by Apryl Baker
Published: August 13, 2013
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Cherry blossom lipstick: check
Smokey eyes: check
Skinny jeans: check
Dead kid in the mirror: check
For sixteen year old Mattie Hathaway, this is her normal everyday routine. She’s been able to see ghosts since her mother tried to murder her when she was five years old. No way does she want anyone to know she can talk to spooks. Being a foster kid is hard enough without being labeled a freak too.
Normally, she just ignores the ghosts and they go away. That is until she see’s the ghost of her foster sister… Sally.
Everyone thinks Sally’s just another runaway, but Mattie knows the truth—she’s dead. Murdered. Mattie feels like she has to help Sally, but she can’t do it alone. Against her better judgment, she teams up with a young policeman, Officer Dan, and together they set out to discover the real truth behind Sally’s disappearance.
Only to find out she’s dealing with a much bigger problem, a serial killer, and she may be the next victim…
Will Mattie be able to find out the truth before the killer finds her?
Mattie Hathaway and Her World of Spook
I get asked all the time about The Ghost Files and how I came up with the idea. So I guess, I can explain it once and for all.
I was standing at my kitchen sink watching dishes when I saw the curtain fluttering like a madman. There was only one small little hitch with that: the windows weren’t open and the air conditioner wasn’t on. Why was it fluttering like a hurricane force wind had it trapped?
My first thought: it’s a ghost.
My second thought: don’t be ridiculous, there are no such things as ghosts.
My third thought: but what if there were?
And that is how The Ghost Files was born.
I stopped washing dishes just so I could go dash to the side table where I keep a notebook stashed and write down all my random thoughts. I had been looking for a way to write about foster kids for a while and this, to me, was the perfect opportunity.
Mattie Louise Hathaway was born. She is a tough, snotty, brat who has the unfortunate ability to see ghosts. Not something she tells everyone. I mean, let’s face it, being a foster kid is hard enough, but admitting you’re a freak? Not something she would willingly ever do. Not that she’d ever let anyone know, but she’s very self-conscious of that fact. She sees herself as a freak and works hard to make sure no one else does.
I think everyone assumes Mattie should have this DEEP side, her character more mature than her sixteen years, but that isn’t how I wrote her for the first book. I wanted you to see the very troubled girl who is at heart just an average sixteen year old kid with the same vulnerabilities and desires as any other sixteen year old. She can be in a ghostly situation and still crush on a guy. What girl can’t? We can be depressed and still appreciate a cute face!
Mattie has all those deep characteristics some of the older readers are looking for, but you have to dig them out layer by layer. You get to watch her bloom in the next book when she comes face to face with her destiny. The next book is darker than the first one, bringing truths to light that should have stayed buried.
Trust comes very hard for our girl. Who can blame her though? Her mother did stab her eight times at the ripe old age of eight. If that doesn’t cause severe trust issues, I’m not sure what else could. All she’s ever had to depend on is herself. It’s made her into the person she is: street smart and a little vicious. She can’t help herself.
Unfortunately, she has to break her own rules of never openly admitting she can talk to ghosts when she sees her foster sister’s ghost. Mattie is very loyal and foster kids have always stuck together. She has to find out who killed Sally and that means she needs to not only talk to the ghosts she’s spent her entire life avoiding, but she has to trust someone with her secret.
In walks Officer Dan. He inspires her to trust him and she can’t even explain it to herself. She finds herself revealing all to this young police officer. Having a record herself, Mattie doesn’t normally trust cops, but she finds herself not only trusting Officer Dan, but coming to depend on him. She needs him and she can’t say why.
Then Mattie finds out her mother, the one who tried to kill her, isn’t even her real mom. It freaks her out beyond belief. With her world turning upside down, she has lots and lots to discover over the next few books.
I hope you all enjoy The Ghost Files.
About the Author:
Well you can catch up with Apryl at any of these places:
And don't forget to check out her other books!
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And don't forget to check out her other books!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Loved the character interview of Mattie and Dan on I am a Reader. The Ghost Files will be featured tomorrow on Once Upon a YA Book. Stop by and check out my review!
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