Lara Nance - Book Giveaway, Book Review, Author Interview, Author Guest Post

After Maeve renounces her powers as a witch and moves to Virginia to start a new life, the last thing she expects to see is a man jump to his death the second she gets out of her car. She also doesn’t expect to fall in love with the town’s sexy sheriff, Paul, the son of one of her Alzheimer patients. 


Unfortunately, as their relationship intensifies, so does the energy of the malicious presence haunting the old asylum whose ruins lie beneath where Maeve works. 


When a century old journal with ties to the asylum’s long forgotten cemetery surfaces, Maeve must conquer her inner demons and harness the magic she’s denied in order to stop the murders. If she doesn’t, she and Paul may be the phantom asylum killer’s next victims.












My Review:


This book was very entertaining right from the start! Fast paced. plot was "edge of your seat". Story line made it incredibly hard to put down. The characters rocked this book. They were very believable, relatable, and all around awesome. Overall the originality was breathtaking. The ending will undoubtedly leave you wanting more. The only problem I found with this book was that it ended, but that couldn't knock a star from this book. I highly recommend this book if you like suspense, mystery, with your paranormal romance.

5 Stars!

Author Interview:

Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

I'm a nurse practitioner by day and author by night and any other spare minute I can find. My husband and I live on our sailboat in Norfolk, VA with our dog, Rio, whom we live to serve.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? 

Actually it started about 25 years ago. I had just moved to Birmingham, AL for a job and didn't know anyone, so I started writing a novel in a notebook to entertain myself. I've been writing off and on since.

What surprised you the most about the writing/publishing process? 

That's it's so hard to learn to write well and break into publishing. Most people outside the business don't understand that.

How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula? 

I use a general plot outline (Michael Hauge's "Six Stage Plot Structure") and then I embellish along the way.

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing? 

I think plot is very important, then character development, basic Goal, Motivation and Conflict as well. Then edit, edit, edit.

In Twitter Fashion use 140 characters or less, sum Memories of Murder for us. 

A witch who has renounced her powers and a sheriff who doesn't believe in ghosts, must join together to stop an evil spirit before they become his next victims.

How did you come up with a story that was such a whirl wind of events? 

I saw it as a climax of the spirit becoming more and more threatening from the very first of the book and that made events take off and never slow down.

How long did it take you to write it, and did you have any writer’s block along the way?

 It took about three months for the first draft and then another two months of edits.

Will we be seeing a following book to this stories? 

 Possibly. I love the Gems. And I have an idea to write a story about the black sheep in the family, Damon, who is Maeve's cousin. Of course the Gems would have to step in and help him as they did Maeve.

How did you come up with the character Maeve? 


I'm a nurse practitioner myself and I always wondered if my Alzheimer's patients might be sensitive to ghosts since their brains dwell in a different dimension of reality. So in a way, Maeve is like me. I also wanted her to have a supernatural power that she was in conflict about, so that brought out the witch part.

I always must ask, If you could pick one actress to portray Maeve on the big screen who would it be and why? 

I guess I always pictured Julianne Moore as Maeve, or that type of look.

Was there anything you find particularly challenging when writing this book? 

Honestly, this book just flowed out of me. The editing was the most challenging part.

What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of your finished book? 

 I absolutely LOVE this cover. It's exactly what I wanted. I think Crescent Moon artist Ash Arceneaux did a fantastic job conveying the mood of the story. I couldn't stop looking at it for days.



Bio for Lara Nance

Lara Nance grew up and lived in many cites through the South. She started out with a career in business/marketing for twenty years and then went back to school for a masters in nursing and is currently a nurse practitioner in Virginia Beach, VA.

Having been on the fencing team in college and now living on a sailboat convinces her that she
was a pirate in another life, or possibly kin to Errol Flynn… However, due to the unfortunate
demise of the romantic pirates of the past, she lives out her fantasies and adventures in her
stories.

From ghosts, witches, and energy vampires to steampunk adventures, she is willing to explore a variety of paranormal activities within compelling tales of danger, suspense and romance. Look for interesting true historical tidbits woven into her fiction which invite the reader to explore further after the novel is finished.

Currently docked in Norfolk, Virginia (until the wind changes) Lara enjoys reading, of course writing, a variety of artistic endeavors, cooking and sailing with her husband, Joe, and Yorkie, Rio. You can visit her on her website: www.laranance.com 

MEMORIES IN AN ATTIC

By Lara Nance

As a nurse practitioner, I always wanted to see a novel where the heroine was one as well. For me, I see NP’s as heroes in everyday life, healing, teaching, comforting, so why not in a story?

The plot of Memories of Murder was sparked by observation of my Alzheimer’s patients and how they seem to be in another world part of the time. I fantasized that maybe they now operated on a different plane, and in that world they could see and communicate with ghosts.

From there I created the old insane asylum from which these ghosts would come. That led to my interest in old insane asylums. I studied pictures of the old Kirkbride buildings, the castle-like asylum structures of the 19th century. Then I ran across an article that I couldn’t stop thinking about.

This article told the story of the closing of the Willard Psychiatric Center of New York in 1995. As the staff worked to salvage remnants of the past, they came across an attic filled with hundreds of old suitcases. The suitcases held the last effects of some asylum inmates and the contents told the stories of their lives.

It’s a chilling reminder of how those considered to be insane were treated in the past. Many of these people were locked up for life for little more than a public outburst of anger. And yet they spent their entire lives in the confines of the asylum. Later a non-fiction book was written chronicling the people and their lives. In addition, an exhibition of the suitcases was set up.

Now that you know the real story, you’ll recognize how it influenced my scene in Memories of Murder where Maeve and Paul find the old maintenance shed from the asylum filled with suitcases.

If you’re interested in learning more about the true story of the suitcases in the attic of Willard, follow the links below for a news article and the actual exhibition site.

Article in Newsweek Magazine about the discovery of the suitcases:
http://www.newsweek.com/2007/12/08/dreams-and-suitcases.html

Website of the exhibition:
http://www.suitcaseexhibit.org/indexhasflash.html

Memories of Murder is a paranormal romance published by Crescent Moon Press. A portion of the proceeds from sales of this novel will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of my dementia patients, past and present.

Visit me at: www.LaraNance.com

Check out Memories of Murder at: www.CrescentMoonPress.com

FOLLOW THIS AUTHOR AT:

http://www.laranance.com

FIND THE BOOKS AT:

Crescent Moon Press: http://www.crescentmoonpress.com/books/MemoriesOfMurder.html

Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Memories-of-Murder/Lara-Nance/e/9780984180561/?itm=4&USRI=memories+of+murder

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=memories+of+murder+by+lara+nance&x=10&y=19

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