ℚ♫ The Ghost Hunter's Daughter - Caroline Flarity

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Caroline Flarity to talk about The Ghost Hunter's Daughter (13 April 2019, East Side Press, 264 pages), a Dark Young Adult Paranormal Mystery.

“It was a thrill ride to say the least; Sunnydale’s Hellmouth on CRACK!” – Unabridged Bren (book blog)

“Exceeded my expectations in terms of the magic system, proved me wrong when I thought I knew what was really going on in the plot, and Flarity earned my respect and kudos for realistically including mental health and societal issues.” - Inspired Chaos (book blog)

|| Synopsis || Teaser: KCR Preview || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

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A very warm welcome to Caroline Flarity; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

To begin, Caroline has shared with us her music playlist for The Ghost Hunter's Daughter - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for The Ghost Hunter's Daughter?

"The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter is a dark, coming-of-age YA paranormal mystery.  It was inspired by actual accounts of supernatural activity and societal injustices like bullying and harassment, predatory adults in positions of power, and sexism."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"I’ve long been fascinated by hauntings, near death experiences, psychic phenomena, past lives, etc.  I believe that consciousness extends past the body, and I like to explore that in my writing."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for The Ghost Hunter's Daughter - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"The cover ties-in closely to the story. I wanted the lockers to convey the YA genre.  The graffiti on the locker is meant to depict that the main character, Anna, is being bullied.  The words “goblin girl” are shown because this is what kids at school call Anna because her father is a paranormal investigator.

The feel of the cover reflects the dark tone of the book, yet there is a white butterfly perched on the locker.  This butterfly has many different meanings, some figurative and some literal.  The core of the story is Anna’s metaphysical coming-of-age, and butterflies often symbolize metamorphosis or change. 

Anna is first introduced as a bitter, grieving teen infatuated with an untrustworthy guitarist at school.  She’s resentful of her father and not present for her loyal friends as much as she could be.  Things get much worse for all of them when an evil entity invades their town, but Anna is eventually transformed like the proverbial caterpillar to butterfly.

Images of butterflies appear in the book several times.  Anna wore her mother’s butterfly barrette on the day her mother died.  The butterfly also symbolizes Anna’s mother, but I can’t say how because it’s a big spoiler.  Ebooklaunch.com designed the cover and interior of both the paperback and ebook.  I highly recommend them to indie authors and small presses."

Why should we read The Ghost Hunter's Daughter and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"Anna makes a lot of mistakes and acts her age (16).  She has a meaningful arc. 

If you love the supernatural and can appreciate “unlikable” characters who grow throughout the course of a book, you’ll probably enjoy The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter!"

Can you tell us something quirky about The Ghost Hunter's Daughter, its story and characters?

"Freddy, one of Anna’s two best friend’s, drives his dad’s old jeep named Major Tom.   Freddy is often seen wearing a NASA sweatshirt or peering through his telescope.  He loves all things space.  The cosmos (and our place in it) is also a theme in the book.

‘Major Tom’ is from David Bowie’s classic song Space Oddity, which includes the following lyrics about a fictional astronaut:

"This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today.”

Freddy grows despondent over his complicated feelings for Anna while under the influence of a parasitic evil.  In this state, he has especially disturbing thoughts about floating in space."

Who would you recommend The Ghost Hunter's Daughter to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I would recommend the book to older teens who like dark tales about the supernatural in a contemporary setting and are interested in the paranormal themselves.

Trigger warnings for suicide (while possessed), suicide ideation, predatory adults, mental illness (hoarding) and self-harm.  There is also a scene where Anna recalls when another character was groped by an older teen when they were both young girls.  It's not graphic, but the scene could be upsetting for some readers."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I like to both read and write speculative fiction, but some of my favourite books (The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and The Mare by Mary Gaitskill) do not fall under that genre.

I also enjoy reading nonfiction accounts of hauntings, near-death experiences and other supernatural phenomena, although they sometimes keep me up at night, and not in a good way.  Still, I come back for more!"

What is your writing process?

"I create a detailed outline before I start writing scenes.  I try and write in three to four hour spurts at least a few times a week.  I also spend a lot of time adjusting my outline and editing once I get feedback from my writing group."

What is in store next?

"My next book is a psychological thriller with a sci-fi element about a woman who discovers the horrifying secret behind her family’s criminal behaviour.  It’s in the same broad category as The Ghost Hunter’s Daughter, speculative fiction, but not YA. 

I’d also love to write a sequel to TGHD where Anna, Freddy and Dor team up during their senior year to tackle troublesome earthbound spirits."

Thank you for sharing, and for being with us today. We hope you are having a great tour!

"Supernatural meets Mean Girls" in this dark, YA paranormal mystery; jump into the creepy adventure.

The Ghost Hunter's Daughter
Available NOW!

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