Daniel Sherrier's Blog, page 53

What time is it? Rafflecopter time!

Let’s have an event in which we give something away. A giveaway, if you will.

For a chance at winning one digital copy of RIP vol. 1: Choices After Death, please enter the Rafflecopter below:

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Ghosts are people, too, but not all ghosts choose to be good people.

Rip Cooper must overcome his fears and kill dead people to prevent them from corrupting the living. This young loner learns he can perceive ghosts with his five senses as if they were flesh and blood, and he’s just as solid to them — pretty much the only solid thing, in fact. He works alongside an impure “angel” and his ex-best friend’s ex-girlfriend as they teach him how love can lead to strength.

RIP vol. 1: Choices After Death features the first four novelettes in this coming-of-age and redemption story: “Touch,” “Alone,” “The Crazy Line,” and “Point B,” plus the short story “Strength.”

Get to Know…Pete Wurdock

Please welcome fiction author Pete Wurdock for today’s interview. He’s here to discuss his short story collection, Bending Water and Stories Nearby.

Welcome, Pete!

Tell us about your book, please. 

My new book is titled Bending Water and Stories Nearby. It is a Northern Michigan short story collection.

Do you have a favorite story in this collection? Which one and why?

I am a little partial to a story called “Buckshot.” It takes place sometime in the 1970’s and tells the story of two hunters (brothers) who find themselves far off the beaten path while hunting in the UP. One of them accidentally shoots himself and while the other is able to summon help on the CB radio, his greatest challenge is keeping his brother alive until help comes. In true to life fashion, their whole life flashes in front of them quickly during their conversation which leads up to the final moments before help arrives. But does it arrive on time?

Cue ominous music. How does the Northern Michigan setting factor into your stories?

All the stories in Bending Water and Stories Nearby take place in an area I know well, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. So many things are different in the UP in contrast to the rest of Michigan; such as the weather, pace of life, values and customs. But the universal conclusion is that none of us are exempt from human condition of facing our own mortality. There are the characters yearning, driven by sorrow and bliss. . .surviving, dying, living and sometimes at the end of their rope only holding on long enough to see what comes next.

How would you categorize the genre of these tales?

These stories are fiction, with some being based on real life events and people. Those who know me, know I am an upbeat, laugh a minute guy. But in these stories I address death and dying and remembering how to live, knowing that being happy takes effort. We all need to pay attention to what it is we leave behind.

What’s the book’s opening line? Why did you start there?

The opening line is, “I’d like to thank the following people. . .” OK, kidding.

Opening Line: “Joe stumbled around in the Lake Superior State Forest disoriented and looking for a way out of the lightless cedar swamp.”

That story, titled “Bending Water,” is the centerpiece of the book, a little longer than the rest of them, but sets up base camp for the book in the heart of the UP.

Please share a writing tip you’ve found helpful. 

Kill the adverbs!  I would whole heartedly recommend reading Stephen King’s book titled “On Writing” at least once a year.

Yes, that book is quite a horror story for adverbs. Let’s pretend you’re casting one of these stories as a movie. Who would you like to portray these characters?

I have a story titled “Ghost Ship Down.” In it, a retiree has finally fulfilled dream and lives on a bluff overlooking Lake Superior on the Keewinaw. He’s a radio enthusiast and during a terrible storm he encounters a sinking ship on Lake Superior, though the Coast Guard doesn’t believe him. It’s a paranormal historical story.

So I’d say. . .cast Kevin Costner as the retired guy and a bad ass like Russell Crowe to play the part of the Sheriff who comes to his house during the storm to confront him.

Superman’s dad vs…Superman’s other dad? Possibilities. What’s the best book you’ve read this year?

The best book I’ve read this year (though it is old) was Sherwood Andersen’s Winesberg, Ohio. I have no idea how I missed this masterpiece while growing up!

Who is your favorite fictional character? (Any medium)

It would have to be Superman, the old, serial Superman who was always saving that snoopy Lois Lane who loved to get into trouble. Though I also love  (in no particular order: Gilligan, Danny Zuko, Mr. Holland (who had the opus) and Jerry Seinfeld, while playing Jerry Seinfeld.

Seinfeld does play a good Seinfeld. If you could have one super-power, what would it be and why? 

I would love to have what I call “Super-brain-draft power.”  This is taking an idea that is in my head (and largely flushed out) and being able to have it appear on my computer as a first draft.

That would be incredibly useful. Now shifting gears…Please share a bit about your musical background.

