ALL HALLOWS EVE 2012 – GUEST AUTHOR: Sharon Lynn Fisher “Ghosts? Um, well, you see…” & Giveaway (ends 31/10/12)
Ghosts? Um, well, you see . . .
I love ghosts. I’m pretty sure I saw one once. I have a big lump of hematite a friend gave me for when I go to spooky old hotels, because apparently I have some kind of shininess that departed souls like. (Though not sure if I’m supposed to offer it as a gift, huck it at them, or what.)
I’ve done the ghost walking tour in the French Quarter at least four times, plus the one in Savannah just for good measure. Nancy Drew and Scooby Doo used to irritate the crap out of me because there was never REALLY anything ghostly going on.
But I have a confession to make. I think I snuck into the All Hallow’s Eve event on a technicality. Because the ghosts in my debut novel, GHOST PLANET . . . they’re actually aliens.
Yes, it’s true. But wait!!!
They DO look and act just like someone you know who died. And they DO follow you around wherever you go. If you try to force them to stay behind they wail in agony. And that’s pretty creepy, right?
Add all that to the fact my heroine, Elizabeth, dies just as the story opens, and on page 29 discovers she’s destined to spend the rest of her life “haunting” Murphy, the sexy psychologist who was supposed to be her boss. Really, I’m feeling less guilty by the moment.
And how about this — Elizabeth sees her own body!
My breath stuck in my throat as I saw the neat row of dark zippered bags, inert amidst the hurricane of activity. A tunnel of silence connected me with those bags, and a pull in my chest drew me across the tarmac.
I gazed down at the first of the oblong, lumpy forms. A strip of white tape stretched across one end of the zipper. Something had been written on the tape in black marker.
A. Nakagomi.
I walked slowly down the line, my eyes moving from tag to tag. Only three more to go . . . and suddenly I stopped.
A voice broke through the silence. “Hey, move away from there!”
Blood surging in my ears, I bent and gave the zipper a yank, ripping the white tape in half. I peeled back the edges of the bag.
Vertigo knocked me backward onto the tarmac. I couldn’t breathe.
I’d expected blanched, waterlogged skin. Purple lips. Sunken eyes. But she looked peaceful. Like she was sleeping. I crouched over her and grazed her cheek with my thumb, then recoiled at the temperature of her skin.
Someone pulled me away from the body and started shouting in my face. I couldn’t make sense of anything coming out of his mouth. Murphy moved into view and spoke quietly to him. The official’s words froze on his lips and his gaze darted to the unzipped bag, then back to me.
He released me abruptly, like I was coated with biocontaminant, and both of them moved away.
A boxy cargo ship roared in over the trees and settled like a fat hen next to the passenger ship. Big block letters on the rear cargo door read, “Cold Transport.”
I think I slid in fair and square. How about you?
(And tell me your ghost story if you’ve got one. I LOVE them!)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon Lynn Fisher is a three-time RWA Golden Heart finalist and the author of GHOST PLANET, coming from Tor/Macmillan on Oct. 30. The book is a sci-fi/romance blend that offers a “fresh and fascinating take on the human-alien problem” (says author Linnea Sinclair). Sharon has a passion for world-building and twisty plots. One theme that recurs in her writing is what it means to be human, and she’s also fascinated by symbiosis in human relationships.
Trivia: Writes, mountain bikes, hikes, and breathes in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Battles writerly angst with baked goods, Irish tea, champagne, and craft beers. Labels: Aries. INFJ. Geek Mom. Shoe enthusiast. First accomplishment as a writer: Honorable mention for “Ice Age Adventure” from Cricket Magazine (age 10)
ABOUT THE BOOK: Psychologist Elizabeth Cole prepared for the worst when she accepted a job on a newly discovered world—a world where every colonist is tethered to an alien who manifests in the form of a dead loved one. But she never expected she’d struggle with the requirement to shun these “ghosts.” She never expected to be so attracted to the charming Irishman assigned as her supervisor. And she certainly never expected to discover she died in a transport crash en route to the planet.
Reincarnated as a ghost, Elizabeth is symbiotically linked to her supervisor, Murphy—creator of the Ghost Protocol, which forbids him to acknowledge or interact with her. Confused and alone—oppressed by her ghost status and tormented by forbidden love—Elizabeth works to unlock the secrets of her own existence. But her quest for answers lands her in a tug-of-war between powerful interests, and she soon finds herself a pawn in the struggle for control of the planet…a struggle that could separate her forever from the man that she loves.
SHARON LYNN FISHER ONLINE: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Google+
GIVEAWAY!
Tor Books are giving away THREE (3) copies of Ghost Planet.
To enter the giveaway please answer the following question then fill out the form below: If you could have a ghost follow you around, who would you choose? Or, if you could be a ghost and follow someone around, who would you choose? The latter can be anyone, dead or alive.
This giveaway is US/UK/Canada only and ends 31st October 2012
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53 Comments
I know she’s not a real life person but I wouldn’t mind having Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter follow me around. She’d probably not moan as much if people were nicer to her.
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Keira Knightley… either way!
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If I could be a ghost I would team up with our recently departed family dog and follow my daughter around to keep her safe from harm
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PETER USTINOV ( BLACKBEARDS GHOST)
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Sandi Toksvig- too make me laugh in a rather grim time
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I’m not sure if i’d want a ghost following me around, but the ghost of Elvis Presley wouldn’t be too bad because he could sing to me!
