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Paulette Kennedy | A Midcentury Wife and Mother Develops the Ability to See and Hear the Dead Following a Viral Illness
Author Guest / March 7, 2024

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE DEVIL AND MRS. DAVENPORT 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? THE DEVIL AND MRS. DAVENPORT is about a midcentury wife and mother who develops the ability to see and hear the dead following a viral illness. Her new psychic gifts set her at odds with her conservative, Bible college professor husband, leading her to seek out the advice of a notable parapsychologist, who encourages her to hone and nurture her gifts instead of suppressing them. Her gifts are a metaphor for a lot of things—but ultimately this book is about a woman finding her place and purpose at a time when women’s rights were limited. Loretta’s journey is one that will resonate with many readers, I think. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I decided to set the novel in a fictionalized version of my hometown in the Ozarks because it’s a place where I could picture someone like Loretta living in the 1950s. Since I grew up there, I knew I could capture the setting perfectly. People are very curious about the Ozarks, I’m finding. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist…