Welcome, friend! Sharon Wagner’s debut novel, The Levitation Game just released on Tuesday and I am very excited to host her today to share about her book.
Get to know the author: Sharon Wagner
Hi Sharon! Welcome to Armed With A Book. Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!
I’m a debut author, inexhaustible travel blogger, spirit investigator (liquid, not ethereal), cat wrangler, amateur photographer, baker of sweets, and freelance illustrator of children’s books, including Maya Monkey. I love all things uncanny and mystical.
The supernatural has gripped my soul since I learned about my aunt’s haunting psychic dreams. Television shows like The Planet of the Apes and all the hoopla surrounding the Bermuda Triangle fueled the fire. Alien autopsies? Fake, but fascinating. Okay, so I’ve always loved a good ghost story, but I was an illustrator of children’s books, not a writer of spooky stories.
That changed during my dad’s battle with Parkinson’s disease. A brain with Parkinson’s can inhabit a world of hallucinations worse than a horror movie. Real life is stranger than fiction, and I lived it alongside my dad. Eventually, I purged my feelings and wrote Chorus of Crows, my first unpublished manuscript. In the novel, a retired farmer and his difficult daughter confront mysterious and malevolent visitors that may or may not be real.
I’ve been writing ever since.
What inspired you to write this book?
I love my origin story for The Levitation Game. I was touring Sedona, Arizona, researching Chorus of Crows. One night, I dreamt of levitating over my bed with increasing fear and dread. As my fear intensified, I levitated higher until an enormous pop erupted around me. Sedona’s power grid failed in my dream, sending the town into near blackness. At the same time, I fell into my crumpled sheets. Bad dream? No, it was an inspiration.
I traveled home. But I kept dreaming about levitation until I listened to the universe and started writing The Levitation Game. I never dreamt of levitation again.
What makes your story unique?
It has out-of-this-world aliens, but it isn’t about seeding the Earth with a contagion that leads to human destruction. There’s no bodysnatchers, war, or resource appropriation. Instead, it defies gravity in profound and humorous ways.
Who would enjoy reading your book?
I hope that readers of Silvia Moreno Garcia will love this book because she is a literary chameleon, constantly switching genres and telling bewitching tales every single time. She’s my hero. Like her, I want to write horror, paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, and supernatural stories.
What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?
The essential theme in my novel is the power of sound. Since I suffer from misophonia, sound punctuates my daily life in beautiful, bitter, and malevolent ways. The sense of hearing can be as pleasurable as a trilling mockingbird or as undesirable as someone chewing a wad of gum—my kryptonite. Why do people eat with their mouths closed around the dining table and then chew with an open mouth when they chomp gum? Ugh!
Plus, kindness and conservation mingle between the lines of prose.
Do you have a favorite quote or scene in the book that you return to?
My favorite scenes are the climatic levitation passages near the end, so I can’t reveal those. But the first chaotic levitation scene inspired my cover design, which I illustrated myself for better or worse. It takes place in a hotel room, and you might find all the objects on my cover in your suitcase, hotel, or motel. Now, curious readers will know why those objects are spinning in space on my cover! Since my novel has an otherworldly connection, I painted the swirling toilet paper and panties amidst the stars. I write and paint with humor. A book without humor has no heart.
What is something you have learned on your author journey so far?
I’ve learned a million things. But I’ll never forget the first thing I learned—way, way back. It happened when I read a novel by LaVyrle Spencer. In her story, the characters stop the car and kill the engine. As the scene unfolds, they hear the engine ticking and contracting as it cools down. Writers must observe every sight, sound, and feeling from life to fill their books with visuals.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?
Benjamin Percy wrote the word persevere when he signed his book Thrill Me. The book is a writing guide.Indeed, publishing a novel can be deplorable. You have to persevere through the nasty bits.
If you could give a shout out to someone(s) who has helped in your writing journey, please feel
free to mention them below.
Every book I’ve read and loved has helped me because I read with intention. But when you read an author like Isabel Allende or Louise Erdrich, you learn the moon and back.
Where can readers find you on the Internet?
Please visit my website and blog: https://sharonwagnerbooks.com/.
Subscribers still have a chance to win the board game Conspiracy Theory by sharing my content on social media!
Find me on Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads.
The Levitation Game
Paranormal SciFi
Aspiring magician Esme Wright has a secret: She can levitate objects as effortlessly as humming a tune—no tricks required. But when she lands her first big break on The Morning Show: Live!, defying gravity goes horribly and embarrassingly awry.
After the show, she returns to her New York hotel room a sniveling mess until a mysterious reunion with her childhood friend, Joseph Estrada, instigates a vortex of levitation, both frightening and bizarre. It turns out Joseph has powerful secrets, too. He’s terrified that Diablo possesses him, and after the tornado of toiletries in Esme’s hotel room, he can almost feel the fire consuming his toes.
Esme and Joseph disperse to their old lives, but strange and erratic signs soon draw them deeper into a sinister and supernatural puzzle.
The duo must uncover the truth before a catastrophic levitation mishap leaves them injured or, worse—dead. Esme and Joseph embark on a jungle odyssey to unearth the secrets of their past, reuniting with their archaeologist fathers and following the path of jaguars. They discover that the levitation game might be impossible to win—or survive—without answers from the stars.
