If you want a good mystery series to give for Christmas this year, I’ve found one. As Cold As Charity is the new installment in the Ghost Club Mystery series. This weekend, Dec. 15 & 16 only, it will be free on Amazon! I was lucky to be able to interview the author, Stacy Bourns on her childhood memories, her favorite author, and what she plans for future projects.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Stacy Bourns: My love of books started early in life, so I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a book in my hand. I can still recall the night I began reading The Hobbit, though. I was in bed in my bedroom, which thanks to the slanted ceiling, was particularly cozy. As I read about Bilbo’s adventures, I listened to the Commodore’s Greatest Hits on my cassette player – this tells you how long ago it was! So now, whenever I hear one of the Commodore’s songs, I always think of The Hobbit and that carefree time in my life.

2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Stacy Bourns: One of my favorite authors is Maud Hart Lovelace who wrote about her own early 19^th century childhood and coming of age in her Besty-Tacy series. My aunt, writer Barbara Bartholomew, gave me the first book of the series, and from that moment on, I was smitten. These books are dear to me, because I grew up alongside Lovelace’s protagonist Betsy. Because her writing is so vivid and nostalgic, it almost felt like I was part of Lovelace’s family. Books have so much to offer to a growing child—companionship, adventure, and guidance—and as I wrote my middle elementary Ghost Club series, I hoped to provide many of the same experiences for my own readers. In my most recent Ghost Club book, As Cold As Charity, the young protagonist is struggling with her parent’s possible divorce.

3) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Stacy Bourns: I have one more Ghost Club book in mind, but I am also working on a YA Book about a young woman who travels to Great Britain to learn more about her English roots. Since I adore paranormal fantasy, my protagonist will of course find herself encountering the paranormal. To me, there’s no better way to represent the challenge of growing up than with monsters. In a way, the imaginative act of slaying a monster is psychologically easier than say, dealing with family dysfunction, bullies, or any number of problems that children and teens experience. Ultimately, a monster is just a symbol of a problem that feels insurmountable. And, the most satisfying thing about fiction is that most of the time, the hero defeats the monster and saves the day.

As Cold As Charity is the third book in the Ghost Club series. The Ghost Club girls are investigating another case. This time at a luxury inn where sinister laughter is heard, a self-playing piano, and ghostly cries of a child are scaring customers away. They soon discover that they may have taken on more than they can handle and will have to rely on their strength, sleuthing power, and paranormal experience to save themselves.

As Cold As Charity will be free Dec. 15-16 at Amazon.com. It is a Kindle Unlimited title.