Rock Star Writers: Gwen Gardner

Today I am so very happy to have Gwen Gardner visiting. She has a new release out: Ghostly Gallows--a perfect read as we head toward Halloween. But I'll let her tell you all about it! 

Welcome, Gwen!

Thanks so much for hosting me today, Susan!

Today is release day for Ghostly Gallows, the second novella in my Afterlife series. Do you feel a theme building already? I’ve always been slightly obsessed with the paranormal, starting with Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy, the Good Little Witch. I’m talking about the original animated versions, so I’m dating myself here!  

Indigo Eady is my main character. Of course she’s fictional, but her first name and some of her attributes are based loosely on a term I discovered during research: Indigo Children. There is a new school of thought that some of today’s children are special, that they are the next stage in human evolution. Indigo children are empathetic and highly intelligent. They are strong-willed and curious, which leads them to question everything, including authority. They have a strong sense of right and wrong. They can sense a lie a mile off and find it nearly impossible to tell a lie themselves. They speak their minds. And of course, they’re highly intuitive.

In the world I grew up in, everything was black and white, with a lot of gray in between. But today’s world is not the world I grew up in. To me, it feels like Black and White are taking sides and so there is less room for Gray. This is the world that I imagine Indigo Children being born into. A good vs evil playing field. Dystopian even. A perfect world for my characters.

Indigo Children is a controversial topic with some referring to it as a pseudoscience. I neither believe nor disbelieve in the concept. It was research. I took the details I wanted to use, added some snark, and my fictional, ghost-whispering teenage psychic was born! I liked Indigo Eady so well, that I dropped her into two different series’.

Of course, Indigo is deeply flawed, as well. She refuses to visit her father’s grave because she feels guilty. She refuses to unpack her trunk after moving because she’s in denial and doesn’t plan on staying. Her mother figure is a ghost madam from the Victorian era. And the boy she likes…well, it’s complicated.

What do you think?

Do you believe in Indigo Children?

Blurb:

Ghostly Gallows:

The case of missing paranormals is far from solved.

Hundreds of Sabrina Shores’ spirits are still missing.

In Second Death, Indigo and her friends escape an eternity underground in evil clutches. Back aboveground with a few missing ghosties happily in tow, one truth is painfully clear: the size of their problem is bigger than the village cemetery itself.

Now in Ghostly Gallows, new information leads Indigo and her fellow investigators to the ruins of Gallowsgate Prison, long abandoned by everyone and everything except malevolent spirits. It’s not called Gallowsgate for nothing when the noose swings a little too close to home.

Indigo Eady:

Much to her chagrin, Indigo Eady is a celebrity among spirits. She’s the girl who can see and speak with them. She has a proven track record in helping spirits find their murderers, so it’s no surprise when she’s drafted onto the Missing Paranormal Committee. Who better to help them than the experienced teenage ghost whisperer- investigator and her friends?

Connect With Gwen Here:

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Amazon / B&N

Buy Ghostly Gallows Here:

Amazon / B&N / Google Play

About the Author:

Gwen Gardner is a native Californian living in sunny San Diego, where her love of reading and writing led to a BA in English literature. Life is now complete with her husband, two dogs and a daily call from her daughter.

Since ghosts feature prominently in her young adult Indigo Eady Paranormal “Cozy” Mystery series and Afterlife series, she has a secret desire to meet one face to face - but will run screaming for the hills if she ever does. Gwen adores travel and experiencing the cultures and foods of different countries. She is always up for an adventure and anything involving chocolate - not necessarily in that order.

Thanks for stopping by, Gwen. Both your novella and your research sound completely fascinating. 

Have you read Gwen's first book in the series, Second Death? What do you think of the idea of Indigo Children?