill crept through the room.
Everyone froze.
. . . . .
(During Pansy’s conversation in the basement)

I took another step.  Any moment now, the poltergeist would lose patience and grab me, dragging me down into that thick liquid, and I would drown.  Still, I waited before each step… any moment now….   The lust in its eyes was almost tangible as I felt chills crawl up my arms.  My heel hit the edge of the glistening puddle.
“Quick, do it now!”
The muffled shout came from the vents above, and instantly the room flared.  Mr. E and the others had angled the vents to blow fire from the floor above.  Torches rained down on the poltergeist, touching him, burning him.  It was like watching a transparent candle melt at high speed.  The poltergeist screamed, waving its arms around, like he could bat away the heat.  I caught glimpses of Theo through the flames.  He was alright, and Marquise seemed to sag a little.  He’s losing his power over her!

– Very Terrible First Draft of “Don’t Date the Haunted.”

It was very vague because I honestly didn’t know how it worked either. So, in incognito mode, I researched homemade flame throwers. The water-gun contraption described in the final version actually works, but don’t try it at home, or in the park, or really anywhere without the fire department ready.

Supernaturals

One of the main reasons I wanted to write a horror was because the genre can openly address God, the devil, demons, and angels. I believe that God is real, but I also understand that Satan is real and the cause for all evil in the world. I also believe God is stronger. Without getting preachy, I say all of this in this chapter.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe that those who have passed are watching over us. My dad died when I was five years old, but I have felt his influence and support many times through my life.
Growing up without a dad also meant that I relied a lot on my older siblings. I’ll say more about this in the next chapter–LAST chapter!

Can you believe we’re to the end? ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT!

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-605ddd8d024e5', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Behind the Scenes of “Don’t Date the Haunted,” Chapter 18

“Remember that rule book I told you all to read?”
“Yes,” Heather said, squeezing her eyes as if to block out the memory.
“Well, now we’re going to break those rules.”

– Don’t Date the Haunted, pg. 206

Time to fight back the Haunting.

Just to be sure, if you don’t know what rule book Heather wants to block from memory, be sure to read “Don’t Date the Haunted” at least through chapter eighteen before continuing! There are only twenty chapters in this book, so we’re close to the climax. If you don’t have the book yet, you can find it on Amazon or my Shop. Be sure to check back in TWO WEEKS when the sequel is released!

Alright, time to break some rules! The fact that Pansy’s still willing to break her brother’s rules in order to lure a Haunting where she wants shows some growth over Oz. Oz wasn’t willing to break his rules for anything, and this concept ultimately killed him. But if you read any horror novel, there’s always this moment (for better or worse) where the main characters let down their guards (in one way or another).

The biggest rule that they break is “Never split up.” They split into pairs to find smoke detectors and over-head sprinklers. Pansy and Theo are still on shaky ground as Theo’s still digesting her confession.

However, there’s another trope to storytelling: the try/fail cycle. As someone who dissects stories in books, movies, TV, and even video games, I can usually tell when a plan is going to fail based on one concept…

Sometimes stories surprise me and fail even when they don’t tell you the plan in advance. But 99% of the time, if the main characters sit in a circle and discuss/review their plan to take down the villain, it won’t work. Maybe, all it needs is a minor change, but you can guarantee for any well-told story that if they tell you the plan, it will not go exactly according to plan.
Why? Well, because then you already know how it ends, and what’s the fun in that?

I wanted my readers to hope that their plan would work with the sprinkler heads, so it isn’t revealed until it happens. Aaand it backfires.

Pansy Flower

I never had any second guesses on Pansy’s name. Her last name (Finster) translates in German to “dark or sinister.” Her first name…may or may not have been subconsciously influenced. I didn’t realize it until completing the first drafts of the trilogy, but the only person/being/creature that I know who’s named Pansy was our friend’s dog. She was a sweetheart.

I’ve never understood the insult to call someone a “pansy.” Everything Heather says is true.

The pansy flower is actually quite resilient…It can grow all year long and may be use in herbal medicine.

– Heather, “Don’t Date the Haunted,” pg. 212

Seriously, it should be a compliment to be called a pansy.

