Ella
Davies, is focused, independent, and driven. Her hard work is finally paying
off and she is on the brink of great success. But what no one knows is that her
frantic drive is born not from a desire to succeed, but from a need to forget –
forget her past, forget her guilt, and mostly, forget the tragedy that changed
her life forever.
Ella’s
strategy seems to be working but on Christmas Eve she meets Cohen, a strange
man with an even stranger purpose. Cohen catapults Ella back through time and
forces her to confront not only her own pain, but the pain of those long since
passed. In the process, Ella learns about courage and compassion and that in
the darkest hour, no one is ever alone.
An interview with author Janet K. Halling
Tell us a little about yourself.
I love craggy, foggy beaches,
overgrown forests, and big cities. My favorite season is Autumn. My dream
vacation is Europe. I live in Northern Utah with my husband and four children.
Right now I have a cold.
Is writing a full-time career for
you? If not, how else do you spend your work day?
Creative writing is not a full-time
career (yet). I also work as a business writer where I write things like
business plans, grant proposals, website text...that sort of thing.
Do you have a favorite character in An
Unexpected Angel? Who and why?
I really like Matthew. He is
courageous and compassionate and willing to put others first. You see this with
Ella. Even though his situation is much more serious than hers, he tries to
help her.
Without giving it all away, please
tell us a little something about how Ella is
going to get through her biggest challenge.
Ella has to learn to let go of the
guilt and the grief she feels over events from her past. She has been running
from the pain for so long that it takes a lot to get her to stop and slow down
to work through it.
What three words would best describe
Ella?
Stubborn, scared, heartbroken
Do you share any personality traits
with Ella?
I can sometimes be very stubborn and
my first impulse is to try and bury my feelings rather than work through them.
What kind of research was involved
for An Unexpected Angel?
I did a lot of research into the
various time periods the book covers, especially for the WWII scene. I read
some really excellent books written by ex-Marines who lived it. With the Old
Breed by E.B. Sledge and Islands of the Damned by R.V. Burgin were
my favorites.
What has been your greatest pleasure
in writing this book?
The reaction from readers. There
have been a lot of people who identify with what Ella is going through and they
have told me about their struggles and how the book changed them and changed
their lives. I was not expecting it to touch such a deep nerve with some
readers; it has been an honor to hear their stories.
What do you have in store next for
your readers?
I am working on a YA trilogy. No
vampires though, I promise!
What’s the best book your mother
ever gave or read to you?
The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I
read them until they were literally in tatters. Magic!
What was the last book you just
couldn’t finish?
I couldn’t get through North and
South by Elizabeth Gaskell. I really wanted to love it but it just wasn’t
there for me.
Is there a genre you wish you could
write, but haven’t made the plunge? Which one and what appeals to you about it?
I would like to attempt epic
fantasy. I love stories of magic and wizards and quests and I would like to
tell one of my own. Maybe someday.
What is one trait you despise in
people that you tend to give your villains/protagonists? Arrogance
Do you have any interesting writing
quirks?
I go through a lot of gum when I’m
writing. If things are really clicking and I’m in a groove I’ll start snapping
my gum without realizing it. Talk about obnoxious! I have to be careful about
that if I’m writing in a public place.
What is your favorite movie based on
a book, where you preferred the movie?
Lord of the Rings. It’s a brilliant
story and I adore the books, but I think Peter Jackson brought a level of
emotion and depth to the movies that can be easy to miss in the books.
Laptop, desktop or notebook and
pen/pencil for writing?
I use a laptop and pen and paper. I
do most of the writing on the computer but most of the development on paper. I
use colored copy paper and go through lots of it, just scribbling down every
little idea that comes to me. Sometimes I’ll write out scenes and dialogue, but
I mostly use the computer for that.
Is there a book you’ve ever read
more than five times? Which book and what drew you back to it?
I’ve read Jane Eyre dozens of
times. I love the interaction between Jane and Rochester and I don’t think it
gets enough credit for being genuinely funny. And of course the creepy, mad
wife roaming around Thornfield in the dead of night makes my little gothic
heart shiver with glee.
If you could get anyone to read your
book, who would you choose and why?
I want people who are struggling
with pain or guilt from their past to read my book. The tagline is “Sometimes
finding peace means finding a different perspective” and I really do believe
that.
Best Christmas present?
My parents gave us (my siblings and
me) a set of Voltron Lions one year. They were super expensive and we knew
better than to ask for it so it was a complete shock when we unwrapped them. I
think we screamed for at least ten minutes.
Favorite author? Charlotte Bronte
Favorite smell? Ocean air
Favorite series? The Belgariad by David
Eddings. Devoured it when I was a teenager.
Favorite movie? Return of the King
Favorite dish? Is chocolate cake a dish?
Favorite color? Blue
Favorite quote? The moment you’re ready to quit is
usually the moment before the miracle happens.
Your best trait? Imagination
Your worst trait? Impatience. I want things to happen
right now, I don’t like to wait.
Somewhere there was a rhythmic
humming—a kind of a swooshing sound that increased and decreased in volume at
regular intervals. She couldn’t remember where she was. Her whole body ached,
and her head felt as if it would explode.
