C.L. Bauer: Author Q&A—“Ghosts can do just about anything, right?”

BooksGhostsInterview
Written By Chris Well

Some secrets should stay hidden. If they come to light, darkness could weaken even the strongest of families.

“There’s more to the afterlife than just going to sleep or into darkness for eternity.”

Currently on a blog tour to promote her novel The Haunted Lost Rose (which kicks off her Charlotte’s Voices of Mystery book series), C.L. Bauer is the author of more than one series of mysteries. In the interview below author Bauer shares the inspiration for her fiction, explains why she values the supernatural, and reveals what makes her stop reading.

About the book

When long hidden secrets expose lost loves, two intertwined families are placed in jeopardy in Charlotte's Voices of Mystery.

Real estate agent Charlotte O’Donohue never looks forward to Mondays. Usually, a couple cups of coffee will fix her mood, but today an unexpected voice directs her to a dead body. She's going to need a bigger cup, and it better be caffeinated!

When the dead body happens to be your client, the scandal could jeopardize her brother's business, but Charlotte is more worried about a mysterious stranger who decides she's the number one suspect. He seems familiar and dangerous. He knows she has a secret, and Charlotte will do anything to keep the truth from him. How could he possibly understand that she can hear the dead?

Ghostly whispers from a spirit who haunts the large Kansas City mansion warns of more danger to come for Charlotte, her family, and for the stranger. But as Charlotte discovers a key to one mystery, another one appears...one that could reveal more than a murderer but a long-forbidden love.

The haunted and the living seem to be conspiring against the spunky real estate agent, throwing her into a love of her own that shakes her to the core.

When long hidden secrets expose lost loves, two intertwined families are placed in jeopardy in The Haunted Lost Rose—the first in a series blending romance, suspense, a little haunting, strangers to friends, and enemies to...we’ll have to see.

The Haunted Lost Rose
(Charlotte’s Voices of Mystery Book #1)
by C.L. Bauer

Buy The Haunted Lost Rose from Amazon
Other Stores: https://books2read.com/u/3Joj5E/​

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C.L. Bauer: Author Q&A—The Haunted Lost Rose

Q: Looking at your unique spin on paranormal fiction—what inspired you to go in this direction?

My spin is what I’d consider “old school.” The Haunted Lost Rose only features spirits/ghosts in the background. They don’t create any of the crisis or chaos in the novel, but they’re helpful to the main character in the book.

My inspiration came from a deep belief that there’s more to the afterlife than just going to sleep or into darkness for eternity. Our family has had many what some might call spirit interactions over the years, and our own Kansas City has many well known haunted mansions and buildings.

I wrote a ghost story years ago. My sister read it during COVID, and she loved it. I suppose that’s when I decided that my main character would hear and speak with the dead.

Q: When and how did you become interested in writing your brand of paranormal stories?

I was a fan of the old movie The Ghost And Mrs. Muir. I was never frightened. My mother introduced me to it at a very young age, and I was mesmerized by the romance. (Two other films Titanic and Somewhere In Time really ramped up the romance of love beyond life as we know it.)

Now, The Excorcist and The Omen are two films that scare me to death…maybe because it deals with evil and the Devil? I always loved a good mystery, although I was surprised that is the genre I write in, but the addition of spirits/ghosts offers a unique viewpoint of the main characters.

Truthfully, I’ve surprised myself adding in a paranormal edge since I’ve had life experiences that could be written (maybe someday) about our family’s connection with ghosts. From an early age, we’ve all been comfortable knowing that this grandmother or that uncle is still surrounding us with their energy.

Q: What are your favorite things about the section of the genre you occupy?

Probably my favorite thing is that there’s always someone or something around the corner in a mystery or ghost story that is going to completely muck up the characters’ world and create a challenge that they may or may not be able to handle. I love figuring out how people will interact and act in conflict.

I love a good mystery, puzzles infuriate me but are amazing, and ghosts, well ghosts can do just about anything, right?

My first series The Lily List Mysteries are very cozy and are great for a quick read. Branching into mysteries with a paranormal element offers me the opportunity to take life on in a more “real” way. I was able to write my first bit of profanity, and eventually I’ll be featuring love scenes. That’s very exciting and frightening all at the same time. My family may never look at me in the same way again!

Q: What are your “paranormal story” pet peeves that you’ve seen others do?

Wow, that could get me into trouble! I suppose my number one pet peeve is when the storyline is so outlandish that paranormal becomes complete fantasy…when there’s no way in heaven or on earth something like the action could ever take place.

I have a great respect for the supernatural, so there’s times I feel like people are mocking an experience, and I really am turned off. I’m not sure why, but I’ve always thought…that’s just ridiculous. I stop reading or watching at that point. I’d sooner believe a vampire or werewolf is among us than some actions they think a ghost can do.

My character in the book says there must be some kind of rules or playbook for what the spirits can or can’t do, and I believe that completely. I also believe a love can survive beyond the grave. Their energy exists within a layer of life our little brains don’t understand.

Q: What are the best ways for fans to keep track of what you’re writing (and related author news about you)?

I produce a monthly newsletter that readers can sign up for at my website www.clbauer.com. I’ll fill fans in on what’s going on with me, what novels are on their way, and any contests and giveaways.

They can also follow me on Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and even Pinterest. To ask a direct question, I can be emailed directly at clbauerkc @ gmail.com.

Find out more about C.L. Bauer

Kansas City, Missouri native C.L. Bauer is the author of three series in mystery genres. Originally a reporter, Bauer worked through jobs in marketing and advertising, to eventually take over the reins of her family’s century old business, Clara’s Flowers. Many of the stories used in her books are based on true events from years in the wedding and event flower world.

You can reach C.L. Bauer on all social mediums, Goodreads, and through her website, www.clbauer.com. You can check out her flower designs at www.clarasflowers.com.

Chris Well

Chris Well been a writer pretty much his entire life. (Well, since his childhood.) Over the years, he has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio, and books. He now is the chief of the website Monster Complex, celebrating monster stories in lit and pop culture. He also writes horror comedy fiction that embraces Universal Monsters, 1960s sitcoms, 1980s action movies, and the X-Files.

https://chriswell.substack.com/
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