About the Book
Book: The Ghost of Darwin Stewart
Author:LG Nixon
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Religious/Christian Fantasy/Mysteries & Detective Stories
Release date: October 15, 2021
It’s all fun and games until a smelly ghost, and a terrifying shape-shifting entity follows Lucy home. When a malevolent spirit learns Lucy is the keeper of the artifact he has been searching millennia to find, everyone she loves is placed in danger. With several other magical artifacts which were in the trunk she purchased from the vendor at the flea market, Lucy finds she has access to powers she never knew existed.
The Spectrescope has shown her a beguiling other world reality filled with magic, spirits, wizards, and daemons. The artifact is the key to unlocking many secrets. Secrets, that if not kept, would mean destruction for the world beyond the portal, and possibly her own. Whether she likes it or not, she must decide. Will she protect the artifact? Or will she give it up to protect herself?
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About the Author
Meet LG Nixon, author, coffee connoisseur, motorcycle enthusiast, and collector of strange artifacts. With her zany imagination, she fuses a page-turning fantasy with a haunting theme and turns it into a spirit filled adventure with quirky and likable characters. After a long career, she left the workplace behind and turned to writing. Her stories are lighthearted but carry an underlying message of the importance of a Biblical worldview. She researches and writes full-time from her home in Michigan where she prowls the night star gazing and watching for a supernatural event. LG loves to ski, ride motorcycles, travel, and fly small planes; but no bungee jumping, thank you very much.
More from LG Nixon
I’ve always had zany and quirky imagination. Growing up in a creaky old house with a grandmother who told stories of ghostly visitations, I was curious. As a child, I filled journals with mystery and detective stories.
These days I write about ghosts and spirits to entertain, and use scripture as dialogue to portray God’s love and forgiveness, our hope of redemption, and the reality of a supernatural dimension just beyond our perception.
Why would a Christian author write about ghosts? Because scripture is filled with ghosts and spirits, angels, and demons along with some amazing creatures. God uses incredible imagery to capture our imagination and draw us deeper into His word. I love to study scripture because I always find new truths that go beyond the scope of imagination.
My writing has grown from my love for Jesus and a desire to share my faith with hope and encouragement. The Issachar Gatekeeper series is designed to show young adults in a fun, adventurous way the impact Christian principles can have on their lives and to deepen their understanding of the world around them.
Our heroine, Lucy, has a wonderful neighbor, Mrs. McGoo, who always comes through to save the day with her delicious chocolate chip cookies. Lucy’s best friend, Schuyler Williams, says, “A really good chocolate chip cookie is nearly a spiritual experience, don’t you think?” So, we are sharing this recipe with you so you can sit, relax, and share some with a friend. Enjoy!
MY THOUGHTS:
When The Ghost of Darwin Stewart by L.G. Nixon came out, I jumped at the chance to read and review. Not because I’m a YA or fantasy fan, but because there just isn’t enough good Christian worldview books for this age group available. In the first few pages, I picked up shades of Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness meets Nancy Drew Mysteries.
Lucy Hornberger picks up a strange box of junk from a flea market, all because it included a bracelet she wanted to give to her best friend, Schuyler. This amazing find turns into the adventure of a lifetime as Lucy and Schuyler get thrown into the fight of their lives. Although the spirits aren’t named God and Satan, they are the archetype of the angelic conflict, which includes a ghost who is eventually identified as Darwin Stewart.
I am always blown away by the imagination required to write fantasy, and I believe most YA readers will thoroughly enjoy this book. It has all the elements—action, suspense, mystery, and enough conflict to keep me up at night.
That said, there were a couple things I struggled with, although I doubt anyone but a fellow author would pick up on it. Early in my writing journey, my first mentor told me that I was only allowed one exclamation point in my career(which he exaggerated to make a point), and I was to use it wisely. Ms. Nixon peppers the dialogue with so many exclamation points, it’s distracting and ineffective.
Simplicity is important, which includes tagging dialogue. There is nothing wrong with using said, and it’s unnecessary to even use that when an action is included, letting the reader know already who is speaking. Lucy’s mom “grumped” a lot, and there were innumerable other ways of saying said that became distracting to me.
Again, I’m sure most YA readers wouldn’t care one way or the other, but as a reviewer, I felt it important to point out.
I received this book from the author for purposes of reviewing it, but the opinions are my own.
Blog Stops
Texas Book-aholic, May 20
Simple Harvest Reads, May 21 (Author Interview)
Christina’s Corner, May 21
Where Crisis & Christ Collide, May 22
An Author’s Take, May 23
Where Faith and Books Meet, May 24
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 25
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 26
Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, May 27
A Reader’s Brain, May 28
Blogging With Carol, May 29
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 30
Girls in White Dresses, May 31
Artistic Nobody, June 1 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
For Him and My Family, June 2
Holly’s Book Corner, June 2
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, L.G. is giving away the grand prize package of a custom printed canvas tote bag including a signed copy of the book, mug and coaster, book light, bookmarks, and other goodies!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/26076/the-ghost-of-darwin-stewart-celebration-tour-giveaway
