1/08/2013

Get Lost in Sharon Lynn Fisher's World: Ghost Planet!






READER, BE YE WARNED: There is a big surprise at the end of chapter 1. If you don’t want to know, skip both blurb and excerpt! 

Psychologist Elizabeth Cole prepared for the worst when she accepted a job on a newly discovered world -- a world where every colonist is tethered to an alien who manifests in the form of a dead loved one. But she never expected she'd struggle with the requirement to shun these “ghosts.” She never expected to be so attracted to the charming Irishman assigned as her supervisor. And she certainly never expected to discover she died in a transport crash en route to the planet.

 Reincarnated as a ghost, Elizabeth is symbiotically linked to her supervisor, Murphy -- creator of the Ghost Protocol, which forbids him to acknowledge or interact with her. Confused and alone -- oppressed by her ghost status and tormented by forbidden love - Elizabeth works to unlock the secrets of her own existence.

 But her quest for answers lands her in a tug-of-war between powerful interests, and she soon finds herself a pawn in the struggle for control of the planet…a struggle that could separate her forever from the man she loves.

EXCERPT:

We trotted up half a dozen steps and were passing through the glass doors when Murphy said, “We’ll be scanned by security just inside. I hate them being here, raising people’s anxiety level in a place where we want them to feel safe. But all new arrivals pass through here, and someone decided it was a good idea.”

Thinking about the illicit-substance and weapons scans in all the airports and public buildings back home, I raised my eyebrows. “What’s it for?”
“To get a sort of fingerprint on everyone,” he explained, walking through the doorframe-shaped scanner. “Just to make sure we know who’s who. They can’t do it at the transport terminal because no one has ghosts when they first arrive.”
I followed him through the scanner, and a long beep sounded somewhere off to my left as I joined him inside. Murphy’s head jerked toward the sound. His eyes moved to the glass doors we’d just come through, and slowly back to me. He glanced at the security desk on our right.
“Where is it?” Murphy called to the guard, whose fingers were flying over his keyboard. The guard’s ghost leaned against the wall behind him, little more than a shadow.
The man stopped typing and looked up. “I’m sorry, Dr. Murphy?”
“I heard the alert go off, but I don’t see her. My ghost, Simon,” Murphy added, growing impatient. “Do you see her?”
The guard blinked at him a couple times. Then he cleared his throat. “She’s standing right next to you, Dr. Murphy.” 


*  *  *

Murphy looked at me, startled. He shook his head and walked over to the security desk.
I turned halfway around, searching for the missing Aunt Maeve.
Though the colonists were far from any real understanding of the aliens, Ardagh 1’s scientists had established that they were nearly identical to us physiologically. Only a specialized medical scan could reveal the differences in their insular cortex and limbic structures.
So the security scan was identifying ghosts—creating a record to help keep track of who was and wasn’t human. I joined Murphy at the security desk, and the guard swung the display around so Murphy could see it.
The screen was split into two halves, a picture of me filling one side. Opposite the photo was a crisp 3-D brain scan. Murphy touched the screen to manipulate the image, zooming in on a half dozen small, flashing red patches. He dropped his hand and stood staring at the screen.   
“No question, Dr. Murphy,” said the guard. “This has never happened before. I’ll have to file a report, and I’ll need to do a full workup on this new one. My shift is over at three. Do you have time then for me to ask you some questions?”
Wait. One. Minute. The guard’s face wheeled as the ground lurched under my feet.






Sharon Lynn Fisher is the author of GHOST PLANET, a two-time RWA Golden Heart finalist that Publishers Weekly calls “an absorbing and exciting story full of science, sex, and intriguing plot twists.” She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she is hard at work on her next Tor novel and battles writerly angst with baked goods, Irish tea, and champagne. You can visit her online at SharonLynnFisher.com.


Jillian: Is there a playlist you’d recommend for reading your latest release?
Sharon: I heart playlists! They help me engage with my characters and story, and even influence my world-building. I compiled one for GHOST PLANET, available on both iTunes and Spotify. The list includes artists such as Swell Season, Snow Patrol, and Ben Harper. There are several Irish artists, as my hero (Murphy) is an Irishman. Also because I heart Ireland as much as I heart playlists.

Jillian: Be honest, when reading 1st person...do you miss the hero’s POV? 
Sharon: Since GP is first-person with no hero POV, I guess I better say “no.”  Honestly I don’t, though. I think the reason for that is most of the romance books I read fall more in the “strong romantic elements” category, and it never occurred to me that it can make the romance feel more complete to spend time in the hero’s head. With that said, however, almost all of the stories I’ve worked on since GP have included the hero’s POV. I think GP is a story for which first-person works especially well. I’m not sure I’d go that route again, because I’ve found I really enjoy writing male POVs! (Never say never, eh?)

