The Forever Girl, written under the pseudonym Rebecca Hamilton, is Shana’s first book. And what an engaging read it is. As Shana’s partner in Immortal Ink Publishing, I am honored to offer The Forever Girl as our first title.
I met Shana back in 2007. We were both members of a writer’s critique site. When she critiqued a chapter of mine, I immediately recognized her because she was active on the site’s message boards and always asked a lot of questions. She gave to me a highly-detailed critique–the detail, in fact, was stunning. I was glad to return the favor, so I began reviewing one of the early versions of The Forever Girl.
Shana explained to me that she’d just started writing. In fact, the ink hadn’t even dried on her manuscript. Even in the early versions, I recognized in Shana a deep passion–I’ve told her many times I don’t know another writer as passionate. Moreover, she really has talent. Of particular note was a scene that really struck my fancy. Sophia, the main character of The Forever Girl, was with her friend, Ivory. They were on their way to a clandestine after-hours club, and I was astonished by the precision with which Shana described the setting. I was reading the work of just any writer; Shana genuinely has writing acumen. Something that can’t be taught. The particular passage of which I spoke is still pretty much intact in The Forever Girl.
Since then Shana has taken Forever Girl to another level. She knows as much about the craft of writing as anyone I’ve ever met. What really strikes me about Shana, though, is her natural creativity. I’m constantly amazed at the speed with which she can pull ideas from her head. In my opinion, all great writers have one thing in common: prodigious creativity. H.P. Lovecraft sculpted entire hideous, corrupt worlds threatened by ancient horrors. Great writers create and invent. Shana is no exception.
Sophia, the main character in Forever Girl, has her share of problems. She’s a recent college graduate who can’t find a teaching job. The fundamentalist Colorado town in which she lives aren’t fond of her Wiccan beliefs. Her own mother, in fact, has been beguiled by an extreme religious sect. This sect wants Sophia’s house, the house she inherited from her grandfather, and they won’t rest until she leaves. To make matters worse, Sophia is afflicted by a persistent hissing noise. Doctors have failed to cure her condition. Sophia endeavors to cure her condition through a ritual, but the result is not what she had in mind–to say the least. Having decided to investigate her family’s history, she discovers that one of her ancestors was executed during the Salem Witch Trials. Even more mysterious: her ancestor’s body disappeared.
Sophia begins to discover there is a supernatural world hidden beneath her own filled with vampire-like creatures and dark spirits. This alternate world is governed by a council determined to commit genocide. What connection, if any, does Sophia share with this supernatural world?
The Forever Girl is a sprawling, dark journey; it’s also Sophia’s journey of self-discovery. Shana is a highly metaphorical writer, deeply cognizant of how the material is arranged and presented. Even readers who are not fans of paranormal fantasy–I hadn’t read a single book in the genre prior to Forever Girl–should appreciate the marksmanship with which this novel is constructed.
It’s been a long journey for Shana, and I know that she will taste the fruits of her labor. The Forever Girl is available for sale from the following:
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