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if I could have a ghost following me around i would choose my Papa his spirit is with me everyday!!
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I couldn’t choose just one…I’d love to think my Mom and Dad both follow me around everyday. xx
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it would be my grandma as i miss her so very much and she didnt get to see my husband ir children , also many things she said are now make much more sense now as i have matured and see things differantly , and i would love to tell her how wise she was
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i would love to be a ghost and follow politicians to see what really goes on behind closed doors!
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I don’t think I like the sound of a ghost following me around, I would follow my kids to try and keep them safe
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The ghost of Jim Morrison.
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I would love to have my maternal grandfather’s ghost hanging around. While he was a bit of a tough love person, I only got to spend a few years with him before he died back in ’53.
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Thanks for a great post and congrats to Sharon on the new/upcoming release! Umm… I don’t know if I would l want to be haunted or the haunter! But I guess… maybe haunted by Ghandi cuz he wouldn’t cause trouble and would give good advice and I would haunt the president of the US just to find out all the national secrets
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Thanks so much!
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I would follow my family to watch over them. If I could still turn pages, I’d be sure to haunt the bookstore too.
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I would follow Marilyn Monroes
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i would want to follow the president around. i am not a very trusting person and am very curious, not just about him, but the people around him. thanks for the giveaway.
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Definitely a friendl ghost, like Casper
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I would have the ghosts of my former dogs follow me around. I still miss them and feel them sometimes!
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I would have Elvis Presley following me around.
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If I was a ghost, I can’t decide whether I’d want to follow my loved ones around and protect them or haunt the ones who did me wrong!! Hmmmmm, if I had to choose one or the other, I’d stay with my loved ones.
Thanks for the giveaway!
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I’d choose Jim Morrison from the Doors to follow me around as a ghost. I think he’s be very interesting, he wrote some pretty interesting songs.
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whoop whoop!!!! One of my new fave authors!!! Can I just say this book is DEFINITELY worth taking the time to enter!!! Utterly loved reading and reviewing Ghost Planet!!! Congratulations on such an amazing book Sharon…
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Thanks so much, Vickie! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it, and am really looking forward to your review.
I have to tell you that avatar is creepy in the EXTREME.
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Dr who (all of them they can just keep on going!)
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my late grandad
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Steve Jobs so he could inspire me to do ‘One Last Thing’. Oh, and get rich doing it.
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I’d be a ghost and follow Oprah around.
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If I could have a ghost follow me around. I would have to pick my best friend. He would keep me company with good conversation. He would also know when to give me my privacy.
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I love reading these! Very interesting answers. I wanted to participate too, but every time I thought I’d decided on someone, I couldn’t help imagining how I’d feel if they followed me to the bathroom, the bedroom . . . :O
But that aside, I think Jane Austen. I would ask her for advice 100 times a day. And she is bound to be cheerful company.
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you are more than welcome Sharon. I love reading books I just can’t put down, even if they do make me late for work and shattered in a morning as you just HAVE to finish the page..(ok… the next chapter,…. just one more chapter…honest!!) So far as who I would have follow me..hmm..so they can be alive or dead…. too hard to choose just one. I think I would have to have a gaggle of ghosts, one for every occasion! Michael McIntyre for when I need a laugh, my Mum for when I need comfort, and Buddah for when I need some divine patience..although they had better not follow me into the bedroom, as I don’t need michael laughing, mum watching, or buddha commenting in there!
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Ha ha ha! No kidding! I can hear it now: “Relax, breathe, be in the moment . . .”
I feel bad to make anyone “late for work and shattered,” but that is awesome!
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Dont feel bad!! I didn’t! lol
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Wow, thats one awesome question! I would have to say either my favourite author or the queen!
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I would have my cousin follow me around to make sure I keep to the right paths in life!
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Gemma Arterton either way is fine
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If I was a ghost I would follow the Glee cast around as I am little obessed with that programme LOL
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If I was a ghost I would follow my family around to keep them safe
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I’d follow some of my favourite authors for many reason. Firstly to make sure there are writing quickly and secondly I’ll read snippets before anyone does. Win-Win.
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HA! I need a ghost like this.
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i would follow hugh lawrie about as he seems quite interesting!
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If I had a ghost following me, I would prefer it to be someone I knew in real life. Maybe my grandmother on my mom’s side of the family. If I were a ghost myself, I would watch over my family and protect them as best as I could.
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If I were a ghost I’d have to follow my boyfriend around, make sure he’s a-okey and what not :3 also stop by and follow Felicia Day too
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I would have Kim and Aggie from ‘How Clean is Your House?’ follow me around doing a reverse poltergeist act and tidying up after me.
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I would follow Stephen Fry around, I would be bound to learn a lot!
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I think a ghost following me around would terrify me!
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I would want to follow my husband around and make sure he found love again and was OK! A little creepy maybe
The book sounds like a fascinating concept!
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I’d follow Damon Salvatore around (Ian Somerhalder) – swoony x
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i WOULD LOVE My Nanny to be my ghost and watch over me
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Leonardo Da Vinci, with modern science to build on he could come up with even more amazing inventions, and I could make a fortune. Maybe even rule the world one day!
Mwuahahaha!
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