Today, I bring you a guest post from author Lacey Crazd Gordon. Lacey shares her publication journey for her debut novel titled 'Pahulu Hale-Haunted House', what drives her, and how her family inspire her every day.
Guest Post
Hello, my name is Lacey and my pen name is Lacey Crazd Gordon. I am a first-time published author and couldn't be happier. I am scared, nervous, and excited for my book, 'Pahulu Hale- Haunted House', be let loose into the world. I am a blogger, so I have other writings published, but this book is my first actual book that was published by my amazing publisher, Stacy, from Hear Our Voice LLC.
It's a horror paranormal book that takes place on the beautiful island of Oahu in Hawaii. I visited there when I was a teenager, then married and lived there for a year in 2007-2008. The island is just gorgeous and so full of life. The Hawaiian people were always nice and welcoming when I lived there. Seeing people from all over the world living there or vacationing there always put a smile on my face. That was the reason I chose Hawaii as the location for my book. Because I miss it and, well, it just seemed to fit for this book.
I am a huge fan of horror movies and books, so I jumped in and wrote horror myself. I write other genres such as fantasy, young adult, mystery, and children's, but horror is still my favorite genre. For inspiration for this book idea, I turned to the horror and paranormal movies I have watched. The fear that strikes the reader and watcher placed the seed of a haunted house in my mind and my imagination took it from there, helping the idea grow and blossom into the book it is today.
For Pahulu Hale, I wanted to scare people and make them feel uneasy when they read it. I enjoy scaring others. I will not lie, but I also want to bring them enjoyment. I have to warn the readers, it gets gory. But I feel this book, being my first, is just a stepping stone to other books I wish to write and publish. This is my first baby, and I couldn't be prouder.
Being a believer in ghosts, hauntings, and the paranormal, since I have had my fair share of encounters, I knew I had to slip in a group of investigators to help my MC, Leilani, deal with her house, or the evil inside her house. So, what is going on in her life? Tattered kid toys are being found, things go missing, there is a shadow always glaring from the corners, and grisly photos of the murder of a military family in her house 20 years ago by a crazed neighbor are being sent to her phone. And let's not forget the classic phone calls with malevolent laughter. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live in this two-story Victorian house on Oahu? It comes with its own scary ghost.
Getting my book published has been a long, tiring, stressful journey, to say the least, but I let nothing stop me. My husband, Ryan, wouldn’t let me stop either. He knew there were days I just wanted to give up, but he said take a break and then get back to it. He said I wasn’t going to give up on myself or my dream of becoming published. So, I kept going!
I knew it would happen one day, whether I chose to self-publish, try out hybrid publishing, or, by some miracle, find a traditional publisher. And it seems that a miracle happened at the end of last year since, as stated above, I have an amazing publisher now. I was shocked when she messaged me, giving me her link, and she told me to send my first chapter and Synopsis of Pahulu Hale. I sent it, but truthfully, I was ready for the rejection. It never came.
I remember trying to publish another book when I was younger and the rejections I received. It stung, but I was younger, and I came to realize my book wasn’t ready. I am actually re-writing that book now since my publisher sounds excited about it after we talked about my writing and other books I have started, yet haven’t finished. It’s a young adult paranormal book. Receiving rejections is hard, and it hurts, but it is a slow step forward to finding the right agent or publisher, so I didn’t give up.
As much as I boast this book is my first baby and I am so excited it is published, it’s really for my girls. When my husband and I had our first daughter, I would find times to write so I could push myself to get closer to publication. Then we had our second daughter, and I knew I had to get published. I want readers yes, that would be amazing, but the real reason I pushed myself to get published is because I want to show my girls that with hard work, never giving up, and the support from those who love you, your dreams will come true one day.
My dream to become published came true on September 22, 2022, on my husband's and my 15th wedding anniversary. I hope my daughters see this, are proud, and strive to do the same. I want them to know they have our support, so one day they can have their dreams come true. I also hope that with myself and my husband setting examples like this, our girls will grow up and do the same for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren if they are so lucky.
I am now a published author, but first I am a mother who wants to set good examples for my daughters. I never want to see them give up on their dreams, no matter how hard or how long it takes for them to come true.
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