I have a new fan. And you have no idea how thrilled I am. It’s my nine-year-old granddaughter, Addison.
Addison is a voracious reader. Her favorite books include The Land of Stories, Harry Potter, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
She lives in Alaska with her parents and brother, as my son-in-law is in the Coast Guard, and my daughter is a professional graphic artist and cover designer. My daughter is the artist who has designed all my book covers.
Since they live so far away, I don’t get to see them often—although we keep in touch with Facetime. But when they do visit, a tradition we have established when they stay with us is for me to tell Addison and Evan a story every night before bed. (Yes, I named the Evan in Haunting Danielle for my grandson, while I made Evan in my story the age of Addison at the time I wrote the first book he appeared in.)
A Grandma Bobbi story is an impromptu story I make up on the fly, which normally includes mermaids, dragons, flying and sometimes time travel.
Addison has always been a bit fascinated by the fact her grandma writes books—at least since she started reading books. Recently, she told her mother she wanted to read Grandma Bobbi’s Haunting Danielle books. I wasn’t sure the books would keep her interest, but according to her mom she loved The Ghost of Marlow House and wanted to read the next one. Although, the book did prompt her to ask her mother questions on words or events she did not completely understand.
I was a little concerned about her reading book two—the subject matter was a tad more adult, yet nothing graphic and not really anything more risqué than a child might see on regular television.
Well, Addison is half-way through the second book, and my daughter tells me she is enjoying it. I never considered Haunting Danielle as book a child might enjoy—but then I remember I was only a few years older than Addison when I read Valley of the Dolls. Thankfully, Haunting Danielle is nothing like Valley of the Dolls.
I love the fact that one of the most important people in my life—my granddaughter—is enjoying my Haunting Danielle series.