Heather used to expand on the symbolism between Pansy and the pansy flower:

Considering its structure, you resemble it quite well.  The front petals generally have big black spots coming from the center.  Whereas the back two petals, the two that always bloom above the others, are one pure color.  Pansy, all this time, you have been trying to hide those two beautiful upstanding petals with your big black spots.  I think it is due time you let those back two get some sunshine.

– Heather, Deleted Scene from “Don’t Date the Haunted”

The “drip…drip” sound was something I added later to keep suspense during their discussion. The mysterious repeating sound is a common trope used in horror stories, and dripping water reminds me of the “Humans can lick too” story.
PS. I did an essay and presentation on that story in university.

That university I attended was private and religious, so yeah, I’m a religious girl. I believe in baptism by water and the holy spirit (AKA: fire), so even though most classic poltergeists are dispelled by water and/or faith, I wanted to play with fire.

Going Alone

I’ll be honest, it really bugs me when main characters take all the blame/responsibility on themselves. I’m not a social butterfly, but even I know that people work better together. (That’s why I like co-op board games. Also, I prefer to be angry at the game than my friends).
I allowed Pansy to doubt herself and take on responsibility, because…for all she knows, she is responsible for bringing the poltergeist to Romance.
But Mr. E also feels responsible. He was supposed to watch Pansy and help her face any Haunting threat. Also, as a friend to Duke Fromm, he feels responsible for Theo’s safety. As the inspector on scene for Marcellette’s disturbance and Emma’s death, he feels a duty and solve this Case.
Heather feels responsibility to be loyal to Pansy, and Hank feels responsibility to avenge Emma. Jake’s really the only one who has no obligation to be there (other than to support Heather).

So, Pansy offers to be the lone-hero, but accepts their help.

Let justice be served…with your Supernaturals.

– Mr. E, “Don’t Date the Haunted,” pg. 220

That phrase coming from Mr. E is the equivalent of Han Solo saying “May the Force be with you.” He wasn’t a believer…but he is now.

Next chapter’s the BIG CLIMAX!

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-6054a86d858eb', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Behind the Scenes of Novel: Maps!

To share my excitement of “Don’t Marry the Cursed” coming out, I thought I’d share a little sneak peek to the world of Novel.

Remember when I shared my very first–very rough–map of Novel in my post of Behind the Scenes of “Don’t Date the Haunted,” Chapter 1? I also said that a more official version would be available in “Don’t Marry the Cursed.”

As a visual person, I need to see something before I can describe it. I created my official map of Novel originally by using an online map creator. Over the years I changed bits and pieces of it to make it more specific and personalized.

So…HERE IT IS! I found a cool little feature that lets you slide a bar sideways to reveal the Easter eggs that I included.

Hmm, that red font is smaller than I expected, so in case you can’t read it, here is:

Azkaban in the top of Horror (it’s a long way from Hogwarts)
A lake shaped like a question mark in Mystery
Lincoln Island (AKA: Jules’ Vern’s Mysterious Island) just off the coast of Mystery
A mirrored version of Middle Earth to represent Middle Novel
Jurassic Park Islands off the coast of Sci-Fi
A glass slipper-shaped lake in Faenor, Fairy
Atlantis off the coast of Urban Fantasy
Heartbeat River in Romance
Islands of Berk (from How to Train Your Dragon) off the top tip of Children’s
Treasure Island off the top left coast of Children’s
Neverland off the top right coast of Children’s
Coastline of Narnia on the right of Children’s
Tom Sawyer’s Island in the middle of the river down Children’s
Lakes of a dog face in Children’s
A Cat Face River in Children’s
A Bunny Bay in the bottom of Children’s
A Horse Head Peninsula on the bottom end of Western

When adding all of these little extras, I finished…then forgot to save. So I actually had to make all of those twice.

That map will be included in the front pages of “Don’t Marry the Cursed.” I created a couple other maps when writing the sequel to help me organize Theo’s homeland a bit more in my head.

Theo’s father is Duke Konrad Fromm of Margen, which includes the cities of Aven, Divinity, Eimad, and Vluz (Eimad is the capital). Theo’s aunt is Queen Alovera of Fairy, and her three children oversee the Faenor Duchy.
Don’t worry, I explain this all again with reminders through “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” and you won’t be quizzed about the information. (Pansy will be).

As a fun side-note, Margen is the location for all Grimm’s fairytales, so here are the German translations:
Marchen = Fairy Tale
Heimat = home, homeland, native country
Hafen = port, harbor, marina
Fluss = river
I created a couple different languages with different alphabets for a separate YA high fantasy novel that I’ll probably never publish, but I used the “language of magic” here. It has 16 letters, put together to create the Walvibrendyomugz. Yes, it has a written form too. Yes, I spent way too much time worldbuilding.
But, using that specific alphabet, Marchen became Margen, Heimat became Eimad, Hafen became Aven, and Fluss became Vluz.

Divinity is named after the northern Divining Mountain Range…which was originally named “Dividing Mountain Range,” but after years of bad handwriting (and the people didn’t mind the misspelling), Divide became Divine.

Faenor is Welsh for “manor,” then I also liked the play on “fae” (a common name for fairy creatures).

Theo grew up in a castle in the middle of Eimad city (the capital of Margen). That castle is named Ruezdad (Ruhestatte is German for Resting Place). As an avid The Sims 3 player, I created Ruezdad multiple times with various layouts.

First version of Ruezdad. Yes, I made this wall by wall. Yes, I spent way too much time on it only to take it all down and replace it.Edinburgh, Scotland. Such a neat city. I visited for the Tattoo Festival (drums, not ink), and there were more people in kilts and costume than regular clothes.

I only created the main keep in The Sims, but the fortress-turned-palace also includes housing for servants, guards, stables, a royal chapel, and a wine and bake house. The whole of it sits on a rising cliff in the middle of Eimad city, like Edinburgh Castle.

I based the interior with Hanover Court in mind. Hanover Court is the home of the Tudors of England (King Henry VIII and Queens Mary and Elizabeth I). I love that place. It’s one of the few places in England that I’ve visited twice.

After my second visit, I rebuilt Ruezdad with the East and West wings going diagonal to include more grassy courtyards.

The Sims 3 lets you build 5 floors high, so I had fun with that. The front entry way reaches 4 floors, then there’s an outlook tower on top of that. The library, lobby, presence chamber have loft ceilings of two floors, and both courtyards are open to the sky. (The Sims doesn’t naturally let you plant trees in the middle of walls, so I had to build that carefully).

For a simpler blueprint, I also created it in paint.

Again, you can use the slider to see the majority of the labeled rooms.

The front (southern) rooms are part of the Main Keep, and the first two floors are public. It includes the Main Entry, lobby/waiting room, and library. Only the Main Keep reaches the third floor for the private dining.
The East Wing is public (first floor for entertainment, second floor for sleeping), and the West Wing is private [(with)drawing rooms on the main floor, royal bedchambers on the second].

Again, the average reader doesn’t need to know all of this. This is all Behind the Scenes extra research that I did to help myself visualize the locations, paths, and journeys that the characters take.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-6052056a9f23a', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Behind the Scenes of “Don’t Date the Haunted,” Chapter 17

Get ready for some twists!

Okay, seriously, if you haven’t read “Don’t Date the Haunted” up to this point DO NOT READ THIS POST. I’m not as much of an anti-spoiler as my husband (he doesn’t even like to watch trailers), but this time I’m serious.

If you haven’t read “Don’t Date the Haunted” yet, remedy that BEFORE reading this post. Here’s a link to the Amazon page, or even my personal online Shop.

“Don’t spoil stories!” Wit said. . . .
“That’s not how this works,” Wit said. “It needs drama. Suspense. Surprise.”

– “Rhythm of War,” by Brandon Sanderson

Okay, supposing you’ve read the book at LEAST through chapter 17, let’s get into it.

When talking with people who finished “Don’t Date the Haunted,” I often asked if they predicted any of the twists. Several of them predicted one, but not the others. Many of them suspected Mr. E to be the Haunting. Some even considered Theo. When Mr. E was cleared, a couple caught on that Sean was the poltergeist (in a way). Very few people predicted that Pansy had killed him–that she actually was guilty of Mr. E’s accusations. Even though part of Pansy’s introduction says:

With a deep breath, I lied to myself on more time–Sean’s death wasn’t my fault.

“Don’t Date the Haunted,” page 2

Of course, she blames herself for his death…because he died by the poltergeist’s power and her physical hands. This twist probably seems bigger than Mr. E’s revelation and Sean’s appearance because it’s a secret that Pansy kept…and the whole story’s from her head. That’s what English teachers call “unreliable narrators.”

Flashback to Six Months Earlier

Even when I had the prologue in place, Sean’s death wasn’t explained until this scene. (If you’re wondering “What prologue?” because you’re coming in later to these Behind the Scenes posts, I highly encourage you to take this link to the prologue, then read through the following chapters. Enjoy the deleted scenes!)

The only real changes in this scene are the powers of the poltergeist. Confession: villains are hard for me to write. I just want to say “they’re evil,” and leave it at that. It’s hard for me to explore their backstories because I don’t want to try to understand them. Ulysses Dethrage (the poltergeist) is a tortured soul. He was a madman who killed his girlfriend when he caught her cheating on him. The boyfriend got his revenge by killing Ulysses, but his spirit was too angry to rest. He was a wandering and lost soul when Dr. Hyde caught him (pretending to be a hero). After spending time in Sci-Fi, Dr. Hyde experimented with poltergeists to try to give people kinetic powers (as that’s a common trait for poltergeists).

In come Sean, Pansy, and Blake Washington. The three of them had survived a werewolf Haunting together, but that was over six months ago, and the anniversary lined up with their planned high school graduation. Sean and Pansy also planned to marry after graduation, so they did not want a Haunting for that time. Blake convinced them to search out a Haunting to force themselves into remission during their graduation and wedding.
To lure a Haunting, they broke the rules.
They went into the mountains and camped for a couple nights.

First, Blake disappeared. Then Sean. Pansy searched for Sean and found him in Dr. Hyde’s cabin basement. They killed Dr. Hyde by shooting him in the heart and head, then turned on the sprinklers.

The Hauntings Investigations Unit set the entire cabin on fire, sending the souls with prayers to the Supernaturals for mercy.

“Don’t Date the Haunted,” chapter 17. (Just in case anyone wondered if the fire element was a plot hole)

I’m nearly done with the novella that goes over that whole story in deeper detail. (You’ll get another sneak peek into that prequel novella in “Don’t Marry the Cursed.”)

The flashback given in “Don’t Date the Haunted” was supposed to be their “happily ever after” time…but the Haunting wasn’t finished with them yet.

Personally, I find this scene scarier than the Tower basement scene, but that’s probably because one of my biggest fears is creepy guys. For reals, the scariest part of “Twilight” was the Port Angeles scene.

And the Truth Comes Out

So, Pansy lied to Mr. E because she knew that he wouldn’t believe her even if she told him the truth. In case anybody was still confused, I’ll clarify here; Pansy is a virgin. She did not break Horror’s #1 rule. Yes, I’m an old-fashioned religious girl, so that’s how it is.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-604b789abb30f', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Behind the Scenes of “Don’t Date the Haunted,” Chapter 16

The lights go out.
And as Pansy always says,

It’s never just a power-outage.

– Oz’s Haunting Survival Book

PS. That is Theo’s favorite piece of advice from Oz, but not because of this scene. You’ll find out why in the sequel, “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” which has an official release date of April 2nd!

Just in case you’re coming across this for the first time, PLEASE read “Don’t Date the Haunted” before coming behind the scenes! Of course, it’ll be more fun to read the book after reading how it all came to be, but these posts are to encourage second read-throughs.
If you don’t own it yet, you can find it on Amazon OR on my new Shop (found on my top menu).

Alright, let’s run into the dark together! (Don’t go toward the light!)

This scene was inspired by so many things. First of all, I wanted to show a use for Theo’s ability to see auras. He can see the silhouettes of people in the dark. He can’t control the wind to help him fly (like his older brother, Greggory), but it’s something.

Also we have Heather and Pansy “holding hands” in the dark. This part was inspired by a scene from “The Haunting of Hill House,” by Shirley Jackson. It’s a classic horror that I highly suggest to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. In it, is a scene where two characters hold hands while an unseen force tries to open their door. However, when the door holds true, it’s revealed that one character wasn’t holding hands… So the other was holding hands with…someone or something else.

