Kristen Houghton's Blog, page 2
October 15, 2014
Why You Shoud Write for Free...and When You Should Stop
When my agent gave me this information, "Current rank nationwide for FOR I HAVE SINNED A Cate Harlow Private Investigation is #1,377; Not bad for a book whose official launch date is November 1, 2014, Kristen", it was very exciting news. No, not bad at all.
I was thrilled and also humbled and I cried; this author has been writing professionally for over twenty years and my book might just become a breakout.
I started out writing for free. Now writing for free sounds awful to many people and believe me if I hadn't had a "day job" I would not have been able to do it. But my first agent told me the idea was to get my name known in the writing community and to get readers who would not only read my work once but eventually become fans who wanted more of my work to read!
I wrote for any magazine who would accept me. But simply because I wasn't being paid doesn't mean that they didn't care what my writing was like. Quite the contrary; they cared a lot.Quality was as important to them as it was to me.
It became a very well-traveled two-way street. I gave them my articles and stories, they gave me pointers, advice, and a plethora of knowledge about editing, publishing, and what makes a good read. I learned a great deal and that was priceless.
When my first book was published, I was still writing for free for one magazine but being paid by the others. My then-publisher advised me against giving my work away. "You should expect to be paid for your creative output. They will either accept that fact or not but you should ask and negotiate." I did.
I don't write for free anymore. My writing is my livelihood now and being given compensation for what I do is fair. Still, nothing compares to the wealth of help I received as a novice writer from those magazines. I will always remember the experience and be glad that I wrote for free.For I Have Sinned
I was thrilled and also humbled and I cried; this author has been writing professionally for over twenty years and my book might just become a breakout.
I started out writing for free. Now writing for free sounds awful to many people and believe me if I hadn't had a "day job" I would not have been able to do it. But my first agent told me the idea was to get my name known in the writing community and to get readers who would not only read my work once but eventually become fans who wanted more of my work to read!
I wrote for any magazine who would accept me. But simply because I wasn't being paid doesn't mean that they didn't care what my writing was like. Quite the contrary; they cared a lot.Quality was as important to them as it was to me.
It became a very well-traveled two-way street. I gave them my articles and stories, they gave me pointers, advice, and a plethora of knowledge about editing, publishing, and what makes a good read. I learned a great deal and that was priceless.
When my first book was published, I was still writing for free for one magazine but being paid by the others. My then-publisher advised me against giving my work away. "You should expect to be paid for your creative output. They will either accept that fact or not but you should ask and negotiate." I did.
I don't write for free anymore. My writing is my livelihood now and being given compensation for what I do is fair. Still, nothing compares to the wealth of help I received as a novice writer from those magazines. I will always remember the experience and be glad that I wrote for free.For I Have Sinned
September 7, 2014
Very Good at What I Fo...
I tell my clients to trust me and that I'm very good at what I do. Seriously I am. Take a case I took two years ago. It was never solved and I don't like unsolved cases.
This is what happened. A year ago, a nursing home director had contacted my office, for help in finding a patient who, it seemed had, as he put it, “simply wandered away”. The male patient had slight dementia but basically was healthy and had never gone missing before. The staff at the home had searched for two days but no one had been able to find him. The director was anxious to keep it discreet. He was adamant; no police, no publicity, I was to work the case alone. A story in the papers about a patient who had been allowed to disappear from this upscale, expensive nursing home would spell disaster for the place and the highly paid director. That was fine with me. Working alone and being discreet is part of being a good private investigator. Besides, I tend to get a lot done on my own. For my discreetness I was paid three times what I usually get for my investigations.
I thought the case was going to be a simple one concerning a missing elderly man. Ninety-five percent of these cases end well; the person is found, confused and a little scared, and returned back to where he lives. I had every confidence that this was going to be one of those cases. As it turned out this was not one with a happy ending.
Two months later I found the nude, horribly mutilated and sodomized body of the missing man dumped in a drainage ditch in the New York State countryside. The story was buried along with the body but for me it remained open. It stayed in the back of my mind.As the media chronicled in FOR I HAVE SINNED, that case was solved and put to rest while I was tying up ends on my last case concerning a murdered priest and a missing boy. The media frenzy on that case being solved made me a temporary mini-celebrity.
The FOR I HAVE SINNED case files are open on my home computer now as I wait for Will to pick me up for a little R&R.
This is what happened. A year ago, a nursing home director had contacted my office, for help in finding a patient who, it seemed had, as he put it, “simply wandered away”. The male patient had slight dementia but basically was healthy and had never gone missing before. The staff at the home had searched for two days but no one had been able to find him. The director was anxious to keep it discreet. He was adamant; no police, no publicity, I was to work the case alone. A story in the papers about a patient who had been allowed to disappear from this upscale, expensive nursing home would spell disaster for the place and the highly paid director. That was fine with me. Working alone and being discreet is part of being a good private investigator. Besides, I tend to get a lot done on my own. For my discreetness I was paid three times what I usually get for my investigations.
I thought the case was going to be a simple one concerning a missing elderly man. Ninety-five percent of these cases end well; the person is found, confused and a little scared, and returned back to where he lives. I had every confidence that this was going to be one of those cases. As it turned out this was not one with a happy ending.
Two months later I found the nude, horribly mutilated and sodomized body of the missing man dumped in a drainage ditch in the New York State countryside. The story was buried along with the body but for me it remained open. It stayed in the back of my mind.As the media chronicled in FOR I HAVE SINNED, that case was solved and put to rest while I was tying up ends on my last case concerning a murdered priest and a missing boy. The media frenzy on that case being solved made me a temporary mini-celebrity.
The FOR I HAVE SINNED case files are open on my home computer now as I wait for Will to pick me up for a little R&R.
September 6, 2014
I'm the Cate in Cate Harlow Private Investigations...
My name is Catherine and I'm the Cate in Cate Harlow, Private Investigations, P.I. license number 420731-6632. I don't like guns but I'm licensed to carry one and I am a damn good shot if I have to be. Most times, just showing a criminal a gun evens the playing field quite nicely.
You're going to hear a lot about me in FOR I HAVE SINNED. The media was all over that one. That case took a lot out of me emotionally and physically, but I recover pretty fast. I have no choice; I have to earn a living.
I'm not media-shy and I do appreciate the extra business the press coverage brought into my office. But, truth be told, in my business being easily recognized can present a real dilemma. There are many times I just want, and need, to fade into the background in order to help a client or solve a case.
And the cases keep coming in.
In my business I’ve learned to give the clients what they want. I’ve stopped trying to convince them that they’re wasting their money on something their hearts tell them is what they need to know. Rent's got to be paid, car paymets come due, food has to be bought; that's my reality. So if they want proof of a spouse cheating I’ll give them that proof. If they want to find someone or learn about a skeleton in a family closet, I can provide that too.
People pay PIs well because they think that we have some natural psychic ability about situations, but that’s just wishful thinking. A good P.I. is simply a damn good observer. Going into a case I don’t know any more than what I’ve been told by my clients. But the thing that separates me from them is that what their eyes and ears didn’t catch, mine will. I watch people all the time and I can tell them things about themselves their own mothers probably don’t know. Being a successful P.I. has less to do with anything psychic and a whole lot more to do with observation and rational thought.
But enough talk of cases and private investigators. I love my job but I need to get home,open a bottle of wine, and relax. With any luck, my ex Detective Will Benigni will be waiting with a pepperoni pizza, a large antipasto, and lust in his heart.
You're going to hear a lot about me in FOR I HAVE SINNED. The media was all over that one. That case took a lot out of me emotionally and physically, but I recover pretty fast. I have no choice; I have to earn a living.
I'm not media-shy and I do appreciate the extra business the press coverage brought into my office. But, truth be told, in my business being easily recognized can present a real dilemma. There are many times I just want, and need, to fade into the background in order to help a client or solve a case.
And the cases keep coming in.
