Interview with Julie Howard, author of SPIRITED QUEST (a Deerbourne Inn novella) #paranormal #romance #prn #wrpbks #ghosts

WHERE SLEEPING LIES LIE by M. Naidoo ... LOST HORIZON by Michelle Hercules #co...

Interview with Julie Howard, author of SPIRITED QUEST (a Deerbourne Inn novella) #paranormal #romance #prn #wrpbks #ghosts

Thanks for visiting with me on The Daisy, Julie!

Let’s learn more about you and your new book for The Deerbourne Inn series, SPIRITED QUEST

How did the idea for this book occur to you?

This is always the most difficult question to answer. I have no idea where my ideas come from. I think the idea is actually many ideas that string together so quickly I’m not even aware of how it all happened. I knew there would be a ghost…and almost immediately after that, the entire plot came to mind. There would be a young blogger who writes about ghosts. Her aunt would be a no-nonsense type of woman who’d had a string of bad luck. And the ghost – well, I really loved this character. Of course, all three characters would come together to solve a mystery.

What’s your favorite scene in the book and why?

There are only a few scenes between the blogger and the ghost, and they all have a similar theme: which person really belongs to the ghostly world. I liked the idea of the ghost’s own world being more real to her than anything that came afterward.

What drives you to write?

I love stories and storytelling. They fill my mind all the time. I’m one of those people who drive down the street and make up stories about passengers in the cars next to me. I’m fascinated by the news and what drives people to do the crazy things they do. I’m also a big reader and reading great stories has always made me want to tell stories of my own.

Do you have an established writing routine, or do you write as inspiration happens?

I write almost every morning. I leave the house and usually join the commute traffic, crazy since I’m just heading to the coffee shop to write. But I love the feeling of heading out with a mission to accomplish. This gears me up mentally for the task ahead.

Would you describe yourself as an introvert or extrovert?

I’m very much an introvert. I was the kid in school who read a book walking down the corridor or in the bus. These days, I mostly do my reading in the evenings, but I still have the introvert’s need for a fair amount of alone time to recharge. Crowds overwhelm me and I’d rather go on a hike than attend a concert. Quiet, easygoing activities are more my style.

What is the single best piece of LIFE advice you have ever received?

I love this question because it fits right in with my ghost story! The single best advice I ever received came from my grandmother (my mother’s mother), who I never met. I woke one night with a question in my mind and in my heart. All of a sudden, I felt she was there in the room with me (astonishing since I had no reason whatsoever to think of her, and I hadn’t thought of her in years). She answered immediately: Do what you want to do. Never give up.

She was the perfect person to offer this advice. She’d survived a WWII prison camp and raised ten children. She knew something about never giving up.

Describe your perfect vacation.

I love traveling to other countries, especially ones so much different than ours. My perfect vacation would therefore be to a place where language, culture, religion, cuisine, history and terrain are all different to what I’m used to. I’m more into exploration types of vacations – we don’t hang out on beaches much. We tour a lot of historical sites and museums.

Do you prefer entertainment streaming, such as with Netflix or Hulu, or live feed, such as with cable or satellite television?

I haven’t watched live feed since football season ended. I’m a Netflix and Amazon Prime watcher.

Readers’ experiences and intake with a book vary. If you could ensure that a reader took away a certain element, be that a theme or moral or something else from your book, what would it be?

Anytime’s a good time to start over. “Good enough” is never good enough.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m finishing the third and last book in my Wild Crime mystery series. The series follows a young abused woman who wants to kill her husband, and then he ends up dead. Crime and Paradise is the first book, followed by Crime Time Two. The third book is titled simply Wild Crime.

I also have started another mystery series, and can’t wait to really dig in later this summer.

Thanks for joining me today, Julie. Best of luck with Spirited Quest!

A little more about Julie Howard…

Julie Howard is the author of Crime and Paradise and Crime Times Two. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. Learn more at http://www.juliemhoward.com

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Spirited Questby Julie Howard-available now-

She’s chasing a ghost, but who is chasing her?

Paige Norman believes in a tangible, explainable world. When her ghost-hunting niece comes for a visit, she tries not to scoff. But someone, or something, is stirring up trouble at the Deerbourne Inn and her niece, Jillian, is at the center of the mystery.

Paige is certain the handsome Aussie photographer is behind the unexplained disturbances, and she warns her niece to stay clear. Meanwhile, Jillian gets to know the otherworldly Lady of the Deerbourne, who foretells an encounter with "two men." Then the pranks turn dangerous. Has her niece attracted a stalker or has she conjured an evil presence? Can the culprit be the man who has captured her heart?

Spirited Quest Excerpt:

He nodded a friendly greeting to her, his gaze grazing past to include others on the porch. “G’day, ma’am. G’day all.”

An Australian. Her heart skipped a beat. Oh, to be twenty-five, even thirty-five, again. His gaze settled on her niece, and as always happened to men where this girl was concerned, his jaw slackened, then tightened.

Next to her, Jillian grew still, lifting wide blue eyes to the newcomer. The moment passed. He was through the front door and into the lobby, and the door closed behind him.

“You’re in for some nice company this week,” Paige commented with a smile.

A frown flickered across her niece’s face. “I’ve seen him before.”

“You’ve met?”

“Not exactly. He appeared to me in a dream.” Jillian’s blue eyes were troubled as she gazed at the Inn’s front door. She lifted one hand and rubbed the back of her head, then gave a shiver. “There was blood and I was afraid.”