Jillian: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?
Sharon: Thanks. Seriously. You guys ROCK. I hope I never let you down. And regarding a second book in the GP world: I hope I will get that opportunity! 

Jillian: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book? 
Sharon: Breathe a ginormous sigh of RELIEF. I don’t know what other people’s muses are like, but mine is more like Golem than the shiny, benevolent being you might envision. I never know what she’s going to get up to. She can disappear for days. WEEKS. With no forwarding address. Sometimes when she comes back she has all kinds of half-baked, half-CRAZY ideas. 

“I hate writing, I love having written,” said Dorothy Parker. I don’t hate writing really, or I wouldn’t do it. Because when you’re in the zone there is nothing that feels better. Almost nothing.  But it can be a lonely, scary journey at times. 

So to finally answer the question, when I finish writing a book, I break out the champagne, and Golem and me crank up the music, precious, and go whirling arm-and-arm around my apartment cackling like the deranged creatures we are.

Jillian: What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?
Sharon: When I was a little girl, I had a pocket fairy for an imaginary friend. I was painfully shy, and when I was at school, she would hop out of my pocket and sit on the edge of my desk, making it feel like not such a scary place. 

My daughter (6) has the same interest in fairies (though thankfully NOT the shyness). A good friend of mine bought her the book HOW TO SEE FAIRIES, which has a pop-up page with a compartment for leaving them gifts and notes. She has been corresponding with them for a few months now.  
Jillian: Does she know about the fairy doors in the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan? Really, here's a link: http://urban-fairies.com/locationspages/locations.html

Jillian: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?
Sharon: I do read reviews, yes. Compulsively. (Doesn’t everyone?) When they’re positive I like to roll around in them like a horse does when first loosed into the pasture. When they criticize, I try to hear them with an open mind. Clearly reviews are subjective. One reviewer will praise an aspect another will blast. I think the road to madness lies in taking every criticism to heart. But I think criticisms taken as a whole can point to areas for improvement. 

Jillian: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?
Sharon: In Seattle the answer to this question can be complicated. I used to chuckle when I’d overhear in Starbucks, “Grande, extra-hot, nonfat, vanilla latte with double syrup and lots of foam.” I chuckle no longer. My current hot beverage of choice is a tall Irish tea latte made with 1/3 water, 1/3 lactose-free milk, and 1/3 almond milk, no sugar. I could explain why, but seriously? Just chuckle at me. I deserve it.

Jillian: What does it mean to love someone?
Sharon: I love this question, because discovering the answer has been a life-long journey for me. In my current stage of life, I believe true love is about celebrating someone for exactly who they are, and wanting them to be happy, no matter what that means. Once we start loving a person for who we want them to be -- expecting them to be what we think we need -- everyone is unhappy. 

Jillian: What would you say is your most interesting quirk? 
Sharon: My split personality. I feel like I am exactly one half logical and rational and critical-thinking, and one half completely open to everything. Just as an example, if you told me you believed in ghosts, very skeptical feelings would arise in me. If you told me you *didn’t*, I would start working up my argument for their existence. I think this is probably common among the writerly tribe. I think it’s the “open” side that writes and the “rational” side that edits. But damn, it can be unsettling at times. 

On that note, half of me believes in psychic ability, and more specifically, that I have premonitions. I sometimes dream about stuff that happens the next day. Little stuff, like an ad I’ll see on the side of a bus. Never anything useful, like lottery numbers. 

I hope 2013 will be a year of opening up more to that curious and open side of my nature, for the sake of creativity as well as overall happiness.

Jillian: What’s your favorite kid joke?
Sharon: My daughter once looked me in the eye and observed, “Ear boogers don’t taste good.” As opposed to the nose kind, you know. Which are delicious. 
Jillian: HA!

Sharon has a question for commenters: Please share one quirk about yourself, something not many people know about you, or something about yourself that makes you blush! (I promise not to put it in a book. At least not with your name attached. ;)

As an alternate: What thing has happened to you that you consider “magical” in some way? (ESP, ghosts, fairies, or just everyday magic)

Sharon has  a copy of Ghost Planet to give away to one lucky commenter chosen at random. Please leave e-mail contact information if you wish to be included in the drawing.

