Was it coincidence that brought them together – or a ghost with a purpose?
Wild Women Authors focus is on The Spirit of Vanderlaan, a paranormal mystery, written by Susan Harris Howell, and published by the Wild Rose Press.
About the Book: After Samantha
Hayes and her students uncover a death on campus, they must draw on everything
from science to seances to learn what happened before Samantha gets fired for
“dabbling in the paranormal.”
An excerpt:
Samantha reached out to hold
Chess's shaking hand only to immediately regret it. The stickiness of dried
blood would have made her recoil, but she refused to desert Chess, who squeezed
her hand like a frightened child. So while Allie returned Chess’s skates and
answered the questions of concerned friends, Samantha stayed put. She only
hoped the pounding of her own heart would not attract attention and require an
explanation.
After Chess’s wound was cleaned and
bandaged, Allie stated that she would drive Chess to the ER. "I can't
ride in your new car. My clothes are all -" She grimaced at her
blood-stained shirt.
"The blood's dry. It'll be
fine. Besides, think how fast my car will get us there." She directed
Chess's attention away from the injury.
Samantha pointed to
Allie. "Keep it under the limit, missy." Samantha disliked
conceding the role of caregiver to someone else, but Allie had things under
control. Besides, it couldn't be helped.
Samantha quickly walked toward the
women’s restroom, which, thankfully, was empty, went in, and locked the door.
With deep, shaky breaths, and no longer fighting the tears, Samantha moved
immediately to the sink where she scrubbed her hands vigorously, several times.
She reached into her purse for her cell phone, scrolled quickly through her
contacts, and tapped her thumb on the one she sought.
She took a deep breath when
instructed to leave a message. “Debra, this is Samantha Hayes. Could you give
me a call please? I need to talk to you.” She waited a moment, decided she had
said all she needed to for now, then added, “Thanks,” before ending the call.
She continued to hold her cell,
however, as she paced, all the while trying her best to take even, measured
breaths. Think of something else. You’ve washed your hands. You’re
safe. You'll talk to Debra when she calls back. Breathe. She was
surprised that her reaction was this intense. The sight of blood had not
frightened her this much in a long time.
As she debated whether to stay or
go home to await Debra’s call, her cell rang, making her jump. With another
shaky breath and a sigh of relief, she answered. “Debra? Thanks for calling…
Okay… actually, no I’m not okay. I hate to bother you, but something just
happened.”
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Vanderlaan-Samantha-Hayes-Book-ebook/dp/B0DHV65RM4?ref_=ast_author_dp
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-spirit-of-vanderlaan-susan-howell/1146282868?ean=9781509258888
A bit about our
focus author:
Susan Harris Howell is a psychologist on faculty at a small university in Kentucky where she has taught and mentored young adults for over thirty years. The Spirit of Vanderlaan draws on that career to capture the camaraderie and warmth between a professor and the assortment of personalities which inhabit her office. While The Spirit of Vanderlaan is her first work of fiction, she has published extensively on equality between men and women. Her first book, Buried Talents, explores gendered socialization and was published in 2022. Susan is married to Dwayne and has two grown children, a daughter-in-law, one adorable grandson, and an incorrigible beagle, named Doc.
To learn more about Susan and the stories she creates, go to:
Website:
susanharrishowell.com
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/susan_h_howell/
Email List & Monthly Blog: susanharrishowell.substack.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/susanhowellwriter
Bluesky @SusanHarrisHowell.bsky.social
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22175282.Susan_Harris_Howell
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/susan-harris-howell
Excellent interview!
ReplyDeleteGood luck and God's blessings
PamT
Thank you!
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