Been working on two books this week. The new YA zompoc fiction and also, Ghostly Perceptions, book #3 in the Ghost Releasers, Inc. series.
Jill James, author of zompoc romance
Tag: ghosts
Halfway There
Tear another calendar page off. We are halfway through the year. Hello, July!
I’m pretty much on course for the plans I made for this year. Christmas novella for box set is done, just needs a cover. First three zombie books are in a box set. Zombie book #4 is done and published. Ghost book #2 is in final edits and will release August 9th. Plotting for Ghost book #3 is done and will start writing today for July Camp Nano.
Other plans for this year: Shifter book #2 is a few thousand words in, so will continue that and hope to have it published by end of year. Working on some ideas for doing episodic work on Amazon Vella, maybe with J. James pseudonym.
Do you set goals for your year? Are you on course? Ahead? Behind? No matter, just keep going!!
Jill James, uber planner and plotter
Ghostly Deceptions – work in progress
Thanks to everyone who took the poll. Ghosts it is. So I’m back to work on Ghostly Deceptions and Ghostly Perceptions, books 2 and 3 in the Ghost Releasers, Inc. series.
If you’ve read book 1, Ghostly Intentions, you know Megan’s sister, Andrea and Jack’s business partner, Luke. They are the leads in book 2. Here is a snippet of their story.
************************
Andrea Martin-Stovall didn’t feel like herself this morning. Hadn’t felt like herself for weeks. An unknown voice rattled around in her head. Something hummed through her veins and crawled over her skin. Her body felt crowded and not her own.
She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and wondered when she had become a frumpy old hag. Her hair was long and heavy. With a smile, she picked up the scissors and started cutting her hair off in handfuls. Chunk after chunk fell to the counter top and the floor at her feet.
When she placed the scissors on the vanity top two feet of glossy dark hair lay in piles and her airy-light strands swung at chin length. For the first time since she’d been a child, straight bangs sat on her forehead above dark brows.
Her eyes twinkled as she gazed into the mirror. “There you are Andi,” she whispered as she slicked on bright red lipstick across her lips.
She slid on the red silk dress she’d found buried in the back of her closet. The fabric clung to every curve like it had been sewn on her. No panty lines. She laughed. No panties.
Sitting on a bench at the foot of her bed, she placed red high-heeled shoes on her feet and stood. Her full-length mirror showed a woman ready to party. Perfect.
Andrea grabbed a small clutch purse off the dresser, knocking a framed picture to the floor. Sparing it a glance, she wondered who the two little girls were in the photo behind the shattered glass.
Megan, my sister. A voice whimpered from the depths of her mind.
She shook her head and ignored it. Andi controlled this body. Andrea had her chance. Now it was time for Andi to live.
Again.
I’ll be working on the two books simultaneously so I can release them close together. I’m thinking with a three month preorder for one and a two month preorder for the other.
Happy hauntings, Jill
Teaser – book #2
So, the second book I’m working on is actually book #3 in the Ghost Releasers, Inc. series. It is called Ghostly Perceptions. The main characters are Rafe Elliott, a widower with a small son, Joey, being tormented by the ghosts of his murdered friends. Donna Collins is the main character in this story. She appears earlier in Ghostly Intentions and Ghostly Deceptions as a member of the Ghost Releasers, Inc. team. Her specialty is cameras to film the otherworldly and paranormal.
Chapter 1
Rafe Elliott didn’t believe in ghosts. It didn’t matter how much Joey cried in his room or how much it made his heart break to hear his son sobbing in his room. His hands clenched into fists on his thighs. He pressed to keep his feet firmly on the floor beside his bed. He wasn’t going into that room again tonight. The first time he’d done the open the closet, look under the bed routine. The next three times he’d opened the door and reassured his child the boogyman was not going to get him. The last time he’d yelled from his own bedroom that it was bedtime and he wasn’t going in there again.
His resolve lasted all of five seconds before the boy’s blood-curdling scream rebounded across the house and Rafe leapt off the bed and rushed out the doorway.
The sprint down the hallway seemed to take a lifetime as Joey’s screams ratcheted up another octave. Dogs howls echoed from the neighbor’s yards. Thumping came from his son’s room as if the bed were being moved across the floor.
He grasped the doorknob and hissed in pain at the intense cold of the metal froze his hand to the surface. With a scream of his own, Rafe ripped his hand from the knob, leaving a layer of skin behind.
Turning, he dove against the door with his shoulder. A crack sounded, but the door remained shut. Two more slams of his body and the door ripped open, bouncing off the wall as he stumbled into his son’s room.
Small for his age, Joey was a tiny figure in his bed as the covers whipped away from him and flew to the other side of the room. His hands held onto the headboard as if he would be flung across the room next. His son spotted him in the doorway, as his large blue eyes begged for help.
“Help me.”
The small whisper hit him like a sonic boom, piercing his heart. He was supposed to protect his son from everything, but how did you protect someone from what you couldn’t see or couldn’t understand. Like dealing with Elise’s cancer, he was out of his depth and clueless.
Ghostly Perceptions will be book #3 in the Ghost Releasers, Inc. series.
