Romance Books

#CharacterInterview – “Secrets of the Dead” by Shiela Stewart

Character Interview graphic

The hero from Ms. Stewarts paranormal romance is visiting for a quick chat. Let’s get started.

For the record, what’s your name? 

C.J Dowling.

What do you look like?

I’m 6 feet 2 inches. 

What time period does your story take place?

Current Time, but parts go back to the early 1900’s.

What’s your goal in this story?

I’ve been hired to rid the house of the spirits who are occupying it,

Interesting! What conflicts are you facing?

Several. It happens that one of the spirits, a male, is determined to cause as much trouble as possible to the men in the home and make advances on the women. The other is a feisty redhead who refuses to believe that the dead do stick around after death.

I bet the redhead is the heroine. What is your occupation? Are you any good at it? Do you like it?

I am a medium and can communicate with the dead. As for being any good. I have a ninety-five percent success rate. For the most part I do, It can be bothersome sometimes. The dead tend to have horrible timing and have interrupted several dates I’ve been out with.

Ooh. That’s too bad–about the dates. What skill do you have that you’re proud of? Why?

I wasn’t always proud of my ability to communicate with the dead. Often I felt like a failure when I wasn’t able to help a ghost. Over the years I’ve honed my ability and I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished.   

What did you think the first time you saw the heroine?

Infuriated. She’s the type of person that grows on you the more you are with her. She’s good at her job as an investigative reporter and is very headstrong.

Thanks again for chatting with me.

BLURB:

Jessica Coltrane is a diehard sceptic who believes ghosts and paranormal activity are nothing more than a figment of an overactive imagination. That is until she finds herself locked inside a haunted house with the enigmatic paranormal investigator C.J. Dowling.

Born with the ability to see and speak to the dead, C.J. Dowling thought investigating a haunted house would be a job like many others. He’s prepared for anything—except smart and sexy Jessica.

Working together in close quarters, C.J. and Jessica discover it isn’t only negative tension between them but sexual as well. Giving in to their desires seems like a good idea until they wake and find the spirits thought otherwise. They are trapped with the ghost of a child long forgotten, an amorous entity threatening Jessica, and a powder keg of a spine-tingling mystery that might just be better left buried.

EXCERPT

PG

“As I entered the property, the familiar sensation of paranormal activity greeted me,” he began as he wandered through the house, making sure he’d set everything up correctly. “I have no doubt there are multiple entities here. I’m experiencing conflicting sensations, one of calmness and another of unease. But the strongest sensation I am feeling is one of the occupants is not pleased with my presence.” 

“Occupants.” She snorted behind him. 

“The voice you just heard is not a spirit, but Jessica Coltrane, though she does resemble the living dead.” He clicked the recorder off then faced her. She stared at him, eyes narrowed and lips pursed. Interesting. Even annoyed, she’s pretty. She had the most beautiful big green eyes, long lashes, an elegant nose, and a body— 

“You’re a riot, Dowling. What is all this crap? It always blows me away the things you use to ‘prove’ life after death. You pick up a mote of dust in the air on film, and wham-o, it’s a spirit. What a joke.” 

“Laugh if you like, but if you saw what I’ve seen, you wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss that ‘mote of dust.’” 

“Whatever. So far, all I’ve seen is a houseful of belongings left behind by chicken shit people too afraid to come and get what belongs to them. But no spirits of the undead.” 

“The day is still early,” he muttered as he wrote in his pad. 

“Right, I forgot. Spirits come out at night to scare people, not during the day.” She rolled her eyes as she dropped down on the sofa, resting her feet on the coffee table. 

“Not all spirits are evil, and not all come out at night. There are spirits all around us. They just don’t always choose to make themselves known.” 

“God, how moronic. You don’t honestly believe that crap?”

 “Fullheartedly.” And why wouldn’t he, when he could feel them as equally as he felt her presence? 

“Then you’re a moron.” 

 “Do you believe in God, Jessica?” 

“It’s Jessie, and what does God have to do with anything?” 

“People are so willing to believe in a God they’ve never seen simply because a book says so. Yet they scoff at spirits of the dead. Jesus rose from the dead, did he not?” 

“Are you for real? You can’t honestly be comparing ghosts to God?” 

“Do you believe in God, Jessica?” he repeated calmly. 

“Stop calling me that, damn it. And yes, I believe in God.” 

“Why does your proper name bother you so much?” 

“I prefer Jessie.” 

 “How can you believe in God if you’ve never seen him or her?” 

“No, no, I am not getting into theology with you. Jesus, I should know better than to start a conversation.” She stood, tugging at her short shorts. “I’m going to order some takeout.” 

“I brought plenty of food. Feel free to help yourself.”

About the Author

Shiela Stewart is a paranormal suspense author with a writing history that stems back to her youth. Always a dreamer, wondering if her stories would ever reach an audience, she was finally published in 2006 and hasn’t stopped since. It is rare to find a stand-alone book as she prefers series stories. Her longest running series to date is her Darkness series which is a vampire romance.

Her joy for scary suspense is evident in each of her books. She has had several accomplishments including fighting for the top spot in rankings with author Stephany Myers, receiving glowing reviews as well as interviews on television. 

When not writing, Shiela spends her time with the love of her life, William, and their children and grandchildren. She enjoys getting her hands dirty, working in her gardens and planting flowers. Her strong affection for animals is evident in the many cats, fish and birds she cares for. 

Her favorite time of day is at sunset.

Shiela Stewart Website: www.shielastewart.com 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shielastewart 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shiela.stewart 

Decadent Publishing: https://decadentpublishing.com/secrets-of-the-dead/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W1L6LX2/

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-the-dead-shiela-stewart/1008584825?ean=2940162538202

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/secrets-of-the-dead/id1552432453?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=books_toolbox

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/secrets-of-the-dead-17

Smashword: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1067767

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