Saving Mary: The Possession
Author: Deidre Havrelock
Genre: Spiritual Memoir/Paranormal
Release Date: April 1, 2012
*Saving Mary is currently 99 cents for the month of July!*
Blurb:
If you’re a fan of supernatural fiction then you will be captivated by
this true story about a spiritually sensitive girl and the path that led
to her possession. Part one of a two-part series, Saving Mary is the
story of a modern-day Mary Magdalene—the woman from whom Jesus cast out
seven demons.
Deidre Daily is drawn to anything seemingly spiritual, desperately
seeking a spiritual existence. But inside this vibrant girl hides a
terrified child who sincerely believes she has married the devil.
Through a series of spiritual encounters her fear turns into reality,
and she ends up possessed.
Deidre’s fascinating spiritual memoir relays her story from childhood to
adolescence: invisible eyes leering at her from the corner of her
bedroom, horrible nightmares tormenting her, and her desperate attempt
to find God—only to end up possessed. It is a candid account of
possession from a first-person perspective. This dark memoir brings to
light an intricate world of deceitful spirits hell-bent on manipulating
and damaging an innocent girl’s life, not only through her dreams, but
also through seemingly every-day encounters.
Travel with Deidre into the mysterious world of spirits, ghosts and
demons. Awaken yourself to a world that isn’t supposed to exist; a world
that’s as intriguing as it is sinister. And then emerge as a new
person—invigorated, aware and intent on living in the light. Saving
Mary; Not just another story about a girl and her exorcist.
Watch for book two, Saving Mary: The Deliverance.
Watch the Book Trailer:
My Top 10 Favorite Book Picks—and What I Learned From Them
By Deidre Havrelock
I
began reading not long after I decided to become a writer. I wasn’t a
big reader while growing up. I was more interested in becoming an
actress and for a short stint, a lawyer. Later, I lost complete focus
and wanted to be nothing (due to being possessed and all). When I did
start reading, I read all kinds of books. I often bought books at
Zellers, from the $1.00 bin, carrying five or six home whenever I could.
I still have my favorite one, right here next to my desk, Story of My
Life—a hard cover for only a buck! As I continued reading, I noticed a
few things. I noticed some writers were exceptionally good at metaphor,
some were good at creating pace and others were good at characterization
and symbol, some were just darned good at reading the human psyche. I
began reading books with a renewed vigor. I began asking, “How did the
writer do this?”
So with that being said, these are the books I liked most (and also learned stuff from).
1. Memoir: The Glass Castle - humor. If the story is sad, how come I laughed?
“Dad
had kept this job for nearly six months—longer than any other. I
figured we were through with Battle Mountain and that within a few days,
we’d be on the move again. ‘I wonder where we’ll live next,’ I said.
Lori shook her head. ‘We’re staying here,’ she said.
Dad
insisted he hadn’t exactly lost his job. He had arranged to have
himself fired because he wanted to spend more time looking for
gold.”—Author Jeannette Walls
(He got fired so he could
look for gold?! This family is beyond eccentric and that’s funny! The
book makes you appreciate your own screwed-up family.)
2. Fiction: The Stone Diaries - metaphor. Count the metaphors in this hard-as-stone story.
“Only
bread seems to ease her malaise, buttered bread, enormous slabs of it,
what she’s heard people in this village refer to as doorsteps.”—Author
Carol Shields
(Did she just make a piece of bread sound like a rock-solid slab of concrete? The book is full of these clever metaphors.)
3. Fiction: Story of My Life - pace. This book moves along fast!
“Skip
Pendelton’s this jerk I was in lust with once for about three minutes.
He hasn’t called me in like three weeks which is fine, okay, I can deal
with that, but suddenly I’m like a baseball card he trades with his
friends? Give me a break.”–Author Jay McInerney
(So like
when long, almost totally run-on sentences get paired with short snappy
sentences sorta like Michael Jordan meets Snookie. Bam! This like makes
you move really, really fast. Get it?)
4. Memoir: Angela’s Ashes - emotion. I must have cried twenty times while reading this book.
“Oh, she says, we’ll have a lovely tea when your Pop brings home the wages tonight.”—Author Frank McCourt.
(Ack!
We get set up with happy thoughts that don’t ever pan out because Pop
never brings home the wages! Yet, I’m always hoping he will! And so I’m
crying just knowing it’s not ever going to happen.)
5. Fiction: The Handmaid’s Tale - human psyche. What does this story say about the human race?
“I
wish this story were different. I wish it were more civilized. I wish
it showed me in a better light, if not happier, then at least more
active, less hesitant, less distracted by trivia.”—Author Margaret
Atwood
(Has she just put her finger on the apathetic pulse of society?)
6. Fiction: Dark Places – mood. This book has a distinctly dark mood… how did the writer achieve it?
“But
the shoe boxes of donations were gone, and I was left with a mere three
letters and the rest of the night to kill. I headed back home, several
cars blinking their headlights at me until I realized I was driving
dark.”—Author Gillian Flynn
(It’s dark outside, she has a night to kill, and she’s driving dark! That’s a lot of darkness packed into two sentences.)
7.
Non-Fiction: The Anatomy of Story – symbol. This book (one of my very
favorites) contains a great chapter on what symbol is and why writers
use it.
“A symbol creates a resonance, like ripples in a pond, every time it appears.”—Author John Truby
(I honestly did not understand symbolism until I read this book.)
