Ascending

by Kenna McKinnon

After a marriage fraught with abuse and infidelity, Scarlett Kane's husband is suddenly killed in a motorcycle accident.

Conflicted by feelings of love and hate, she struggles to build a new life, but a paranormal presence prevents her from moving on. Haunted by the past, all she wants is to have a happier future.

When Scarlett discovers an incredible secret about her husband, it seems like the inconceivable burden of her past is finally gone. On a path woven with love and deception, can Scarlett find the strength to choose between the living and the dead?

Praise:

★★★★★ - "The story reminded me of an old Harrison Ford movie (in a good way), What Lies Beneath... Refreshingly different and enjoyable."

★★★★★ - I enjoyed the psychological elements of the story very much. An excellent read."

194 pages, Paperback

Published May 20, 2019

About the author

Honey lover, Kenna McKinnon, is the author of SpaceHive, a middle grade sci-fi/fantasy novel replete with giant alien bees; her mental health is revealed in The Insanity Machine, a memoir with co-author Austin Mardon, PhD, CM; and her life and times with DISCOVERY – A Collection of Poetry, all released in 2012. A children's chapter book, Benjamin & Rumblechum; A quirky mystery thriller starring a female schizophrenic private eye, Blood Sister (did SHE do it?); Short Circuit and Other Geek Stories in memory of her son. Recently published is a paranormal/fantasy trilogy of dark, dark novellas, Den of Dark Angels; and a fantasy dragon adventure, Engaging the Dragon. A superhero hair stylist tale of Timothie Hill and the Cloak of Power is her most recent book, based on a real character in Edmonton, Canada. Her books are crouching at Amazon KDP and in selected local bookstores and public libraries.

Her most memorable years were spent at the University of Alberta, where she graduated with Distinction with a degree in Anthropology (1975). She has lived successfully with schizophrenia for many years and is a member of the Writers' Guild of Alberta and the Canadian Authors Association. She has two children and three grandsons.

Her author's blog: http://KennaMcKinnonAuthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KennaMcKinno...
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KennaMcKinnon
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kennamckinnon

Reviews

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything from an abused wife to the paranormal, depression, love that lasts for years, friendships, and yet, the author has kept the writing crisp and clean while showing the ragged edge of emotions and how they can almost destroy a relationship of mother and child. After her young husband dies, Scarlett finally flees with her son to forget the tragedy of his early death and the abuse she suffered while married to him. She will even blame herself for his misdeeds. The healing process is slowed by the appearance of his ghost, and yet, somehow it is not really his ghost. Slowly, she regains her son’s trust and that of her neighbors. She will try to isolate herself and her son when the visitations become almost daily and she feels her handsome husband’s strong arms around her again. His manifestations manage to confuse his son for Troy was but three years of age when his father died. He does not remember what his father looked like. Troy only remembers his father took him to the circus and cried. Scarlett has delved into the occult and feels that her crystals and workings have pulled Michael back into their lives. How can they co-exist with the ghostly world and the real world? The reality of what really happened so long ago will come into focus, but you will have to read this excellent work yourself. I really recommend that you do so.

[Réal Laplaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ascending, by Kenna McKinnon is a surprising read. What starts out as a marriage gone wrong, developes into a story that shows us the power of love. When Scarlett loses her husband, Michael, to a brutal motorcycle accident, she and her son, Troy, move to a new house where she can forget about her former life. Odd things begin to happen, things that go bump in the night, apparitions, strange telephone calls, all of them reminding Scarlett of her late husband, as well as the good, the bad and the ugly of their relationship. Scarlett is challenged by a deep sense of guilt that their final words before his death were in anger and that she failed to repair their marriage, compounded by the continued ghostly visitations which she must deal with while trying to cope with her life. Scarlett decides on a task, one which she hopes will give her final closure on Michael. Bizarre and paranormal, nonetheless, this story reminds us that death is not an end, but the start of a new beginning.

[Coco.V]

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[Mary Deal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intensely Psychological, With a Twist

Ascending is the second book I’ve read by this author. I am enjoying her ability at focusing on the psychological aspects of her characters’ personalities and of the story itself.

Scarlett Kane and her husband, Michael, married before they were mature enough to realize the ramifications of such a union. Scarlett tries to hold the marriage together, and tries to understand and appease her rebellious husband. Then he is killed in a horrific accident, due to his own negligence and reckless mind and antics. Front that point on, Scarlett first spirals downward into depression and a bit of alcoholism. All the while, for the love of her son and needing to help him understand and keep him safe, her confusing life becomes a difficult task. Scarlett is haunted by Michael’s ghost. Or is she? Is he a figment of her alcoholism and disturbed mind? Or is she completely sane? At times, even she doesn’t know. The solution to Scarlett’s tragic life comes in a major twist at the end of the story. It’s quite a different surprise.

