Grand Finale Blitz and Giveaway! THE GHOST CHRONICLES by Marlo Berliner

What is your motivation behind The Ghost Chronicles? What do you hope readers take with them after they’ve read it?

The best stories lie at the intersection of truth and imagination. The Ghost Chronicles began this way, as well. I had my ‘eureka’ moment one day while sitting on the beach in the Outerbanks of North Carolina (for those of you who don’t know where that is, I urge you to find out and go visit). At the time, I was reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Chapter Eight, The Deathday Party, deals with ghosts and what it might be like to ‘live’ in the afterlife, so that provided the spark that ignited the fire to write The Ghost Chronicles. As a flood of ideas filled my head, I scribbled down a rough outline and the book quickly took shape.

Teatime and Books – The Characters

My hero, Michael Andrews, is very much drawn from my own two boys, Michael and Andrew. Both of them are tall, handsome and athletic. In my story, Michael Andrews is an eighteen year old basketball star with a promising future, set to play for University of Pittsburgh after graduation. He has an impressive build and more importantly, a strong character.

Since Sarah is supposed to be Irish, I decided she would have long, wavy red hair and emerald green eyes. I wanted her to be a character as full of life as Michael. Her spirit is said to be playful and mischievous, so that’s the kind of character I was aiming for.

Life as Leels – Review

I am not one who typically reads books more than once, but this one will remain on my Kindle to read again in the future. That doesn’t happen often, but when I find a book like this, it’s a treasure to hang on to!

deal sharing aunt – The Setting

The Angel of the Sea is one of the most recognized Victorian structures in the United States. Legend has it that in the late 1960’s, a girl fell to her death at the Angel of the Sea and did at one time, haunt the inn. The story of the girl has been included in several non-fiction books about ghosts in Cape May. My heroine in THE GHOST CHRONICLES, Sarah McConnell, was inspired by this legend.

Becky on Books – Excerpt

No matter how he tried to joke about it though, he couldn’t shake the feeling someone, or something, was watching him from the darkness. He stopped and stood stock-still, listening.

Wishful Endings – Ghost Stories

To me, the best ghost stories are those that portray spirits in a realistic, believable way. In order to get past the suspension of disbelief, we need to be able to see ourselves in their shoes and buy into the possibility that there may be something beyond this earthly existence.

100 Pages A Day – Review

“I was pulled right into this story about Michael’s trials and learning about how to be a ghost. It was really interesting to see his struggles with leaving his family and girlfriend behind, especially in the absence of his father. . . . I will definitely be reading the second book!”

Mel’s Shelves – Romance in The Ghost Chronicles

To me, the best stories are those that forge an emotional connection with the reader. And what forges a better connection than a romance? In writing THE GHOST CHRONICLES, I realized about a quarter of the way through that it was missing something. This was Michael’s story of being stuck in the afterlife, but it needed more. The story really came together when I had the epiphany of adding Michael’s romance with another ghost, Sarah.

Rockin’ Book Reviews – Review

This was a well written, steadily moving, paranormal tale. . . . The characters are well defined and very realistic. The scenes are easily visualized. The Title and Book Cover are more than “fitting”.

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