Breaking Locks

by Lynn M. Stout

She’s recently widowed and on the wrong side of fifty. Seeing dead people wasn’t her idea of a midlife reinvention.

Connie Keyes feels lost. After her heart surgeon husband collapsed and died, the fifty-two-year-old mother is desperately trying to find a new purpose. But reuniting with the ghost of her dearly departed opens up a completely unexpected career opportunity…

Discovering she’s descended from a long line of mediums, Connie excels at her new job with a realtor that pairs compatible residents with haunted houses. But when a property inspection pits her against a nasty poltergeist, the fledgling ghost-whisperer fears she may soon be reunited with her hubby on the other side.

Will Connie’s newly discovered talent renovate her raison d'être, or will it become the burden from hell?

Breaking Locks is the fast-paced first book in the Extra-Ordinary Midlife paranormal women’s fiction series. If you like heroines reinventing themselves, slightly scary situations, and a big dollop of humor, then you’ll love Lynn M. Stout’s spooky story.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction

184 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2021

About the author

I write twisted tales of strong women defeating evil, creepy stories with a paranormal angle, and rowdy characters full of joy and humor.

I grew up wandering the streets of Historic Downtown Jonesboro, Tennessee, where I absorbed the town’s rich history, fed my already overactive imagination, and twisted my ankle on many a cobblestone. I saw ghosts in the old buildings and homes and couldn't rest until I'd created their stories. I never outgrew that obsession.

I am an unapologetic voyeur when it comes to old houses and I have an unhealthy obsession with creepy staircases. I love research and enjoy a deep dive into old stories.

I'm happily married to my amazing and supportive husband of thirty years, am mother to two young adults and I've recently become a grandmother to a beautiful baby boy!

I share my home with my husband, a lazy Boxer and two rather demanding cats. While I am a southern girl at heart, I currently live in Michigan and am loving every minute of it! Plus, it's hard to have a hot-flash when it's ten degrees outside.

Reviews

[Sage Adderley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my - the author has delivered readers a book chock full of humor and paranormal experiences. Connie was a character that I happily grew to love as she navigated her new role of being a widow while courageously moving forward into her next chapter.

I love the combination of laughter, suspense, and spookiness - it makes for an enjoyable read that I had a hard time putting down. The most wonderful story for those who enjoy the unusual and crave a literary getaway!

[Gina Gil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick and fun read. It's a good exploration of the issues many women face during mid-life in the context of a quirky ghost story. The story captivated me and I found myself thinking about the book between readings. The mix of humor and the context of modern life made the supernatural elements of the book less scary and more curious for me. I look forward to reading book two of this series.

[Lynn Stout]

I'm so excited for my newest release coming October 31, 2021 that I couldn't resist sharing the first chapter with my amazing readers!
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Be sure to join the Goodreads giveaway.

Breaking Locks - Extra-Ordinary Midlife (Sneak Peek from Chapter 1)

“I need Joe. Go get the beaver!”
“What? I thought Joe was with you.”
“He’s in the beaver. Just go get him!”
Tawny ran from the room while I continued to duck and dodge the tiny balls of fire and flame shooting across the room. Most of them hit me and drew blood. The few that I avoided hit the wall behind me, only to smoke and sizzle on the old wallpaper before flaming out. No matter what I said or did, it would not stop. In fact, it only seemed to get angrier and angrier.
Tawny arrived, huffing and puffing, with sweat rolling down her face and Brodie the Beaver hiked up under her arm. Brodie weighed a solid twenty pounds. It was obvious she’d run as fast as possible up the long spiral flight of stairs. She plopped him down in the middle of the room and leaned against the wall.
“Thanks.”
I swiped at the blood that trickled into my eyes and then dragged Brodie between myself and the black squirming mass that was writhing its way up a wall. It paused when it reached the top corner of the room, and slowly morphed from the pulsing, black mass of tendrils and slim into the wispy form of a man. Despite the transformation, it, he, continued lobbing fiery projectiles at an alarming rate.
“Joe, do something,” I said, ducking and trying to dodge the tiny flames.
Tawny screeched and swatted at a small flame that caught on the arm of her shirt just as the spirit of my deceased husband lifted from the two foot tall taxidermy beaver. I barely glimpsed his outline before Tawny grabbed my arm and tried to pull me out of the room.
“No! I want to help.”
“You’re not ready, Connie. Come on. I’m sorry, but you still need Joe.”

