THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO - The Karma or Coincidence? Countdown (Alissa Grosso)

THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO, my second novel for young adults, is officially OUT! But our Karma or Coincidence Countdown continues through tomorrow, today with my dear friend and Class of 2K11 cohort, Alissa Grosso, who I was lucky enough to see just this past weekend at NYC Teen Author Festival.

In case you don't yet know. . .

THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO tells the story of almost-16-yr-old Francesca “Beans” “Frankie” Schnell who, four years ago witnessed her baby brother, Simon, drown. Guilty and broken, Francesca has hunkered down in the shadows of her life, resolved to play second fiddle to her dead brother’s memory and to her best friend Lisette, a blonde bubbly beauty Francesca lives vicariously through. That is, until she meets a young boy named Frankie Sky who bears an uncanny resemblance to her brother. Frankie brings humor and hope to Francesca’s life, but are all the similarities between Frankie and Simon merely wishful coincidences, or could he be Simon’s reincarnation?

Curious coincidences abound in THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO —not only the overlaps between Simon and Frankie Sky, but also Bradley’s gift to Francesca, Bradley’s bird sighting, and the ties to the statue of  Saint Florian (you'll have to read to know what these are ;)). Midway through the story Francesca starts to think these events can’t really be coincidences, “but something bigger and magical at work.”

Have you ever experienced strange events that seemed like more than coincidence and made you wonder if fate was at work or that soul and/or reincarnation exist?

Throughout the month, I decided to pose that question to friends, some writers, others bearing other artistic talents, for a brief account of their own experience with karma, kismet or a mystical connection. I leave you to answer the question, “Random or something magical at work?” 

I hope you find these stories as intriguing and lovely as I do.

- gae

Today I have the lovely Alissa Grosso, author of Popular, Ferocity Summer, and Shallow Pond. I love how she tries to humor me here by coming up with a story for this blog feature.

p.s. Alissa, I'm not sure I believe in ghosts or reincarnation either. But I'm always thinking, "ooh, that seems like some magical karmic connection!"

Lovely Alissa. 

I don't like to go into my attic at night

When Gae asked for guest posts on reincarnation and related stuff, I was faced with a bit of a dilemma. On the one hand I wanted to help Gae out because I like her and she's good people. On the other hand, how could I write about something I don't believe in? It's not just reincarnation I have an issue with, but any sort of pseudoscience type thing that exists there at the fringes. Not quite the same thing as reincarnation, but sort of in the same vein is the idea of ghosts.

I consider myself a rational person, have even at times been labeled a skeptic. I don't entirely believe that ghosts exist. It isn't logical. Science can do some pretty amazing things, so it seems they would have figured out this whole ghost thing by now if ghosts were real. Plus there's the fact that I've never seen a ghost, not a single one. I worked in a restored historic village for years. I live in a town that is supposedly built on top of a Native American burial ground and according to locals who are "experts" in such things the whole town is haunted. I mean if ghosts really exist, I should have seen one by now, right?

I don't believe in ghosts, not really, anyway. Except, when I have to go up into my attic at night I get spooked out. So, all you ghost-believing, psychic-believing, reincarnation-believing people I find you utterly incomprehensible. In fact, you are about as incomprehensible as the heebie jeebies that come over me when I venture up my attic stairs after sunset.

- Alissa