Ella groaned and opened her
eyes. She was still in the gym, lying crumpled against the weight machine. The
treadmill had stopped, and the rhythmic sound was coming from the man riding
the spinning bike, which sat nearby.
Her fingers trembled as she felt
the goose egg on the side of her head. Her face was on fire, probably scraped
on the belt, and her knees were bloody, also from the belt.
Suddenly she stiffened. There
was a man riding the bike! A man riding
the bike. While she had been lying there unconscious. Had he just sauntered
in and climbed on without seeing her at all or had he viewed her inert form
without concern? That was cold, even for New York City. Gingerly, she turned
her head to look at him.
It was the clerk from the deli,
and he didn’t stop pedaling as he glanced her way. “Oh good, you’re awake.”
She stared up at him in mute
astonishment.
He reached for his water bottle
and took a long drink. “I’m glad you woke up on your own,” he said pleasantly.
“I was about ready to pour this in your face, so you can thank me for sparing
you an unexpected shower.”
Ella grasped the weight machine
and pulled herself slowly to a sitting position. Her head was throbbing, and
her stomach lurched. “I could sue you for failing to come to the aid of an injured
person,” she snapped rather feebly.
The man studied her
contemplatively. “Hmmm, yes, you would think of that, wouldn’t you? But I’m not
too worried, Ella. You’re not going to sue me and we both know it.”
She opened her mouth to snarl a
retort but stopped abruptly. “How do you know my name?” she demanded. “And what
are you even doing here? You don’t live in this building.” She hesitated,
realizing she wasn’t sure. “Do you?”
He jumped off the bike and held
out his hand. “You should get up. Want help?”
She shrank away from him. “Don’t
touch me! Who are you, and how do you know my name?”
“Well, it’s simple really. My
name is Cohen, and I’m your guardian angel.” He broke into a brief but rapid
tap dance routine and finished with flair. And with jazz hands.
Ella stared at him in perplexed
silence, unsure if he was a hallucination or just crazy. “Uh-huh. Right,” she
finally said, groaning as she pulled herself to her feet. A wave of nausea hit
her, and she stopped, doubling over and willing herself not to vomit. She for
sure had a concussion.
She
tried to think. Should she go to the hospital? Or maybe just go home and try to
sleep? She didn’t know. She made a move toward the door, but Cohen tap-danced
over to block her path.
“Get out of my way,” she snapped
at him with more bravado than she felt.
He grinned. “Can’t do that. You
and me, we have business tonight.”
For the first time, she felt a
small dart of fear. Cohen wasn’t exactly menacing, but he certainly was
strange. If he attacked her, would she have the strength to fight him? If only
her head would stop hurting!
“What do you want?” she asked.
“I already told you, I’m your
guardian angel. Well, not technically an angel, but that word will serve as
well as any other. Anyway, I’m here to help.”
“Sure. Like you helped me when I
was unconscious a minute ago? If that’s your kind of help, no thanks.”
“No, not that kind of help, silly.”
“Look, whatever you’re on,
whatever you’re offering, I’m not interested. Just leave me alone, please? I’m
sore and tired, and my head is killing me. I need to go lie down.”
“Oh, right. That.” He made some sort of vague gesture and instantly her nausea
subsided and the pain in her head vanished.
Chills raced up and down her
spine, and she stared at him, “Wait . . . what’s . . . what’s going on?”
“Okay, no more joking around.”
Cohen looked suddenly serious. “Here’s the deal. You need help and there’s a
lot you need to learn. Only you’re far too stubborn to admit it. You might not
even know how much help you need. But I know; so here I am.”
The pieces were starting to fall
into place. “Wait . . . Christmas Eve . . . guardian angel. This is some kind
of a joke, right?” she said before adding sarcastically, “What’s the matter,
Jacob Marley was busy? Clarence already got his wings? Or wasn’t he on duty
tonight?”
He grinned. “Both good men. But
you got stuck with me. Although, all things considered, maybe it’s me who got stuck with you. You can be quite unpleasant, do you
know that?”
Ella snorted derisively. “So
when does the Ghost of Christmas Past show up? Or is he waiting for me
upstairs?”
“Dickens took some liberties. It
doesn’t exactly work like that. At least, this time it won’t.”
“You have exactly one second to get out of my
way or I’m going to start screaming at the top of my lungs!”
Cohen cocked his head to one
side and gave her a brief shrug of resignation. “Okay then, you win. Can’t say
I didn’t try.” He stepped smoothly to one side and swept his arm in a wide arc
toward the door. “Be my guest.”
Throwing him what she hoped was
a withering glare, Ella marched past him, flung open the door—and stepped into
a nightmare.
Get your copy!
Meet the Author
Janet Halling discovered her love of writing at the age of
six when her story of a lonely duck won a first grade writing contest. She has
a degree in Marketing Communications and lives with her family in northern Utah.
She is currently working on her next novel.
Book
Trailer | TV
interview (Recorded 11/27/12 for Good Things Utah ABC4)
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