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****Sheila Lowe’s PROOF OF LIFE is
#85 in the never-ending series called INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION where
the Chris Rice Cooper Blog (CRC)
focuses on one specific excerpt from a fiction genre and how that fiction
writer wrote that specific excerpt. All INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links
are at the end of this piece.
Name of fiction work? And were there other names you considered that you would
like to share with us? My latest book, released last
week, is Proof of Life. I always start with the title so there are no
other names I considered. Titles just comes to me and I build the story around
them.
Has this been published? And it is totally fine if the answer is no. If yes, what publisher and what publication date? Suspense Publishing (http://www.suspensemagazine.com/publishing.html) published the new Beyond the Veil series. Proof of Life was released on May 7, 2019.
What is the date you began writing this
piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction?
I think I started Proof of Life in
February, 2018. I turned it in to my publisher in March, 2019. It takes about a
year for me to write a book because I work on them in between working at my day
job, consulting as a forensic handwriting examiner.
Where did you do most of your writing
for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. Other
than when I’m handwriting my notes and beginning my outline, I always work at
my desk, dubbed The Command Center. My office is half my kitchen. (The box of
knitting supplies behind me is for baby clothes I intend to make for my one and
only grandchild, baby Cleo, born this past September)
What were your writing habits while
writing this work- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write
in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? I usually have classical music or bluesy jazz playing, and
a cup of tea with cream and sugar to start with. Later, I’ll switch to Diet Dr.
Pepper and water. Since I tend to waste a lot of time on email, when I get down
to writing, it’s usually late at night, often after ten. So, I go to bed late
and get up late.
What is the summary of this specific
fiction work? Proof
of Life: After recovering from
amnesia 5 years ago, Jessica Mack never told anyone she had started hearing
voices from the spirit world. Now, forced to use her "gift" to find
missing four-year-old Ethan Starkey, she can no longer ignore the
voices. Time is running out for little Ethan as Jessica, and Sage Boles, a
man with a mysterious past, are guided by the voices to a seance, where they
hope to get clues to the child's whereabouts.
Can you give the reader just enough information for them to understand what is going on in the excerpt? In the prequel, What She Saw, Jessica Mack had
amnesia due to a head injury that resulted in coma, and a traumatic loss. Proof
of Life picks up five years later, where we learn that she has been
hearing voices from the spirit world.
Please include just one excerpt and include page numbers as reference. This one excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer.
I am including the prologue as an
attachment.
Excerpt from Proof of Life by Sheila Lowe
Five
Years Ago
Jessica
Mack’s head hit the windshield, killing her instantly.
Her spirit, detaching from her body, hovered above it for a
short time before rising higher and higher above the cliff. High enough to see
the driver of the eighteen-wheeler park his big rig on the shoulder of the
highway and jump down from the cab, his yellow slicker a neon point of color in
the night as he ran to the twisted guardrail and yelled down that help was
coming.
The Camry had come to rest at the bottom of the steep
canyon, a smoky plume drifting in defiance of the torrential rain over what was
left of the engine compartment. The passenger side windshield where Jessica’s
head had connected was reduced to a spiderweb of glass mesh.
Through the moonless night, her eyes found her husband, full
of alcohol and road rage, struggling up the steep cliff, clinging to the
manzanita and scrub brush. Greg had been thrown clear when they hit the semi
and the Camry went airborne, rolling over and over down the hillside.
Why wasn’t he checking on her and Justin?
As her son’s name entered her thoughts, a tunnel of
brilliant white light opened in the heavens. His spirit, luminescent in the
darkness, left the small body still strapped into its safety seat ten yards
from the car and began to ascend.
Jessica tried to call out to him. Wait for me.
But like a dreamer whose voice fails to produce sound in the
dream, her vocal cords were as unresponsive as the physical body she had left
behind.
The tunnel grew and expanded, accepting her little boy into
it, leaving his mother with a last glimpse of his face, radiant and beaming
with joy.
As he disappeared from her sight, Jessica became aware of a
shimmering presence, a majestic Being beside her, dressed in pure white robes
and bathed in golden light as bright as the sun. Its features were indistinct,
but she experienced the Being as masculine.
Are you an angel?
Am I dead?
