Today we’re in for some major goosebumpiness as we celebrate the launch of SHADOWED SUMMER with author Saundra Mitchell!

About SHADOWED SUMMER

Nothing ever happened in Ondine, Louisiana, not even the summer Elijah Landry disappeared. His mother knew he ascended to heaven, the police believed he ran away, and his girlfriend thought he was murdered.

Decades later, certain she saw his ghost in the town cemetery, fourteen-year-old Iris Rhame is determined to find out the truth behind “The Incident With the Landry Boy.” Enlisting the help of her best friend Collette, and forced to endure the company of Collette’s latest crush, Ben, Iris spends a summer digging into the past and stirring old ghosts, in search of a boy she never knew.

What she doesn’t realize is that in a town as small as Ondine, every secret is a family secret.

Iris’ 2009 Debut Party

*Raises hand*

Um hi are there going to be ghosts at this party? Because if there are, well, I might have something else to do today. I mean, not that I’m not happy for Iris and everything, but I’m just… okay, okay. If you guys come with me, I think I can do it. Yes. I can. Let’s go!

BOO!

*Screams!*

Sooo not funny. Do not do that again, kthxbye.

The Guest List

Well, Iris wasn’t gonna invite anybody else, but Collette got mad and told her if she didn’t invite Nick from The Demon’s Lexicon, she was gonna pull her ear until it bled. So grudgingly, Iris invited Nick. And then she invited Avery from Dull Boy, because she though it might be funny to watch Collette’s head explode trying to show off for two of ’em. (Also, Avery’s kinda cute and his power is awesome.)

The Party

As is tradition with the Lanouxs and Rhames, it’s a bonfire out at Collette’s granddaddy’s place, out of town a ways. There’s room enough to act a fool, but it’s distant enough they can’t all run off in the middle of the night and do something foolish like paint half the mailboxes in St. Amant pink. Not that anybody’s daddies ever did that, no ma’am. They’ll probably put on some crawfish boil and sneak some beer. I imagine Iris will want pictures of the looks on Nick and Avery’s faces when Collette tells them they gotta suck out the head of those crawfish. The theme? “Ain’t stuck at home in Ondine tonight.” And party guests will receive Deet. Because Off don’t work on bayou mosquitoes.

Saundra, does Deet work on spirits from the otherworld? Not that I’m a-scared or anything. Just curious… *cough*

The Guest of Honor: Iris

Iris is wearing jeans and a t-shirt, same as always. Her theme song? “House of the Rising Sun” because somewhere around midnight, Iris will realize the house in question is a bordello and that will just blow her mind.

Saundra Mitchell’s Advice for Iris on Her Big Debut

If you end up rolling around in the giggleweeds with somebody, make sure you check your hair for incriminating twigs and grass before you come back to the fire.

Rolling around in the giggleweeds? Ghosts or not, I’m intrigued!

Thanks for the bonfire and the fun, Saundra, and best wishes to you and Iris for a fabulous debut!

SHADOWED SUMMER is available in book stores now, and also online at Amazon.

A screenwriter and author, Saundra Mitchell penned the screenplays for the Fresh Films and Girls in the Director’s Chair short film series. Her short story “Ready to Wear” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her first feature film, Revenge Ends, debuted on the festival circuit in 2008. In her free time, she enjoys ghost hunting, papermaking, and spending time with her husband and her two children. Visit her online at her author site or book site.