8.
Non-Fiction: Eats Shoots and Leaves—punctuation. A hilarious look at a
writer’s obsession with good punctuation…and the insane errors we make!
This book has lots of helpful hints for writers.
“The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person.”—Author Lynne Truss
9.
Non-Fiction: Cartwheels in a Sari—fun, but informative. Want to know
how to write a great spiritual memoir? Want to know how a family gets
caught up in a crazy cult? Read this book. It doesn’t matter what
religion you’re from, you will enjoy this woman’s journey through a
cult.
“Guru summoned me to his throne, pushing the microphone away for privacy.
Uh-oh.
‘Oi. I am very, very disappointed in you and your spiritual life.’
Oh no.
‘Such a special soul, I brought down especially from the highest heaven to serve the Supreme in me.’”—Author Jayanti Tamm
(That’s the first clue to figuring out if you’re in a cult—the other person is always supreme!)
10.
Fiction: Rebecca—gothic romance. One of my favorite genres! Even
though Rebecca is dead, she’s always there. How does the author keep her
alive?
“He did not belong to me at all, he belonged to
Rebecca. He still thought about Rebecca. He would never love me because
of Rebecca. She was still in the house as Mrs. Danvers had said, she was
in that room in the west wing, she was in the library, in the
morning-room, in the gallery above the hall.”—Author Daphne Du Maurier
(The name Rebecca is used more than anyone else’s name in the book.)
Thank you for stopping by my blog and sharing your favorite books with us Deidre!
Watch for Deidre's New Book Coming Soon!
Book Two, Saving Mary: The Deliverance
If
you’re a fan of supernatural fiction then you will be captivated by the
continuing true story about a demonically possessed girl and the path
that led to her deliverance. Part two of a two-part series, Saving Mary:
The Deliverance is the story of a modern-day Mary Magdalene—the woman
from whom Jesus cast out seven demons. At seventeen, Deidre Daily finds
herself oddly altered. Recently kicked out of her New Age channeling
group for having bad karma, she slowly draws within herself, spiraling
deeper into the darkness that has taken up residence inside her body.
Now bulimic, depressed and harassed by spirits nightly, Deidre waits for
the God who once spoke to her as a child.
Deidre’s
fascinating spiritual memoir relays her story from adolescence to
marriage. It is a candid account of possession and exorcism from a
first-person perspective.
About the Author:
Deidre D Havrelock grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where she
eventually met her husband to be, DJ. It was DJ who initially noticed
Deidre’s dark state and worked to seek out someone willing to perform
her exorcism. Eventually, the newlyweds found their way to the southern
hot spot of Brooks, AB where Deidre began writing. From there the family
trekked across eastern Canada to Moncton, NB where they learned to love
French fries with cheese curds and gravy. Currently nestled in the
hills of Kennewick, Washington, Deidre has two horses, one dog, three
cats and too many rabbits…and let’s not forget her wonderful husband and
three energetic daughters. Her memoir, Saving Mary: The Possession
chronicles her dark childhood and the path that led to her demonic
possession. She is currently working to finish book two of her spiritual
memoir, Saving Mary: The Deliverance.
Quick Answers from Deidre:
1. Favorite place? With my family.
2. Best Christmas present? I once got this toy dog that did back flips—that was pretty awesome.
3. Favorite book(s)? Memoirs, Gothic, theology, Bible.
4. Favorite author? Margaret Atwood, maybe.
5. Favorite smell? Smoke and also flowers.
6. Favorite series? Star Trek.
7. Nickname? Let’s not talk about that.
8. Favorite writing spot? Bed.
9. Favorite movie? Anything Star Trek.
10. Favorite dish? Curry or Japanese.
11. Favorite color? Red, black, white, yellow, green…I like color.
12. Favorite quote? “Theology in the hands of the Holy Spirit is a beautiful science.” But I also like… “Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling.”
13. A bunch of small gifts or one big expensive one? I’m a simple girl; I’d like a bunch of small gifts: a trip to Greece for just two, a million dollars in small bills, a small island.
14. Your best trait? Ask my husband…hopefully he knows.
15. Your worst trait? Ask my daughter…she’ll tell you, no problem.
16. Skittles or M&Ms? M &Ms with peanuts. Love ‘em.
Quick Answers from Deidre:
1. Favorite place? With my family.
2. Best Christmas present? I once got this toy dog that did back flips—that was pretty awesome.
3. Favorite book(s)? Memoirs, Gothic, theology, Bible.
4. Favorite author? Margaret Atwood, maybe.
5. Favorite smell? Smoke and also flowers.
6. Favorite series? Star Trek.
7. Nickname? Let’s not talk about that.
8. Favorite writing spot? Bed.
9. Favorite movie? Anything Star Trek.
10. Favorite dish? Curry or Japanese.
11. Favorite color? Red, black, white, yellow, green…I like color.
12. Favorite quote? “Theology in the hands of the Holy Spirit is a beautiful science.” But I also like… “Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling.”
13. A bunch of small gifts or one big expensive one? I’m a simple girl; I’d like a bunch of small gifts: a trip to Greece for just two, a million dollars in small bills, a small island.
14. Your best trait? Ask my husband…hopefully he knows.
15. Your worst trait? Ask my daughter…she’ll tell you, no problem.
16. Skittles or M&Ms? M &Ms with peanuts. Love ‘em.
Connect with Deidre:
