*STACCATO PUBLISHING SPOTLIGHT* Author Jacinta Maree ~ '

Rachael has traveled to Whitehaven to visit her father, a trek she can not help but dread given his recent descent into madness. Upon her arrival she realizes his deterioration has not only been mental, it’s been physical as well. His death comes as no surprise, but what she discovers soon after, is shocking when his burden becomes hers.

Lock is a banished spirit who must attach himself to a human host in order to hide from those who would drag him back to hell to be destroyed. When he meets Rachael he finds more than a host, he finds an ally.

Together they must defeat each of the seven sins in order to guarantee Lock's safe passage into the Third Realm, a loophole in creation that would allow him to escape hell and have peace at long last. Through their unlikely friendship, other banished spirits flock to them in hopes of a peace they hadn't dreamt possible.

Maree has taken the concept of demon possession to a new level with My Demonic Ghost. Dark and captivating as we follow the story of 15 year old Rachael Hastings (the host) and Lock (her demon).

When Rachael travels to Whitehaven to visit her ailing father who dies soon after she unwittingly becomes her father's demons new host. Lock links himself to her with a kiss, wrapping her in chains and tying her soul to him. As a banished spirit he must feed off a human host to remain in our realm. In a welcomed twist, the pair become more dependent on each other as their feelings for each other grow stronger, all the while their journey takes them to the depths of hell to face the 7 deadly sins.

Maree's imagery is vivid and creative and you are transformed into this world alongside Rachael and Lock. I loved the hierarchy of the realms with the Royals, different levels of spirits and the Hunters. The character's had depth and realism to them even if most of them were demons or spirits. I also liked that the storyline was complex and detailed, giving us history on the different spirits and insight into their current names. Linking the 7 deadly sins into the story was pure genius right down to the differing eye color of the spirits that linked beautifully with their unique names and backgrounds.

In a race against time Rachael and Lock along with several other spirits and their hosts attempt to defeat the sins, therefore gaining access to the third realm where Lock's soul can be safe from the Hunter's and he can find peace. In the end as the Hunter's close in, what will Lock sacrafice for Rachael?

I was hooked from the first page and I anxiously await the sequel, Maree leaves us with an unexpected twist at the end, I must know what the future will hold for Lock and Rachael!

4/5 stars, definitely recommend this book, but that's just my two cents!

Self confessed chocaholic, Jacinta was born and raised in Melbourne Australia with her loving family of five. Even as a child Jacinta had an itch to write. Writing was the one constant hobby she clung to, also trying her hand at piano, flute, tennis, horseback riding and drama.

Jacinta works full time in the family business and spends her afternoons either playing basketball, reading, writing or hanging out with friends. She is always happy to try something new; getting her real estate license, practicing ninjitshu, Zumba and parkour to name a few.

For her future, Jacinta sees herself writing. It is a large part of her identity and something she hopes to continue. Aside from her love of stories she loves Japan and its unique and beautiful culture and history. From their delicious sushi dishes right down to their wooden sandals and kimonos. She is also a huge cat person and loves to snuggle up in front of the fire for a good movie or book. Her favorite genres are paranormal and fantasy but she also loves anything written by thriller writer, Stephen King.

I had to have a few minutes inside the mind of this creative author; here is my interview with Jacinta Maree author of My Demonic Ghost...........

*Tell us a bit about yourself.

Currently I am sitting in a hotel room in Queensland, finally letting my ghoulish white skin see sunlight so I am pretty happy at the moment. I am Australian and a middle child in a family of five. I have an awesome party trick which lets me touch my tongue to my nose, also helpful when there is food on my face and my hands are full. I LOVE anything and everything oriental. I have a strange obsession with collecting tea sets and teapots as well as unique chopsticks. I've also turned myself into an art collector, too bad I've run out of wall spaces to hang the pieces. I am a cat person and I love playing video games. I am not afraid of spiders or snakes but i am terrified of bees and wasps. I have been bungee jumping in New Zealand, recently returned from Japan back in July and my next travel destination is Malaysia in January and Kansas City in May.

*Where were you born and where do you call home?

I was born and raised in Melbourne Australia. Regardless of where I go or where I end up, that will always be my home. I lived in my current house for my whole life.