She sensed the Being smile with great tenderness as if her
questions amused him. That he knew her completely, she had no doubt, and opened
herself to the connection without reservation. No words were spoken. He touched
her with his mind, impressing his thoughts upon her.
“You must go
back.”
But I don’t want
to. My baby is too young. He needs me.
“He will never
leave you. At the proper time you will be together again.”
She wanted to resist, to argue and insist that no one could
care for her son the way she could. But within the deepest reaches of her soul,
she knew that the Being spoke the truth, that her son would be protected and
cherished, even though she was not there with him.
And so, for Justin’s sake, Jessica made the most difficult
decision of the thirty-two years she had existed upon the earth. She let her
child go on without her.
In that moment, she felt herself enfolded in unconditional
love more profound than anything she could have imagined. Glorious, incredible
music entered her, permeating her very being. She was the music. She was the energy of every living thing: animals,
plants, the elements.
There was nothing Jessica wanted more than to stay here,
safe and infinitely cared for.
Without warning, as if she were cresting the tallest roller
coaster on earth, then rocketing down the other side at breakneck speed, she
found herself shocked back into her body. A body wracked with searing pain. A
heart broken by the unspeakable loss of her son. And the utter wretchedness of
being separated from the Light.
The
whispers, quiet but incessant, started soon after Jessica awoke from a two-week
coma.
For five years she had kept them at bay.
Now, they refused to be silenced any longer.
Why is this excerpt so emotional for you
as a writer to write? And can you describe your own emotional experience of
writing this specific excerpt? My interest in
the afterlife began when my daughter (Jennifer Lowe, Left) was murdered. I needed to
know what happens when we die. Writing the opening of Proof of Life made me
think about what my daughter’s experience might have been when she closed her
eyes to her earthly life and opened them in the spirit world. When I started writing this book, I was told
by several spirit mediums that Jennifer would be working with me. Clearly, she
was.
Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? I don’t have any rough drafts. I just keep reworking and saving the same file until I’m satisfied with it.
Other works you have published?
Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? I don’t have any rough drafts. I just keep reworking and saving the same file until I’m satisfied with it.
Other works you have published?
Nonfiction:
Reading Between the Lines - Decoding Handwriting
Handwriting of the Famous & Infamous
Advanced Studies in Handwriting Psychology,
Personality & Anxiety Disorders (How they may be
reflected in handwriting, and other important topics)
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Handwriting Analysis
Succeeding in the Business of Handwriting Analysis
Fiction:
Poison Pen
Written in Blood
Dead Write
Last Writes
Inkslingers Ball,
Outside the Lines
Written Off
What She Saw
Proof of Life
Anything you would like to add? Writing is hard work, but for me, it’s a compulsion. So, I
always say, while I don’t like
writing, I like having written. And while
writing is hard, getting published is harder, and marketing your books is the
hardest of all. So, unless you are prepared to do the work, you might as well
just write for yourself if it gives you pleasure. Even with a major publishing
house, unless you are already a big-name writer, you will be expected to do
your own marketing. I say this, not to discourage anyone, but so they know what
to expect. When I wrote my first book (The
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Handwriting Analysis) I expected the publisher to
send me on a book tour and take out ads, as I had seen in movies. That did not
happen. And now, nearly 20 years later, it’s still not happening. I have hired
publicists, some more effective than others, and it ain’t cheap. It’s hard to
tell how their efforts directly affect sales, too. At least with social media,
which was not around when my books were first published, it’s easier to get
free advertising.