I began playing drums in the fifth grade after listening to some of my Dad’s jazz records and my older brother and sister’s rock and roll records. Upon graduation I attended Albion College to pursue journalism, but music took me in another direction and the next year I was accepted into the renowned Berklee College of Music. After completing coursework I returned to Michigan where I played professionally in bands and in theater for a number of years.  Once I got tired of it I began working in promotion, distribution and management and later moved to Nashville where I worked with some of the biggest (and worst) country music stars of the 1990’s. I returned from Nashville to run a small record label and work closely with a terrific musician named Stewart Francke, who has had an incredible career, won a lot of awards and recorded with a guy named Bruce Springsteeen. Stewart and I still work together, though today I am more of a consultant rather than manager.

Sounds like quite a career there. What’s next for you?

After I take my dogs out and make them dinner, I am trying to finish a proposal I’ve been writing for a new book to pitch to an agent. If accepted it would be my second venture into the non-fiction arena. It is a book about how rock and roll music transformed the lives of students in a high school and the impact it had on a community at large.

Where can people learn more about your work?

Why, that would be the internet of course!  www.Blueboundarybooks.com  It is a small imprint I founded to partner with other Michigan writers and writers of Michigan fiction and non-fiction. I have a retail distribution deal and have helped fund several independent projects and am always anxious to share what I know. In addition I also have a reinvigorated blog, which can be found at: www.vacationpublishing.blogspot.com  Last, people can follow updates of my new book at: www.facebook.com/blueboundarybooks.

Tell us one fun fact about yourself.

I am a laugh a minute guy who loves to cook and be creative. If you are a woman, every moment with me is guaranteed bliss or you’ll get a free Kit Kat bar.

This has been fun, thank you, Daniel!

Thank you, Pete!

Get to Know…T.M. Opperman

Please welcome fiction author T.M. Opperman, here to discuss her debut novel, writing, and other fun stuff. Welcome, TM!

Tell us about your book, please.

My debut novel, By Any Other Name, is a novel about a woman’s journey from religious closed-mindedness to a place of forgiveness and love. Set in a small town in the Rocky Mountains, my book explores the inevitable fall from grace that anyone trying to live a “salvation-by-works” life will encounter.

What appealed to you about writing faith-based fiction?

Honestly, I didn’t set out to write a faith based novel. I started with two characters and let their story unfold. Too often people are cruel to one another in the name of religion and I wanted to talk about that. I have begun a spiritual journey of my own, this book being the catalyst really. I knew that one of my minor characters used alternative spiritual practices such as meditation and yoga to express her devotion to God and from doing my “book research” I have adopted a more alternative approach to my own spirituality.

Writing is good for the soul. What’s the book’s opening line? Why did you start there?

“Most mountain towns in Colorado are small etchings in the mountainside.”

This is a very visual opening in which I set the scene and came in with a peaceful and almost routine environment before I place my characters or my plot inside of it. Why did I do this? I honestly am not sure. Maybe it is symbolic for how I have eased myself into this career as a writer? Would I change this if I could redo it? I don’t think so. But I can tell you my next novel begins quite differently.

Or we could typecast you as the mountain writer. It could be a whole branding thing. Anyway, what do you most enjoy about writing?

I love to explore my characters and get to know them through my stories. I feel that for every character in a book there are hundreds of people thinking “That’s me!” and I enjoy making their story known.

How’s National Novel Writing Month going for you so far?

So far so good! I am really excited about the novel I am working on. Even if I don’t reach that daily targeted word count, I can say that I am writing every single day this month.

Then you’re succeeding as a writer. Please share a writing tip you’ve found helpful.

Don’t write something simply because it is popular right now. Write something because it speaks to you. Write the novel you want to read.

So you mean I don’t have to write Fifty Shades of Grey? That’s a relief! Let’s pretend you’re casting your book as a movie or TV show. Who would you cast as the main characters?

Oh geeze…I always hate this question simply because I have no idea who any of the actors are minus a few that have stuck out to me over the years. I will say that my character, Raine, was partly inspired by Zo, played by Alice Krige, in Ten Inch Hero.

So you play the clarinet? What drew you to that particular instrument?

Honestly, I was in the fifth grade and planned to play the flute but wasn’t at school the day we had to pick instruments. My best friend at the time signed me up for clarinet and I didn’t even know what that was. Fifteen years later, I love it for its rich sound and variety within the ensemble. I also play steel drums, which I chose for myself as an adult. I chose the double guitar pans because it is the lowest pitched pans that I could fit in the back seat of my car and therefore transport. I love the culture that surrounds steel pan playing.

