What Was in That Room?
The cover art for my light-hearted YA novel captures both the humor and the mystery of Stay Out of That Room. You’ll need to read the 1960s novel to find out, but for now, here is the back cover description.
“You may not believe my story, and I don’t care if you do. I know what happened and what we found out in that forbidden room.
Disaster struck in the summer of 1965 when, like a migrating goose, my wackadoodle Great Aunt Polly arrived from New Mexico with her signature eye patch matching the enormous turquoise muumuu barely stretching over her bulk.
Mom assigned Kitty and me as indentured servants to help Aunt Polly at her ancient crumbling mansion on Lake Minnetonka. We spent weeks cooking, cleaning, and prying Aunt Polly out of her beater of a car.
We hoped the hunky Minnetonka guys living next door would be interested enough in two sheltered girls from south Minneapolis to make the summer enjoyable.
Fat chance! Aunt Polly’s rules were endless. How could she expect us to obey them all? “Stay out of that room!” she said about the house’s one locked door. Stay out? Right! Kitty and I took it as an invitation to investigate.
Don’t you agree that, under the circumstances, disobedience was our duty? Not only did we find a way to be neighborly with the dudes next door. Our search for keys to that forbidden room unlocked family secrets from decades ago.
So, we found out just how far we could push Aunt Polly. Who knew she had a hunting rifle?”
If you lived through the 60’s or wish you had, buy my coming-of-age story. I promise it will make you giggle, cringe, squirm, and gasp.
Stay Out of That Room is Book 1 in the House of Girls series based on the crazy adventures of a family with eight daughters.
Clare Bills
Clare Bills is a Minnesota author with three published novels. She holds an MS in journalism, three BA degrees and is a graduate of Brown Institute for broadcasting. She worked in radio, public relations while also teaching at Iowa State University. She's also completed courses in writing from the Institute of Children's Literature, and novel writing from Jerry Jenkins, Susie May Warren, and James Scott Bell.
