Michelle Sharp | Where the Story of DREAM HUNTRESS Began
June 23, 2014
My debut novel, DREAM
HUNTRESS, releases on June 23 with Entangled Publishing—and wow—what a
journey! I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, because as I prepare to do interviews and
blog tours, I’ve been asked over and over what or who inspired me to write this
book. After thinking about that question for a long time, I’ve realized there
wasn’t a single incident or person that Jordan is created from, rather it was a
culmination of events and interests that formed her. I’ve always loved reading romantic suspense novels, especially if they involve a
great police detective story. I often think I should have been a cop or a
profiler because I find crime fascinating. Have you ever sat down and just
chatted with a police officer? I recently had the pleasure of doing just that,
and I could have listened for hours to all the crazy situations this detective
had encountered. He looked at me at one point and said, “Seriously, I can’t make
this stuff up.” I’m forever grateful to the men and women who are brave enough
to strap on a gun every day to go to work. And I love talking with them because
their stories make great fiction. I also had an interesting experience after my father passed away and I think it
contributed to the creation of Jordan. I am an only child and my parents were
divorced, so I felt very alone in that grief filled process of tying up loose
ends for someone I loved. Before losing my dad, I had never given much thought
to whether or not a loved one could “hang around” after they passed. But as I
was going through his things, talking to him as if he were there, a strange
occurrence made me certain he was there with me. I won’t go into
specifics, but it was eerie and my hair stood on end. I have never forgotten how
certain I was that he was communicating with me. After that, I enjoyed reading about and watching shows that dealt with psychic
mediums. No surprise that Medium was one of my favorite TV shows. But it
always ticked me off, that no matter how many cases Allison solved with her
psychic abilities, the police department always doubted her visions. I looked at
my husband one night and said, “Allison should just tell all those people to
jump in a lake and get a badge of her own.” I suppose my mind subconsciously toyed with that idea for the next few weeks.
Shortly after, the character idea for Jordan Delany—cop and medium—came to me in
a gush of writing. But I knew instantly that my Jordan Delany would never be
like any of the composed, self-assured mediums on TV. Following a tragedy in her
past, she would be a darker, more wounded character that has never been at peace
with herself or her gift. I spent the next few years getting her story down on
paper. I hope I’ve done her justice, but there are still days she rolls her eyes
at me and says, “Seriously? That’s the best you can do?” She’s been a different kind of heroine from the get-go. A little rough around
the edges and her vocabulary might be sort of… ahem… colorful. But her badge
means everything, and she has a fierce compassion for the dead who appear in her
dreams and need help to find justice. My hope for the reader is that you will enjoy reading about her life (and the
dead she communicates with) as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Keep Dreaming- Michelle Comment below to win a $10 Amazon gift card so you can purchase your own copy of
DREAM HUNTRESS.
Comments
19 comments posted.
Re: Michelle Sharp | Where the Story of DREAM HUNTRESS Began
I'm also a fan of Medium, but I always viewed the show as fantasy. Now having experienced my own personal loss, I've started to seriously entertain the possibility of what comes after death... Good luck with the book, the heroine sounds like someone whose tough enough to handle any lost soul, keeping the story from becoming a horror story. (Sue Ahn 6:29am June 23, 2014)
I don't believe that everyone communicates with us after death, but the reasons are unclear to me. My Mother has been gone for 12 years now, and has come back to see me several times. My Father, who has just passed away in April, has not been back to see me, even though we were very close. Although I don't want to put the reasons why down here in my response, I believe I know why, and understand why he won't show himself to me. Your book sounds like just the type of reading that I could get into, and I'll have to keep my eyes open for it. It's nice to see a refreshing genre that's more realistic in its' story line. This will definately make for a great Summer reading book!! (Peggy Roberson 9:59am June 23, 2014)
Thanks for the comments, Sue and Peggy. Before I lost my dad, I wouldn't have even thought about the possibility of a loved one communicating from... where ever they go - the great beyond, I guess. LOL. But there are some things you just can't ignore. Now I like to watch Long Island Medium and find her all kinds of interesting. I hope you enjoy the read! Good luck in the contest!
Michelle (Michelle Sharp 11:17am June 23, 2014)
Congrats on your debut... I believe our loved ones are still around us... sometimes I think it would be interesting to see what one of them would have to share if they could, but at the same time I would be afraid to hear what they have to say... (Colleen Conklin 1:01pm June 23, 2014)
Sounds like a great book. Thanks for the giveaway! (Sarah Bauman 1:25pm June 23, 2014)
Thanks, Colleen. I really wonder what they would say too? And I have a few questions I'd like to ask. But I don't think I'll ever be able to communicate with them quite like Jordan does in the book. LOL (Michelle Sharp 4:51pm June 23, 2014)
Thanks for commenting, Sarah! (Michelle Sharp 4:52pm June 23, 2014)
Sounds like it will be a good one!! (Leslie Rowberry 10:15pm June 23, 2014)
Sounds like a great read. Thanks for the giveaway. (Jana B 10:28pm June 23, 2014)
Thank you for commenting Leslie and Jana! I hope everyone enjoys Jordan and Ty's story. (Michelle Sharp 11:51pm June 23, 2014)
I have always believed in something after death, after all isn't that what we are taught in Church? So this sounds like an interesting book. (Cindy Olp 1:20am June 24, 2014)
We always looked forward to Medium each week. We enjoyed it. This book sounds l ike one I would really enjoy! Thanks for the chance to win a copy!!! (Bonnie Capuano 8:52am June 24, 2014)
the book sounds really good thanks for the chance (Denise Smith 9:25am June 24, 2014)
I was a fan of Ghost Whisperer, but I never tried Medium. Netflix here I come. :-D (Karin Anderson 11:03am June 24, 2014)
Sometime it seems like I can hear my grandmothers voice telling me when something isn't quite right. I don't know if it is just my own mind or whether she is still keeping watch over me. Can't wait to read the story. (Denise Boyd 11:15am June 24, 2014)
I use to enjoy watching Ghost Whisperer and would enjoy reading about Jordan. I guess a lot of interesting things happen before she and Tyler find they are on the same side of the law. (Anna Speed 1:20pm June 24, 2014)
When I was 5 years old , a ghost of a little girl came to me near a pond. She kept saying ," Be careful don't fall in. " She drowned there. (Deb Pelletier 7:12pm June 24, 2014)
My two neighbors saw and greeted my father on the day that he has passed away. They didn't have any idea that my father has died early in that morning and thought that he died after they saw him. (Kai Wong 10:00pm June 24, 2014)
Your release date is my Dad's birthday! Congratulations! (Sharon DiPrima 10:58pm June 24, 2014)
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