In my business I’ve learned to give the clients what they want. I’ve stopped trying to convince them that they’re wasting their money on something their hearts tell them is what they need to know. Rent's got to be paid, car paymets come due, food has to be bought; that's my reality. So if they want proof of a spouse cheating I’ll give them that proof. If they want to find someone or learn about a skeleton in a family closet, I can provide that too.
People pay PIs well because they think that we have some natural psychic ability about situations, but that’s just wishful thinking. A good P.I. is simply a damn good observer. Going into a case I don’t know any more than what I’ve been told by my clients. But the thing that separates me from them is that what their eyes and ears didn’t catch, mine will. I watch people all the time and I can tell them things about themselves their own mothers probably don’t know. Being a successful P.I. has less to do with anything psychic and a whole lot more to do with observation and rational thought.
But enough talk of cases and private investigators. I love my job but I need to get home,open a bottle of wine, and relax. With any luck, my ex Detective Will Benigni will be waiting with a pepperoni pizza, a large antipasto, and lust in his heart.
September 5, 2014
Writer Combines Raw Truth With Fiction
"What's in the news is a fascinating story unto itself simply because it is true," said a grad school writing professor of mine. He was right. True stories make for interesting reading and writers have found that combining raw truth in a fictional tale enhances a good book.
For over two years, my new novel For I Have Sinned was a work in progress, a story inside my head that wanted to be told. I wanted to take the ongoing publicly told scandal of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church coupled with the fictitious cold case of a boy gone missing ten years ago, to weave a story that would become a thriller with several twists and unexpected turns.There was truth and fiction, neatly combined.
The fiction part was easy; a missing person cold case concerning a boy who simply disappeared years ago without a trace. A private detective digging into the missing boy's past unexpectedly finds a bizarre connection between her own case and the recent grisly murder of a priest in New York City. The murder details are eerily similar to an unsolved murder investigation she worked on less than a year ago.So far so good.
I had already created the main character, a savvy and determined private detective named Cate Harlow who goes by a strong gut instinct when confronting obstacles. She's smart, relentless, and tough when it comes to solving her cases. But I also wanted to make her a very human and compassionate person; one who, without vanity, reassuringly tells her clients, "I'm very good at what I do. Trust me."
There was the creation of her particular likes such as good Italian food, a nice Merlot, and top-of-the-line sneakers. I added her strong distaste for injustice and cruelty. Finally, I created her one weakness; a passion for sexy, expensive lingerie which she wears under her everyday work outfit of jeans and a hoodie. I made this fictional character into a "real" person, someone people would like to have as a friend and to whom they could turn to in times of crisis.
I fleshed out her character, as well as those characters who make up her personal life; ex-husband Will Benigni,a NYPD homicide detective, current lover Giles Barrett, the city's medical examiner, her level-headed secretary, Myrtle, and her best friend, Melissa, who makes a living through well-heeled male "clients". Fiction is easy for me to write because, believe me, I live my life in a bubble of active, vivid imagination. These fictional people became very real to me.
The truth part of the novel was harder to write because it concerned the harsh reality of the crime of pedophilia, most specifically, the sexual abuse of children by clergy in the Roman Catholic Church. It is a story that has been much in the news over the past several years, a story unto itself. It is so prominently newsworthy that HBO made a documentary, Mea Maxima Culpa, about the years of sexual abuse endured by boys in a Church-run school for the deaf. That documentary detailed only some of the true stories of abuse; there are myriad others.
"Pedophilia," Cate Harlow tells her ex-husband, the seen-it-all NYPD homicide detective, "is a curious word. It comes from the joining of two Greek words; paîs, meaning child, and philía meaning friendly love or friendship. Yet the one word they form together is linked forever in modern infamy as an act so atrocious that simply saying it makes you want to vomit."
The most horrible of sins; childhood innocence lost, lives forever altered.
Many true instances in writers' personal lives find their way into our fictional work. Small or big, an incident remembered can makes its way into a book. The truth in my novel came about because of a neighborhood story I had heard as a child and never forgot. It has stayed in my mind for decades and has occasionally haunted me over the years.
