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Friday, October 27, 2017

Ghosts, Surf, and Sun with Karen Michelle Nutt @KMNbooks #endoftheroad

Is "ghosts" a great topic for this weekend? Karen Michelle Nutt has been sharing snippets of her latest release on Weekend Writing Warriors. I've been enjoying each 8-10 sentence excerpt, so when she announced the book was released I had to have her here to share an interview with Cecilia Gunner, the main character. 

When I read Karen's post, I remembered my first contact with the Pacific Ocean. After a Romance Writers of America conference in the 1990's, a friend took me to Malibu Beach so I could walk in the ocean.


Q&A with Cecilia Gunner and Karen Michelle Nutt




The waves are long and smooth and the surfers are in the water at the Malibu Surfrider Beach. An occasional laugh and soft murmurs are carried on the wind. The forecast states it is 80 degrees and the sun is shining bright but the cool breeze keeps the day from feeling too warm. Karen is sipping a cinnamon almond latte and Cecilia has an ice tea with lemon in her hand. They take a seat on one of the benches on the Malibu Pier to begin their interview.

KAREN: Let me introduce, Cecilia Gunner, who stars in my novel, End of the Road. She resides in Malibu, California, a magical place of surf and sun.


CECILIA: It's where surfers from around the world travel just for chance to surf at the Malibu Surfrider Beach. 


KAREN: I can see that. What are some of the other places of interest?

CECILIA: There are many cool places where a person can just chill. But if you're visiting Malibu for the first time, you shouldn't miss a stroll down the Malibu Pier. You could have lunch at the cafe at the end of the pier or just enjoy the view.


Karen glances around her and she has to agree. The view is fantastic

CECILIA: Kaleb and I love it down here.

KAREN: For those of you who don't know, Kaleb is the psychic Cecilia is seeing in hopes of helping her father move on to the afterlife. By the way, Kaleb is really cute.

Cecilia grins, wickedly.

CECILIA: He is, isn't he? 


CECILIA: But maybe we should stay on the subject of places to see in Malibu. Just down the road, visitors should check out the Adamson House. This is a historic house and gardens within the Malibu Lagoon State Beach Park. The house was built in 1929 and has been called the 'Taj Mahal' of Tile due to the decorative ceramic tiles that are showcase throughout the house.


KAREN: I've been there. My friends and I took the tour. The tour extends to the inside of the house too. Unfortunately, we weren't permitted to take photos inside the house, but we took plenty of photos of the grounds. If you don't mind, tell us a little about the house and its history.


CECILIA: I don't mind at all. The house was originally a vacation cottage for the family but eventually they made it their permanent home. During World War II, the United States Coast Guard used the bathhouse as their headquarters to watch over the Malibu coast.

KAREN: I loved learning the history of the places I visit.

CECILIA: If you like history, then the Getty Villa should be on your list to visit also. The museum focuses on Ancient Greek and Roman Art. It's free to visit the museum but you must make a reservation. Cecilia pauses for a moment to sip her ice tea.


KAREN: So, you're haunted by your father. Tell us how this came about.

CECILIA: My father was Lars Gunner, frontman to the Silent Plaids. The band was popular in the early 1990s. He died 23 years ago when he drove his truck off the pier located on my parent's estate. I was only three years old at the time and my memories of him are vague.

KAREN: It must be odd getting to know your father now as a ghost.

CECILIA: It is but I wouldn't miss our time together for the world, but I know he can't stay on this realm forever. I'm learning all about ghosts from Kaleb and the different kinds of hauntings.

KAREN: Besides your father, are there any other ghosts haunting Malibu?

CECILIA: There's the ghost of Thelma Todd, an actress who was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. She supposedly haunts this building on Pacific Coast Highway. It was once her roadside cafe and it's not far from the house where she met her mysterious end. People have claimed they've spotted a filmy apparition standing in front of the building and that it resembled the actress. Unfortunately, my photo didn't capture her standing there and Kaleb said he didn't see her there either.


KAREN: Well, that concludes our interview for today. Thank you, Cecilia, for being here.

CECILIA: Thank you for having me.

KAREN: I thought we'd end with an excerpt from END OF THE ROAD where Cecilia and Kaleb are at a restaurant discussing the supernatural.

CECILIA: It was our first date. Her lips curve into a smile as she remembers that night.

* * * * *
Excerpt:

"I couldn't let you pass up their Cannoli." Kaleb leaned forward resting his forearms on the table. 

"Cora is right. They are to die for." His light-hearted teasing changed as his attention was averted to something behind her.

She shifted around in her chair to follow his line of vision, but she didn't see anyone there, just an empty table for four. She glanced at him again with unease. "Is there something there?" Her voice was a mere whisper.

He nodded with some reluctance. "There's a ghost seated at the table behind you."

She couldn't help it; she whirled around again expecting to see this ghost he spoke of, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary and she told him as much. "I wondered since I could see my father if I would end up seeing other ghosts," she continued to whisper so not to be overheard. There were still a few tables around them where patrons were seated and enjoying their dinner.

"I had wondered too but not all who have encountered a ghost end up seeing numerous ones. Just like someone who is sensitive to the otherworld may not see the entity in the same way."

"Do you mean I might see my father differently than how you see him?"

"I believe some people are capable of seeing a ghost or spirit if they opened themselves to the possibility. However, even when the heart is willing, some may not be able to pick up the signal, or energy that the ghost or spirit gives off."

"You keep saying ghost or spirit, but aren't they the same thing?"

"Most probably think so, but I think of a ghost as a person who has yet to move on to the afterlife."

"And a spirit?"

"One that has passed on to the afterlife but comes back for a visit. These entities are different than ghosts."

She frowned. "Different how?"

"The spirit is... How should I put it? They're more angelic than human in a sense. I think that's why they don't always appear like they looked when they were alive. Sometimes, they're just a whisper or they leave behind scents that trigger a memory just to let us know they were thinking of us."


End of the Road
Karen Michelle Nutt

Genre: paranormal/ ghost story /mystery/ romance

Publisher: Twin Star Books

Date of Publication: Oct. 22, 2017

ISBN: 978-1976310584
ASIN: B075FDJBKF

Number of pages: 282
Word Count: 86k


Cover Artist: Gillian's Book Covers:  "Judge Your Book By Its Cover"

Tagline: A rock legend never dies. Sometimes, he comes back as a ghost...

Book Description:

Lars Gunner, the frontman for Silent Plaids, died 23 years ago and his death was ruled an unfortunate accident. Despite the fact he can't recall what happened to him in his last moments of life, he is convinced he was murdered.

He has been trapped in limbo until his daughter, Cecilia, unearths his journal and is able to see him.

She seeks help from Kaleb, a psychic, but as they resurrect the past, the secrets and lies surrounding Lars' rock and roll life just may be the death of them too.


Amazon     AmazonUK     BN     iBooks     Smashwords


 * * * * *

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband. Though her three children are grown and starting their own adventures, she still has a houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chorkie, is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.

When she's not time traveling, fighting outlaws, or otherworldly creatures, she creates pre-made book covers to order at Gillian's Book Covers, "Judge Your Book By Its Cover".

Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.

Visit the author at her website: http://www.kmnbooks.com
Gillian’s Book Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”
Amazon Author Page:




2 comments:

  1. Diane,

    Thank you so much for having me on your blog and showing off my new release. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My pleasure, Karen. I hope this book does well. It will tug heartstrings.

      Delete

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