Author Spotlight ~ Ripley Patton

GHOST HAND

 is currently FREE on Amazon:

  http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Hand-The-PSS-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00AF1CM0A

And Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/ghost-hand-1

Synopsis:
Olivia Black is back. 

Only this time she’s not the one in need of rescue. 

Samantha James, rich, popular, and an award-winning composer at age seventeen, is the next target on the CAMFers’ list. In order to convince Samantha to come with them, Olivia and Passion must pose as cousins, blend into the most affluent high school in Indianapolis, and infiltrate a mysterious cult known as The Hold.

Olivia doesn’t expect it to be easy, even with the PSS guys backing them up. But what she discovers over the course of the mission will call into question everything she ever believed about herself, her family, and especially about Marcus, the guy she is undoubtedly falling in love with.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ripley Patton lives in Portland, Oregon with one cat, two teenagers, and a man who wants to live on a boat. She is an award-winning short story writer and author of The PSS Chronicles, a young adult paranormal thriller series.

Ripley doesn’t smoke, or drink, or cuss as much as her characters. Her only real vices are writing, eating M&Ms, and watching reality television.

1. The books in the PSS Chronicles series are Paranormal Thrillers, what in this genre appeals to you and why did you decide to write this genre?

I write genre YA because I love to read it. A writer should always write something they want to read. Plus, I have two teenagers so they help me keep the work current and enjoy the finished product. And as much as Paranormal Romance has been the go-to young adult genre recently, I don’t find romance as compelling as action, adventure, or intrigue. Romance is fairly predictable. Either they end up together, or they don’t. Including the thriller element in my books allows me to turn and twist the plot a lot more, which I find challenging and interesting. And of course, there can still be some romance to sweeten the pot.

2. How did you come up with the inspiration for the PSS Chronicles series?

The main idea for PSS or Psyche Sans Soma, the birth defect that Olivia Black and other characters in the series suffer from, came from the real medical phenomenon of phantom limbs. I have a friend who is an amputee. Even though his right leg is gone, he can still feel it. He can feel the grass between his toes when he walks in the back yard. He can get a cramp in the middle of the night in the leg he no longer has. And this is true even of people who aren’t amputees but were born without certain limbs. It seems our brain has a map of our body that isn’t limited to its fleshly manifestation. So, for the PSS series, I took that idea and ran with it. I asked myself, “What if those phantom limbs actually existed? What would they look, and act, and feel like? How would society react to them? And what power would they hold?’

3. Are there things you have in common with your main character Olivia Black?

Of course. Olivia and I are both introverts. I have somewhat of a fascination with death and I happen to love cemeteries and hate doctors. I once had a picnic on a sarcophagus in my favorite cemetery for a first date. Also, Olivia and I have also both lost a parent to cancer. I think Olivia is a combo of my inner Goth, my daughter, and the self I wish I’d been brave enough to be as a teenager.

4. How many books will the PSS Chronicles series contain?

Three or Four. I’m not sure yet. I have to see how long book three is first, and find out what happens.

5. What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to read, of course, especially YA. I like to hang out with other writers and bookish nerds. I love to hike and garden and generally spend time in nature or with my pets. And I love to travel when I have the money.