What’s the best book you’ve read this year?

Oh wow, that’s a tough one. I absolutely loved Torch by Cheryl Strayed. It is raw and emotional and very realistic about what a family goes through when a loved one suffers and dies from cancer.

Who is your favorite fictional character? (Any medium)

Right now it’s a tie between Amy Farah Fowler from The Big Bang Theory and Felicity Smoak from Arrow.

Yeah, isn’t Arrow great? If you could have one super-power, what would it be and why?

I would have a rewind and redo button because half of what I say out loud leads me to ask myself “Why did that make sense in my head?”

So you want to be the editor of your own life. Got it. What’s next for you?

I am very excited about my latest novel which I hope to have out no later than next summer.  It is the story of five siblings who have drifted apart over the years, coming together to clean out their mother’s house and attend her funeral. In it I touch on some difficult topics such as homophobia, addiction, abandonment and of course reconciliation and family.

Where can people learn more about your work?

I have a website and blog at www.tmopperman.blogspot.com as well as a facebook page: www.facebook.com/tmoppermanbooks

Tell us one fun fact about yourself.

I am very into yoga, meditation and ecstatic dancing and go to monthly conscious community events through a group called “Ecstatic Saturdays” where there are workshops, guided meditations, and, of course, ecstatic dancing.

That sounds…ecstatic. Thank you, TM!

Get to Know…Drew Avera

 Meet Drew Avera, author of the dystopian science-fiction novella Reich. Welcome, Drew!

Tell us about your latest book, please.

In the 158 years after Hitler’s death (AH158), Germany has become the utopian state that he had originally envisioned. The Aryan Dynasty has conquered the free world at the cost of billions of lives. Hitler has become the patriarch of a new religious fervor, one that even he did not see coming. The wastelands that surround Germany are the only threat awaiting the German citizens. That is at least what everyone is taught. This is a story of how misplaced power can lead to tyranny, but it could be Germany that falls victim to a new Reich.

How did you come up with this idea?

My novella Reich is a story about revolution. I wondered what it would be like to have two opposing sides and neither one of them be the ‘good guy’. I developed the story the way most writers do; I asked “What if?” In this case, what if World War 2 ended differently? It kind of snowballed from there.

Why does dystopian science fiction appeal to you?

I enjoy the idea of there being a sense of hopelessness in the world, but the characters are still looking for it. There is something awe-inspiring in that kind of commitment.

What’s the book’s opening line? Why did you start there?

“Germany. Perfect People Perfecting a Perfect World,” read the sign up ahead.

This was the beginning of a short story that became the novella Reich. I imagined Germany winning WWII and where they would be if Hitler was able to succeed. I fast forwarded to 158 years in the future and explored Germany from that perspective.

Please share a writing tip you’ve found helpful.

Write all the time. It sounds corny, but my best writing comes after I’ve spent a few days doing it consistently.

Very true. Let’s pretend you’re casting this book as a movie. Who would you like to portray these characters?

In my book Dead Planet I envisioned Drew Roy from Falling Skies as being the character Serus. I also thought that White should be played by Bruce Willis. With my current work in progress I am thinking about Stuart Townsend as the vampire Noah Paxton. But, that may be because he was in Queen of the Damned…

Thank you for your service in the Navy. Tell us a little bit about that career, please.

I am an aviation electrician and I specialize in the F/A18 super hornet. Right now I teach electrical systems for what is known as C-School, which is where people going to the super hornet platform learn about the aircraft. I’ve been in the navy for over 13 years and I’ve made 3 combat deployments. My first was in 2002 on the USS George Washington and I deployed in 2007 and 2011 on the USS Enterprise (It is nothing like Star Trek…trust me).

Just wait a few hundred years, and it’ll be like Star Trek. What’s the best book you’ve read this year?

I’m currently reading Innocent Blood by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell; it is becoming my favorite read so far this year.

Who is your favorite fictional character? (Any medium)

Batman

Because he’s Batman, I’m sure. So who would win in a fight—Batman or Wolverine?

Wolverine on round 1, Batman every other time after that.

Sounds about right. If you could have one super-power, what would it be and why?

Is immortality a super power? I would like to see where the world is going without the risk of death; though I believe that immortality is a curse…in that case I will pick flying and/or teleporting.

