Because I love ghost stories

So, for the past year you may or may not have heard me obsessively talking about Jefferson Parrish and Sadie, and ghosts and all things creepy. I mean... for the most part that's just me. If I'm not talking about ghosts you might want to make sure a body snatcher hasn't come along and stolen me. But there's actually a reason for all of this.

This year, I'll be finishing up two different series. In April I finished off the Sugar Coated Trilogy (which I'll silently shed a tear for since those characters are now gone from my writing agenda).

And in December I'll finish up the June Series when the fourth and final book comes out. (Another silent tear because it's JUNE! How can I not write her anymore?)

But it's okay. Because what better way to fill that void, than with a new series? And a series that lets me pretend it's the best month of the year (October) all year long? So at long last, I am VERY excited to finally announce that September 28th I'll be releasing the first book in my Parrish Chronicles (because "Chronicles" sounds way more ghost-y and hardcore than series)! I have absolutely no idea how many books will be in the series because I intend to write it so that you can pick up any book in the series and not be lost. Of course there's an overarching story throughout the books, and character development that means it's best to start at the beginning. But each story has it's own unique plot. So this thing can go on for as long as I love ghost stories (so forever... probably). At the moment I have 4 books planned out, but let's be honest, it'll probably go way beyond that.

So let's tell you a bit about the book AND show you the eerie cover!

My little gang of misfits are twenty-somethings out of college who all just happen to be ghost hunters... because that's totally normal. Right? They're tight on cash and live in Portland and REALLY need to find a way to not be evicted from their adjacent apartments.

This is Sadie Smith. Sister of Michigan Smith (who will have her own non-related book one of these days).

Sadie lives in Oregon with the rest of the gang. She's Cuban and feisty and tomboy-ish with her cute little pixie cut and loves the paranormal but has a huge problem.

This boy.

Jefferson Parrish. He's the self-proclaimed leader of  this little ghost hunting group. He's basically a Tim Burton character come to life. He and his cousin Deacon Parrish (below) are British... and cousins... and tall... but that's about where the similarities end. Jefferson is passionate about ghost hunting. Unfortunately he's also passionate about Sadie. And he's not really the subtle type. In fact he likes to walk a fine line between romantic and just plain creepy. But it's not his fault. The boy loves ghosts. How could he be normal? Oh and did I mention? Jefferson is Hayden Temple's cousin... and he sort of HATES Hayden because he thinks he's a perfect Golden Boy.

So there's some nice family conflict for you. But it also means Hayden and Isla will be popping in and out of the series :)

And then, of course, we have Jefferson's cousin, Deacon Parrish.

He's scared of women, socially awkward, and never serious. His default is to either talk about video games or try to make everything into a joke. And he just happens to be in love with...

This girl.

Brighton Gilbert. She's a bit of a walking contradiction. She looks like a cheerleader turned super model. But she has asthma, anxiety, panic attacks, and about every phobia and social disorder you could ever possibly imagine. It's sort of amazing she even functions like a normal human being on most days. And being part of a ghost hunting group would seem like a really bad idea, except for the fact that she's the technology genius in the group. So she doesn't investigate. She just manages the equipment from the safety of the van. She also happens to be cousins with the rest of the blondes. You know... Amelia, Reagan, and Isla.

So these little weirdos who have stolen my heart, will take us on our ghost hunting adventures, but each of them have a little something more to them than meets the eye. None of these things will actually be stated outright in the first book. But if you can figure out what each of them are before I tell you in the following books, you'll get 100 Science Collaboration Points!


Anyway, enough novel-length reading. Let's see the cover!

...........





Like now.




........................................

Or maybe now!

Bam!

Cover.

I sort of love it. Which might be conceited because I made it. But I don't care. I'm a little Jefferson-level-obsessive when it comes to this series. And that's Sadie on the cover... in case anyone cares... which maybe you don't because you haven't read it yet. But I do :) Every cover will feature a different character, and they'll all follow the creepy watercolor motif.

Seriously guys. This is the series I write when I want to make sure writing is fun for me. I mean... it's always fun. But nothing makes it more fun than these characters.

I'll be posting the first few chapters up on Wattpad in the coming weeks, so if you're interested, you can find it there!

So there you have it. I'm in LOVE with this series and I can't wait for you to meet them. Because I love them and I think you might too... hopefully. And even though Jefferson sounds crazy... just wait. I promise he's not.

Also, I definitely modeled Jefferson Parrish after Mika. Who just happens to have a creepy Tim-Burton-esqu music video. So enjoy a singing version of Jefferson Parrish :)



Here's the official blurb-y thing.

Sadie Smith was absolutely certain of three things: (1) ghosts were indisputably real; (2) she and her three friends were some of the best (if not the most . . . conventional) ghost hunters in Oregon; (3) her teammate Jefferson Parrish was always the scariest thing in the room—even during a paranormal investigation. In a face-off between supernatural beings and Jefferson's lack of social skills and Tim Burton-esque vibe, there really was no contest.


But ghosts—unsurprisingly—aren't great at helping to pay the rent, so when Sadie and her friends receive an anonymous letter from a mysterious client offering an undisclosed sum of money in return for finding the link between four haunted locations, it's an easy sell. Going on blind faith and a few vague instructions on how to reach their first location, the ghost hunters set out only to see clue after clue falling into place. As they piece together a sinister mystery reaching back to the 1800s, the group starts to wonder if they're in over their heads, or if they're on the path to unraveling a love story that was buried long ago—and one that should stay buried.

And here's where you can add it to your shelf on Goodreads!

Until next time!

Shannen

*This probably doesn't need to be stated because who's going to sue me for my two laser turret action figures and a bowl of cereal? But The pictures I posted are my dream cast... not... you know... affiliated in any way with Parrish.