Luna has never been popular. Even her parents find her irritating. She can hardly blame them; her psychic issues mean her only friends--Flo and Ada--are Shadows who exist inside her fried mind.
For Luna, each day is not about living and succeeding, but survival. That is until her work as a fledgling journalist leads her to investigate the disappearance of baby Esta, snatched from her home over twenty years earlier.
Our psychic heroine stumbles upon a series of revelations in a clandestine supernatural realm. Revelations that make her oddities appear perfectly banal in comparison. Revelations which test both her heart and mind.
Ignorance may be bliss, but the truth might just set Luna free... if she lives that long.
"Finding Esta is the tumultuous tale of one extraordinary woman's journey of self-discovery within a supernatural underworld."
Bestseller List Entries:
Amazon.com: #1 Horror/Occult - #2 Science Fiction & Fantasy /Fantasy/New Adult College - Amazon.UK - #5 Horror/Occult
*Finding Esta is a paranormal mystery with an urban fantasy twist, part one of two, and volume one of the Supes Series*
My debut novel, Finding Esta, began three years ago as a short story about a fledgling journalist who investigates the haunting of a large, spooky house, but discovers something quite different behind the crumbling walls. I fell in love with the main character, Luna, and before I knew it, I'd developed a story spanning three books. The hardest part of writing, for me, is organisation. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants, then come crashing down to find so many tangents, it looks like a bowel of spaghetti. I learned about how to deal with this, and other pitfalls, from the excellent online resources I've lucky enough to access. Issues discussed in this book include abuse, mental health, loneliness, love and relationships, personal growth, self identity, and addiction. None were planned as such, but as these are all important to me, it's not surprising. Luna has not had a great life when we first meet her. She is cursed with psychic touch, sun sensitivity and extreme empathy - all of which exclude her from the world around her. She also hosts Shadows within her battered mind, and these are the only companions she's ever had. Her parents are plain cruel and even at 23 years old, she reverts to a child in their presence. When she's given a lead about a cold case in Cornwall, featuring a kidnapped baby (Esta) and the disappearance of her parents burned bodies, she gets excited. Not only could it be an exciting story, but it could mean a huge career boost, and perhaps even pride from her parents. No one, not even Luna, with her knowledge of the Shadow Lands and the hearts and minds of humanity, could be prepared for what she finds in Cornwall. Luna begins the arduous journey of self-discovery, while all around her, the world she knew crumbles at her feel. I chose to set the action in Cornwall because I'm a quarter Cornish and love St Ives, where my family originate. I wanted to capture a little of its magical quality, to set the scene. I had to research a few things, like names of streets, and the train to Esta's house where Luna finds much more than she expected, among other things. But the way it looked, the way it felt, is written from childhood memories. The cover designer - Derek Murphy - did a spectacular job of utilising the images I selected of Luna, Cornwall, and the haunting moon, to create a magical and mysterious cover. The rest of series of covers will all feature the same model. This is a new adult, urban fantasy and paranormal mystery. I hope you enjoy reading it. X
Some Reviewers Opinions
Finding Esta is an urban fantasy tale with a riveting plot that hooked me from the very first page. It is the first installment of Shah Wharton’s Supes series and cleverly weaves both mystery novel and supernatural tale together[...]
The depth and intrigue of this debut novel surprised me. It is not the average, predictable paranormal tale. Wharton’s vivid language creates a delicious piece of fiction I could really sink my teeth into. The twists and turns held my attentionbut I did not find it at all hard to follow as another reviewer remarked.
I also found it easy to connect with Luna as she wrestled with both the desire for change and the fear of walking away from the familiar. Though her new, vampire-like qualities repulsed her she could not deny the urges that surfaced in her dreams and visions.
I appreciate that Shah Wharton is able to tell such an intricate tale without a lot of lofty jargon. [...] It’s tricky to leave a series story open-ended without cutting it mid thoughtand I thought she did a brilliant job.
“Shades of the Sixth Sense, Ann Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, True Blood, Star Trek’s Vulcan, Stargate Atlantis’ Wraith and Ugly Duckling [....] The true source of her [Luna's] empathy is mind blowing.”
Wandalyn Thomas of Examiner.com
“Finding Esta is a superb tale of one woman’s struggling to define her identity, while the world she knew crumbles around her. It’s thought provoking, heartfelt, and a wonderful debut novel for a talented author. Kudos to her!”
Julianne Snow (author/editor of Days with the Undead)
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