Welcome, Winterwolf Press readers! Today, we’re doing something a little different—and a lot exciting. Joining Russ Thompson, the brilliant author behind Secrets of the Falls, is none other than Lee Ann Daniels herself. That’s right, the teenage Loop Breaker who’s captured our hearts and imaginations is stepping out of the pages to share her story. From facing her fears to embracing her extraordinary abilities, Lee Ann has experienced more than most of us could ever imagine. And with the release of the next chapter in her journey, there’s no better time to dive into the mysteries of her world. Buckle up—it’s going to be a hauntingly good chat!
Russ: Hello everyone, it’s author Russ Thompson. We have a very special guest today, Lee Ann Daniels, better known by some as ‘Lee Ann the Loop Breaker.’ Winterwolf Press just published the next chapter of her story, ‘Secrets of the Falls.’ For those who don’t know who Lee Ann is, she is a girl with a very special ability. She can communicate with those who have passed on and is often contacted by them. Today, we’re going to have her talk about this ability, the changes it led to in her life, and how she overcame the obstacles she faced along the way.
Hey! Thanks for being here today, Lee Ann; we greatly appreciate it!
Lee Ann: Thanks for having me here!
Russ: No thank you! I guess I will start by asking you what it must have been like when you first began being contacted by spirits. Could you tell us a little about that experience and how it affected you?
Lee Ann: Sure! Well, as you might expect I was very confused and scared at first. It all started when I moved in at my dad’s place outside of Laverne, Tennessee. At first, I heard voices in the woods when I went out exploring. A few days later, there was this mysterious woman that was seeking my help. She didn’t seem to know that she had passed on and was trying to escape from someone. Then I began to see others.
Russ: Yeah, I can imagine you would be scared. Without giving too much away for those who haven’t read the first part of your story, ‘A Beacon and the Darkness,’ what did you do at that point? Did you think you were losing your mind or something?
Lee Ann: I didn’t know what to think, but when I realized that others couldn’t see or hear what was happening, I knew that for some reason these restless souls were contacting me, that only I seemed to be able to communicate with them. When I met this woman, Felicity, who was like a psychic, I finally found someone who knew about these kinds of things. She made me realize I had a gift, that I was attracting these souls like a moth to a light.
Russ: Amazing! And this led you to solve the mystery of how these souls came to be there and how to help them. Can you tell us a bit about that?
Lee Ann: Sure! Like you said, without giving too much away, there had been an incident long ago at an area known as Thief’s Hollow near my dad’s land. And, sometimes, when a person’s passing is tragic or sudden, they don’t even know they’ve passed on and they stay in kind of in a loop, living out the last moments of their lives repeatedly. They are holding onto life or some aspect of it, and this keeps them from being able to transition. Without Felicity and my friend’s love and support, I wouldn’t have been able to get to the bottom of what happened. I wouldn’t have been able to help those people to cross over.
Russ: And now that area is free of any, eh, supernatural activity thanks to you.
Lee Ann: Yes, that’s true! Thanks to me, Felicity, David, Jasmine, and Katrina!
Russ: Right! I read that in order to be able to help those people, you had to help yourself first so to speak; you had to face your grief and the fear of losing your mom.
Lee Ann: Yes! My mother died of cancer just a few months prior to that whole thing. I was still struggling daily with her loss, and it made it very hard for me to be able to help anyone else. It created ‘blockages’ so to speak. I had to get to the place where I believed in my ability to help these souls and was free from the fear and loss that kept me stuck, so to speak.
Russ: Amazing! And tell me a little bit about what was life was like after the Thief’s Hollow situation was resolved.
Lee Ann: Yeah, sure. After that whole thing, there was a lot of media attention calling me the Teenage Loop Breaker and all of that. It wasn’t very pleasant for me because people always wanted to interview me or ask me about my abilities, and at the time I just wanted to be a normal girl. I got to the point where I didn’t want to have any abilities. I just wanted to go to art school to pursue my passion, which is to be a sculptor.
Russ: Yes, let’s talk about that for a minute. You started working through what was happening to you with your art, but then you didn’t go to art school.
