Author Linn B. Halton Visits

It is my pleasure to welcome author Linn B. Halton to Thoughts in Progress today as the special guest blogger to talk about her writing and her latest release.

Linn’s debut novel is TOUCHED BY THE LIGHT. It’s amazing how blogdom makes it possible to develop new friendships even though you're thousands of miles apart. Linn is one of those wonderful new friends I’ve meet from the UK and she’s here to talk about writing.

A big ‘thank you’ to Mason for allowing me to drop by, I always smile when a new ‘Thoughts In Progress’ Email arrives and I’m so delighted to be a guest here today.            

I live in Nailsworth in Gloucestershire, which is in a lovely part of the UK referred to as The Cotswolds. Well known for gentle hillsides (Wolds) and sleepy English villages. Many of the buildings favour the distinctive creamy Cotswold stone and the countryside is full of fields edged with dry stone walling. It’s a beautiful and serene place to live, although we do a lot of traveling because our family is split between Bristol (an hour’s drive), North Wales and California.

Our black and white cat, Tiggs, rules the house but he’s happy to share it with my lovely husband and myself. Tiggs is also very good company for me when I’m writing and likes to sit under my desk as I happily clatter away on the keyboard.

I gave up work just over two years ago to write; before that I spent twenty years in Finance, several years renovating three old cottages with my husband and three years designing interiors for Show Homes and new build houses. We are currently living in our 13th home and have renovated many different styles of property over the years; it was this ‘hobby’ that led to my second career. I am now fully involved in my third and final career, and there just never seems to be enough hours in the day.

A visit to my website will reveal the fact that I write about real-life romance, about relationships and the ‘baggage’ we all carry around with us. All my work includes either a psychic or astrological theme, with the exception of one novel due out soon on Kindle, entitled ‘BEING A SCEPTIC IS OH SO EASY.’ That is in effect a ‘journal’ of many of my personal psychic experiences, some of which will feature in books due out in 2011/2012.   

It was the death of my father in 2004 that triggered my move from the world of Finance into Interior Design, and in early 2009 the death of my mother that prompted me to write full-time. By then they had both proven to me beyond all shadow of a doubt that life after death really does exist and my mother continues to be a driving force now she is ‘on the other side.’ So much so, that within six months of her death I had written my debut novel ‘TOUCHED BY THE LIGHT,’ which was published on 24 February 2011. 

‘TOUCHED BY THE LIGHT’ unfolds as seen through the eyes of Mya and also five other characters: -
Laurel - a young woman born with psychic ability, a fact she attempts to keep hidden.
Dan – Laurel’s boyfriend.
Lennie - Laurel’s best friend.
Sadie - Mya’s sister.             
Grace – a medium working on a TV programme Dan is involved with, which televises live sessions trying to make contact with spirits.
 
At the beginning Mya is confused and disorientated. Having recently celebrated her 25th birthday, she never considered she might die at a young age and she doesn’t know what to expect after ‘the bright light’ appears. Suddenly she finds that she can connect with Laurel, a young woman of about the same age whom she doesn’t know. Laurel can talk to and sometimes see the spirits of people who have passed.  

Mya feels the reason she is involved with Laurel’s life is because she is supposed to save Laurel and Dan’s relationship. Dan is under a lot of pressure and is stressed out; the company he works for are struggling and they haven’t been able to pay anyone for quite a while. Dan is nearly broke, but he hasn’t told Laurel any of his problems because they are trying to have a baby; he feels that he’s failed her. Laurel is so busy organising their lives and worrying about not getting pregnant that she hasn’t noticed how withdrawn Dan has become. Mya is frustrated because she can see it all so clearly. If only they could both stand back and look at what is happening to them; talk about what they are feeling, there is a real chance they could get through this rough patch.

Suddenly Mya loses contact with Laurel after the couple split up, but she is surprised to find she is then able to ‘watch’ Dan. She can’t talk to him and he can’t see her, but it is clear to her that he is falling apart. She tries to let him know when she’s with him by moving things, but they usually end up getting smashed!

He starts talking to her, at first a little annoyed at the disruption. However, as time goes on he senses that she doesn’t mean to upset him and he ends up using her as a confidante. He finds talking to a spirit strangely comforting, partly because he knows she won’t repeat anything he tells her! He feels she is a friendly spirit and assumes it is something to do with the show he’s working on. He affectionately calls her ‘Cupcake’ and is worried about her, so he asks Grace to see if she can help.

When Grace tries to connect with her, she is puzzled that this spirit doesn’t seem interested in passing a message onto Dan. Grace knows this is an unusual situation and takes Dan to meet a friend who is involved in psychic research. Lawrence is very informative and he talks about near-death and out of body experiences, auras, déjà vu, telekinesis etc. They also talk about mental telepathy. Afterwards Dan begins to think that Cupcake is the result of Lennie’s subconscious thoughts, willing her best friends Laurel and Dan back together. He wonders if Lennie needs them to succeed to prove to herself that relationships really can work. She herself seems unwilling to commit to a relationship and he suspects she is searching for that special someone to love. But Lennie has trust issues of which Dan and Laura are unaware, the ‘baggage’ she carries with her from an experience she had many years ago.

As the story continues to unravel there are unexpected twists that trigger much deeper feelings, as two soul mates destined for each other, can finally come together. 
 
It’s a ‘feel-good’ story about psychic connections between people on different levels of existence and how the two worlds can become curiously entwined. Mya tries desperately to keep Laurel and Dan together, although she has no idea who they are or why she finds herself involved in their lives. Her efforts are often hilarious and misguided. It’s all about life and love, the things that hold us back; the mistakes we make and the things we don’t say but should. But when fate is involved anything can happen, although there are no guarantees that even soul mates can find their way through. The journey they take is filled with all of the emotions life has to offer and an insight into Mya’s new reality beyond the ‘light’.
‘Touched by The Light’ is available from:-
Amazon.co.uk:-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1846245311/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1M34T5BBJ7RMNYDN2RTG&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
Amazon.com:-
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1846245311/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

Please feel free to talk to me via:-
Twitter:  @LinnBHalton
Facebook:   Author Linn B Halton
Website:  http://linnbhalton.co.uk/

I welcome interaction with readers and my website features information on forthcoming novels, various articles and my ‘Shabby Ain’t Chic’ blog, giving hints and tips for the home.

It’s been a great pleasure ‘talking’ to you all, thanks so much for ‘listening’
Best regards, Linn

Linn, thanks so much for guest blogging here today. TOUCHED BY THE LIGHT sounds quite intriguing. It would be good if we all could (or would) sometimes take a step back and look at our situations through different eyes.

What are your thoughts on driving forces? Have you ever felt the presence or guidance of someone who wasn’t physically there with you?