If you love stories that delve into the characters’ psyches and what makes them the characters that they are, this trait seems to carry in this author’s stories. Knowing what makes a character tick makes the story for me. I’ll be reading her again.

[Brian Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love story with a paranormal twist

This is the third book I have read by this author. All have been excellent reads, this one more than her earlier works. The story of the love that transcends death is both touching and at the same time, rather spooky, as the restless spirit of Scarlett's deceased husband, Michael appears to be haunting her and their young son, Troy. The problem is, Michael's spirit seems to be able to manifest itself in both corporeal and non-corporeal forms. How this can be and the surprising twist in the tale leads to a conclusion that I least expected. An excellent read, not too long, and worthy of 5 stars.

[Berk Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story you are immersed in a paranormal relationship between a man and his wife and son. More than that I won't tell you. To give you any particulars would be spoiling the story for you. I must confess that this is not my favorite kind of story. Nonetheless it is a good story, told with style and attention to the details of the lives of the characters. I would like to have had more character development of Troy, the son of Scarlett, but each author does as they feel best with all their characters. Good characters, good story, good read, especially if you like love stories.

[Elaine Milks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A paranormal fiction about the life of a family that faces many trials. The couple, both of whom come from difficult backgrounds, are immature, which makes for a rocky marriage. When her husband suddenly dies in an accident, the wife and son move away to a new home where strange things start to occur. The answers to the mystery are in the ending, it's a real surprise. You just have to read it to find out.

[Judy Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book held my attention throughout, I started it and read until I finished it! A story of a young widow and single mother struggling with a love/hate relationship with her late husband who died in a horrific motorcycle accident, if in fact it was an accident, and not a suicide. She relocates but she and her young son are haunted by the ghost of her troubled husband. The end has an amazing and interesting twist that I never expected and I loved it! A great but short read!

[Michele Northwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ascending : Kenna Mckinnon

At the start of the book, the main character, Scarlett Kane is trapped in a loveless, abusive marriage from which she can see no way out. When her husband is unexpectedly killed in a motorbike accident, Scarlett’s son complains of visitations, strange lights and scratching behind the walls in his bedroom. Scarlett also appears to be as trapped within the relationship as she was when her husband was alive.

Moving to a new area to start her life again, and to hopefully rid her son and herself of their past (and present) abuse does not help matters. The visitations continue for both of them in their new home. As the ghostly presence becomes more lifelike and his visits become more frequent, Scarlett eventually draws the spirit of her dead husband into the basement where she finally uncovers the reason behind his lingering presence and the long time deceptions he has cunningly kept from her.

The writer, Kenna Mckinnon, adeptly highlights the situation of abusive relationships and the mental trauma they induce. This forces the reader to wonder what they would do in the same situation. The see-saw effect of abusiveness followed by periods of kindness which deceive abused women everywhere into believing that, maybe this time, their husbands have changed for the better make for compelling reading.
This is a book which the reader needs to see through until the end, so that any unanswered questions they may have while reading it, will finally make perfect sense when they reach the conclusion.

[K.J. Simmill · Rating 5 out of 5]

After suffering his abuse for years, never knowing which side of him she would face, Scarlett Kane receives the news that her husband, father of her child, was killed in a biking accident. After almost losing herself to the bottle she finds a way through, a reason to keep going and gets herself and her young son away. She hoped the phone calls would stop, and her son would stop seeing a light shining in his room at night, but even a new house didn't stop those strange happenings, and each night she breaks a little more. Something has to give,but what?

Kenna McKinnon's Ascending is a supernatural tale dealing with dark issues, written in a clear and concise manner. I enjoyed the incorporation of the viewpoints of a different time, from a psychiatrist informing her the abuse was her fault, to the thoughts on religion, single-parent families, and the viewpoints of her community. Friendship, hauntings, and an unexpected twist along the way make for good reading, and the psychological aspects bleeding from past and current events make a gripping combination.

[A.J. Griffiths-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an author who really understands human nature & puts it to good use in creating chemistry between her characters. ‘Ascending’ is a sad yet thought-provoking tale that culminates in a satisfying twist. I’ve enjoyed the psychological elements of the story very much and loved the gradual progression as Scarlett & Troy overcame grief & conquered their fears. An excellent read.