Email: sheila@sheilalowe.com
INSIDE THE EMOTION OF
FICTION links
001 11 15 2018 Nathaniel
Kaine’s
Thriller Novel
John
Hunter – The Veteran
002 11 18 2018 Ed
Protzzel’s
Futuristic/Mystery/Thriller
The
Antiquities Dealer
003 11 23 2018 Janice
Seagraves’s
Science
Fiction Romance
Exodus
Arcon
004 11 29 2018
Christian Fennell’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
The Fiddler
in the Night
005 12 02 2018 Jessica
Mathews’s
Adult
Paranormal Romance
Death
Adjacent
006 12 04 2018 Robin Jansen’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
Ruby the
Indomitable
007 12 12 2018 Adair Valerez’s
Literary
Fiction Novel
Scrim
008 12 17 218
Kit Frazier’s
Mystery Novel
Dead Copy
009 12 21 2019 Robert Craven’s
Noir/Spy Novel
The Road
of a Thousand Tigers
010 01 13 2019 Kristine Goodfellow’s
Contemporary
Romantic Fiction
The Other
Twin
011 01 17 2019 Nancy J Cohen’s
Cozy Mystery
Trimmed To
Death
012 01 20 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Crime Novel
Second
Story Man
013 01 23 2019 Alexis Fancher’s
Flash Fiction
His Full
Attention
014 01 27 2019 Brian L Tucker’s
Young Adult/Historical
POKEWEED: AN ILLUSTRATED NOVELLA
015 01 31 2019 Robin Tidwell’s
Dystopian
Reduced
016 02 07 2019 J.D. Trafford’s
Legal
Fiction/Mystery
Little Boy
Lost
017 02 08 2019 Paula Shene’s
Young Adult
ScieFi/Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
My Quest
Begins
018 02 13 2019 Talia Carner’s
Mainstream
Fiction/ Suspense/ Historical
Hotel
Moscow
019 02 15 2019 Rick Robinson’s
Multidimensional
Fiction
Alligator
Alley
020 02 21 2019 LaVerne Thompson’s
Urban Fantasy
The Soul
Collectors
021 02 27 2019 Marlon L Fick’s
Post-Colonialist
Novel
The
Nowhere Man
022 03 02 2019 Carol Johnson’s
Mainstream
Novel
Silk And
Ashes
023 03 06 2019 Samuel Snoek-Brown’s
Short Story
Collection
There Is
No Other Way to Worship Them
024 03 08 2019 Marlin Barton’s
Short Story
Collection
Pasture
Art
025 03 18 2019 Laura Hunter’s
Historical
Fiction
Beloved
Mother
026 03 21 2019 Maggie Rivers’s
Romance
Magical
Mistletoe
027 03 25 2019 Faith
Gibson’s
Paranormal
Romance
Rafael
028 03 27 2019 Valerie Nieman’s
Tall Tale
To The
Bones
029 04 04 2019 Betty Bolte’s
Paranormal
Romance
Veiled
Visions of Love
030 04 05 2019 Marianne
Maili’s
Tragicomedy
Lucy, go
see
031 04 10 2019 Gregory Erich Phillips’s
Mainstream
Fiction
The Exile
032 04 15 2019 Jason Ament’s
Speculative
Fiction
Rabid Dogs
033 04 24 2019 Stephen P. Keirnan’s
Historical
Novel
The
Baker’s Secret
034 05 01 2019 George Kramer’s
Fantasy
Arcadis:
Prophecy Book
035 05 05 2019 Erika Sams’s
Adventure/Fantasy/Romance
Rose of Dance
036 05 07 2019 Mark Wisniewski’s
Literary
Fiction
Watch Me
Go
037 05 08 2019 Marci Baun’s
Science
Fiction/Horror
The
Whispering House
038 05 10 2019 Suzanne M. Wolfe’s
Historical
Fiction
Murder By
Any Name
039 05 12 2019 Edward DeVito’s
Historical/Fantasy
The
Woodstock Paradox
040 05 14 2019 Gytha Lodge’s
Literary/Crime
She Lies
In Wait
041 05 16 2019 Kari Bovee’s
Historical
Fiction/Mystery
Peccadillo
At The Palace: An Annie Oakley Mystery
042 05 20 2019 Annie Seaton’s
Time Travel
Romance
Follow Me
043 05 22 2019 Paula Rose Michelson’s
Inspirational
Christian Romance
Rosa &
Miguel – Love’s Legacy: Prequel to The Naomi
Chronicles
044 05 24 2019 Gracie C McKeever’s
BDMS/Interracial
Romance
On The
Edge
045 06 03 2019 Micheal Maxwell’s
Mystery
