Gwen Gardner is author of the popular young adult Indigo Eady Paranormal “Cozy” Mystery series that began with Givin' Up the Ghost. With Halloween approaching, I wanted to mention her latest ghostly book: Secret Keepers.
About Secret Keepers:
In Second Death, Indigo and her team of sleuths escape the clutches of underground evil.
In Ghostly Gallows, Indigo and the gang managed to dodge the falling ruins and free those spirits trapped by the evil spell that bound them to Gallowsgate Prison.
Now in Secret Keepers, even though Indigo speaks to ghosties, there is so much about the afterlife she doesn't understand. Such as…how can spirits be sick? They’re dead, for goodness sake! But once again Indigo is forced to go where she made it a point to never go: the hospital. There, the mystery of the sick and missing spirits explodes into a frenzied battle for souls where dawn may bring life or final death.
Indigo Eady:
Much to her chagrin, Indigo Eady is a celebrity among spirits. She’s the girl who can see and speak with them. She has a proven track record in helping spirits find their murderers, so it’s no surprise when she’s drafted onto the Missing Paranormal Committee. Who better to help them than the experienced teenage ghost whisperer- investigator and her friends?
Gwen explains her Excerpt
In honor of Halloween, I’m giving you a short excerpt from a chapter called Asylum. It’s a haunted hospital after all, and a lot of the book ending takes place there with the final showdown against the demons and dark spirits.
This scene is where Indigo, Badger and Simon are approaching the hospital for the first time. Councilman Diggles has become ill enough to be admitted (yes, he’s a ghost, and yes, apparently ghosts can get sick!), so they are going to brief him on the updates of their investigation into the missing paranormals.
Simon, as usual, is worried about the crazy…
We stared up at the gray and dilapidated building. It was almost like the village had shrunken in on itself, with all the abandoned buildings that sprang up around the edges of Sabrina Shores. Or maybe I had just never noticed them before. Stucco and plaster peeled and fell off in chunks. Four stories high, what was still standing, and every window broken, the jagged edges like monsters ready to take a bite.
I shivered.
Why did I always seem to be hanging out in broken down buildings lately? Look at the bright side, Eady. It’s better than being underground.
We approached the door. Oval shaped and shored up with metal strips riveted to the heavy wood, probably oak. The strips were once painted black according to the specks remaining. Now it was rusted and the door splintered.
Next to the door a sign hung sideways by one nail, squeaking slightly in the breeze. Simon lifted the loose side and read. “Belgrave Asylum.” He turned to me. “Oh great. The crazy potential just kicked up a notch. As if we didn’t have enough already, now we’re expected to enter the insane asylum?”
“Short answer?” I asked. “Yes.” I pushed on the door and it creaked open relatively easy. The boys and I stood just inside, our shadows standing before us while we waited for our eyes to adjust to the dark.
GWEN GARDNER
Gwen Gardner is a native Californian living in sunny San Diego, where her love of reading and writing led to a BA in English literature. Life is now complete with her husband, two dogs and a daily call from her daughter.
Since ghosts feature prominently in her young adult Indigo Eady Paranormal “Cozy” Mystery series, she has a secret desire to meet one face to face – but will run screaming for the hills if she ever does. Gwen adores travel and experiencing the cultures and foods of different countries. She is always up for an adventure and anything involving chocolate – not necessarily in that order.
Connect with Gwen here: Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Amazon / B&N
Secret Keepers available here: Amazon / B&N / Google Play / iTunes