I was perhaps 9 years old when a 12-year-old boy died very suddenly. The wake for the boy was quickly and quietly held, he was buried in a non-sectarian cemetery, and, as if a secret pact had been made, no one, not even his own family, spoke about the circumstances surrounding his death. It wasn't until years later, during my first year in high school, that I learned from his sister why there was so much secrecy concerning his death.
We were walking home from school and passed the church where her family used to worship. She paused and looked at the church steps with absolute anger, then walked quickly on.
"My brother committed suicide. Nobody is supposed to know that, but he did," she told me as we continued on our way. In response to my startled expression, she told me why he had chosen to take his own life; her brother had been sexually abused by their parish priest, a jovial man whom everyone seemed to like. "Our parents refused to believe what he told them. No one but me believed my brother. He just couldn't stand the horror of it happening anymore. He figured dying was his way out. Well, that's that, right? He killed himself to escape."
Neither she nor I ever mentioned it again but the story lingered in my mind. It needed to be told. Rather than write a magazine article about the pain and horror of what the sexual abuse did to the boy and his family, I chose to put the true story in a fictional setting.
For I Have Sinned seemed to write itself at times as I became more involved in the truth part of the story. I researched, then contacted, the organization called SNAP, Survivors' Network of Those Abused by Priests. Their ongoing fight for justice for the survivors of pedophilia is an amazing feat. They took on one of the most powerful organizations in the world, the Roman Catholic Church and made their collective voices be fully heard in the Halls of Justice.
Combining a solid fictional story with a raw and painful social injustice is a painstaking task. That's as it should be.The details have to be on-target and above all, absolutely truthfully documented. I had to make sure that I was completely objective in what I wrote and that this issue was handled with delicacy and dignity. I wanted my readers to know that not all clergy molest children; that there are also good and kind men in the priesthood, not just monsters.
Despite the seriousness of the issues in the book there are moments of humor, joy, and a few scenes of normal sexual encounters between Cate's and her ex-husband. She's human after all and life is made up of tragedy, joy, and the simple experiences of life.
There will be more books in the "A Cate Harlow Private Investigation" series. My character is strong and passionate about helping those who need a good PI. Her strength, her wry humor, and her commitment are what I admire. I like to think I created a good role model for women.
Cate Harlow does have her flaws, the same as the rest of us, one of which is doing things slightly illegally if it helps to solve a case or save a life. She has a healthy fear of danger but she doesn't let anyone know it. There's a quote in the book which I think sums up my character perfectly. While discussing the possibility of an unpleasant afterlife, she turns to her friend Melissa and says with a smile, "When you get to Hell, I'll be sitting in the hot tub waiting."
You'll like Cate Harlow.
For over two years, my new novel For I Have Sinned was a work in progress, a story inside my head that wanted to be told. I wanted to take the ongoing publicly told scandal of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church coupled with the fictitious cold case of a boy gone missing ten years ago, to weave a story that would become a thriller with several twists and unexpected turns.There was truth and fiction, neatly combined.
The fiction part was easy; a missing person cold case concerning a boy who simply disappeared years ago without a trace. A private detective digging into the missing boy's past unexpectedly finds a bizarre connection between her own case and the recent grisly murder of a priest in New York City. The murder details are eerily similar to an unsolved murder investigation she worked on less than a year ago.So far so good.
I had already created the main character, a savvy and determined private detective named Cate Harlow who goes by a strong gut instinct when confronting obstacles. She's smart, relentless, and tough when it comes to solving her cases. But I also wanted to make her a very human and compassionate person; one who, without vanity, reassuringly tells her clients, "I'm very good at what I do. Trust me."
There was the creation of her particular likes such as good Italian food, a nice Merlot, and top-of-the-line sneakers. I added her strong distaste for injustice and cruelty. Finally, I created her one weakness; a passion for sexy, expensive lingerie which she wears under her everyday work outfit of jeans and a hoodie. I made this fictional character into a "real" person, someone people would like to have as a friend and to whom they could turn to in times of crisis.