Sharon's Contact Information: 


http://www.sharonlynnfisher.com/
https://plus.google.com/u/0/113082084407415133850/posts



***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

25 comments:

  1. Sometimes a day comes along where everything falls into place - that's magic.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  2. When I had my children I thought that was magical. When they were babies I couldn't believe they were part of me.
    mce1011 AT aol DOT com

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    1. Oh, you are right about that one! I don't think I have ever felt as high as I did those few hours after my daughter was born. The part where I finally got out of bed and was panting after taking two steps - not quite as magical. ;) But seriously, that whole process of them growing inside you and coming out this totally new creature that grows into an individual with a distinct personality ... pure magic.

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  3. I had a dream about my daughter being born and it turned out to be pretty true. :)

    maybe31 at yahoo.com

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    1. That is very cool. There are so many magical aspects of motherhood, aren't there? The night before my due date, my daughter started extreme acrobatics. It was so intense there was no hope of sleeping - I had to get up and read on the couch. It's like she knew! My labor started the next afternoon. (And continued for 41 hours, oy)

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  4. "I hope 2013 will be a year of opening up more to that curious and open side of my nature, for the sake of creativity as well as overall happiness."
    LOVE THIS, SHARON !

    Welcome to GLIAS!
    ~Angi

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    1. Thanks so much, Angi! It was a super-fun interview!

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  5. Sharon!!! Welcome to Get Lost in a Story. DQing myself from the drawing, but the blurb and chapter sounds fantastic. And I'm jealous of all the coffee/tea variations you have. Seattle is the best place in the world for those beverages! Great to see you here!

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    1. Thank you, Donnell! I was very excited to be invited!

      I don't drink coffee much anymore - it's a little hard on my stomach. But I sure miss it! We have tremendous variety, indeed. And that's true for tea as well. Plus, you usually have 2 or 3 alternative milk choices (almond, soy, rice, hemp, sheesh!). My daughter recently asked me how you milk an almond.

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  6. I find magic in books.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Magic is all around us!

      So nice to have you with us today, Sharon. Loved the blurb and excerpt!

      Jillian

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    2. Thanks very much, Jillian! And thanks for the awesome link! Can't wait to show it to my daughter.

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  7. I'm a very average person & can't say that I've come across anything magical in my life (yet?) but my dad used to tell us stories of how he had ESP like experiences when he was young. He said that he has out of body experiences & how he used to be able to find lost things. Kinda spooky!

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    1. Interesting! My mom used to have those same little premonitions I have now. I still remember her telling me about them. Maybe it's hereditary! :)

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  8. I have Ghost Planet and I loved it. The thought that there might be another book coming (as in a SERIES?!?!?!) = happy dance time!!! I, for one, can't wait!

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    1. Hi Willa! Thanks so much!! Will keep everyone posted . . .

      AND, congrats on the release of Highland Healer!!!

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  9. Ha ha I need an editor. Just noticed I misspelled Gollum, oopsies.

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  10. I loved your comment about reviews:

    When they’re positive I like to roll around in them like a horse does when first loosed into the pasture.

    LOL So visual.

    What has happened to me that's magical in some way?

    How about creepy? One New Years Eve, I stayed at a very old, very haunted hotel in northern New Mexico called the St. James. All night long ghosts came to talk to me in my dreams and warned me to stay away from "The Dark One" who inhabited the hotel. I learned from the staff the hotel has an evil spirit that lives in one of the rooms. They keep the door locked at all times with a table in front of it to try to contain it. Yikes!

    [And please don't enter me in the giveaway. I already own multiple copies of Ghost Planet--it's one of my favorite novels!]

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    1. Aw, thanks, Laurie! And thanks so much for stopping by. That's very similar to my own hotel ghost story, eek!

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  11. Something magical? Not being driven crazy by my 19mth old twin boys. Takes the count of males in our house to 4 and only 1 female ;)

    Seriously, I encountered something in the Cliffs of Dover in England while on tour of an underground bunker. Saw a military man in an old uniform and thought it was a reinactment. Didn't freak until it was confirmed that what I saw was one of the last men to die in the bunker due to electrocution. Needless to say I departed...quickly ;P

    As for boogers I have one of the twins who loves picking his nose but freaks when he gets a booger. Ultimate drama until mum removes it lol.

    Kelly Ethan

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    1. Wow, cool ghost story! And a scary booger story to boot! :)

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  12. whoops email contact:

    todd. kelly @ bigpond.com (no spaces)

    Kelly Ethan

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  13. Congratulations May!
    maybe31 at yahoo.com

    You've won a copy of GHOST PLANET!


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  14. I am Shannon by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my husband after three(3) years of marriage just because another woman had a spell on him and he left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address: dr.afekelu.spiritual.spell.tpl@gmail.com , have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a woman had a spell on my husband and he told me that he will help me and after 2 days that i will have my husband back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my husband. Thanks for DR Afekelu. His email: dr.afekelu.spiritual.spell.tpl@gmail.com

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