That scene really stuck with me. The very first short story that I completed was about a haunted house, and the main character was pushed away from the screams by unknown hands.

So, of course I had to include it here.

“Don’t Go Toward the Light!”

In case you didn’t catch the joke when Pansy says “Don’t go toward the light!” it’s a reference to a common saying of dying people. They say that they “see a light,” and they go to it or it comes to them. Pansy doesn’t want her friends to die, so she warns them not to go toward it.

The Sounds Upstairs

Supposing you read last chapter’s Behind the Scenes, then you may know that Marcellette’s fate wasn’t always so simple as some hickeys. For many of my beginning drafts, I had the poltergeist possess her and use her to kill people. The reader wouldn’t know she was involved until the basement scene, but there was a hint in this chapter as a second woman screamed on another floor. In previous drafts, the Haunting locked Heather in a room, tried and failed to possess her (because she was too innocent), then went after Marcellette on another floor to torture her. As it is now, the poltergeist tries and fails to possess Heather (because she’s innocent and the poltergeist can’t possess two people at once), then it makes a ruckus upstairs. Poltergeists are commonly known for making loud noises, plus this could have made the group split up–a big no-no during Hauntings.

If you remember from Chapter 7, Pansy’s curse words changed a couple times. With each revision, I also changed Heather’s curses accordingly.

“That’s her,” I said.  “Get her out of there.”
Even as I said it, though, the screams downstairs became more desperate.  Mr. E stepped up, and held Jake and Theo back.  “That thing’s not budging,” he said.  “You’ll only kill your shoulders and waste your strength.”  He knelt beside the door handle and pulled out an assortment of keys.
“You can pick locks?” I asked.
“Of course,” he replied, and waved his hand to shush me as though my questions were a house fly distracting him from his task.  It still seemed to take way too long for his little needles to wiggle in the perfect position.  Jake talked with Heather, trying to calm her down, while Hank, Theo, and I stood back, feeling frustratingly useless.  It didn’t help that the screaming sobs downstairs choked into a fatal silence.
Finally, the door clicked, and immediately it swung open.
“Lady bug!” Heather said, leaping out, arms flying toward Jake.  He caught her eagerly, but didn’t act on his ‘threat’ to give her more than one or two tries to determine his kissing abilities.  I figured their tight hug in front of their friends was just as scandalous from Heather’s perspective.
“Lady bug?” I asked her.
Heather blushed, “You swear with bug names.  I thought I’d try it out.”
. . . . .
“Butterfly!”
I nearly jumped from Heather’s weak explicit.  I’d nearly forgotten she was there.

– Very Terrible First Draft of “Don’t Date the Haunted”

Where’s Emma?

In full honesty, the main reason Emma’s not in this chapter until the bathroom scene was because she was already dead. When I first wrote this, they only made it halfway down the Tower when Pansy noticed that Emma was missing. There was no stairwell tumble. Emma simply started screaming from one floor above them. Mr. E took her camera to the hallway, Pansy recognized the Haunting, and then the power went out for Heather’s capture.

I switched the scenes because I wanted them to get all the way to the main floor and to cut the boring stairwell time. Also, in previous drafts, the reader didn’t know what kind of Haunting it was until Emma’s picture revealed the translucent man holding a solid broken faucet. Pansy recognized it immediately, but the big reveal has always been where it is now.

Speaking of a broken faucet, Emma’s death used to be pretty gruesome. Believe it or not, I didn’t mean to write a romance. I wrote this book with horror in mind and shrugged at the romance because most horror books have some element of romance in them. I was also basing its plot structure from the classic horrors, like “Dracula,” “The Haunting of Hill House,” “The Mummy! – Or a Tale of the Twenty Second Century,” (how many of you knew that “The Mummy” was based on a book, or that was its original title?), “1984,” “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” and some of Stephen King’s older horrors. Even my favorite horror, “House of Leaves,” follows the same pattern: start with the everyday, then add some little bits of uncanny until it escalates into surreal terror.
I went through every single chapter to include some element of romance and horror in it, but the story isn’t a straight horror or straight romance. When talking with my second editor, she suggested that I choose one simply to make it easier to market. I realized it would be a lot easier (and more desirable) to make a couple scenes less graphic and to focus on the romance than to add more graphic scenes to focus on the horror.
So, I accidentally wrote a romance.
And I toned down the scene of Emma gushing blood from the broken faucet that was rammed into her stomach. You’re welcome.

