Spotlight: Helen Downing Visits to Talk About Her Inspirational Fantasy Series!

Today, we're doing something a little different. Fellow author Helen Downing is stopping by to talk about her series!

 

Hello, Helen! It's great that you're visiting MLB.  :)

 

 

Hi! Thank you for having me here. 

 

My pleasure, of course! So, let me ask a few questions since you're here...

 

All right.

Can you tell us a little about your series? When did the books

come out and where can we get them?  

 

The first book in my series is called Awake in Hell. There is also a sequel called Remembering Hell. Both are available on Amazon.

 

Great!

 

So, what inspired your books? How did you get into writing inspirational fantasy?

 

I was going through a difficult time and learning some life lessons about forgiveness and redemption. The story just kind of developed inside my head and I write it down.

 

Okay.

What, do you feel, sets your series apart from other books in the genre?

 

My books (hopefully) will make you laugh, but also shed a tear. The thing I like most about things my readers tell me is that my characters stay with them long after the book is finished. That is the finest compliment I think I have ever received.

 

Yes, it is! That's wonderful!

 

So, give us a teaser or two from one of these books if you can.

 

When I arrive at the Second Chance Temp Agency Gabby is waiting, coffee in hand, with a huge smile plastered across her face. It looks unnatural like she is secretly Mrs. Potato Head and she has just picked up that smile and crammed it into her face seconds before I got there.
“Should I be frightened?” I ask.
“Why?” she answers sweetly. “I just figured you wouldn’t have time to chat while the coffee brewed since you didn’t arrive until two minutes to eight for an eight o’clock appointment.”
Good grief. I had forgotten about Gabby’s almost compulsive need for punctuality. “So that’s it? You are worried about my being on time?”
“Of course it is!” she says, and that smile gets even wider, against all biological possibility. Gabby is not being 100 percent honest.
Suddenly it strikes me. She saw my dream. My arrogant, ambitious dream that pretty much proves I was lying my ass off when I swore that was not why I wanted to go back to Hell.
“Gabby, I can explain my—”
“Inability to get up and moving on time?” she interrupts me gently. “Too bad, you’ll have to save your excuses for your next visit. You are officially out of time. The boss will be bellowing down the hall any second now.” Her smile is now kind, but her eyes are screaming at me. And I don’t need telepathic powers to get the message loud and clear. 'Shut up, Louise. Shut up now. Keep your secrets safe.'
“I understand,” I say with gratitude. “Thanks for the coffee.” The delicious brew is halfway to my mouth when Deedy’s voice intrudes into our unspoken conversation.
“Where is that darling girl? I tell you something, Gabby, you are slipping. You used to be so much more on point, keeping my appointments running on time!” I can hear laughter in his voice. I think it is funny that Deedy has noticed her whole prompt issue too.
“Don’t let him get away with that, Gabrielle!” I say loudly, but also with humor. Then I storm through the door into his office and announce, “Honey, I’m home!”
Deedy laughs out loud. “My goodness, Ms. Patterson, you are in an awfully good mood, considering what is about to happen.”
“And what is about to happen?” I say eagerly, pulling up a chair across from his desk.
Deedy strides over to his desk and lets his long body fold into the chair. Then he reaches into a drawer and pulls out a file. I used to hate that when I worked here. Those file folders house every bit of information regarding a person’s life, death, afterlife, even dreams. When I was still under the false impression that Deedy was a weird temp agency owner, I was still very aware that he had some kind of access. He knew all of my baggage, some of it that was lost even to me, in my remorse ridden brain. He now looks over the file in front of him, and I realize he is peering into the very soul of some poor schmuck who is as clueless as I used to be.

 

Oh! Interesting!

All right, I'm sure readers are curious about your next writing project. Can you tell us what you've got cooking up now or is that a secret?

 

I'm currently working on book three of the series, Child of Hell. This one is very exciting to me. In some ways it will be just like the other two, but there are some serious differences that will take the series in a whole new direction. Look for it soon!

 

Great! Thank you for letting us know! :)

And thanks so much for stopping by to tell us about the Books from Hell Series, Helen! 

My pleasure!

Readers, you'll just have to pick up a copy of this inspirational fantasy series! :)

 

 

Here are the blurbs.

 

 

Awake in Hell

 

Meet Louise Patterson. She's dead.

She's also in Hell: A place where everyone must face the challenges of being damned. This includes below code living arrangements, a supernatural closet that makes getting dressed every day punitive, and absolutely horrible coffee.

When Louise was alive, she was one of those “Go Big or Go Home” kinda people. As an underworld dweller, she’s getting used to the fact that living “larger than life” may have had some not-so-great consequences in the afterlife.

That is until she loses her job in Hell. In her search for gainful employment in Central City, Hades, she finds a post-it note that gives her something to look forward to for the first time since arriving down below.

Louise discovers the “Second Chance Temp Agency” along with its enigmatic CEO Mr. Deedy, who gives her so much more than a job.

Foul-mouthed and seemingly unlucky, Louise gets pulled into a truly Hellacious adventure--filled with demons, ghosts, angels, magic, temp jobs, wardrobe malfunctions, and quite possibly…redemption.

 

Universal Amazon Link:  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00LZFHHXC

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/awake-in-hell-helen-downing/1114072638

CreateSpace:  https://www.createspace.com/4985314

 

 

Remembering Hell

 

Now a long-term resident of Heaven, Louise finds a need to return to the one place she thought she had left behind forever – HELL. Back in Central City Hades, she meets Joe who needs a guardian angel. Louise also meets a tall, dark and handsome stranger who just may change her afterlife. In this compelling sequel to 'Awake In Hell', you are invited to return to the land of the damned with Louise as she learns a whole new set of lessons about how to live a good life, even after you’re dead.

  

 

Universal Amazon Link:  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00S4F4RRA

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/remembering-hell-helen-downing/1121071584

CreateSpace:  https://www.createspace.com/5251560

 

These sound like great books!

 

 

About the Author:

 

Helen Downing likes to describe herself as a trophy wife, a bit of a diva, and of course Author of her own destiny! In reality, she’s a chubby, middle-aged wife and mother of two who is addicted to BBC Television and social networking.

Please buy her books. It’s her only chance of ever fulfilling her full potential, and possibly getting into heaven.

 

Author Links:

Website/Blog:  http://authorhelendowning.weebly.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHelenDowning

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ImtellinHelen

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Helen-Downing/e/B00ANX076Q/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6819555.Helen_Downing

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/+HelenDowningWiles/posts

Publisher:  http://www.beaucoupllcpublishing.com/helen-downing/

 

 

Helen's Books: