Prepare for Halloween with an Asylum & a Contest

Please welcome, multi-talented, award winning author, Denise A. Agnew to my blog, as she talks about her soon to be released, romantic, paranormal, Asylum Trilogy.

Denise is also giving away a book. (Contest details below).

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Thank you so much to Selena Robins for inviting me to blog here today. Iโ€™m happy to be here and share a tidbit with you about my Asylum Trilogy that debuts on Halloween.

This time of year is always special to me. I love autumn, and Halloween is my favorite holiday, so releasing a trilogy filled with chills, romance, and scary paranormal elements is right up my alley.

The Asylum Trilogy formed in my mind one evening as I watched a spooky program about the Trans-Alleghany Lunatic Asylum and the legend of a little girl ghost. That was the springboard for my idea, and I ran with it. As my ideas formed, I realized that one novel wouldnโ€™t hold all I wanted to tell about the asylum.

In Asylum 1: Shadows Wait, I tell the tale of Lilly Luna, a young woman who born in the asylum and grew up there. How does she perceive and deal with the outside world?

What does love feel like to her when the superintendentโ€™s handsome son takes notice of her?

Lilly isnโ€™t an ordinary woman. Sheโ€™s haunted by the ghost of a young girl she accidentally killed. And the ghosts of other women in the asylum who died at the hands of a serial killer also want her help. Theyโ€™re dying to get it. No pun intended.

In Asylum 2: Shadows Rise, the ghosts are getting stronger, the evil is thicker.ย This story is set in 1918 and holds a special meaning in my heart.

Disease and war are two topics only occasionally mentioned in most romance novels. Many romance authors donโ€™t feel it necessary to dig deep into the worst nature of the time periods for which they write their novels. This is neither good nor bad, but Iโ€™ll admit that the grit is something I want to know and write. I like getting my hands dirty.

Even before I started research into the era surrounding World War I, I wanted to start writing about the hero and heroine and the extraordinary circumstances they would have encountered going through World War I and the influenza pandemic that ravaged the world from 1917 to 1920. The more I read about these events, the more it became apparent to me that these years were horrific times. Everyone on earth was in peril in a way few generations had been before.ย  The people who survived these events were amazing. How could I have not written a romance during this time period?

In Asylum 3: Shadows Fall, Tranquil View Asylum has been turned into condos. But you know the evil is there, still festering, still haunting any who dare entered its halls. A woman who believes in the supernatural and owns a new age shop knows thereโ€™s something awful in Tranquil View. The ex-marine who doesnโ€™t believe in the paranormal knows something happened to his mother, but he refuses to believe the evil in the asylum had anything to do with it. As the asylum wraps them in fear, theyโ€™ll turn to a paranormal investigation team to discover what happened to his mother, and how to survive the darkness living within the building.

For blurbs and excerpts, please stop by my website.

There youโ€™ll discover all the information on my books, including the Asylum Trilogy. Also, be certain to sign up for my monthly newsletter on my website. Iโ€™m putting out an additional newsletter after the Asylum Trilogy is released for a reminder to all interested readers.

Contest:

Comment on this blog and you could win an e-book from Denise Agnew’s back-list.

Tell her; what scares you to bits?

38 responses to “Prepare for Halloween with an Asylum & a Contest”

  1. Snakes share the blessed out of me. They are possible the worst animal on the planet.

    Ashley

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    1. I hate snakes as well. I can’t even look at them in a picture. Why I chose to have a snake as a symbol for one of my WIP’s villains is a mystery to me.

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    2. My mother was scared of snakes. Phobic actually. I used to be phobic of thunderstorms but I got rid of that. ๐Ÿ™‚

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  2. Thanks for all the details on your new books Denise! Definitely look like a scary read! Perfect for Halloween!
    I am scared of the crazy sounds a house makes in the middle of the night. My husband doesn’t travel much anymore, but when he does I have night lights in just about every room! I want to see what’s coming after me!! LOL

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    1. LOL Pat, I do the same thing, because our dog is skittish and he barks at the slightest sounds so if I’m alone, I’m convinced something is wrong. I’ve read all three books, and they are good. Romantic, spooky and lots of suspense.

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      1. Thank ya kindly Miss Selena, for the kudos!

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    2. You’re welcome Pat! I hope I can tantalize readers with the romance and the scary bits! ๐Ÿ™‚ Sometimes being in a house at night alone is a very scary thing. ๐Ÿ™‚

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  3. Love the covers! I am a whimp – any suspense scares me – I cover my eyes in movies! HATE being scared – going to go to a amusement park this weekend all decked out for Halloween and I am going to hate each minute – but I need to be there if my daughter decides to whimp out on a ride or two.
    Love these guest blogs Selena!

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    1. Hi, Kame, glad you enjoy the guest blogs.

      I’m with you on the spooky stuff, I don’t watch those horror movies, I’m not into Halloween the way most people are. Although, I do love seeing the little ones all dressed up and having them sing or dance for their bag of candy when the come to do the door. LOL

      I read all three of these books, and they didn’t scare me the way some horror flicks or books can scare a person. The paranormal element is well done, for people like us. ๐Ÿ™‚

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      1. Thanks Selena. I think I skirt the edge of horror on these just slightly. I’m sure there is someone who will have the beejeebers scared outta them. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    2. Hi there! I have to admit that I’m a sucker for good scary movies and reads. My favorite kind! Thanks for the kind words on my covers. ๐Ÿ™‚

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  4. These three sound like good pre-Halloween reads…I’ll check them out definitely! Thanks for the intros on them, will head to Denise’s website to read the excerpts!
    ivegotmail8889@yahoo.com

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    1. Hi there PC. They should be out right on Halloween day, or perhaps a bit after. Timing is the key. LOL. If they’re up earlier than that I’ll let everyone know. ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you for heading over to my website to read excerpts.

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    2. Hi, Pc, thanks for stopping by.

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  5. I don’t like snakes or spiders. I would love to read your books. They sound very good. Thanks for the giveaway.

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    1. Hi, Victoria, spiders are on my hit list as well.

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  6. Hi Victoria. I have to admit snakes bother me more than spiders, but that’s because we have rattlesnakes in our area. ๐Ÿ™‚ Hope you get to read my novels and enjoy them. Thanks much!

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  7. Hi Selena and Denise, This trilogy sounds interesting especially with the Asylum setting I will add it to my TBR. I love Halloween and everything that comes with it. I’m presently working on my costume for our Salon’s annual party. I love scary movies but I don’t like slasher ones. For example: The Sixth Sense–Yes. Saw–No way, and I still have not seen or ever will see The Exorcist. Although as Selena knows, I’m a hugh fan of The Walking Dead. My husband says I’m very odd.

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    1. Hi there Heidi! Thanks much for stopping by. I’m more into movies like The Sixth Sense myself. ๐Ÿ™‚ I have to admit that The Shining is my favorite scary movie, and yes second to that is The Exorcist. ๐Ÿ™‚ Believe it or not, I watched half of The Walking Dead and couldn’t get into it. I think horror movies/reads can be very much like romance novel genres. Some are ones you will like and others not so much. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    2. Hi, Heidi,

      You’ll have to tell me what costume you are making. I’m thinking I should dress up as a cucumber and answer the door, I could say I’m the veggie fairy. LOL

      I don’t mind movies like the Sixth Sense, but Saw or Chuckie what’s his face, no thanks.

      Still don’t get the whole Walking Dead thing, and you’re not odd, you’re just quirky like most people, except me of course ๐Ÿ˜‰

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    3. Congratulations, Heidi. Denise used random draw and your name was picked.

      She will be contacting you, so you can pick one of her books as a prize.

      Enjoy!

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  8. what sacre me the most is not to die. but to lose the most important thing imaginable…. My wife. that is what sacres me the ost a life without her

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    1. Tom, I can totally understand that fear!

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    2. Hi, Tom, thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts. I can totally understand your fear.

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  9. Great intro to the trilogy Denise. I will definitely be adding these to my pile.
    To this day, I will not watch ‘When a stranger calls’ whenthat movie came out I was always babysitting, no way in hell was I going to watch that. I have seen the pg version of the Exercist, won’t see the rated ‘r’ one ever. I do like a good ole scary movie on occasion. But prefer scifi movies. I am a new fan of The walking dead. My husband suckered me into watching the first episode and of course I had to watch the rest of the first season. This weekend is a season 2 marathon.

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    1. Thanks so much for adding them to your reading pile! I very much appreciate that. ๐Ÿ™‚ I love When A Stranger Calls. I guess you could say I’m one of those weird women. There are few women I know that like horror movies as much as I do…or psychological thriller/horror which I like the most. Sci Fi movies rock. ๐Ÿ™‚ As I mentioned to Heidi above I tried one episode of The Walking Dead and didn’t get into it. The only two zombie movies I like are Shaun of The Dead and 28 Days Later. Okay I do like one other one that I can’t think of the name of right now.

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    2. Hi, Granny, that movie is extremely scary, and I don’t think I want to ever see it again.

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  10. Driving late at night on a lonely country road gives me the willies.As long as I am at home, I can read anything without having a nervous break down. This trilogy looks great, a must read for me.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Ann. And maybe if the Asylum Trilogy is in your reading pile you’ll be a happy camper. ๐Ÿ™‚ I’ve driven on quite a few lonely country roads at night, but then I lived in the country from the time I was a kid until I was about 26. I was so used to it that it never gave me the willies. Go figure. It should have. LOL.

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    2. Hi, Ann, I agree that is scary, especially if the gas tank is on low.

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  11. Enjoyed reading about these books. Sometime I feel like I live in an asylum

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    1. Debra! LOL. Yeah, I kind of felt like that today. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    2. LOL Debra, I think we’ve all felt like that. Thanks for dropping by.

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  12. nancyelizabethlauzon Avatar
    nancyelizabethlauzon

    Sounds like a great trilogy, Denise! Spooktacular =)

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    1. Hey Nancy! How are you? Thanks for the kudos. ๐Ÿ™‚

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  13. Thanks again to Selena for inviting me to blog here. And thank you to everyone who posted comments. The winner of the backlist book is Heidi! Congratulations Heidi. ๐Ÿ™‚

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  14. Thank you all for visiting my blog and chatting with Denise, we both appreciate sharing your time with us and I hope you’ll come back again, as I have more authors lined up to chat with and giving away books.

    Congratulations to Heidi. Denise used random draw and her name was pulled as the winner of this blog post.

    Enjoy!

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