When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom’s hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.
But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He’s cute, funny, a good listener—and everything she’d ever want—except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal’s ghost-whispering talents soon lead other “freaks” to her door—Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren’t the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky’s death, will she lose him for good?


Thanks so much for stopping by Literary Cravings, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your road to publishing?

Thanks so much for having me. There’s not a whole lot to tell, I’m a paralegal by day, a mother of three and wife of one by night. And all the hours in between I write books. It seems like I’ve been writing forever, but more seriously since high school and I love to read. However, I’m picky about my reading—the stories have to make me feel good because otherwise what’s the point. I love to do research and to learn new things and watching old movies, watching the original Father of the Bride with Spencer Tracy now. LOL

How did you come up with the idea for Manifest and what was your writing process like?

Manifest was born over breakfast of raisin bran and cold pizza, between me and my sixteen year old. She reads as much as I do so we both had ideas. We talked—rather she talked—and I wrote. The rest as they say is history.

The first chapter of Manifest came as a dream (I’m morning person so my best creative moments are in the a.m.). I actually saw Krystal running from this ghost in my mind, then I had to figure out how to put that scene into language that teenagers could relate to. I watched a lot of teenagers in different settings, listened to them talk, observed how they interacted and began to write. 
Who was the easiest & hardest character for you to create?

Krystal was easy because she’s so much like me when I was her age and my daughter now. Good or bad, she was pulled directly from a fifteen-sixteen year old’s perspective. Jake was a little more difficult because (and I know this is a simplistic reason) he’s a boy. I’ve never been a teenage boy and when I was a teenager I didn’t spend a lot of time analyzing them. Ogling them and waiting for them to get the nerve to come and talk to me, yeah, but not trying to figure out what was going on in their heads. LOL In the end, I love Jake. He’s my hero. 
If you had to pick a superpower, which would you pick and why?
I think I’d like telepathy because I’m nosy. I like to know what people are really thinking, not just what they’re saying because that may or may not be true. I know it’s probably bad because I might not like what’s actually in their minds, but at least I know it’s honest at that point
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Since writing Manifest what are you working on next?


I’ve finished the next book in the Mystyx series titled Mystify, release date February 2011. Jake’s story, Mayhem, has been started but he’s going through something so in the meanwhile, I’m working on another YA set in an untamed world.

*Be sure to check out her debut book Manifest out now!!!*