*What was your inspiration for My Demonic Ghost?

A few things triggered My Demonic Ghost, mostly I was getting a bit tired of the same story line where Angels = good and demons = bad. I wanted to write from the perspective of a so called 'monster', and I wanted to challenge the readers into cheering on the bad guys. It wasn't as simple switching the roles around so Demons are human loving, they have both good and bad qualities in them just like the 'angels' or hunters. I've tried to make them human I guess. It was Descartes the philosopher who made me start questioning the likely hood of a 'demon god' and a afterlife full of corruption with his teachings of the consciousness.

*For those who are unfamiliar with your novel, how would you introduce it?

Casper the not so friendly and misunderstand ghost with some bad ass Deadly Sins thrown in. It's a world where, like it or not, you are dragged into a losing battle between the Banished Spirits (demonic ghosts) and the Hunters (angelic spirits). With no choice but to go along with the demonic ghost's demands, you start to unravel the awful truth about the afterlife. It's an upside down road that makes you want the demons to win.

*What are the Pro's and Con's to being a published Author?

Pros are most definitely the amazing people you get to meet. Every single person who I've met since I started up with Staccato have been so kind to me and extremely friendly. I honestly don't have any cons, sure it can be scary to have your hard work thrown out there into the big scary world of publishing but in return you get to learn and develop more as a writer and really come to understand what other amazing works and authors are out there. If anything, it's motivating to become better.

*What was the first thing you did when you got the news My Demonic Ghost was being published?

I was so shocked when I found out the first thing I did was chase down my father. I was at work, looking over my emails when I got the wonderful news and he was just about to walk out the door. I could barely catch my breath once I caught up to him and then I just started to cry. It was a good couple of minutes before I could talk properly. After that I was very secretive about it, it was one of those moments when I was scared I was going to wake up and everything was going to just be a dream. It wasn't till the front cover came through that it finally kicked in that this was seriously happening.

*Whom in your life would you say has influenced you the most?

Obviously my parents are a huge influence, they are kind, hard working, ambitious and have taught me to reach for my dreams. Writing was just something I did on my own, I would tell only my parents about my books and had to almost hold them down to listen to every single one of my silly stories. I wrote so many of them it wasn't funny. They taught me to believe in myself.

*What has been the most interesting comment (or review) about your book?

I always find it so interesting when I read over people's reviews because everyone is different. Some people would tell me how scary the creature Mother was, others would comment about the love between Rachael and Lock. At one point I had to laugh when a young girl sent me a comment saying she wished to harbor a banished spirit one day. I hadn't really thought about what it would be like if I (not Rachael) had a ghost attached to me. I didn't know what I would do. And not just a ghost either, but a Banished one with the spiritual ability to summon magic and mind control. I admit, I'll be too scared to do anything.

*Who is YOUR favorite Author?

Brent Weeks and Stephen King, hands down. Though now that I am meeting more and more new authors I feel like my list to growing everyday.

*What are you reading right now?

Right now I am reading The Reaping by Leighton M, which I am absolutely loving at the moment.

*What research did you do while writing this story?

During the time I was writing My Demonic Ghost, I was learning about Descartes Inferno and studying up on other afterlife myths. A large chunk of the book is created from my own imagination, giving ghosts and spirits new faces, new duties and classifications. I wanted to step back and just ask the big question, is the afterlife really like anything we've been taught through personal religions? Studying Philosophy really helped open my eyes to the infinite possibilities about the afterlife. Maybe things aren't just black and white but also have a cloudy grey area.

*Tell us your latest news.

Sticking to the topic of writing, I've just completed My Demonic Ghost - The Reapers which is Book Two. I plan on releasing three books in the Demonic Ghost series, but the more and more I dive into their world the more I learn about the characters, their struggles and their inner ambitions. A part of me fears that there may even be a book four if I don't plan it properly. Aside from paranormal romance I want to branch out and write different genres, I want to try out sci-fi, high fantasy, dystopian and many others. In my little planner book that I carry with me everywhere there are so many difference ideas and plots it's now just a matter of picking which one to start.

A huge thank you to Jacinta Maree for taking time to answer my questions! If you want to follow the author here are here links, be sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win your won copy of My Demonic Ghost.