The 5th book in my Ghost of Granny Apples series, GHOST IN THE
GUACAMOLE, is about to be released. Wow! The fifth! And that doesn’t count
the two Granny Apples e-book novellas that are already out: THE SILENT
GHOST and DUMMY OF A GHOST.
When this series first started I really had no idea that it would be as popular
as it is or would extend beyond a few books. (Not that I’m complaining!) Really,
I didn’t. I thought after a couple of books, there wouldn’t be much to write
about or that readers would grow tired of it.
Boy, was I wrong! On both counts!
Just as readers are thrilled to see another Ghost of Granny Apples
mystery hit the shelves, so am I thrilled when the ideas for stories continue to
present themselves to me. Maybe ghosts are whispering in my ear?
Ideas for these fun books are triggered from all kinds of sources, but mostly
it’s a place that plants the seed for a story. I love to weave a little bit of
history into these stories about a 100-year-old pioneer ghost who helps her
great-great-great granddaughter, who is a medium, solve murders or prevent them,
and that means researching the geographical area in which the book is located.
For example, the idea for the last Granny Apples book, GHOST OF A
GAMBLE, came to me on a trip to Las Vegas and while reading up on the
colorful history of the famous gambling mecca. GHOST IN THE
GUACAMOLE takes place mostly on Olvera Street, the birthplace of Los
Angeles, and a destination that I’ve always wanted to feature in a book. Because
of Olvera Street’s Mexican heritage, I knew I wanted a title that reflected that
but was also catchy and cute. Thus, GHOST IN THE
GUACAMOLE was born.
Another great thing about letting the setting call the shots is that I often get
to research the history of these places in person, so it’s not only fun but
educational for me, and I hope for my readers. One of my favorite research
trips was for GEM OF A GHOST, the third book in the series. For that I
visited Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, and got a personal tour of a haunted prison,
which I used in the story.
Currently I’m working on the sixth book in the series. It’s working title is
GHOST WRITER and it takes place in rural Massachusetts. I’ve recently
taken a trip there and returned armed with research books on New England haunted
villages and ghosts sightings. I have a few more interesting ideas for future
books, which I hope I will get the opportunity to bring to life on the page.
Now if you’ll excuse me, this writer has to get back to GHOST WRITER
before the ghosts that whisper to me get restless. They’re pretty strict task
masters.
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7 comments posted.
You can go in a lot of directions with ghost stories, since they are not bound by the physical requirements of an organic body!
(Michael Burkhead 2:50pm January 25, 2015)
i love this whole series and cant wait for the next +installment". since you get your ideas from places, i dont see you running out of ideas for at least 10,000 yrs. you need to eat healthy, and write real fast, so you can live long and finish strong, so your readers will get as many books from you as possible. lol
(Sue Hieber 7:17pm January 25, 2015)