Kelly Moran - Enchanting Ever-afters

Kelly Moran is an international bestselling & award-winning author of enchanting ever-afters with foreign translation in Germany, Czech Republic, Romania, and The Netherlands. As our Author of the Day, she tells us more about her book, Give up the Ghost.

Please give us a short introduction to what Give up the Ghost is about.

It’s the 2nd book in the Phantoms trilogy about a team of paranormal investigators on a fictional TV show. Paul & Kerry are best friends, and seeing her doppelganger scared her enough to change their dynamic from friends to lovers. The site investigation in this book is a ghost town in Arizona.

What inspired you to write about a paranormal investigator who sees her doppelganger?

When researching hauntings, I wanted to do something unique besides just ghosts. The 1st book had a traditional haunting with a mystery to solve. The 3rd book deals with darker entities. I also felt that seeing a doppelganger for book 2 (foreshadowing one’s death) would be a good catalyst to have the characters see one another out of the friend zone.

Tell us more about Kerry. What makes her tick?

Kerry is originally from the south and was raised on a plantation where she often saw child spirits. This propelled her interest in the supernatural. She’s also incredibly gorgeous, and thus, has had a difficult time finding her place in the world, not knowing who likes her for herself or because of her looks. Most people don’t know she’s very smart and an empath. She’s driven and kind, and Phantoms is her life.

Why did you pick an Arizona ghost town as the backdrop for your story?

I think because of the isolation factor, really. It added momentum to the doppelganger. Besides, they are fascinating places to ghost hunt. Even without activity, the setting is spooky.

What makes Paul such a great match for Kerry?

Paul is uber intelligent and sincere, but he has a mild insecurity about going after what he wants when it comes to Kerry. Think beauty and the geek. Her empath abilities and their friendship has proven to him that she’s legit and likes him for who he is, not intimidated by his mind. He grounds her in ways others don’t and he sees beyond her image to the woman underneath. He’s also tactfully honest with her, along with protective without smothering. She’s needed that her entire life.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

Ha! I don’t know about skills, but I love baking and dabble in painting acrylic nature scenes.

What did you have the most fun with when writing this story?

Normally, I’d hate research for books, but digging my fingers into this series was so fun. I visited haunted sites and watched many of the shows to gear up. As for actual writing, the action scenes were a blast, amping tension.

Readers say the story takes quite a few twists and turns. Did you plan it all out before you started writing, or did some of it just "happen" along the way?

A little of both. I always intended to have a series of accidents on site with the crew, because it made them question if the doppelganger was resolved, but some just kind of popped up as I went along. I’m more of a plotter than a panzer, yet when the characters talk in my head, I listen. It’s their story after all.

What fascinates you about the paranormal?

For me, it’s the unknown. So many people believe in only what they can see or touch. That doesn’t allow for shades of gray, and I live in gray matter. I also like the concept that this isn’t all there is to life. That we go on, or go somewhere, after we die.

Interesting cover. Tell us more about how this came about.

I wanted something that said spooky and romantic, plus got the investigation site, without it being too busy. I asked other authors who they used and researched many. I eventually settled with MoorBookDesign because, well, look at those pretties. All 3 books, plus the boxset, came out amazing. You can see the sites in the background, the characters look exactly how I envisioned, and the font is ghostly perfect. The colors are engaging and draw you in to “look at me.”

This is Book 2 of your Phantoms series. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?

All 3 books are stand-alones, featuring different couples and locations. The common denominator is that they are all part of the crew for the Phantoms TV show. There is a slight recap woven into each book in case a new reader picks up after book 1, but you can start anywhere in the series, no matter the order.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What's an average writing day like for you?

Coffee is a must, and I prefer quiet. I have a private home office. I can’t write with background noise like a television or music. I typically start my workday catching up on social media, my emails, and anything pressing, then I write. I often forget to eat.

What are you working on right now?

I’m finishing up book 2 in my Fated trilogy, which is a paranormal romance series about witches and destiny. I also just started writing a new small town rom-com series now that Redwood Ridge is complete.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

I’m all over the place, lol. My website has links, trailers, blurbs, and all sorts of stuff. I have a reader email that has news, recipes, and deets. It goes out once a month with a random winner and the link to that is on my site. I have a street team/readers group on Facebook. I’m on most social media platforms. I’m also very responsive by email. Quick link to all of these are here: https://linktr.ee/AuthorKellyMoran