I fleshed out her character, as well as those characters who make up her personal life; ex-husband Will Benigni,a NYPD homicide detective, current lover Giles Barrett, the city's medical examiner, her level-headed secretary, Myrtle, and her best friend, Melissa, who makes a living through well-heeled male "clients". Fiction is easy for me to write because, believe me, I live my life in a bubble of active, vivid imagination. These fictional people became very real to me.
The truth part of the novel was harder to write because it concerned the harsh reality of the crime of pedophilia, most specifically, the sexual abuse of children by clergy in the Roman Catholic Church. It is a story that has been much in the news over the past several years, a story unto itself. It is so prominently newsworthy that HBO made a documentary, Mea Maxima Culpa, about the years of sexual abuse endured by boys in a Church-run school for the deaf. That documentary detailed only some of the true stories of abuse; there are myriad others.
"Pedophilia," Cate Harlow tells her ex-husband, the seen-it-all NYPD homicide detective, "is a curious word. It comes from the joining of two Greek words; paîs, meaning child, and philía meaning friendly love or friendship. Yet the one word they form together is linked forever in modern infamy as an act so atrocious that simply saying it makes you want to vomit."
The most horrible of sins; childhood innocence lost, lives forever altered.
Many true instances in writers' personal lives find their way into our fictional work. Small or big, an incident remembered can makes its way into a book. The truth in my novel came about because of a neighborhood story I had heard as a child and never forgot. It has stayed in my mind for decades and has occasionally haunted me over the years.
I was perhaps 9 years old when a 12-year-old boy died very suddenly. The wake for the boy was quickly and quietly held, he was buried in a non-sectarian cemetery, and, as if a secret pact had been made, no one, not even his own family, spoke about the circumstances surrounding his death. It wasn't until years later, during my first year in high school, that I learned from his sister why there was so much secrecy concerning his death.
We were walking home from school and passed the church where her family used to worship. She paused and looked at the church steps with absolute anger, then walked quickly on.
"My brother committed suicide. Nobody is supposed to know that, but he did," she told me as we continued on our way. In response to my startled expression, she told me why he had chosen to take his own life; her brother had been sexually abused by their parish priest, a jovial man whom everyone seemed to like. "Our parents refused to believe what he told them. No one but me believed my brother. He just couldn't stand the horror of it happening anymore. He figured dying was his way out. Well, that's that, right? He killed himself to escape."
Neither she nor I ever mentioned it again but the story lingered in my mind. It needed to be told. Rather than write a magazine article about the pain and horror of what the sexual abuse did to the boy and his family, I chose to put the true story in a fictional setting.
For I Have Sinned seemed to write itself at times as I became more involved in the truth part of the story. I researched, then contacted, the organization called SNAP, Survivors' Network of Those Abused by Priests. Their ongoing fight for justice for the survivors of pedophilia is an amazing feat. They took on one of the most powerful organizations in the world, the Roman Catholic Church and made their collective voices be fully heard in the Halls of Justice.
Combining a solid fictional story with a raw and painful social injustice is a painstaking task. That's as it should be.The details have to be on-target and above all, absolutely truthfully documented. I had to make sure that I was completely objective in what I wrote and that this issue was handled with delicacy and dignity. I wanted my readers to know that not all clergy molest children; that there are also good and kind men in the priesthood, not just monsters.
Despite the seriousness of the issues in the book there are moments of humor, joy, and a few scenes of normal sexual encounters between Cate's and her ex-husband. She's human after all and life is made up of tragedy, joy, and the simple experiences of life.
There will be more books in the "A Cate Harlow Private Investigation" series. My character is strong and passionate about helping those who need a good PI. Her strength, her wry humor, and her commitment are what I admire. I like to think I created a good role model for women.
