This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. p.m. terrell will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
What is the favorite book you remember as a child?
I read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote when I was about nine years old, and I was captivated by his style. I knew then that I wanted to be a writer.
Tell us about your current book in 10 words.
A historian rents an isolated lighthouse haunted by a Scotsman.
When do you do most of your reading?
I do most of my reading while I am on my treadmill, which I use six days a week. It makes the time fly! I also carry my iPad with me wherever I go, so I get a lot of reading in while in waiting rooms.
Favorite genre?
I am fascinated by the human journey, so I enjoy reading mysteries or suspense where the main character transforms through their trials and tribulations. I am also a sucker for ghost stories. I love them!
Do you loan your books?
I used to loan my books when they were in print, but don’t now that they are all contained on my iPad.
Favorite book to recommend?
There are so many! I read anything written by Martha Dunlop or Wendy Webb. They both are fabulous at creating believable, paranormal worlds.
What would make you not finish a book?
A book has to grab me from the first chapter, the characters have to be believable, the plot must be compelling, and the book must be well-written and well-edited. When I read a book that requires editing, all my years of writing and editing move to the forefront, and I can’t get into the plot because I am busy picking out errors.
Keep books or give them away?
I used to purchase paperback or hardcover books, but discovered I had amassed thousands of titles. I was planning an extended trip to Europe, and it would have been very costly to move them, so I gave almost all of them away. I replaced them with eBooks, and I try to purchase any new titles in eBook format. It means I can move all of my books in the palm of my hand, no matter where I travel.
While researching her next book, historian and author Hayley Hunter rents a lighthouse in Southeastern North Carolina. The modern lighthouse and vacation home replaced an original wood structure that only functioned during the Revolutionary War. The old lighthouse may be long gone, but the lightkeeper’s ghost remains.
Hayley becomes increasingly obsessed with finding why the spirit of Jonathan Corbyn lingers between realms. Joined by her lover Shay MacGregor, her search will take her into a world of spies, double agents, and espionage at the dawn of American democracy.
As the waitress returned with our meal, I said hesitantly, “I’ve been experiencing some activity.”
“Activity?” Shay repeated, puzzled.
As we leisurely consumed our meals, I told him of the white German shepherd, the Native American, and my discovery of Beckett Dikshita outside my door. I held back from mentioning the disembodied voice I thought I’d heard. For some reason I couldn’t explain, I felt that discussing Jon was a betrayal of him. He might have died over two centuries ago, but he felt very much alive to me.
When I was finished, Shay’s eyes were narrowed in thought. “I’m relieved you changed the locks and set up the cameras,” he said thoughtfully. “I think we should make it a habit for the locals to see us together, don’t you think? Give them the impression that there are two of us there. As isolated as you say it is, I don’t fancy the idea of the village folk believing you’re there all alone.”
“I agree, though the locals so far have consisted only of Argo and Beckett Dikshita.” I didn’t want to ask exactly how long he would remain before he was due back in Ireland for his job at the university. It seemed that doing so would hasten his departure. “And what do you think of the—unexplained—” I hesitated.
“Ghosts?” he offered. “Apparitions? You didn’t believe a Native American and disappearing dog would get past me, did you? Well, you’ve come to an expert on that as well.”
“Oh?” I chided. “You’re an expert?”
He chewed his food thoughtfully before becoming serious. “The Irish have a different mindset when it comes to spirits, they do,” he said, his voice softening. He cleared his throat. “You Americans have such a physical approach to life; you tend to think that when a person’s body ceases to function, their soul is taken away as well.”
My full name is Patricia McClelland Terrell, and I have been writing under the pen name p.m.terrell ever since a publisher presented me with my first fiction book cover. The graphic designer had also entered my name in lower-case letters; my editor hated it, and I loved it. It’s been p.m.terrell ever since.
I began writing when I was nine years old, inspired by a schoolteacher and elementary school principal. Scott-Foresman published my first book, a computer instructional for universities, in 1984. Scott-Foresman, Dow-Jones (Richard D. Irwin branch), Palari Publishing, Paralee Press, and Drake Valley Press have published 26 books to date.
Before embarking on a full-time writing career, I founded McClelland Enterprises, Inc. in the Washington, D.C. area in 1984, specializing in computer instruction for employees in the workplace. I opened another business, Continental Software Development Corporation, in 1994, which focused on custom application development, programming, website design and development, and computer crime.
I was honored to be the first female President of the Chesterfield County/Colonial Heights Crime Solvers. I also served as the Treasurer for the Virginia Crime Stoppers Association. Since moving to North Carolina, I served on the Robeson County Friends of the Library and Robeson County Arts Council.
I launched The Book ‘Em Foundation with Waynesboro, Virginia Police Officer Mark Kearney, and assisted in Virginia, New Hampshire, and South Carolina events before establishing the Annual Book ‘Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, chairing it for several years before turning it over to Robeson Community College in Lumberton, NC.
Website: https://pmterrell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pmterrell.author
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-misremembered-lighthouse/id6749962807
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-misremembered-lighthouse-pm-terrell/1148042055
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FM4D9YTB
All other eBook formats: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1832068
Thank you for featuring p.m. terrell and THE MISREMEMBERED LIGHTHOUSE.
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