Hank’s Fate

“We’re goin’ to run away to my country,” he sobbed. “Live in a small town. Ya’d be the hottest chick for miles and I’d be the luckiest man in Novel. . . We’d have nine kids. I know ya only want three, but I thought we could swing with…with three sets of triplets?”

– Hank, “Don’t Date the Haunted”

Poor Hank. As I mentioned in last chapter’s Behind the Scenes, I almost killed him too. I considered making him the poltergeist’s puppet instead of Marcellette because that would have hurt more. He was just as sinful as Emma, so by all the laws of Horror, he should have died.
However, my second editor suggested keeping him alive because it was a fate worse than death for him. Also, she loved the scene of him with Emma (quoted above), and didn’t want anything to take away from that.

Not everyone knows Hank and Emma like I do (I created them after all), but his last words to her are proof that they wouldn’t have been happy together. Emma was a straight-up Contemporary/city girl, and Hank was a Western/country boy through and through. They would have needed to make some real changes and compromises to make their relationship last.

A Hint

A hand touched my shoulder and my reflexes swung out.
“Curses!” Theo shouted and raised his hands in defense. He stared at me with wide and shocked eyes. “Your aura just–” He blinked and refocused. “Sorry, I wondered if we ought to keep moving.”

Don’t Date the Haunted

The missing word there is “spiked.” You’ll find out why in “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” coming in ONE MONTH!

The First Big Twist

Aaand it’s Sean.

Join me next week to learn more about Sean’s fight with the poltergeist, and Pansy’s fight with him!

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-604240361161a', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Behind the Scenes of “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” Book Cover

If you saw my post about the book cover for “Don’t Date the Haunted” then you might have noticed how long I’ve been working on this series and the many changes I made to the cover between drafts of the book.

“Don’t Marry the Cursed” went through a similar process.

First of all, this is Theo’s book. Pansy’s still heavily involved, but the plots for this book revolve around Theo’s homeland, family, and growing character.

When I first wrote “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” the first book was unofficially titled “Haunted Romance.” Terrible title, I know, and book two was unofficially titled “Haunted Fantasy.” (Because book 1 is set in Romance, and book 2 is set in Fantasy). My mock-up covers for “Haunted Romance” were simple pansy flowers with black backgrounds, so I made similar mock-ups for book 2.

I was quite proud of creating the first shield from scratch, but the fire was someone else’s picture. The font for the first cover was also my own creation. As fun as it was, it didn’t work for a legible book title.
The second shield was created by piecing together several parts of metallic words and letters on fire. Again, I was quite proud of how well it turned out.
I changed the title to “Haunted Adventure” after writing book 3 and realizing that the “Haunted Romance” of the first book referred to the experience, not the place. So, they experienced a Romance in the first book and book 2 they have an Adventure.

Then, I briefly asked for some advice from Shaela, the lovely lady of bluewaterbooks.com who created my cover for “Don’t Date the Haunted.” The first time I talked with her, she suggested focusing book 1 on a woman’s mouth. With that in mind, I considered focusing book 2 on a man’s blue-green eyes behind a shield. I didn’t play with this concept long enough to make a real mock-up.

THEN, I contacted Shaela as a professional. That was the moment that I realized my titles sucked, and my covers didn’t convey all the elements of a Dark Romantic Comedy set in a fantasy world.
Another title I considered for “Don’t Marry the Cursed” was “Careful How You Wish,” but it didn’t convey the romance as much.

Soon after creating the silhouette for “Don’t Date the Haunted,” I made some silhouettes for Theo. I ran them by Shaela and let her decide which one would make the best cover.

This one was more for a wizard look, but it didn’t have enough contrastContemporary vest with tight white shirtDoublet top and loose white shirt for the medieval feel.

I liked the middle one most, but that quickly changed when I saw Shaela’s work with the doublet top and background.

With only ONE MONTH before the release of “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” here’s the official reveal of the official book!

I love it! Love-love-love-LOVE it!