Cate Harlow does have her flaws, the same as the rest of us, one of which is doing things slightly illegally if it helps to solve a case or save a life. She has a healthy fear of danger but she doesn't let anyone know it. There's a quote in the book which I think sums up my character perfectly. While discussing the possibility of an unpleasant afterlife, she turns to her friend Melissa and says with a smile, "When you get to Hell, I'll be sitting in the hot tub waiting."
You'll like Cate Harlow.
August 20, 2014
Advance review from The Huffington Post
“ A masterfully woven story about the horrors of the sex abuse scandals rocking the Roman Catholic Church and the impact on both victims and their families. A missing boy cold case, three murdered priests, and a PI who finds the bizarre connection between the two." Greg Archer, The Huffington Post
August 1, 2014
Great Advance Review for FOR I HAVE SINNED
Book critic A.William Hopper reviews Kristen Houghton's new book, FOR I HAVE SINNED A Cate Harlow Private Investigation
Three months from today on November 1, Cate Harlow will make her literary debut and rock the reading world with her style, intelligence, beauty, sex appeal and passion for solving a murder case on her own terms.
FOR I HAVE SINNED (A Cate Harlow Private Investigation) is the first of a series which showcases this phenomenal female private investigator created by the brilliant writer, also phenomenal female, Kristen Houghton
If perhaps you enjoy a good read, ...prepare yourself for a GREAT read.
Mark your calendar.
"If you've committed a murder in New York City, Cate Harlow has YOU in her sights."
FOR I HAVE SINNED (A Cate Harlow Private Investigation)
“When you get to Hell look for me; I'll be sitting in the hot-tub waiting."
Cate Harlow in FOR I HAVE SINNED
Pre-order FOR I HAVE SINNED at Amazon and Barnes and Noble
As is customary with all my books, 5% of the book sales will be donated to The North Shore Animal League (a no kill shelter) and Shelters With Heart(for victims of domestic violence and their pets).
You'll be helping these fantastic charities as well as getting an exciting, satisfying read.
Three months from today on November 1, Cate Harlow will make her literary debut and rock the reading world with her style, intelligence, beauty, sex appeal and passion for solving a murder case on her own terms.
FOR I HAVE SINNED (A Cate Harlow Private Investigation) is the first of a series which showcases this phenomenal female private investigator created by the brilliant writer, also phenomenal female, Kristen Houghton
If perhaps you enjoy a good read, ...prepare yourself for a GREAT read.
Mark your calendar.
"If you've committed a murder in New York City, Cate Harlow has YOU in her sights."
FOR I HAVE SINNED (A Cate Harlow Private Investigation)
“When you get to Hell look for me; I'll be sitting in the hot-tub waiting."
Cate Harlow in FOR I HAVE SINNED
Pre-order FOR I HAVE SINNED at Amazon and Barnes and Noble
As is customary with all my books, 5% of the book sales will be donated to The North Shore Animal League (a no kill shelter) and Shelters With Heart(for victims of domestic violence and their pets).
You'll be helping these fantastic charities as well as getting an exciting, satisfying read.
May 23, 2014
FOR I HAVE SINNED pre-order
Exciting news! Readers can now pre-order a copy of FOR I HAVE SINNED the first book in the new series A Cate Harlow Private Investigation published by Koehler Books Publishing - launch date November, 2014
Advance previews:
"Kristen Houghton knows exactly how to draw her readers into the story. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book and can't wait for the next in the series. Brava Kristen! Well-done!"
Greg Archer, The San Francisco Examiner
"This first Cate Harlow Private Investigation story is a fast-paced one that will hold you captive to the end. I look forward to more books in the series."
Victoria Charles Barratt, Miami Book Reviewer
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Have-Sinned-Har...
and Barnes and Noblehttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-i....
Advance previews:
"Kristen Houghton knows exactly how to draw her readers into the story. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book and can't wait for the next in the series. Brava Kristen! Well-done!"
Greg Archer, The San Francisco Examiner
"This first Cate Harlow Private Investigation story is a fast-paced one that will hold you captive to the end. I look forward to more books in the series."