Yeah, immortality might get old. What’s next for you?

It’s currently NaNoWriMo and I’m working on a vampire novel called For Thee Darkness Weeps. I’m about 1/5 of the way in it…roughly.

With most of the month left to go. Where can people learn more about your work?

www.facebook.com/authordrewavera I tend to post more about my writing on Facebook than I do anywhere else, but my blog www.drewavera.wordpress.com has a lot of interviews with many awesome authors, so I would suggest going there to find your next favorite book!

Wonderful. Tell us one fun fact about yourself.

I play guitar and enjoy playing heavy music. I listen to bands like Chevelle, Alter Bridge, and Breaking Benjamin when I write. Music is a huge part of my life and affects my mood because of it.

Thank you, Drew!

Get to Know…Romeo Matshaba

If your name is Romeo, clearly you’re destined to write romance. Romeo Matshaba joins us for today’s “Get to Know…” Welcome, Romeo!

Okay, first of all, you write romance and your name is Romeo? Is this a pen name, or did you just feel obligated to do something romantic?

Indeed, well after countless encounters with people who referenced my name in conjunction with romance, the line between passion and obligation became somewhat fuzzy. Besides imagine someone named Romeo who wrote a horror book: that would make a stubborn cat to laugh out loud.

You should write horror just to mess with people’s minds. Tell us about your book, please.

“The Romantic Dreamer” is, I believe, the first of its kind. It combines various facets of literature into one epic romantic novel. It is primarily about the very last romantic in his journey to find the one who we live to find; to find his true source of happiness. 

What’s the book’s opening line? Why did you start there?

“Our second date. Was there a small feasibility that today would be as enchanting and delightful as that magical day before?”

It is the intermediate point between bliss and intense suffering; that unique moment that entwines the two crucial entities together.

Name aside, why do you write romance?

Men like us know, Daniel, that this world would have been a sad mistake if there was no love or true artists to express it.

Cue the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.” What do you most enjoy about writing in general?

The idea that for a momentary time, I can live in the reader’s mind: making them see what I have seen, feel what I’ve felt… that is worth a thousand rubies.

A thousand rubies sounds nice, too. Please share a writing tip you’ve found helpful.

To become a reader when you’re writing and a writer when you read

Let’s pretend you’re casting your book as a movie or TV show. Who would you cast as the main character?

It has to be Lucy, definitely Lucy; she is one of those rare mortals whom you are convinced that they are made out of sounds of music or at most a few pieces of perfection.

So you’re CEO and owner of the Unison Group. What’s the company all about?

Well, Unison Group is a corporation of four entities, namely: Books, music, film and gaming. In reference to books it is a new age publication company, which focuses on quality and the liberation of authors through a unique and economical way of publishing.

What’s the best book you’ve read this year?

The classic book of Casanova, I could not help but feel a strong relation to his work. Simply put the man was an artist of love.

If you could have one super-power, what would it be and why?

That’s a tough one, Daniel, I guess at the core of it all, to see through my lover’s heart. If I could be able to do that, I’d be content.

What’s next for you?

Heading out to space, I realized that the world is too small.

Have fun in space. Where can people learn more about your work?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GFPK8II

Tell us one fun fact about yourself.

In my teenage years, I won the best kisser of the year award (what an accomplishment).

Sounds like you’ve earned your name. Thanks for stopping by, Romeo!

We Must Evolve

Coming in 2014…

Earths in Space vol. 2: We Must Evolve

In which Amena wonders, “Hey, I just saw solid evidence of evolution on that really ancient Earth with the weird critters. Maybe some other Earth has super-evolved weird people. Yeah, I’m going to get my hopes up for that, and there is no possible way the universe will disappoint me.”

In the meantime, don’t forget to check out the first volume, Where Are the Little Green Men? It’s available at your favorite online bookstores.

Get to Know…Dana Fitzwater Cornell

“Get to Know…” has returned! And to re-kick things off, let’s chat with an author I already knew from real life! Real life? Yes, there is such a thing.

Meet Dana Fitzwater Cornell. She recently released her debut historical novel, My Mother’s Ring, and since we used to work at a newspaper together, I can genuinely assure you she’s an excellent writer.

Welcome, Dana!

Tell us about your book, please.

“My Mother’s Ring” is a novel detailing one man’s life before, during, and after the Holocaust.

Why did you want to write about the Holocaust?

