After nine years away from publishing, I'm thrilled to announce the publication of my eighteenth book for young readers, GIVING UP THE GHOST, available now from Peachtree.
Set on a haunted plantation near New Orleans, this novel was inspired by my mom's devastating cancer diagnosis, my own work as a hospice volunteer, and a love affair with this beautiful city devastated two years ago by Hurricane Katrina.
Here's a SYNOPSIS: Davia is afraid of lots of things. Things like death, ghosts, strange places, and her mom’s cancer coming back. But she can’t avoid her fears now.
Far from their Wisconsin home, Davia and her parents are staying in Louisiana to help take care of her great Aunt Mari who is slowly dying. Everything about the spooky-looking mansion that Aunt Mari owns scares Davia.
When Davia first encounters Emilie, the ghost of an adolescent girl from the nineteenth century, she is frightened. Emilie seems eager to have Davia for a friend, but the ghost is unpredictable and difficult. Davia begins to learn secrets about Emilie and her own family’s past from Aunt Mari—stories of premature endings and regrets. As Aunt Mari’s health deteriorates, she and Davia become closer. Together, they might just be able to help Emilie be released from the mansion and from world of the living.
It’s my dearest wish that GIVING UP THE GHOST's themes of fear, grief, and forgiveness, leavened with humor and gripped by a ghostly mystery, will bring comfort and healing to kids living with uncertainty in unsettling times. Though it's intended for readers ages 10-14, it is also of special interest to grief counselors, teachers, librarians, and parents concerned for how children handle their fears about terminal illness and the eventual death of loved ones.
My other website is WWW.SHERISINYKIN.COM
My first review just came in from Kirkus. It's posted to MY BLOG. I'm doing the happy dance tonight!
Read CHAPTER 1 ONLINE.
Check out my new TEACHER'S GUIDE.
Or see WHERE I'LL BE.
Myspace Layouts at Pimp-My-Profile.com / Peach colored flowers