Victoria Charles Barratt, Miami Book Reviewer
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Have-Sinned-Har...
and Barnes and Noblehttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-i....
February 14, 2014
Judy Martin, CNBC
Found out today that Judy Martin, the anchor for CNBC radio and an Emmy-winning journalist has passed on. She was only 49.
Judy was kind enough to write a blurb for my very first book, "And Then I'll Be Happy!". She was encouraging to fellow writers, a free spirit in the best possible way, and a lovely person to have as a friend.
We met as writers for Examiner.com and though we both had busy careers,, kept in touch.
Bless you, Judy, for all kindnesses...
Judy was kind enough to write a blurb for my very first book, "And Then I'll Be Happy!". She was encouraging to fellow writers, a free spirit in the best possible way, and a lovely person to have as a friend.
We met as writers for Examiner.com and though we both had busy careers,, kept in touch.
Bless you, Judy, for all kindnesses...
February 3, 2014
And Now to the Editor...
"FOR I HAVE SINNED" has gone to my publisher and is being book formatted in preparation for 'fine tuning' by editor Joe Coccaro. Let the fun begin!
Seriously, even for the most seasoned authors this is always a heart-tug. Its the same as sending your child off to pre-K. Authors give birth to their books via their characters and plotlines. It is scary to put your "baby" in someone else's hands even if you do know deep down that they will be nice to the baby.
So now Cate Harlow and company are about to begin an amazing journey and they are bringing their creator along with them on this ride. I guess we should all just fasten our seat belts and enjoy!
© 2014 copyright Kristen Houghton
all rights reserved
Seriously, even for the most seasoned authors this is always a heart-tug. Its the same as sending your child off to pre-K. Authors give birth to their books via their characters and plotlines. It is scary to put your "baby" in someone else's hands even if you do know deep down that they will be nice to the baby.
So now Cate Harlow and company are about to begin an amazing journey and they are bringing their creator along with them on this ride. I guess we should all just fasten our seat belts and enjoy!
© 2014 copyright Kristen Houghton
all rights reserved
October 10, 2013
Remember, Hetty? a 'Sweet Ghost Story' for Halloween
October 9, 2013
Halloween is a time when it is said that the veil between our living world and the world beyond thins and allows those living and those passed over to connect. For a Halloween treat 99 cents buys you this award-winning YA e-story about relationships and a sisterly love that lasts beyond this world...a 'sweet ghost story' that will make you feel good and know that those we love need us now and in the next life.
This is a sweet, poignant story of two sisters, their interwoven lives, their longings and regrets, but most of all, a story of remembering. The desire to have someone share memories and past moments of our lives with us is a powerful need. Life is made up of remembrances both mundane as well as life-changing.
Kirkus Review writes:"Hetty and Deidre will win your hearts in this short story by phenomenal new writer of the supernatural, Kristen Houghton."
Greg Archer, author and book critic says, "This was one of the best ghost stories I have recently read. The characters seem so true. We never think that,or even if, spirits join us in simple holiday pleasures. Houghton's story makes me believe that they do."
http://www.amazon.com/Remember-Hetty-...
Halloween is a time when it is said that the veil between our living world and the world beyond thins and allows those living and those passed over to connect. For a Halloween treat 99 cents buys you this award-winning YA e-story about relationships and a sisterly love that lasts beyond this world...a 'sweet ghost story' that will make you feel good and know that those we love need us now and in the next life.
This is a sweet, poignant story of two sisters, their interwoven lives, their longings and regrets, but most of all, a story of remembering. The desire to have someone share memories and past moments of our lives with us is a powerful need. Life is made up of remembrances both mundane as well as life-changing.
Kirkus Review writes:"Hetty and Deidre will win your hearts in this short story by phenomenal new writer of the supernatural, Kristen Houghton."
Greg Archer, author and book critic says, "This was one of the best ghost stories I have recently read. The characters seem so true. We never think that,or even if, spirits join us in simple holiday pleasures. Houghton's story makes me believe that they do."
http://www.amazon.com/Remember-Hetty-...
