The fact that she's grown up with crime memorabilia in her very molecules doesn't help. Her special fascination has always been with outlaw lovers Bonnie and Clyde, whom Monroe romanticizes as something other than the cold-blooded killers they were. Monroe, however, is full of good intentions, until her dad hands her some relics--poetry written by Bonnie Parker and bullets taken from the bodies of the outlaws after they died in a shootout. That's when things get really strange. Those murderous slugs prove pretty dangerous to Monroe and her new friend, Jack, as well, who suddenly begin to feel that the spirits Bonnie and Clyde are actually taking over their personalities.
But that's impossible. Or is it?
The two outlaws--beautiful, ruthless Bonnie and her awkward sweetheart--seem more than willing to seize another chance at their loco life. Is it just Monroe's overactive imagination? Or can this actually be happening? If Monroe's just hallucinating, what about Jack? Then it becomes clear that Monroe and Jack have only days to get the outlaws back to hell, where they belong, or the two modern-day teens could end up just like Bonnie and Clyde did, together...and dead.
Excerpt
• WHO: Monroe's POV (modern day)
• WHERE: Backroom of her father's 1920's style dinner theater.
• WHAT: Monroe is examining the display case containing the slugs removed from Bonnie Parker's body that her father purchased as gangster memorabilia.
“Hello, Bonnie,” I whisper. “Did you have a lot of crazy chicks at your school, too? Is that why you dropped out?” I laugh, feeling silly talking to a dead girl. I hear the familiar click and swirl of the safe combination knob in the back room as I pull the slug box toward me.
Take one, my inner voice urges.
It would be kind of cool to touch one. Like touching death head on. I look back toward Dad and think, why not? Just for a second. I attempt to pull the edge of the clear plastic seal, but it’s stuck tight. I slide a fingernail under the edge of the sticker and slowly pry it up, careful not to rip the seal itself.
A rush of bubbling nervous energy makes my fingers tremble as I lift the cover. A puff of stale air with the scent of rancid meat assaults my nose. I breathe through my mouth as I pull out one of the silver gnarled bits. Is this the bullet––the one that actually killed Bonnie Parker? I spy a tiny spot of dark brown nestled between two twisted nibs of steel. Is that her dried blood? Could it be locked inside here after all this time? I lick my finger and touch the spot.
It smudges, turns brownish red. Holy shit––it is her blood! I rub it a bit harder when something sharp pierces my fingertip. A bright red dot from a tiny jagged cut sprouts on the pad of my index finger. I ram my wound into my mouth and glare at the slug.
That’s when I realize that Bonnie Parker’s blood was on my finger.
Interview
Sure! If you’re just starting out, buy The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Books for Childrenby Harold Underdown. He gives all the basics and when you’re finished reading it, you’ll be ready to start your first draft.
What made you decide to publish your first book?
I’ve always been a reader, so I’ve always admired authors. I think in the back of my mind, I thought, “I wonder if I could do that...” So one day, I finally brought it to the front of my mind and plotted out a story. As I started adding up the pages I’d written, I discovered that I could actually do it and that I loved it.
How do you handle negative reviews of your books?
I try to remember that I don’t love every book I read, even the ones that are well-written, so why would everyone love mine? Differences in reading tastes makes the world go round, so I assume that my genre/style/topic wasn’t their thing, not necessarily that I did anything sub-par.
What do you enjoy, outside of writing?
I love reading, playing games, watching reality TV, and going to the movies. My day job is ateacher and I love that too. My personal interests feed my both of my careers because I use what I watch or read in the classroom, and use what I observe in the classroom to enrich my novels. It’s a wonderful life.
What's something about you that most people don't know?
Here’s three things: my wonderful husband is 6’7” and we met when we stood up in a wedding together, I read in my hot tub in my yard almost every day of the year, and I love Charlotte, my little black Spyder convertible (named after E.B. White’s classic children’s book).