Name of Author: Skye Callahan

Title of Book: Fractured Legacy

Favorite Authors: Deborah Harkness, Chloe Neill, R.L. Stine, Stephen King, Corinne Michaels, J.K. Rowling, Kat Richardson, Joey Hill, Cherise Sinclair.

Bio: S.J. Callahan is an Ohio Bigfoot Hunter, folklore enthusiast, paranormal researcher, and author.

Can you explain what your book is all about?

Paranormal investigator, Kaylyn is thrilled with the opportunity to investigate the Teague Hotel—but everything goes wrong. Unexplainable dreams and blackouts... Fires... Unrelenting attacks against her mind, body, and soul, that may or may not be real.

If Kaylyn stands any chance of defeating the powerful force waiting for her in the hotel, she'll first have to convince everyone around her that the threat isn't only in her head. And—possibly the harder task—face up to the fact that she needs to ask for help.

Who is your target audience - and why?

My target audience is people who grew up loving series like Fear Street, who have always had an interest in paranormal and get a rush from the mystery and suspense. It really plays to the curiosity of what might be lurking out there and how much power it might have over our lives. Many of the readers who have enjoyed it have likened it to Supernatural, Warehouse 13, and Ghost Hunters.

What is 'paranormal' about your story?

Just about everything! My main characters are paranormal investigators, so they're out looking for explanations and see more than the average person. Throughout the series the characters will experience a variety of paranormal creatures and settings, but Fractured Legacy centers around a mysterious entity that has been waiting in an old decrepit hotel for a particular person. There is also a paranormal box that causes some trouble for the investigators early on in the story and some hints at what some might consider protective magic.

I have always had a deep interest in folklore and mythology, so I draw on these elements to create new spins on traditional creatures and what I hope are some surprising entities.

Does it contain other genre elements, if so which ones - and why?

There's a bit of humor to lighten the mood as the characters banter with one another during cases, and a very faint vein of romance that really only begins to surface in Fractured Legacy. But the story is mainly focused on the paranormal investigation and the growing mysteries surrounding Kaylyn.

Tell us about your writing process - how do you get from story idea to a Wattpad published story?

The characters show up, chain me to my keyboard, and force me to write until they're content. I argue with them. They usually win. And usually, they leave me hanging in the middle of the story, so I have to go chase them down and chain them up until they agree to finish.

The reality of my writing process isn't really any less crazy than it sounds. It's a mess, and most of the time I have no idea what's going to happen, I just keep writing scene after scene until it all comes together. Then, I go back, patch up all of the holes and make sure everything flows. I have a few beta readers who read the early pieces and help me with the polishing process before I release it to the world.

Did you encounter any challenges when writing, if so - how did you overcome them?

Stubborn characters! They're usually my biggest problem. They either want to talk when I can't write or want to sit in a corner and ignore me when I have my computer out. I tell them to do one thing, and they decide to do another. It's all chaos.

You often hear that 'writing well' is the baseline for success. What does that mean for you?

Writing well is dependent on being able to tell a good story. The ability to weave words and actions together in a way that engages the reader's imagination and makes them forget they're really staring at a piece of paper with a bunch of carefully crafted letters. Grammar and technique can be improved and fixed—they're very important—but nothing replaces the innate storytelling ability of a good writer. 

One final question, this being the Paranormal genre: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?

Yes! There's a residual entity at my grandparent's house that we've all seen countless times. It doesn't interact, just runs down the hallway from time to time. I'm also a Bigfoot hunter (depending on how you want to classify Bigfoot, but he's definitely outside what we would call normal) and I've heard unexplainable howls, found footprints 14-20 inches long, and been followed through the woods by something that was at least 10-12 feet tall.