Hey folks! Today I’m happy to introduce you to Merry Freer and her story Special Levels of Earthly Hell!

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Merry Freer is an author of memoir and fact-based fiction. “Special Levels of Earthly Hell: The Story of One Family’s Chilling Struggle with Demonic Possession” was inspired by actual events that were experienced by her nuclear and extended families, tearing relationships apart and making national news headlines. This book comes on the heels of her first book, a memoir named “Doctor, Doctor.” While “Doctor, Doctor” is her debut novel, she has been a writer and editor for many years, including work with the San Diego Chargers and the San Diego Hall of Champions. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from San Diego State University and has been a featured speaker for classes dealing with medical ethics.

Her controversial memoir, “Doctor, Doctor,” topped the Best Seller List in True Crime/White Collar Crime for 10 months and received a “Best Books of 2014” award from “Suspense Magazine.”

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I asked Merry Freer, “How did you get your start in writing and what fuels you to continue?” and here is her response.

Most people do what they do best, whether it is an occupation or an avocation. I would never choose to be an accountant because I add and subtract on my fingers. Nor would I choose to be a teacher because I hate to have my time structured. Same with gymnast, dancer, and doctor. All of these occupations require skills that do not come to me naturally. But I can write. Professional writers frequently say they have loved to write since they were children, and I suspect the reason is because they were naturally good writers and used their skill to express themselves.

I remember during my second year of college that I browsed the book of “majors” my university offered. When I stumbled upon “journalism” and read the required courses and the required time to be spent working on the university’s daily newspaper, I thought, “Really? You ask people questions and write down their responses in an interesting fashion and you can get a degree? It can’t possibly be that easy.” It wasn’t until several years after graduation that I realized that not everyone thought that was easy.

I set my sights on copy writing. I didn’t have much of an imagination but I could take information I was presented with and make it interesting. I worked in a marketing capacity for the San Diego Hall of Champions as the editor of their sports newsletter and later for the San Diego Chargers writing radio drop-ins, ad copy, and contributing to Skybox and Team Marketing Videos. I guess that’s how I got my “start” in writing.

Once I retired, though, the itch was still there. It never goes away. I was a writer with nothing to write about. Then, by sheer chance, a series of incidents occurred in my life that my family and friends considered to be “book-worthy.” I didn’t need to use my imagination because I was writing about factual events written in an interesting manner. The book took off right out of the publishing chute, won an award and is still quite successful. I didn’t know it then, but I had created a monster inside my mind. I began to formulate dialogue while I was driving, I became a people-watcher, creating characters and giving them names. I realized how much I missed writing. If only I had something to write about. I had never created from my imagination – just made the ideas and words “prettier” and more interesting.

Then the story of “Special Levels of Earthly Hell” came to my attention. It was a story that had been experienced by someone close to me and when I heard it, I was all in. I had a plot and characters and one hell of a story. I am going to guess that most writers will tell you that just the seed of a story is what fuels them. It gives them what they need to take that information and turn it into something interesting to read. Writing isn’t something that dedicated writers do because they can. They do it because they can’t stop. No fuel necessary.

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Drew Collins experiences the world in black and white. As an educated man of science, he rejects belief in the paranormal and the existence of demons. Until an evil energy he calls “The Beast” repeatedly enters his bedroom at night and takes possession of his wife’s body.

What he witnesses at night in his own bedroom cannot be reconciled with science. And yet he sees it with his own eyes, feels its presence, ominous and evil, with his entire being.

Against every instinct, Drew reaches out for help. It is not just his marriage that’s at stake. The evil force has invaded his wife’s family, tearing them apart and culminating in bloodshed and murder. Drew must face a stark choice: sacrifice his belief that the world is a rational place and fight an entity he doesn’t understand and is reluctant to label, or abandon his wife and her family.

Author’s Note to the Reader: Sadly, the most frightening and brutal events in this book are factual. The story is loosely based on one family’s experience with multiple tragedies, some of them “ripped from the headlines.” It is also an excruciatingly factual account of one man’s experience with a loved one who is possessed by a demonic presence. However, it transcends genre and is as much a tale of romance, of cultural barriers, of abuse, and of family drama, as it is of demonic possession. The link between the introduction of an evil spirit and the heartbreaking misfortunes that are visited on the family is left for the reader to decide.

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Drew sat up straight and turned to her. He needed to see her eyes, her reaction to his experience. Almost imperceptibly he shook his head and took a deep breath. Then, surprising even himself, he poured out his story of the frightening drama unfolding in his home. He described the visions, the fear, and his most ridiculously implausible visitor. It came in the night, he told her, on multiple occasions, and appeared to possess Adriana. He described how it spoke through her, threatened him, threatened their marriage and the children.

“The presence has become a part of my life,” he said, “an unwelcome visitor in my own bedroom at night. I don’t know what to call it. I understand that in Judeo-Christian belief it might be thought of as a demon, a devil sent to defy their God. But I’m not a believer, so how do I name it? How do I label something I don’t understand? I can’t give it a name that identifies it as a specific entity to Christians. I’m not a Christian. I don’t believe in God and so I don’t believe in the devil or demons. I had an experience. That’s how I identify it. And I honestly don’t know what to do about it. I get that it’s not a battle of strength. It’s a battle of wills. But I don’t understand its intention – what it will take to make it go away.”

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Merry Freer will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. CLICK HERE to enter to Win! Readers, follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates and places can be found here: Tour Schedule

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Merry Freer, thank you for stopping by today!

Love & blessings to all! ❤
Jacey

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