Jill James, romance writer
Teaser – book #1
I’m working on three books at the same time right now. Book #1 is actually book #2 in the Ghost Releasers, Inc. series, Ghostly Deceptions. The main characters are Andrea Martin-Stovell, the sister of the main character, Megan, in Ghostly Intentions and Luke Tremaine, the friend of the main character, Jack, in Ghostly Intentions.
Here is the snippet of Ghostly Deceptions:
Chapter One
Andrea Martin-Stovall didn’t feel like herself this morning. Hadn’t felt like herself for weeks. An unknown voice rattled around in her head. Something hummed through her veins and crawled over her skin. Her body felt crowded and not her own.
She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and wondered when she had become a frumpy old hag. Her hair was long and heavy. With a smile, she picked up the scissors and started cutting her hair off in handfuls. Chunk after chunk fell to the countertop and the floor at her feet.
When she placed the scissors on the vanity top two feet of glossy dark hair lay in piles and her airy-light strands swung at chin length. For the first time since she’d been a child, straight bangs sat on her forehead above dark brows.
Her eyes twinkled as she gazed into the mirror. “There you are Andi,” she whispered as she slicked on bright red lipstick across her lips.
She slid on the red silk dress she’d found buried in the back of her closet. The fabric clung to every curve like it had been sewn on her. No panty lines. She laughed. No panties.
Sitting on a bench at the foot of her bed, she placed red high-heeled shoes on her feet and stood. Her full-length mirror showed a woman ready to party. Perfect.
Andrea grabbed a small clutch purse off the dresser, knocking a framed picture to the floor. Sparing it a glance, she wondered who the two little girls were in the photo behind the shattered glass.
Megan, my sister. A voice whimpered from the depths of her mind.
She shook her head and ignored it. Andi controlled this body. Andrea had her chance. Now it was time for Andi to live.
Again.
***
I’m enjoying writing Andrea. She is a control freak. Everything has to be perfect, in place, the right way. When she is possessed by a ghost from the age of jazz her entire life goes off the rails. Only the people of Ghost Releasers, Inc. can help her before Andi takes over and Andrea is no more.
Ghostly Intentions is the start of Ghost Releasers, Inc.
Jill James, romance writer
Nice surprise this morning.
I used the promo in Kindle Select to make my book free for a couple of days to get it into some readers’ hands. This is what I saw this morning;
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,365 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
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- #53 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Horror > Occult
- #55 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Ghosts
Very excited! Love to see my books up in the ranks, even if it is the free ones! Get it for free while you can. It will be free Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!!
Enjoy ghost hunting with Jack and Megan!
Jill James, romance writer
Do you believe in ghosts?
I do. The husband is a skeptic, but I’ve seen them and I’ve heard them. In our old house I would get the dark forms in corners and random door shutting sounds. It had an overall feeling to the house.
I’ve been sound asleep and family members who have passed on have visited me for one last time. It is a comforting feeling. A last good-bye. I wanted to use that feeling in my newest book, Ghostly Intentions.
When Jack O’Malley’s big sister dies, she visits him that night.
Shannon came to him that night. Not a dream, but a ghostly visit. Shivers still spiked down his spine when he remembered that event. His first paranormal experience. Falling asleep at almost dawn, Jack heard his mother’s soft cries in the room beside his. His father’s muddled murmurings to his mother added to his sense of unreality. In the predawn hours, their house was usually silent except for the creaks and groans of a settling home or the click of Mutt’s nails as the dog surveyed their house in the nocturne hours.
Something touched his arm. A chill covered the skin and goosebumps popped in the frigid air. He opened his eyes and his sister was there. Her light rose scent filled the room. Their mother had started letting Shannon wear cologne to be a big girl. His sister moved closer. She reached down and touched his arm again. Shivers shot down his spine. The bed jostled as she sat on the edge, his body rolling toward her. He should have been afraid, but he would never fear his big sister.
“Jack, it’s your job to watch over mom and dad now. I’ll always be keeping an eye on all of you, but I’ll be too far away. I wish I didn’t have to go, but I do.”
He touched her hand. Her skin was soft and real, although as cold as ice. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Shannon ran a hand over his head and ruffled his buzz-cut hair as she always did. The rose scent grew denser in the room, clogging his nostrils, and making him light-headed. Her wispy image fluttered in his teary gaze.
“Jack, you have to let me go. I can’t go unless you release me.”
He closed his eyes, pulling back his hand. “I will always love you, Shannon. You can go now.”
When he opened his eyes, she was gone, along with her floral scent he would recognize until the day he died. He cried as he hugged his pillow and whispered good-bye to his big sister.
What had he done? He wanted her back. He wasn’t ready to let her go.
You can check out Jack O’Malley, his Ghost Releasers team, and Megan-the haunted widow in Ghostly Intentions, Book 1 of the Ghost Releasers, Inc. series. It is available on Amazon at the special release price of 99¢ or read it for FREE on Kindle Unlimited.
Jill James, romance author and believer of ghosts
New Release – Ghostly Intentions
Didn’t get picked for Kindle Scout 😦 Decided to release book on my own. 🙂
Ghostly Intentions Book 1, Ghost Releasers, Inc. is available on Amazon and for FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
Check it out on Amazon for Megan and Jack’s story.