Interesting side note: the couple up top and the castle were actually first suggested on “Don’t Date the Haunted.” I told Shaela to switch them out, but hold on to them because they were perfect for this book!

Also, in case you didn’t notice, when you put “Don’t Date the Haunted” and “Don’t Marry the Cursed” side by side…

Hey, look! They’re holding hands.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-603e52b99406d', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Behind the Scenes of “Don’t Date the Haunted,” Chapter 15

Ah, man, I used to kill people in this chapter…I miss those days. And it wasn’t just Marcellette and Lord Rochershire. It was five strangers that Pansy barely knew.

Now, to make sure you know that I’m not insane, I’m talking about “Don’t Date the Haunted.” If you still don’t know what I’m talking about, look up the book! >>>
Seriously, read the book before reading this post. You’ll save yourself a big headache of trying to figure out what in horror is going on.

As it stands, Marcellette and Lord Rochershire have an argument because Marcellette was seduced and nearly killed by a Haunting, and Lord Rochershire is skeptical because she has no proof.

What originally happened here?

The very first draft (and didn’t last to make it to the second draft) had all five international students from Horror…dead. Yeah, remember those people I briefly mentioned in chapter two? They’re characters from “Twilight” . . . and I had them all drowned by Pansy’s Haunting. Because Hauntings are for killing, not dating.

For the longest time, I replaced those five people with Tiffany and her ken-doll date. Yep, Tiffany wasn’t meant to survive this book. In all that time, however, I had Marcellette in a specific role with the Haunting.

SPOILER ALERT: if you haven’t finished the book, skip ahead to the next section on Mr. E!
Okay, supposing you’ve read the whole book, then you know that Pansy’s Haunting is a poltergeist. They’re known for possessing people, so I originally had Marcellette possessed and be the body to kill Tiffany, her date, Emma, and Theo (almost).
However, she didn’t die. When they defeated the poltergeist, Marcellette was freed. If I allowed that, then that begged the question: could Sean have been saved?
I couldn’t allow that. Pansy needed to kill Sean.
So, I reconsidered the poltergeist’s capabilities and took away his power to possess others. That meant I no longer had a puppet to play with at the final scene in the basement.

I considered killing Hank too (since he’s just as guilty as Emma). You can thank my editor for talking me out of it, as she said it’s more tragic for him to live. Bahaha! Sucka! He’s gotta live with the consequences of his sins!
But seriously, whenever I felt like there wasn’t enough going on, my thoughts entertained the idea, “Maybe I should just kill another character.”

So many people have told me that the book wasn’t as scary as they expected. It’s probably because they expected a straight horror and not as much humor. Humor helps tone down scary scenes a LOT. Like, if I told them “This book has three on-screen deaths!” they’d probably need to seriously reflect to count them out. You’re not reading this section if you haven’t read the whole book, so yeah, there’s Emma, Sean, and the poltergeist. Technically four if you count Theo.

Mr. E’s True Reason for “Interviewing” Pansy

I actually struggled with this for a long while and didn’t come up with the Haunting Emigration Watch until the final draft. This, of course, completely changes Mr. E’s character. He goes from possible antagonist to helper. Which is good, because he’s the second-most capable person in their group–save for the fact that he doesn’t believe in Hauntings.

Hmm, I keep forgetting that the reader learns that the Haunting is a poltergeist in this chapter, because it used to be unknown until Emma’s picture. That’s right. It’s a poltergeist.

The main reason I chose a poltergeist is because of all the undead/monstrous Hauntings (not involving the typical madman), the demon spirit is the most popularly believed. The Old and New Testaments are filled with stories of evil spirits being cast out of people, and many other histories mention bad spirits in one form or another.

“‘Rule number one,'” Heather read as Jake looked over her shoulder, “‘abstain from drugs, sex, and violence.’ How positively crass!”

“Don’t Date the Haunted,” chapter fifteen

Oz’s number one rule was originally the heading for Chapter One (not Chapter Five, where it is now). Since most of my early readers were family members or close friends, I used this to warn people that it’s an adult book. It’s clean for adults, but I don’t expect to have book signings at Junior High Schools.

Speaking of material too much for kids, come back next week for Emma’s bathroom scene.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-60390826c9716', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });