Spotlight New Release Interview | A GLIMMER OF GHOSTS by Hunter J. Skye
Please make welcome a sister Rose (The Wild Rose Press), Hunter J. Skye! We're celebrating her debut release A Glimmer of Ghosts, Book One in the Hell Gate Series. I have it on my kindle and will be reading it soon. The Tavern is serving Passion Tea and Red Velvet cupcakes. Get comfy and let's hear what Hunter has to say...
Congratulations, Hunter! Delighted you could join us today. I'll start by asking one of my favorite questions: Describe a typical writing day. Are you a morning, afternoon, or night-owl writer?
A typical writing day for me would have been yesterday. I was driving my oldest to school and the muse struck. I saw what looked like a turtle emerging from the muck at the edge of the tree-lined road and words floated together- “The turtles slip from mud’s cold embrace carrying Spring on their backs.” It turned out not to be a turtle. Turtles are still hibernating in coastal Virginia at this time of year. But my muse was wide awake. She had slipped free of the muck of responsibilities, chores and errands in my brain. So, I drove straight home and started writing. That’s how it works for me. I’m totally at the mercy of my muse- night and day.
You have a unique muse, Hunter. I find I'm half in my fictional world most of the day. Must be careful when I'm driving. I tend to get lost. Can you tell us about your current work-in-progress?
Now that my debut novel, A Glimmer of Ghosts – Book One in the Hell Gate Series, has just released, it feels like I’ve unzipped my ribcage and let my heart fly free, but my main character- celebrity ghost hunter, Melisande Blythe -won’t let me rest on my laurels. She’s whisked me away to Barcelona, Spain in search of the next Hell Gate. So far, the story is filled with things like drunken saints, dream hounds and a really promiscuous doppelganger. The love story between Mel and, three-hundred-year-old corporeal ghost, Colonel Grayford has taken a desperate tone. It grips me by the throat as I’m typing.
Yes! I love it when a muse takes over! So happy to hear there'll be another book. What inspired you to write this book/series?
I was literally born to write ghosts stories. I grew up in a spooky Late Victorian house in the notoriously haunted historic district of Olde Towne, Portsmouth in Virginia. The ghosts in my neighborhood are so well-known and beloved that they are featured on an annual Ghost Walk at Halloween which takes tourists from haunting to haunting by lantern light.
If that’s not reason enough to be obsessed with the paranormal, throw in an unusual medical condition called hypnopompic hallucinations. It’s a symptom of narcolepsy and it basically mimics the presence of other-worldly entities. In my search for a coping mechanism to deal with these terrifying night time visitors, I adopted a new survival plan- “when life gives you ghosts, write a ghost story.” Now that those specters are on the payroll, everyone is much happier.
I'm in awe how you used your medical condition as a survival plan, Hunter. Thank you for sharing. What’s your favorite item on your writing desk?
My desk is in front of a window so my favorite item is the cat bed I put on it. Now I can watch the sun turn my cat’s dark stripes into rainbow strands while I write. It also keeps him off my keyboard and away from my monitor. The scamp.
Wish we had a photo to share! You’ve been given a golden ticket to time travel into the past. Whom would you meet and why?
I know the answer to this question, but I’m afraid of how it will make me come off. I don’t consider myself a model Christian, but the only time I ever think about time-travel is during the season of Lent. I have wished, on more than one occasion, that I could go back to the night Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane to the moment he asked his friends to stand watch. Jesus was left alone with his fear because his friends were so drained, they couldn’t stay awake to comfort him. I know what it’s like to struggle to stay awake or to face fear alone. I wish I could go back and wake them up or stand watch for them so that Jesus might have some company in that dark moment.
Thank you so much for having me today! It was great talking with you. I’ll stick around to answer any questions anyone might have, or just to shoot the breeze. God bless.
Wishing you all the best with A Glimmer of Ghosts!
Backcover blurb for A GLIMMER OF GHOSTS
One night of filming in the wrong cemetery changes everything for a celebrity ghost-hunter with a half dead brain. When Melisande Blythe discovers that a secret society of wraiths wants her killed or worse, Mel will have to do the one thing she promised she would never do… trust a ghost.
But, does the corporeal spirit of her dreams really want her heart or does he want her newfound ability to enslave souls? With Hell on the horizon, Mel is running out of time. She has to stop the fiery invasion or face the darkness warring in her soul.
Sneak preview from A GLIMMER OF GHOSTS
My mind rolled on the shore of dreams. Each wave of REM stage that washed toward me threatened to sweep me away. I fought the tide as spirits spiraled past us. Where were they going? I reached into an icy current and caught another hand rough with the burdens of his former life. He closed the memory of his calloused fingers over mine.
“What’s wrong?” I asked the ghost. He fixed me with the deep-sea eyes of a faded mariner. His uniform came into view, and I heard the wet clang of a ship bell ringing.
“She’s here.” His voice trembled. “My apologies, Miss. There is no time. You must run!”
Available at these online retailers
Meet the Author
Hunter J. Skye is a high-functioning square peg, which turns out to be a prerequisite for writing quirky urban fantasy and paranormal romance.
Her debut novel, A Glimmer of Ghosts, has won four Romance Writers of America awards pre-publication.
When not typing away on her next novel, Hunter can be found cracking nerdy jokes or waxing existential over a bowl of spaghetti.
She firmly believes this world is ready for a narcoleptic heroine.
Connect with Hunter here:
