Happy Halloween!
Ghost stories have got to be one of my favorite things, whether at this season or any other. For that reason, I am so pleased to welcome pub sister M.S. Kaye with an interesting post on character names and her new book, Awaken From Death.
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Born from Death series – Haunted Blog Tour
Ghost stories—what better inspiration for character names can there be? Follow this tour to find the background for the character names of the Born from Death series.
Ilona Raynham
Ilona is sweet and sheltered, as well as brilliant and fearless. As one of only a few people in history to be half ghost, she has abilities she doesn’t understand and can’t always control, and the strength of her abilities is intensified by the age of her soul. She’s continued to come back to earth, choosing to be reborn over and over, to find Atomis.
The inspiration for the name:
“Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, is home to the subject of one of the most famous ghost photos ever captured, the Brown Lady is named so because she appears in a rich brocade brown dress. Though reports of sightings have waned dramatically since the photo was taken in 1936, sightings before then had been reported by some fairly reputable sources. My favorite account is from a Major Loftus, who was staying at Raynham Hall in 1849. Retiring to bed one night, he and a friend named Hawkins observed a woman in brown brocade who vanished as Major Loftus approached her. Determined to confront the apparition, the next night he returned to the same spot and saw her again. He was horrified to see however, that when he looked into her face he saw only two black sockets where her eyes should have been. Unsettling to say the least!” ~www.listverse.com
Awaken from Death
Book 2 of the Born from Death series
The only emotion Ilona can muster is anger for the death of her mother. Barely engaged in life, she focuses all of her energy on finding and punishing her mother’s killer.
Since Ilona can see ghosts, Archer has to find unique ways to hide while watching over her. When Ilona is in danger of being mauled by a dog, he desperately tries something that shouldn’t be possible. And yet he succeeds. This is just the beginning of his discovery of who—what—he truly is.
Lettie continues to interact with Ilona, her one friend, even when a Messenger warns her. Eventually, Lettie remembers the ancient connection Archer and Ilona share, as well as her part in the punishment Archer bore as a result of that connection.
Amazon ~ Barnes&Noble ~ Publisher (all formats) ~ Smashwords ~ Goodreads
Strong as Death
Book 1 in the Born from Death Series
Ilona runs from her sheltering mother in order to find the truth, why she’s seeing people who are invisible to everyone else. A mysterious boy named Archer guides her through Brooklyn and introduces her to Hendrick, the man who claims to be her father—though he died in 1890. Ilona must discover not only what she must do to rid the city of Soll, a sadistic and powerful spirit, but also what it means to be half ghost. She proves what her mother told her—love is stronger than death.
Publisher (all formats) ~ Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Smashwords
Author Bio:
M.S. Kaye has several published books under her black belt. A transplant from Ohio, she resides with her husband Corey in Jacksonville, Florida, where she tries not to melt in the sun. Find suspense and the unusual at www.BooksByMSK.com.
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Sneak Peek at Awaken from Death:
The blond boy didn’t walk up to a urinal or into one of the stalls, or even up to the mirror. He stood in the middle of the room.
Invisible, Lettie watched curiously.
Something moved backward away from him. Out of him.
She recognized Archer’s shiny black hair and strong frame even before she could see his face.
She gasped. But ghosts can’t inhabit people.
The blond boy shook his head and looked around. “Fuck.”
“I’m sorry,” Archer murmured so the boy wouldn’t hear.
Lettie stared at both of them.
The blond boy turned, leaned his hands on the counter, and looked at himself in the mirror…not the way people usually looked at themselves. It was more like he was trying to see something more than was in the reflection.
Archer watched him, as if waiting for him to see something.
Then Lettie understood. Archer hadn’t merely inhabited the boy—he’d possessed him. But there were only a couple ways that’d be possible—if he were half ghost, or if he…
A memory struck Lettie like a horse galloping across a battlefield. An ancient memory. Lettie had been around since the beginning of time on Earth, but most of those thousands of years she let slink around the crevices of her mind. It was mostly just walking the bridge with the newly deceased. There were a few memories, though, that burned into her every time she let herself pull them forward. And burned was precisely the right word.
She knew—or rather, remembered—why Archer would never leave Ilona.
Haunted Blog Tour schedule:
10/1/15 – Anna Durand – haunted blog tour Hendrick http://www.annadurand.com/born-from-death-series-haunted-blog-tour-guest-post-by-m-s-kaye/
10/5/15 – Colleen Laughlin – haunted blog tour Estes http://www.csmyersmusings.com/
10/6/15 – JM Maurer – haunted blog tour Mary http://www.jmmaurer.com/blog.html?m
10/8/15 – Judy Reynolds – haunted blog tour http://janarichards.blogspot.com/2015/10/haunted-blog-tour-with-ms-kaye.html
10/9/15 – Calisa Selfridge – haunted blog tour Marwell Hall http://wp.me/p1tz0T-1nQ
10/14/15 – Rachael Kosinski – haunted blog tour Balete http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com
10/16/15 – Jessica Cale – haunted blog tour Casper http://www.authorjessicacale.com/?m=1
10/19/15 – James DiBenedetto – haunted blog tour Turner Ingersoll http://writingdreams.net/blog/
10/22/15 – Kimbra Kasch5@comcast.net – haunted blog tour Kate Morgan http://www.kimkasch.blogspot.com/
10/24/15 – Angela Scavone – haunted blog tour Dorothy Walpole http://angelascavone.com/
10/27/15 – Helena Fairfax – haunted blog tour Archer Lane http://www.helenafairfax.com/
10/29/16 – Alisha Robinson – haunted blog tour Mr. Clifton http://alisharobinson.com/born-from-death-series-haunted-blog-tour
10/30/15 Tina Gayle – haunted blog tour non-ghost http://www.tinagayle.blogspot.com/
10/31/15 – Rosanna Leo – haunted blog tour Ilona Raynham https://rosannaleoauthor.wordpress.com
Rosanna Leo 