[Tyra Riley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed

I really wanted to like the book because its a great concept. There are too many issues to give it better than 2 stars though. The point of view switches from first person to third person throughout, which I find disconcerting. There are discrepancies in the time line. Connie talks about months of research at the beginning of a chapter, then a little into the chapter its only 2 days later than the previous chapter. Its a little to "woke" for my tastes also as it hits all the hot topics in politics these days. I see enough of that in real life, I read to get away from all that. Overall, mostly disappointed in the book although I did finish it. I won't be reading any more of her work. I sincerely hope others enjoy it.

[Lisa Malmquist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Connie Keyes is recently widowed and is a bit lost. Her husband was a heart surgeon but collapses and dies of a heart attack.
However, seems the dearly departed is not departed at all, and now haunts her house as a ghost.
Connie is trying to find her way as a single woman in middle age. Her children are also grown and out of the house.
Meanwhile, she starts to learn that she has abilities to see ghosts and talk to them.
She is put to the test when asked to get rid of a nasty poltergeist in an old plantation house.
She has bitten off more than she can chew and has to call for help from her ghostly husband.
Maybe her career as a ghost whisperer is going to come to a screeching halt?
A look at life for a woman re-inventing herself.

[Teri Stich · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, thank you Lynn Stout, for picking me to be a winner of a free copy.
I enjoyed this, fun, entertaining premise. The characters colorful and developed well, and the storyline stayed true to itself. The Beaver had to be the best, LOL I did feel it was a bit slow to develop but knowing it is a series kept me going. I feel strongly the next books will move at a quicker pace as this one developed the background.
Ghosts, haunting, witches, oh my, all come together to create a enjoyable way to spend some time.

[Susan Burlew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had some trouble getting into the story. Connie's friend Samantha was very annoying and bossy. I never did warm up to her. Connie was a bit of a pushover until she learned that she could communicate with her dead husband. Once she started learning how to use her abilities it moved along better. I ended up enjoying this and am interested in reading the next book. Would recommend.

[Margaret lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beavers Inc

I started this book wondering if I had downloaded the wrong book but then chapter two started normally and I put my seat belt on it was a great ride , good story world brilliant characters and wonderful plot can't wait for the next book a well deserved 5 stars , i
recommend this book to everyone as there is a bit of everything for all readers

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun read about a woman who is learning about her abilities to see and speak with ghosts including her late husband. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series.

[Michele Rice Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent read! It is a fast read that held my attention with an excellent storyline and characters with depth. I can hardly wait to read more from author, Lynn Stout

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

I really wanted to like this book. However the main character is so whiny and so much of the plot seemed tacked on that I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[ghislaine belair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story. I loved it.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable story which is about an older woman, Connie Keyes who rediscovers herself after her husband Joe died. Connie has two grown up kids, Peyton and Monty who has flown the coop. Her friends are saying her house is haunted. Alone, her friend Samantha gives her a job as a receptionist, and they talk about other houses haunted around town. Connie has a hard time believing this until she sees Joe. This cute read is how she handles her affairs and her gift of seeing dead people with the help of her friends as she learns more about her family line. I volunteer to read and review this ARC that I received via Goodreads.

[T.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't want to give too much away, but I enjoyed this new-to-me author's story about a widow and look forward to more books in the series.

[T.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deviates from the divorce trope of PWF, featuring a widow. I enjoyed the main character and the humorous story!