I’ve always been interested in this time period because my great aunt’s family spent time in concentration and labor camps, including Auschwitz, because they were Jewish sympathizers (living in Poland). Also, I wanted to write a book that was deep, powerful, and educational – one that changes people’s perspective of their own life and teaches them about an important time in history. It’s a tribute to the millions of victims who were never able to tell their stories.

What sort of research did you undertake to ensure the historical accuracy?

I spent more than a year reading many dozens of Holocaust books, including autobiographies and survivor testimonies. I also researched the time period, culture, and camps. My research crafted what I chose to write about.

What’s the book’s opening line? Why did you start there?

I started with the prologue: “I have kept my secret silent for far too long. I have neither acknowledged nor shared my past, my former life.”

I began with that line because many survivors find it too difficult to talk about their experiences. Even after decades, the emotional, psychological, and physical wounds are too raw for many survivors to talk about.

Please share a writing tip you’ve found helpful.

After you finish writing your first draft, step away from it for at least a week or two before you sit down and comb through it.

Definitely. Let’s pretend you’re casting this book as a movie. Who would you like to portray these characters?

Wow, I have no idea. That’s a great question!

“Talented unknowns” it is. How did you make the transition from journalist to fiction writer? How do your journalistic and fiction styles compare?

It was an easy transition for me as I’ve written fiction since I was in elementary school, although of course none of my “books” were ever worthy of being published back then. As a journalist I always preferred the human interest articles because they lent me the ability to write with more artistic flexibility. I’ve always liked writing about people and their accomplishments.

You mean you didn’t love the political reporting? Shocking. Anyway, what’s the best book you’ve read this year?

“The Island” by Victoria Hislop. It’s beautifully written and educational about leprosy.

Who is your favorite fictional character? (Any medium)

Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. There truly is “no place like home.”

If you could have one super-power, what would it be and why?

Time travel. I’d like to be able to go back to any point in history and see what life was like.

Watch out for paradoxes should you ever take such a trip. So you’re not only a new author but a new mother. Go ahead and brag about the little one.

I had my first child, Brooke, on August 13. She surprised me by coming almost a month early! She’s adorable –just starting to coo and smile. Now if only she could learn to sleep more than a few hours at a time during night…

Sleep is overrated. What’s next for you?

Right now my focus is on Brooke. Once she’s a bit older I’d like to write again. Not sure what the topic would be, but I definitely see another novel in my future.

Where can people learn more about your work?

Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com

Tell us one fun fact about yourself.

I met my husband, Brent, on Match.com!

And there you have it, folks. Match.com works! Be sure to check out Dana’s new book. Thank you, Dana!

Halloween sale!

In the spirit of commercializing holidays, I’m offering special Halloween deals!

As the weather gets chillier, only books can keep you warm. It’s a proven scientific fact.* Please allow me to assist.

*Facts asserted on the Internet are not necessarily facts.

From now through Halloween, I’m knocking RIP vol. 1: Choices After Death down to one-third of its price. You can download it for only 99 cents at Amazon and Smashwords. (For Smashwords, use coupon code JH33C before checkout.) After Halloween, it’ll return to $2.99. I’m not planning any Kindle Select free days, sorry. $0.99 is as low as it’ll go.

Earths in Space vol. 1: Where Are the Little Green Men? will remain $1.99, but if you download it and let me know, I’ll give you a free PDF, ePub, or Mobi of the first RIP novelette, “Touch,” along with a PDF of the RIP television pilot script that started this whole thing off. So, if you like sci-fi but aren’t sure about those pesky ghosts, here’s a safe way to sample the series.

The Earths in Space links are collected here.

And what the heck. I’ll cut 10 percent off my editing services, too.

Offers end Nov. 1. Happy Halloween!

Manic Pixie Dream Girl — subverted?

I may have accidentally subverted the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope in RIP vol. 1: Choices After Death.

It wasn’t a goal. I wasn’t even aware of the term until just last week after I watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s (yeah, I know I shouldn’t like it, and yet…I do) and came across an article criticizing Audrey Hepburn’s character as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (though others criticize that criticism, naturally).

Film critic Nathan Rabin coined the term not long ago. 2007 doesn’t feel like all that long ago, anyway. He defined such a character as one who “exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.”

Rip starts out as a brooding young guy who needs to be yanked out of his funk, and two young women help him mature. The more manic one happens to be the less alive one.

Serissa serves as Rip’s “angel” guide and steers him to where he’s needed. But she’s also a recently deceased, sociable young woman who misses life and interacting with the living. Rip is the only solid entity she’s ever encountered in her afterlife, the only living person who can even acknowledge her.

