Molly Greyson’s Ghost
Roberta Hoffer
Genre: Young Adult / Ghost Stories
Publisher: Dragonfly Publishing, Inc.
Date of Publication: November 2016
ISBN: 1-941278-68-X
ASIN: BO1MFDGPG6
Number of pages: 168
Word Count: 63,000
Cover Artist: Terri Branson
Tagline: “Are there such things as ghosts?”
Book Description:
Sixteen-year-old Molly Greyson is a California girl. At least she was, until her father got a job in Indiana. Saying goodbye to friends and a life she loves, Molly moves to the Midwest with her parents.
During the cross-country trip she encounters a carnival Gypsy fortune teller machine that issues mysterious warnings aimed directly at her. When the family arrives at the historical Kotter Estate, Molly chooses a peculiar round room as her bedroom. Soon strange things begin to happen.
What or who keeps appearing in her bedroom mirror? Are there clues to be found in the musty basement? Will her new boyfriend help her solve the mystery? Can Molly Greyson learn to believe in ghosts?
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/izWgOz3wubI
Excerpt:
“Feeling brave I
walked over to the third trunk. It was
much larger than the other two. I
flipped open the latch without any problem.
To my amazement, this trunk was filled with clothing. I pulled out the first item. It was an old animal skin stole of some sort. It even had the head of the animal still
attached. I quickly tossed it to the
floor, disgusted anyone would do that to an animal and have the nerve to wear
it. Then I found a beautiful purple
satin dress. The lace around the
neckline was yellow and ragged. When
new, it must have been an elegant gown.
walked over to the third trunk. It was
much larger than the other two. I
flipped open the latch without any problem.
To my amazement, this trunk was filled with clothing. I pulled out the first item. It was an old animal skin stole of some sort. It even had the head of the animal still
attached. I quickly tossed it to the
floor, disgusted anyone would do that to an animal and have the nerve to wear
it. Then I found a beautiful purple
satin dress. The lace around the
neckline was yellow and ragged. When
new, it must have been an elegant gown.
I held up the gown in front of me and
turned to Dillon. “How do I look?”
turned to Dillon. “How do I look?”
“Very nice,” he replied. “It looks like it even might fit you.”
He continued to sort through the
photos. Then he stopped and held one
photo up to the light for a better view.
photos. Then he stopped and held one
photo up to the light for a better view.
“No, this must be a mistake,” he said with
a puzzled look.
a puzzled look.
“Let me see,” I said.
I took the cracked and faded photo from
his hand. It was the girl with the curly
blonde hair. She was older and wearing
the very same dress I was holding in my hands.
his hand. It was the girl with the curly
blonde hair. She was older and wearing
the very same dress I was holding in my hands.
Dillon took the photo from me and flipped
it over. His face turned white as
chalk. Then he held out the back for me
to see.
it over. His face turned white as
chalk. Then he held out the back for me
to see.
“Molly Greyson,” I read aloud.
The room began to spin.
I dropped the dress to the floor and fell
to my knees.
to my knees.
About the Author:
Roberta Hoffer is a retired preschool teacher from a small town in Indiana. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Kevin, for forty-eight years. They raised two children, Amy and Andrew, and have one grandson, Christian.
Roberta loves animals and is an advocate for animal rights. She owns two Yorkshire Terriers, Minnie and Buddy, both rescues. When not writing she enjoys doing family outings such as paddle boarding, zip lining, climbing mountains, and exercise walking. Her ultimate passion has always been writing books for children that will give back the joy they gave her when teaching. To date she has published three adult fiction novels. She also has a children’s chapter book series, “The Stonebridge Ghost Tales,” consisting of three books for the 8-14 age group, two picture books for the 3-6 age group which includes a coloring book edition, and two Young Adult mystery novels.
Her first children’s chapter book, “The Ghost of Stonebridge Lane”, won The 2014 National Purple Dragonfly Award for first place in children’s literacy for children’s chapter books. “The Ghost of the Frozen North”, Book two in the series, won The 2015 National Purple Dragonfly Award for second place in children’s literacy for children’s chapter books. The three book series, “The Stonebridge Ghost Tales” was the silver medal winner of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards for 2015 for Best Children’s Chapter Book Series.
Ms. Hoffer explains her writing in these words: “I am blessed to be able to write books that I can be proud of and know they can be read by any one regardless of age while conveying Christian values.” Her personal advice to everyone is to treat people the way you would like to be treated and to always put God first in your life.
https://www.facebook.com/robertahofferbooks/
Interview with Roberta Hoffer
Where do you get inspiration for your stories? I usually write about what I know or what interests me. If I come upon a situation I’m not 100% sure of factually, I will do extensive research. For example, my first book, Silent Heart, was about vampires but more interestingly, and what many of my readers do not know is that I used the names and past life events of my deceased relatives as my main characters. I did major research into the genealogy of my relatives and found some extremely interesting facts I never knew until then. I incorporated these newly acquired facts into my story and was even able to use birth and death dates to make it even more real for me as I wrote the book.
Another inspiration I have used for my books is my only grandson, Christian. When he was born I began writing a book for him every year for his birthday. As he grew, the stories went from simple picture books with few words to chapter books. He is now 15. My ‘tween book, The Ghost of Stonebridge Lane was originally a short five chapter book I wrote for Christian’s eleventh birthday. It became a full length book and from that was born two more books, The Ghost of the Frozen North, and The Ghosts of Stony Manor, which became the three book series, The Stonebridge Ghost Tales. This series has won several awards including a second place International award from Moonbeam Books for excellence in children’s chapter books.
How did you do research for your book? The computer and internet, of course, are my main go-to for information. However, for my vampire books, I spent a lot of time on the phone with records departments and census pages. I also made a trip to my hometown sixty miles away and visited the graves of my past relatives to gather photos. I even revisited my grandparents old home, with the consent of the previous owners, to get my mind wrapped around the mood I needed to place myself in this house in my book. For Molly Greyson’s Ghost, I researched places and dipped into my memories of vacation spots I had been to be able to elaborate and make it more believable.
Do you have another profession besides writing? I was a preschool teacher for twenty-nine years then retired six years ago. That is where I began my real desire to write children’s books. I always loved to watch my students faces as I read a book to them. I wanted to write stories that other teachers would read to their students and hope to gain the same joy from their small faces. Now that I am retired, I work at an upscale restaurant as the evening hostess. Nothing mind-boggling, it’s just mostly social exposure which gives me the opportunity to observe many people in many different situations giving me more substance for my future books.
If you could go back in time, where would you go? I would go back to the time when this country wasn’t filled with machines and life was much simpler. Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t get by without my phone or computer now but wouldn’t it be nice for a time to not have to deal with all the technology headaches? Maybe the early 1800’s. But then, when you think about it, we are blessed to be a part of a world that can heal so many illnesses and gives so much pleasure with television and phones, computers and microwaves, even space travel. It’s very hard to even imagine a life without the current technology we have. I was born in 1950 so I can relate to the non-existence of cell phones, microwaves, and computers. I have seen much of what our grandchildren take for granted developed over my lifetime. So, I guess I could say I was around when we were pioneers in the technology era.
What is your next project? My next project is to complete at least two of the three books I have started and have those published next year. I would love to do a book tour across the country with my husband and two Yorkies. I also am taking time to climb another 14,000’+ mountain in Colorado with my son and daughter-in-law and take a beach vacation with my daughter, grandson, and husband. My bucket list is extensive and I intend to get as much checked off as possible!
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