Possess by Gretchen McNeil

POSSESS

by Gretchen McNeil


Paranormal YA

Harper Collins
www.GretchenMcNeil.com

3 Signed Copies will be given away on Friday, September 2, 2011!

About the Book:

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.

Check out our Exclusive Interview with the Author here:

1) How did you get the idea for the novel?

POSSESS was inspired by the books I loved to read as a kid. Some of my fondest reading experiences from my childhood and teen years involved scary stories. Horror, gothic, ghost stories – anything that would send a chill down my spine, make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and force me to sleep with the light on. I wanted to write that kind of story. And when I thought about what scared me the most, exorcism and demonic possession was at the top of the list.

2) When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer? Have you had other jobs along the way?

Funny story. I never actually wanted to be a writer. I was a performer – a singer, to be exact – and my dream was always to be an opera singer. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out. It happens. Then about four years ago I was going through a very difficult personal tragedy, and I just woke up one day and said, “I’m going to write a novel.”

Totally ridiculous, I realize. And it was a horrible novel. But I was hooked. Totally hooked on writing. The story telling, the plotting, even the revising. HOOKED!

So yes, writing is actually my third career. I’ve been an opera singer and a television producer/voice over artist. Oh, and I also sing with the circus. Fourth career? Fifth? Dunno. I’m lost.

3) What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of and why?

Most people who have read POSSESS talk about the doll shop scene, but actually my favorite scene takes place in a mental institution, when Bridget confronts her father’s killer. It’s a heartbreaking scene. I get choked up every time I read it.

4) Which fictional character do you have a secret crush on?

Gilbert Blythe. Hands down. I actually did a blog post on my Top Ten Fictional Crushes and Gilbert beat out Willoughby, Heathcliff, Captain Mal and Sirius Black. You know why? Because Gilbert was in love with Anne not for her looks, not for her shenanigans, but for her brain. Gilbert loved that Anne was smart. He loved competing against her. He loved sparring with her. He loved that he’d found someone so perfectly his equal. That, in my humble opinion, is exactly what true love should be.

5) What's up next for you?

Next up is TEN which is a stand alone contemporary horror novel about ten teens trapped on an island with a serial killer. It’s in the vein of Christopher Pike and Lois Duncan, and tentatively scheduled for Fall 2012 with Balzer + Bray. After that, I’ll be going back into Bridget’s world with the sequel to POSSESS which would be a 2013 release.

About the Author:

Gretchen McNeil is an opera singer, writer and clown. Her YA horror/paranormal POSSESS debut with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins, August 23, 2011. Her second novel, TEN – YA horror/suspense about ten teens trapped on a remote island with a serial killer – is tentatively scheduled for a Fall 2012 release. Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk (www.cirqueberzerk.com). Gretchen is also a founding member of the vlog group YARebels (www.youtube.com/yarebels) where she can be seen as "Monday." You can also visit the author online at: www.GretchenMcNeil.com.

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