Authors Interviewing Characters: Ada Bell

Welcome to Shady Grove, a town where science meets séances. Perfect for fans of Amy Boyles and Erin Huss, MYSTIC PIECES by Ada Bell (January 11) is a fun, witty paranormal mystery that follows a young scientist who is astonished—and not exactly ecstatic—to discover she has psychic powers. 

Twenty-four-year old Aly moved to Shady Grove, NY from Sacramento, CA after her sister-in-law died. Her master plan was to help her brother take care of her three-year-old nephew Kyle, live rent-free for a bit, then go back to school to finish her bachelor’s degree in biology. Becoming suddenly psychic was not part of the equation. She’s all about pretending that none of this ever happened, but when a man dies and Aly’s boss is accused, she has to put her powers to the test. 

Bell’s writing puts a charming spin on the popular small town cozy trope, with a lovable main character who recites the elements of the periodic table to center herself while finding herself in one unbelievable situation after another.

Author Ada Bell interviews her main character, ALY REYNOLDS, from MYSTIC PIECES, Book 1 in her new SHADY GROVE PSYCHIC MYSTERIES series.

Aly: Welcome to Missing Pieces. Can I help you find something?

Ada: Thank you, yes. I… I’m not sure how to explain what I’m looking for.

Aly: Hold on. You want Olive. 

Ada: Huh?
Aly: The owner. She finds things people didn’t know they were missing in their lives. 

Ada: Oh! Like the store’s name?

Aly: Exactly. Hold on, I’ll see if she’s around.

Ada: No, no, I wanted to talk to you.

Aly: Is my nephew okay? The preschool isn’t having a snow day, are they? 

Ada: No. Listen, I heard that you have special powers.

Aly: Well, I make a mean Nutella toast, if that’s what you’re talking about. 

Ada: Let’s back up. I’m doing a special interest piece for the Shady Grove Sentinel, interviewing the town’s newest residents. There are only two of you, so it’s a short series. I’ve got a list of things to ask you. First, I want to confirm that your full name is Alu—

Aly: LALALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU.

Ada: Excuse me?

Aly: Look, lady, you print my full name and this conversation’s over.

Ada: What’s wrong with your name?

Aly: It’s dumb. Sorry. My parents are lovely people. Great parents, super smart. But they suck at naming their kids. It’s the one thing my brother and I agree on. Feel free to print his name. Kelvin. Actually, I’d appreciate if you call him Kelvy.

Ada: Okay then. What brings you to Shady Grove? Where were you before you moved here?

Aly: I grew up in Sacramento, California. 

Ada: That must be quite a change.

Aly: I never even knew what snow days were. Anyway, a couple of years ago my sister-in-law died. My brother moved up here to get away from the memories, plus it’s near Maloney College. I want to finish my bachelor’s degree, so here I am. 

Ada: Here you are indeed. Can you tell me what you do here?
Aly: Uh, I sell antiques. Why? What did you hear? 

_ _ _ 

Ada Bell is an award-winning and internationally best-selling author who thought that it would be cool to use a secret identity when writing mysteries. After all, who doesn’t want a secret identity? She doesn’t remember where the idea for the Shady Grove mysteries started, but she freely admits that Kyle is based on a certain precious toddler in her own life. Ada loves Scooby Doo, superhero movies, STEM heroines, and cake. Mmm, cake.

_ _ _ 

MYSTIC PIECES

Aly doesn’t believe in psychics. Too bad she just had a vision.

Aly’s got enough on her plate, with finishing her degree and taking care of her nephew and starting her new job at the antique store while crushing on the owner’s son. No visions.

Alas, the universe doesn’t care what Aly believes. When she turns 21, she starts to feel psychic impressions left on objects. A disorienting power when you’re surrounded by antiques. Then cranky customer Earl is killed, and Aly’s new boss Olive is the prime suspect—not to mention the only person who understands Aly’s gifts. Who hated Earl enough to kill? Police would rather make a quick arrest than investigate, so it’s up to Aly to clear Olive’s name.

Shady Grove is reeling from the first murder in decades. If Aly can get her hands on the right object, she’ll know what happened. Can she learn to control her visions before the killer sets their sights on her?

 

BUY HERE

Tags: freatured, women writers

Category: Interviews, On Writing