On Tour: Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton, Voices, an Excerpt, and a couple of Giveaways!

Tortured Souls

The Orion Circle #1

Kimber Leigh Wheaton

Tortured Souls by Kimber Leigh Wheaton
YA Paranormal Romance
June 29. 2014
Sea Dragon Press

Sometimes Rest in Peace isn't an option.

Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it's ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.

When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie's longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.

But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he's never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.

Kacie can't ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.

Voices

Hi Kimber Leigh - welcome to The Book Bag today! And thank you for tackling my 'voices' question. I love to hear what authors have to say about their voices.

I have heard other authors say that they 'hear voices in their head' and that is how they write their books: the characters are telling their stories. Not being a writer myself, that concept has always intrigued me.

When some people hear voices, we get them medical attention, others end up becoming writers. Does this happen to you? How do you come up with your stories?

Those Nagging Voices in My Head

You’ve just got to love the title of this guest post. Wait! Please don’t call the local psychiatric hospital. I’m not schizophrenic or delusional… I’m a writer.

People often ask where I get the ideas for characters and stories. I have a very active imagination, as well as a very active, sometimes lucid, dream life. I call the main voice in my head my muse. She is very active, especially when she should be quiet. Her favorite times to bug me are while I’m driving—like I can do anything about inspiration when I’m behind the wheel, and when I’m trying to sleep.

It sounds kind of odd when put that way, almost as though the muse is a secondary entity. But in actuality, she’s just my subconscious mind shouting out ideas that my conscious mind hasn’t discovered. Sometimes writing isn’t a choice but more of a need—like if I don’t get these characters and plots out of my head, it might explode.

Before beginning a novel, I always meditate on it for several weeks. I try to get to know the characters, explore potential plot twists, all while picturing every aspect of the story I’m about to create. My characters will have full conversations with me when I meditate. It helps me envision how they will react in different situations. By the time I’m ready to start writing, I feel like my characters are good friends.

And yes—yes that is a touch creepy, but I think it happens to many writers. I want my characters to leap off the page, and the best way to do that is to understand what motivates them. When I write, I want my story to be character driven. Don’t get me wrong, the plot is very important, but ultimately the characters will drive my stories.

There was a time while writing my first book, Shadow Fire, when I felt out of control, like the main character was desperate to get her story out. It happened off and on while writing Tortured Souls. Kacie’s feelings about her mother and ghosts are raw and full of angst. When I channeled Kacie while writing, I lost track of time and everything else around me. If I can shut down my conscious mind, I’m much more productive.

So what is a writer to do about the voices in her head? Be sure to always have paper and a pen handy. Siri can also be helpful at times too. Usually several keywords are enough to spark my memory. I love the notepad app on my iPhone. It’s quite helpful when I don’t have a pen and paper.

Am I crazy? Probably not. I’m well aware of fantasy versus reality. Quirky? Most definitely. But really, how boring is normal?? Besides, it’s so much fun to talk about the voices in my head at parties. The expressions on my friends’ faces are priceless. I don’t think I’d be much of a writer without my overactive imagination.

Embrace the crazy—it makes life infinitely more fun.

Thanks so much, Kimber Leigh. I love that line 'Embrace the crazy'. Words to live by, don't you think?

Excerpt

“I’m a member of an exclusive club at school, the Orion Circle. Perhaps you’ve heard of us?” he asks, cocking his head to the side.

My eyebrows shoot up at his admission, and I stumble a bit on a crack in the sidewalk. He grabs my elbow to steady me. Not trusting my voice to work, I nod in response. Of course I’ve heard of the secretive Orion Circle—everyone has. Speculation as to the nature of the club runs the gamut from academic to secret society.

The moment we enter the park, Kodiak prances in excitement, eager for the wild trails up ahead. This time of morning wildlife sightings are plentiful. Kodiak lunges at a squirrel crossing our path. I make a clicking noise with my tongue, and the dog reverts to his obedient behavior. Pavement gives way to a dirt trail, forcing me to slow my pace due to the uneven footing.

“I think you should come to our meeting this afternoon. I’ll find you later today and give you an invitation.”

His offer blindsides me, and I nod like an idiot, my head bobbing a few too many times. Somehow I manage to smile at him before returning my gaze to the trail. Wow, the Orion Circle and Logan in one day. I feel like I’m floating on a cloud until a rock brings me back to Earth. After stumbling a few steps, Logan’s hand on my arm is the only thing that keeps me from falling.

If I continue to run down this dirt trail, I’m afraid I might fall to my death. It seems I’m having a hard time seeing anything other than an image of Logan’s handsome face. I glance up at him, surprised by the concern etched across his face.

“Are you okay? You didn’t twist your ankle, did you?”

“No, I’m fine, really,” I reply as a hot flush creeps from my neck to my face. “But my mind is a million miles away, and I’m afraid I’ll break a leg on this trail if we keep going.”

“We’ll head back, then,” he says before turning to walk back to the park entrance.

“Thanks for understanding,” I say, relieved we are walking rather than running.

“I only got a glimpse of your vision,” he says in a soft voice. “It was bad. Real bad. Don’t worry, I’ll help you, I promise. I think you’ll feel a lot better after the Orion Circle meeting.”

His words fill me with warmth along with a feeling of contentment. Perhaps this vision isn’t so bad. I mean, it brought me closer to Logan, after all.

About the Author

Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a bestselling YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs, four cats, and lots of dragons. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals.

Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!) She currently lives in San Antonio, TX but has been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states.

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