In Plain Sight
Gracie C. McKeever
Siren Publishing
ISBN: 1933563427
Reviewed By Josee Morgan
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
What
if you woke up one morning and looked in the mirror - only to realize
that it wasn't your own face you were looking at...?
What if you had a dream that you were falling - only to watch your body descend without you actually in it...?
For
Dara Kelly and Samantha Foster, the answer to these questions can't
come fast enough. Each from vastly different backgrounds, both women
suffer a similarly violent fate: Dara at the hands of a rival bounty
hunter, Samantha at the hands of a philandering, abusive husband.
Neither sees it coming, nor does either one have the slightest clue of
what's truly in store for them both…
As the old saying goes,
"Nothing happens by accident," and both Dara and Samantha soon realize
that the unfolding of their intertwined fates happens according to
Heavenly design; under the influence of spiritual forces the likes of
which they can only imagine, the two women embark upon a common quest
of restoring the balance of justice and ensuring the fulfillment of
prophetic realities dependent upon their courage, tenacity, and faith.
In Plain Sight
is a richly rewarding read, with compelling characters you can't help
becoming attached to - no matter how villainous they may be. McKeever
displays sound literary judgment in revealing only as much of the
storyline as needed in order to keep you turning page after page, in
anxious anticipation of the story's continued development. The suspense
is palpable, and the plot is filled with enough delicious twists to
rival M. Night Shyamalan at his best.
You don't have to be a
believer in God or the Heavens to be moved by this love story within a
Love Story. McKeever's effervescence in crafting an engaging narrative
of betrayal, vengeance, and ultimate redemption has many redeeming
traits of its own, chief among them her ability to flat-out tell a
great story. Highly recommended.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Gracie McKeever (In Plain Sight)
Apex Reviews: Gracie, thanks for joining us for this interview. We truly appreciate having this opportunity to learn more about your book.
Gracie C. McKeever: It's great to be here and I'm happy to share information about In Plain Sight!
AR: Where did you get the idea for such a unique, intriguing story?
GM: Several elements were at work that brought the premise for In Plain Sight to fruition, one of the more important ones being my interest in the paranormal, specifically as it relates to the afterlife and the possibility of reincarnation. Reincarnation presents a perfect opportunity for [my] characters to complete business that they were not able to complete during their lives. Also, I love dealing with family relationships—the dynamics of siblings, but especially the dynamics between identical twins has always fascinated me.
AR: Was the story inspired by your own personal faith/beliefs at all?
GM: I've never had any experience with the afterlife or reincarnation personally, but I'd like to believe that there is that possibility and that this existence here and now is not all there is to our lives. Also, my favorite personal themes to write about are those dealing with healing and redemption—two of the major themes that run through In Plain Sight.
AR: What inspired you to depict the angel Gabriel as a feminine entity?
GM: Actually, in all the research I'd done on angels, Gabriel was always referred to as female, "the only female in the higher echelons." I liked this uniqueness and decided to incorporate it into the story. I liked the idea of "celestial parents" for Sam and Dara and enjoyed playing Gabriel off of her opposite in the very manly and paternal Michael.
AR: Samantha seems to adapt to Dara's life rather seamlessly, despite the fact that both women are from vastly different backgrounds. How is this possible?
GM: Though Sam and Dara are from vastly different backgrounds and Sam is a lot younger and inexperienced, she has a daring and adventurous streak that I think lent itself well to Sam's adapting to the life of a bounty hunter (Dara's profession). The fact that Dara is around to mentor Sam, as it were, and help her deal with the unfamiliar territory of the profession in general and Dara's life in particular also helps Sam adjust to her new life and responsibilities.
AR: Is Reina really evil to the core?
GM: Reina is misunderstood and seriously, emotionally disturbed. But she's not evil to the core. She loves her sons passionately and, unfortunately, to a fault. In her own eyes, she is just doing what she thinks is necessary to keep her family together. And I think in this, she is one of the more universal characters in the book, if extremely misguided and flawed.
AR: Our reviewer commented on just how compelling the characters in the story are - even the villains. How were you able to craft such well-rounded figures?
GM: I'm glad that the reviewer found my characters compelling as I strive to make them as universal and three-dimensional as possible. I prefer writing—and reading—character-driven stories thus I concentrate on getting to know my characters first before I even begin writing and then build my plot and stories around my characters rather than the other way around. Though I'd like to think my characters are larger-than-life, I try never to lose sight of the fact that they are human with very human flaws and frailties that any reader can relate to and thus recognize pieces of themselves in my characters.
AR: You're certainly no stranger to erotica and suspense romances. Care to share with our readers a little about what you've got next in store?
GM: In addition to several single titles and series already available at Siren Publishing, I have the second and third stories in my first male/male erotic paranormal romance series subtitled Zara's Bois coming up. The first story is currently available and is entitled Zack and the Dark Shaft. The next two stories—Ingenue's Choice and Bouncer's Folly—will be out in early and mid 2008. Also on tap is Sentinel's Hunger, a Sisters of Emsharra novella that will be available in Rapture Publishing's inaugural anthology. The anthology will be available in mass market paperback, so I'm very excited about this development and looking forward to old fans enjoying the continuation of the Sisters of Emsharra series and new fans discovering it. Also coming up in 2008 is the fourth story in my The Matchmaker series, Emilia's Emancipation. I'm currently in the plotting stages of my first ménage a trois story in the fifth story of this series entitled Taming Donna; as you can imagine, I'm also very excited about this endeavor. Also upcoming in Zane's Caramel Flava 2 anthology is my erotica short story Leap of Faith.
AR: In addition to being an author, what are some of your other activities/avocations?
GM: Currently, I still work a 9-5 as a government worker/civil servant. In my off-time I love to read, watch TV, go to movies (usually the same genre as I read which is a little bit of everything, but mostly action/adventure, sci-fi, paranormal, some fantasy, horror and romance), spend time with my family and participate in various sports.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
GM: Just that I'm glad my fans and readers, by and large, have enjoyed the story I've told in In Plain Sight. I look forward to writing for as long as I can and hope they are looking forward to reading all the stories I have to tell.
AR: Thanks again, Gracie, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
GM: Thanks again for having me! I had a wonderful time answering your very insightful questions and I wish Apex Reviews the best as well!