Books 2 and 3 coming soon!!
Ghostly Deceptions and Ghostly Perceptions
Jill James, romance author and ghost believer!
Just a Week Left – Kindle Scout
That’s right! Just one week left to nominate Ghostly Intentions, Book 1 of the Ghost Releasers, Inc. series.
Just click the pic to nominate me today!
Thanks, Jill James
Time is Running Out – Please nominate now!
Just letting everyone know that Ghostly Intentions is still in Kindle Scout with just two weeks left to get nominations. If you nominate me and it gets picked for publication — you get a free book!!
Super Easy! Just go HERE and nominate my paranormal romance Ghostly Intentions! It is super hot and sexy. Think ghost hunting with sex and romance. A touch of dark evil and true love!!
Thanks!! Jill James, romance author
Current Projects – Summer/Fall
I’m going to be busy through the end of summer and beyond, working on my current Works In Progress or WIPs. I have several things planned for the next few months.
Christmas Novella – published independently or with a boxed set group.
Waking Up For Christmas
Waking Up For Christmas is the story of Darcy and Chase. They are in the midst of a divorce when the unthinkable happens – Darcy is in a terrible car accident and in a coma at the hospital. Chase is at her side every day reminding her of their love and why she needs to wake up for Christmas.
Paranormal Ghost Story – aiming for trying Kindle Scout – a crowd-sourced deal at Amazon
Ghostly Intentions
Ghostly Intentions is a paranormal tale of a young widow, Megan who can’t let her husband’s ghost move on. Why would she, when he comes each night to make mad, passionate love to her? Only Jack of Ghost Releasers, Inc. can show her the edge of madness she is treading and how real love is deeper and richer than any ghostly visitation.
Contemporary Romance – reviving and editing old story
Books and Dreams
Books and Dreams is less heat than my current books. Set in a small town, it pits Lyanne and Jack against each other for ownership of the building on Main Street in Wildrose, California. If one achieves their dream, the other loses. Can love make winners of them both?
Paranormal Vampire Story – may publish this under another pseudonym since so different from anything else I write.
Even Vamps Get Divorced
Still in brainstorming/plotting stage, but general idea is vampires are in the open and known but not liked by everyone. When Claire’s boy toy turns up dead all the clues point to the vampire did it. Can she prove her innocence to the police detective who believes all vamps are guilty until proven innocent? When Det. Anderson falls for his prime suspect will he be the next on the killer’s hit list?
What are your plans for summer/fall 2016?
Jill James, busy romance author
Got Kindle Unlimited? I’ve put 2 of my books into the program. Dangerous Shift
and The Reluctant Bride. Click here!
The Bone Island Trilogy – Heather Graham
Not in a long time have I been so entertained by a trilogy by Heather Graham. The books were definitely interconnected but each was an awesome tale all on its own. In writing classes I’ve heard of using setting as a character, but I don’t think I understood that until these stories. Key West is a character all by itself. The history, the people, the legends, and the ghosts. I so want to go there.
Ghost Shadow – is the story of Katie O’Hara and David Beckett. Wrongly accused of murder, after 10 long years David Beckett returns to his home after the death of his grandfather. When history starts repeating itself everyone looks to David as the guilty party – everyone but Katie, who believes in David with all her heart. I loved that the ghosts of Key West are secondary characters in this tale. Bartholomew is really cute, for a pirate ghost, sorry — a privateer.
Ghost Night – is the story of Vanessa Loren and Sean O’Hara. After a slasher movie gone murderously wrong, Vanessa is determined to get Sean, a world-renowned photographer to prove that something or someone killed the lead actors of her movie and it’s not the guy everyone is blaming. The scariness of Haunt Island and the history of the area add so much to this story and make for a great, satisfying ending.
Ghost Moon – is the story of Kelsey Donovan and Liam Beckett. After the death of her grandfather, Kelsey returns to Key West and to Liam, who has never forgotten her. Mysterious going-ons at her grandfather’s house point to Satanism, witchcraft, and evil. But cop Liam is sure the trouble facing Kelsey is a little bit more of the human variety. The paranormal twisting through the tales made them all excellent reads, and an amazing story when added all together.
Jill James
Blog a Blog – G
Blogs I visit that start with “G”
Actually, when I checked my regular blog list, no G’s. So I ended up checking out my Research blogs and found a couple of sites I bookmarked for Ghostly Intentions, a paranormal I was working on. She is a widow being visited each night by her departed husband, who makes mad, passionate otherworldly love to her. He is a Ghost Releaser who would like to send the departed husband on his way to the white light so he can make mad, passionate love to the gorgeous widow.
Jill James
Writer’s World
Writers sometimes need visuals to get through a jam or block in our writing. In my currant WIP Ghostly Intentions I have a paranormal investigation. Kinda like Crocodile Hunter meets Ghost Whisperer. I picked Hugh Jackman to be my inspiration. He is my Jack O”Malley, Ghost Releaser.
Jill James
Jill James, romance writer 