My guest today is Kelli Sue Landon. Hello! Welcome
to Writing in the Modern Age! It’s such a pleasure to have you here.
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
Christmas
Past is about a girl, Nikki Thomas, who lost her best friend at the age of ten.
Her holiday spirit has dwindled and when her mother gives her some old
Christmas ornaments, Christmases of the past come back to her memory. She
accidentally goes back in time to the year 1988, which was the holiday where
her friend, Kat, vanishes. Kat’s mother was convicted of the crime, but no body
was ever found. Nikki starts questioning if the girl’s mother was wrongly
convicted, and hopes to uncover what happened during her short time travel
journey.
This is book one of a “holiday series”. It will not be released until
Fall of 2016 for the holiday season, but will be available on Amazon. I’m also
planning for this to be downloadable in audio.
Wow! It sounds fascinating!
Is there
anything that prompted Christmas Past? Something that inspired
you?
My mom also gave me some old ornaments that we had from the
seventies, when I was a child. Hanging them on the tree every year makes me
remember the house we first lived in and my relatives who are not with us
anymore. I often wish I could go back and relive past Christmases when I look
at the old ornaments.
Christmas is certainly a special time...
So, when did you know you wanted to write? Or has it always been a
pastime of yours?
Since I was a teen. I would sit in my bedroom, bored, so I just
took a piece of paper and started making up plots. Many were really bad horror
stories, but it was something to do. I did this more and more through the years
and ended up selling my first short story to a local magazine for $50 when I was
in my thirties.
Interesting! I love to hear about an author's journey!
Do you have any favorite authors yourself, Kelli?
Yes. Stephen King, Mary Higgins Clark, Sandra Brown, and Janet
Evanovich to name a few.
All right.
Do you write in a specific place? Time of day?
My house is so small, so I write in my living room when I’m the only
one home, which is normally after I get home from work – early afternoon. My
husband also sleeps late on the weekends, so I use that time to write.
It helps to have someone read your chapters or scenes as you
write. I email some to people I know who love to read and they reply with
feedback. That really keeps me going. They end up getting hooked on the story,
so that pushes me to write more until the work is complete.
And thank you so much for
stopping by to visit us here today at Writing in the Modern Age. It was
so nice having you! :)
Readers,
here is the blurb for Christmas Past (A Willow Creek Holiday Mystery).
Just before Christmas, Nikki Thomas lost her childhood friend,
Katherine, when they were ten years old. The case rocked the neighborhood of
Willow Creek in 1988. Kat’s mother was convicted of her murder, but no body was
ever found.
Now, twelve years later, Nikki works two jobs and moves into her
own house. Hoping to bring Nikki’s holiday spirits up, her mother, Joyce, gives
her some old Christmas decorations. One in particular, a bright white tree
topper, takes Nikki’s memory back to Kat Rogers. Kat loved spending time at
Nikki’s, since her mother, Monica, never took proper care of her. As the
memories continue to haunt her, Nikki decides to visit Kat’s childhood home,
but finds that her house is no longer in existence. Before she knows what hit
her, an accident sends Nikki back in time.
Thinking she is either dreaming or deceased, Nikki is forced to
live as a ten-year-old child with an adult mind. She finds herself in the year
1988, just prior to Kat’s death, and has the privilege of seeing her father
again, who died when Nikki was a teenager. As much as she enjoys being with her
parents, her mind starts reeling. Was Kat’s mother wrongly convicted?
Nikki thinks she could learn the truth about the crime since she knows
when it will happen. Could she prevent it from happening or perhaps, witness
who was responsible for Kat’s disappearance? If Nikki’s trip back to 1988
is just a hallucination, would the mystery be solved? Find out in this holiday
time travel mystery!
After school let out, Nikki finally had some work to take home. "I can't believe we have to write definitions," she told Kat.
“Vocabulary is easy,” Kat said. “Just copy it from the book.”
“I know, which really makes it pointless when you think about it.”
Nikki found Joyce’s car as Kat scanned the lot for Monica’s.
“You wanna go with us?” Nikki asked her.
“Oh, no. My mom will be really mad, since what happened on Saturday.”
Nikki had a flashback of Kat waiting for her mother outside the school after
the Christmas Pageant. Kat would tell Joyce and Don this same excuse about
Monica being mad that she left with them. “Well, is she here to pick you up?”
Kat shook her head. Strands of her long dishwater blonde hair had come out of
her ponytail at the sides. “I don’t see her, but I can wait.” Kat followed
Nikki to Joyce’s car.