Content notes: Mild swearing and sexual situations.
Book Excerpt from
The Levitation Game
Joseph
The last place Joseph expected to end up at midnight was Union Square. After he left Mitzi’s, he stopped at St. Peter’s for at least an hour, praying on the steps, steepling his fingers and closing his eyes, whispering a prayer so heartfelt and eager, it could have persuaded a cheetah to spill its spots. Still, when it came to the mysterious power that afflicted him, there were no answers. Maybe he didn’t deserve one.
All night, his mind flip-flopped over the prospect of finding Esme. Mitzi had urged him to call Rockefeller Center to inquire about her location. But the studio wouldn’t give him any information when he called.
With clenched teeth, he called his dad. That, too, was a dead end. Joseph figured there was no cell service in Guatemala at Oliver and Emil’s remote location.
Joseph continued his sabbatical at St. Peter’s, chewing his fingernails as he watched late-night pedestrians ply the sidewalk before him. At midnight, a peculiar thing happened: a feeling washed over him, like something lassoed his mid-section, yanking him toward an unknown destination. At first, Joseph resisted, not knowing who or what was at work. All his life, he felt marked, stained by Diablo. What would he become now? The possession felt even stronger—weirder.
His fingers traced the well-worn path across his head and chest as he completed the sign of the cross. “Mother Mary, keep me safe. Give me the wisdom to see the devil for who he is. Don’t let me follow the whispers of deceivers.”
Joseph stood, following the unseen force.
He wandered the path that unfurled magically before him, taking a short ride on the subway, following the whispers until he emerged at Union Square. He turned left.
At midnight, Joseph found himself dazzled by the city lights towering all around him. Instead of stinky streets, there was a faint hint of crab-apple blossoms floating on the breeze. He stared across the street at the Hyatt at Union Square, grimacing at the sudden chaos inside his head. The thoughts that weren’t his own—the erratic whispers—suddenly grew loud and confusing. He was frightened that he might be listening to the devil himself. Even so, he couldn’t turn back.
Joseph crossed the street, entered the hotel, and lingered briefly in the lobby. That’s when he saw a woman resembling Esme walking toward the elevators. He watched the girl turn his way, then collide with another couple. But the elevator doors closed before he could decipher either way.
He followed anyway. Hitting the elevator button, he shook his head as if jiggling a stubborn vending machine into dispelling displaced snacks. All the while, he hoped his own thoughts would simmer to the forefront.
If the girl he saw was indeed Esme, she’d still be awake. But what if he knocked on the door of a random stranger? He’d feel like a fool. What would he say to them? They would think he was a weirdo or a thief. Joseph’s cheeks felt like warm dough.
The elevator opened, and he hit the button for the seventh floor. When the elevator stopped, he exited, turned left, and stopped at room 707.
He knocked and waited.
Joseph heard rustling inside the room. Seconds ticked by, and the door opened. He stood, fidgeting with an earlobe, staring at Esme. She was wearing soft blue sweatpants and an olive-colored T-shirt. Her auburn hair was sexy and disheveled. She pulled her shirt down over her stomach, tilting her head in contemplation. She rubbed her freckled nose, a grand smile sweeping across her face. “Joseph? Is that really you?”
“Hello, Esme. Yes, it’s really me! I saw you on television,” said Joseph, splaying his arms, while his eyes followed something behind Esme’s back. She turned. Joseph watched; his breath caught in his throat.
Beyond Esme, an empty plastic water bottle lifted and circled the room. The television remote, the restaurant menu, loose clothes, underwear, and flip-flops followed. After a few frantic seconds, Esme’s purse heaved up, entering a growing whirlpool over the bed. Joseph’s eyes wandered to the left, watching a hairbrush, a toothbrush, and toothpaste fly into the stream. Soon, jars of face cream, plastic eye makeup discs, and Q-tips flew from the bathroom. The ice bucket entered next. A breaking tug followed, and the alarm clock entered the fray with its cord flailing wildly. Esme’s dinner plates with leftover French fries soon flew around the room like little twigs caught in a tornado. Toilet paper unraveled, circling in the stream like a long-tailed bird. The duo watched, feet planted wide, hips swiveling, eyes wide and glassy.
Suddenly, the television shuddered in its stand, causing a mutual gasp.
Joseph grabbed Esme’s arm, then her hand. There was a humming vibration inside his ears as more items flew from the bathroom: towels, soap, shampoos, and cotton balls floating like little clouds.
He stood rooted to the doorway, not knowing if he should step deeper into the room or step out and run. Esme pulled him inside. The door shut behind them with a loud slam. They stood side by side, watching, breathing audibly in unison, mouths open.
They looked at each other.
Esme shook her head, giggling nervously—wildly. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” she muttered. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” said Joseph.
Abruptly, everything fell as if unplugged. Now, the room resembled a landfill. Esme stepped towards him, grabbing, and holding him tight. Joseph hugged her back.
The room derecho was over.
Interested?
Find The Levitation Game on Amazon and Goodreads. I am excited to read my copy.
If you are an indie author and would like to do a book excerpt, check out my work with me page for details. Check out other book excerpts here.
Hooray! Thank you for this opportunity. It’s fun to see this arrive in my inbox. 🙂
It’s a pleasure to host you. I am looking forward to the book. 🙂 Wishing you success!