Kat Henry Doran/Veronica Lynch: Out of Body by Kimberly Baer

Astral travel is amazing…if you survive the trip.

Those weird dreams Abby Kendrick has been having? Turns out they aren’t dreams after all. They’re out-of-body experiences, like the ones her cousin Logan is having. At first, Abby has fun with her new ability, using it to spy on her neighborhood crush and spook a mean girl. But when Logan gets in trouble on the astral plane, the game changes, and Abby must bend the rules of out-of-body travel as she journeys to a distant realm. Her mission is a perilous one, and success is not guaranteed. Can she save Logan and find her way home again? Or will the cousins be lost forever on the astral plane?

Wild Women Authors is pleased to feature Out of Body, a YA paranormal novel, written by Kimberly Baer and released by the Wild Rose Press. First up is high school student Abby Kendrick.

Good morning, Abby. Thanks for joining us today. Let’s begin with you telling us a bit about Out of Body. It is the story of my adventures (or, more accurately, misadventures!) as an astral traveler. I was stunned when I discovered I had the ability to leave my body in spirit form and go flitting around the world—and beyond!—and I have to admit, I went a little crazy at first. I abused my power and did some really awful things. I hurt people. In the end, though, I used my power for good, so I hope that redeemed me in the eyes of God.

Knowing what you know now, if you had it to do over again, would you do those awful things? It’s impossible to know for sure, but I don’t think I would. I’m not the same girl I was at the beginning of my story, so I can only hope my newfound morals would kick in and keep me on the straight and narrow.

What is your biggest fear? Being friendless and isolated. That’s something I lived through at the beginning of this story. I was an invisible girl with no real life of my own, and I never want to go through that again.

Who is your favorite fictional character and why? Citra from Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series. She’s a kickass heroine who really grows throughout the story.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received? “Don’t collide with dead people.” Cryptic, I know, but you’ll understand once you’ve read my story.

Thanks for this, Abby. Now we’d like to speak with Kim.

Which writer or character[s], from either books or movies, [or both] have had a major impact on your writing? Janet Fitch’s White Oleander and Tana French’s The Secret Place both feature teenage characters so real that you can practically smell their shampoo. The beautiful, lyrical writing in Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver blows me away every time I read it. These authors are my role models; I aspire to their level of excellence.

With regard to research, where did you start for this novel? Did that lead you down different paths, thereby changing the original concept? Before I started writing Out of Body, I’d never read a book about astral projection, either fiction or nonfiction. I did some research as I was writing, but the world-building comes primarily from my imagination. Assuming astral projection is a real thing, I probably stretched the limits of possibility—but, hey, that’s what fiction is all about, right?

Tell us a bit about your publisher. I heard about The Wild Rose Press from an acquaintance who’d published a book through them, so I took a chance and submitted my own manuscript, my first YA novel, The Haunted Purse. TWRP has an online forum where authors can share marketing tips, ask questions, etc. They also offer weekly online chats that provide guidance on a variety of topics—writing, marketing, upcoming events, and more. The submission process is a breeze, much quicker and easier now that I’m a returning author. From query to release, the process took thirteen months, longer than for my other three books. But that’s okay. I’m just happy the book is finally out there!

What are you reading right now? The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean. I’m a sucker for a unique premise combined with strong writing, and this book delivers. It’s about a group of people who literally eat books and absorb the knowledge within them.

What's next for you? I’m working on a sequel to Out of Body. Astral projection is a fascinating subject, one with infinite plot possibilities, so I feel compelled to keep going.

Kim brought an excerpt for us:

It had been a tiny, meaningless dream. Not much to offer plot-wise. Why was it thumping so insistently inside me?

You know why, said a firm, quiet voice in my mind.

But I don’t.

You do. It’s because—

I walked faster, trying to outrace the voice. Knowing I couldn’t.

—because there was something different about that dream.

No, there wasn’t!

Something strange.

“No,” I said, as if uttering the word aloud would give it more weight. “It was just a dream. A normal, stupid dream that didn’t mean a thing.”

Except it didn’t feel like a dream.

Yes, it did.

It felt like real life.

That’s crazy! That’s impossible! That’s—

Like. Real. Life.

The words slammed into me like three bullets. I stopped walking.

Like real life. That was how Logan had described his dreams before he’d realized they were out-of-body experiences.

Had the Roscoe dream been an OBE?

“No,” I moaned, sagging against a hefty oak tree in the Hoffmans’ front yard.

It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Out-of-body travel was Logan’s thing, not mine. I was letting my imagination run wild. My mother always said I was impressionable.

Then again, was it so crazy to think I might have the same weird ability Logan had? After all, we were cousins. Maybe it was a trait we shared, like our thin brown hair and knobby knees.

A violent shiver rippled through me, even though the sun was once more warming the air. The notion that I might have left my body like a dead person and flown off into the night was terrifying.

And also exhilarating.

To learn more about Kimberly Baer and the stories she creates go to: www.kimberlybaer.com.

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To Purchase Out of Body, go to:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Out-Body-Kimberly-Baer-ebook/dp/B0CQ34D8H5/