“It’s cold!” Nikki told her. “And snowing.”
“I love the snow!” Kat said. “Don’t you?”
“I guess.” Nikki remembered how much she loved making snowmen and snow angels
when she was a kid. The cold weather never bothered her and Joyce would always
be after her for not wearing a hat or earmuffs. Kat never had anything to wear
on her head, so Joyce would give Kat an extra hat of Nikki’s. That went the
same for gloves.
“I can wait inside anyway. I will talk to you later if I can call you.”
“Mom!” Nikki acknowledged Joyce while holding the car door open. “Is it okay if
Kat stays over with us on December sixteenth?”
“Nicole, her mother will have to approve of that. I’m not stepping on her toes
again. Get in here. You’re letting the heat out.”
“Could you ask your mom?” Nikki asked Kat. “You can stay with us on the night
of the play if you want.”
“Okay, I might.” Kat turned and went back inside the school.
Nikki got into the car and put her tote bag next to her on the floor.
“You wore your gloves and hat!” Joyce said with surprise.
“I had them on this morning.”
“Doesn’t mean you will keep them on! Your bag was empty this morning. You must
have homework,” Joyce observed. “You need any help?”
“No way,” said Nikki. “This is freakin’ easy.”
“What did you say?” Joyce stared at her daughter, dumbfounded.
“Uh,” Nikki stammered, “It’s really easy.”
“That’s not what you said!” her voice became stern.
“I said freakin’.” Nikki forgot to watch what slipped out of her mouth
around her parents.
“I don’t care! Don’t use that word! Where did you hear it?”
Nikki thought for a few seconds before lying. “Timmy Sherman.”
Joyce reminded Nikki not to use the word anymore before continuing on their way
home.
“Do you think it’s odd for someone my age to still believe in Santa?” Nikki
asked her mother.
“Oh I don’t know. I guess it’s okay to hang on to fantasies you have as a
child. Why?”
“Well, Kat still thinks he is real, even the one at the mall. Now they are
hiring one for our Christmas play, I think the same one from what Vickie Graham
tells us. Miss Know-it-all.”
“Oh what’s the harm in it?” Joyce asked.
“Nothing, Mother, but it’s embarrassing around other kids. And I’m not talking
embarrassing for me, but for her. People make fun of her.”
“And does it bother her?” Joyce asked.
“No, but I wouldn’t want other kids making fun of me.”
“Well, if Katherine doesn’t care, then let her believe. It’s Christmas and many
people still make that Christmas wish. Why don’t you try it?”
Nikki suddenly had a realization. She was taken back to when she decorated her
own Christmas tree with the vintage ornaments that Joyce gave her. Nikki made
the wish that she would go back and see Kat again. Was this her Christmas wish?
Joyce pulled into their driveway as Nikki just sat in the passenger seat,
thinking.
“Nicole?” Joyce asked. “Time to go inside.”
“Huh?” Nikki asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.
“What’s with you?” Joyce asked. “Stop daydreaming!”
“You know Mom, you’re right.”
“I am?” Joyce asked with a chuckle.
“Yeah. I mean we should all believe in something. You never know when it might
actually come true.”
This book sounds interesting!
Remember, readers, Christmas Past comes out in the fall, so mark your calendars! Or follow Kelli's Amazon author page, and you just might get a notification about her next release! ;)
Kelli Sue Landon was born in Peoria, Illinois. She is a short
story author and mystery novelist. The themes of her novels are written
in the New Adult and YA genre, centering around characters at the age of
eighteen, either graduating high school or starting college. They are usually
NOT suitable for children. The themes of her books all involve some sort
of trip taken within the story.
Author Bio
Kelli Sue Landon was born in Peoria, Illinois. She is a short
story author and mystery novelist. The themes of her novels are written
in the New Adult and YA genre, centering around characters at the age of
eighteen, either graduating high school or starting college. They are usually
NOT suitable for children. The themes of her books all involve some sort
of trip taken within the story.
Author Links:
Website/Blog: www.kellisuelandon.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kellisuelandon
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Kelli-Sue-Landon/e/B004AVSSLS/
Kelli's
Books:
Coming Soon:
Available Now:
I love the last line: "We should all believe in something. You never know when it might actually come true." Enjoyed the Interview, and the book certainly looks interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Tom!
DeleteKelli Landon is a wonderful author with fresh ideas and many twists and turns in her books. Can't wait for Christmas Past to be released!
ReplyDelete