I think that every book has a particularly interesting story about its creation. For Detour 2 Death, it was the book that almost didn’t happen, and when it did, there were quite a few interesting events.
Detour 2 Death is highly imaginative. The settings are mostly located in the realm of dreams and alternate realities. In Davey’s coma place, called Feverland, the world is a red desert filled with bat-bird monstrosities. In Shadowland, the dark side of Marsden Memorial, lost souls are tormented by the Black Reaper. Kaylee spends a good deal of time spirit-walking in the natural world, but her experiences are very unnatural. This is the first time I had a chance to play with world-building and I loved every minute.
The interesting aspects of writing this book was how people I loved kept creeping into the story. My father, who happened to be dying of pancreatic cancer at the time, becomes the elderly man who helps Kaylee navigate the hospital in her spirit form. He has my father’s build and some of his disabilities. While my dad has since passed on, I feel really blessed to have him alive in my book.
Another aspect that emerged in this story was a love triangle I had flirted with in School’s Out 4-Ever, the second book in the Extreme Hauntings series. The archangel Raphael becomes even more of a love interest. Kaylee has been stuck with a very volatile version of her blossoming love interest, Davey. Between her difficulties helping him survive and the compassion she finds in Raphael, she’s beginning to have feelings for both of them.
By the end of the series, Kaylee will be graduating high school and on her way to college. Watching these romantic interests develop and her powers evolve is going to be a blast! Thank you again, Chris, for having me here today! I’d love to offer one of your readers a free beaded book thong. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered to win!
Warmly,
Jenny:)
Detour 2 Death back cover blurb:
There are worse things than death, but not at Marsden Memorial hospital.
Kaylee Hensler knows her best friend Davey is on the brink of death. She knows this because she’s a psychic. When she flees the girl’s reformatory to get to him, she has no idea the special sort of hell waiting for her.
Reapers are collectors and they come in many forms. In Feverland, the world created by Davey’s sickness, the red reaper goes by the name of Molok, an ancient evil with deep roots. In Shadowland, the dark side of the hospital, a black reaper promises torture and torment to lost souls. The white reaper is the most fearsome, giving Kaylee three days before he collects both her and Davey’s souls.
Kaylee has one secret weapon, one she doesn’t fully understand. Her abilities will be tested, her loyalty betrayed, and her love misplaced. No one escapes Death.
J.R. Turner Bio:
Award-winning author J.R. Turner lives in Central Wisconsin with her husband and three children. She began writing in high school, and after a decade working as a commercial artist, started her first novel in 1999. Aside from crafts, camping and cooking, she loves holidays. A favorite is Halloween, a combination of spooky supernatural fun and chocolate. Visit her at http://www.jennifer-turner.com to learn more!