In this world, angels are merely flawed people working their way out of purgatory and trying to avoid an eternal sentence in Hell. While Rip fears becoming separated from the world, Serissa already is. She’s a fun ghost, and her colorful personality contrasts with Rip’s more subdued nature. However lively she seems, she’s always just hanging on by a thread. After all, there’s no proof there actually is a Heaven, and when you’re an intangible ghost, it’s hard to hold on to anything.

So yes, Serissa is a vibrant ghost who fits several criteria of the trope: attractive, quirky, perhaps a bit manic, and certainly beneficial to the male hero’s outlook on life.

When she first appears, some readers might expect her to play along with the rest of the trope..but that’s not her way. It was when she was alive. She was a wild and crazy “high on life” young woman who easily attracted the attention of men, and she basically lost herself in meaningless flings and partying. She failed to become her own person.

And now she’s dead, so staying “high on life” becomes a mite harder. Really, her quirkiness stems from the fact that she’s slowly going bonkers but trying not to. She’s working very hard — she thinks — to reach Heaven, but she has no proof her efforts are going to pay off into anything worthwhile. She’s suffering in isolation; for all she knows, it’s for nothing.

I also make it clear in the first novelette that Serissa and Rip have NO romantic attraction. Given that Rip’s the only guy she can touch, going that route would’ve been creepy.

Serissa’s not looking for any romantic entanglements. She’s just trying to keep herself together and redeem herself. Her partnership with Rip is mutually beneficial. Each becomes the friend the other desperately needs.

Another hallmark of Manic Pixie Dream Girls is that they have no internal lives of their own — it’s all about the guy. No, RIP is about both of them. I consider Serissa a lead in this series, not a supporting player. It’s as much about her as it is about Rip.

At first glance, Serissa might look like yet another Manic Pixie Dream Girl. She was one in her backstory, and it didn’t turn out well. As you get to know her in the book, however, you’ll find she has a life of her own…

…aside from being dead, of course.

RIP vol. 1: Choices After Death is now available.

A parade of RIP quotes

I tried something new (to me) on Saturday. Throughout the day, I posted a series of dialogue quotes from the just-released RIP vol. 1: Choices After Death on my Facebook page.

In case you missed it, I’ve collected them all here. They’re that collectable.

“He can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste ghosts.”

“Except I don’t taste.”

“But he can.”

“I don’t taste.”

–Serissa and Rip

“I was floating around in a funk, waiting for Hell to shoot me up a welcome home flare, and then–wham!  Instant epiphany. Oh, wait, they’re all instant, aren’t they?” — Serissa

“You’re dead. Make no mistake. But now we get to discover precisely what sort of man you are.” –Zeno

“Sure, you catch us by surprise, pick us off one by one — you’ll get some lucky shots in that way. But you’re still just a guy. Still just as vulnerable — and mortal — as any guy. And you can’t lock us out. You can never lock us out.” — a ghost, to Rip

“You must be Serissa.”

“I must. Got no choice, really.”

–Zeno and Serissa

“I once knew a guy last name of Danger. Danger could’ve been my married name. Mrs. Danger. Okay, it was Dangerfield.” — Serissa

“Can you please stop playing Spider-Woman with my ceiling?”

“Maybe I’ll return your precious ceiling if maybe you give me some answers.”

–Rip and Serissa

“You think you’re some angel? Everything you do, you do for one person — yourself. It’s all about you. You help Rip because you enjoy being able to touch someone again. You help people to hide from your guilt. You help them all because you… think it’s your key to ‘Heaven’ — assuming that’s where you’d even end up. You’re a glutton for anything that’ll make you feel good about your waste of an existence.” — a ghost, to Serissa

“When you’re a ghost, everyone’s like a ghost to you, like they’re only half there. Everyone you love passes right through you.” — Serissa

“You can tell those girls there was this monstrous cookie, or–Oh! Oh! Even better! You got into a big bakery brawl with Cookie–”

“Serissa…”

–Serissa and Rip

“Zombies. Do I have to worry about zombies, too?”

“I never met any.”

“Not really the firm answer I was hoping for.”

“I’ve only been dead a couple of years. What am I supposed to be, the Encyclopedia Brown of death? … Was that the correct usage of Encyclopedia Brown?”

–Rip and Serissa

RIP is now available at Amazon and Smashwords.