The Soul
of Cole
046 06 04 2019 Jeanne Mackin’s
Historical
The Last
Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli
and
Coco
Chanel
047 06 07 2019 Philip Shirley’s
Suspense/Thriller
The
Graceland Conspiracy
048 06 08 2019 Bonnie Kistler’s
Domestic
Suspense
The House
on Fire
049 06 13 2019 Barbara Taylor Sissel’s
Domestic
Suspense/Family Drama
Tell No
One
050 06 18 2019 Charles Salzberg’s
Short Story/
Crime Fiction
“No Good Deed” from Down to the River
051 06 19 2019 Rita Dragonette’s
Historical
Fiction
The
Fourteenth of September
052 06 20 2019 Nona
Caspers’s
Literary
Novel/Collage
The Fifth
Woman
053 06 26 2019 Jeri Westerson’s
Paranormal
Romance
Shadows in
the Mist
054 06 28 2019 Brian Moreland’s
Horror
The
Devil’s Woods
055 06 29 2019
Epic Fantasy
Wings
Unseen
056 07 02 2019 Randee Green’s
Mystery Novel
Criminal
Misdeeds
057 07 03 2019 Saralyn Ricahrd’s
Mystery Novel
Murder In
The One Percent
#058 07 04 2019 Hannah Mary McKinnon’s
Domestic Suspense
Her Secret
Son
#059 07 05 2019 Sonia Saikaley’s
Contemporary
Women’s Literature
The
Allspice Bath
#060 07 09 2019 Olivia Gaines’s
Romance
Suspense Serial
Blind Luck
#061 07 11 2019 Anne Raeff’s
Literary
Fiction
Winter
Kept Us Warm
#062 07 12 2918 Vic Sizemore’s
Literary
Fiction-Short Stories
I Love You
I’m Leaving
#063 07 13 2019 Deborah Riley Magnus’s
Dark
Paranormal Urban Fantasy
THE ORPHANS
BOOK ONE: THE LOST RACE
TRILOGY
#064 07 14 2019 Elizabeth Bell’s
Historical
Fiction
NECESSARY
SINS
#065 07 15 2019 Lori Baker Martin’s
Literary Novel
BITTER
WATER
#066 08 01 2019 Sabine Chennault’s
Historical
Novel
THE
CORPSMAN’S WIFE
#067 08 02 2019 Margaret Porter’s
Historical Biographical
Fiction
BEAUTIFUL
INVENTION: A NOVEL OF HEDY LAMARR
#068 08 04 2019 Hank Phillippi Ryan’s
Suspense
THE MURDER
LIST
069 08 08 2019 Diana Y. Paul’s
Literary
Mainstream Fiction
THINGS
UNSAID
070 08 10 2019 Phyllis H. Moore’s
Women’s
Historical Fiction
BIRDIE
& JUDE
071 08 11 2019 Sara Dahmen’s
Historical
Fiction
TINSMITH 1865
072 08 19 2019 Carolyn
Breckinridge’s
Short Story
Collection
KALIEDESCOPE
& OTHER STORIES
073 08 21 2019 Alison Ragsdale’s
Emotional Women’s
Fiction
THE ART OF
REMEMBERING
074 08 22 2019 Lee
Matthew Goldberg’s
Suspense
Thriller
THE DESIRE
CARD
075 08 23 2019 Jonathan Brown’s
Mystery/Amateur
P.I.
THE BIG
CRESCENDO
076 09 02 2019 Chera Hammons Miller’s
Literary
Fiction w/ suspense, concern with animals & land management
Monarchs
of the Northeast Kingdom
077 09 09 019 Joe William Taylor’s
Literary
Mystery
The Theoretics of Love
078 09 15 2019 Linda Hughes’s
Romantic Suspense
Secret of the Island
079 09 19 2019 Max Elliot Anderson’s
Middle Grade Adventure/Mystery
Snake Island
080 09 22 2019 Danny Adams’s
Science Fiction
Dayworld: A Hole In Wednesday
081 09 24 2019 Arianna Dagnino’s
Social/Historical/Adventure
The Afrikaner
082 09 29 2019 Lawrence Verigin’s
Thriller/Suspense
Seed of Control
083 10 05 2019 Emma Khoury’s
Fantasy
The Sword And Shield
#084 10 07 2019 Steve McManus’s
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
SEVEN DEVILS
#085 10 08 2019 Sheila Lowe’s
Mystery/Psychological/Suspense
with Scientific Bent
PROOF OF LIVE
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/10/085-inside-emotion-of-fiction-proof-of.html
https://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2019/10/085-inside-emotion-of-fiction-proof-of.html