Lee Ann: Yes, I wanted to go to art school, but my dad was afraid that I wouldn’t get enough of a practical education. He was worried that I might not be able to be gainfully employed once I got out of school. At the time, I didn’t understand at all, and I was very angry with him because he wanted me to go to Farthington.
Russ: And you did go to Farthington, which I understand is a prestigious liberal arts school. What was that experience like when you first arrived?
Lee Ann: Well at first it wasn’t great. Again, I was dealing with anger issues towards Dad, but once I saw how beautiful the campus was, surrounded by the mountains, it gave me some hope. I didn’t get along very well with some of the students because I was different from them, not coming from privilege. To tell the truth, some of the girls there didn’t take kindly to anyone who was different or unique and my reputation as a ‘ghost girl’ or whatever preceded me. That didn’t help.
Russ: I see! How did you resolve this anger and the fact that you stuck out like a sore thumb?
Lee Ann: I did what I’ve always done; I leaned on my support system back home and my new friend and roommate, Connor.
Russ: That’s good! I also understand that you were trying to escape your ‘ability’ to communicate with supernatural entities. Were you able to do that? Were you able to pursue a life as a normal girl?
Lee Ann: Ha ha, no! In fact, almost immediately after I got to Farthington, strange things started happening; and I was like oh no, not again! So, while I’m dealing with the problem of these not so friendly girls, I’m also dealing with these strange things happening.
Russ: Can you tell us a bit about that, again without giving away the full story for those who might be interested in reading the next chapter, ‘Secrets of the Falls?’
Lee Ann: Yes, there was this hundred-foot waterfall called Whispering Falls down this trail from our dorms, which were more like cabins on the edge of the woods. Connor took me there and I saw a mysterious figure fall over the edge, but she didn’t see it. That’s when strange things began to happen on campus, scary and unexplainable things, and it was all related to what happened at the falls many years before.
Russ: Ahh, I see! And once again you felt like it was your duty to stop these ‘strange things’ that were happening.
Lee Ann: Yes, no matter how much I wanted to be ‘normal’ it was not my fate. I was at the center of what was happening, and it was getting to be very dangerous. I won’t get into it in too much detail here, but suffice it to say, the situation had to be resolved and the truth had to be brought into the light.
Russ: Wow! Amazing. It does seem like having the truth come to light really helps resolve these types of supernatural disturbances.
Lee Ann: Yes! Sometimes when lies are used to cover up something tragic, this can create a problem for souls who need to transition. It’s why they aren’t at rest, so to speak. It’s the attachment to the injustice of it all and how it cuts their lives short. They want the world to know the truth, but this keeps them from being at peace.
Russ: Kind of like you, you had a hard time being at peace because of the anger and hurt you felt.
Lee Ann: Exactly! My anger towards my father was my blockage from resolving this latest issue. I had to get over that first. I finally realized that he just wanted what he felt was best for me, that it was out of love.
Russ: And then your life there improved once the situation was resolved?
Lee Ann: Yes, my relationship with the other students improved and I finally could pursue my passion, my art!
Russ: Tell us a bit more about that.
Lee Ann: Well, after everything went back to normal, I was able to process what had happened through some new pieces I created. I also put lots of effort into growing our art department at Farthington, which was tiny when I first came. I had an art exhibition and this well-known art collector and exhibitor offered me a huge opportunity. Now I am planning an exhibition at her gallery which I’m really excited about!
Russ: That’s fantastic! Congratulations on the new opportunity. It sounds like you’ve had an amazing nineteen years of life, and we can’t wait to find out what’s next for you. Once final thing.. if you were to give some advice to young people who might have similar problems to your own: not fitting in, being faced with personal ‘blockages’ as you call them, being thrown into the middle of situations where you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders.
Lee Ann: Sure! I would say, first off not to ignore or suppress your abilities. If you have a gift or a calling of some kind, it will keep nagging you if you don’t pursue and nurture it. I wanted to be a ‘normal’ girl that didn’t have any supernatural abilities, but it was not my fate. No matter how much I wanted to ignore it, it kept coming back to haunt me, forgive the language there, ha ha! I would also say that if you have an obstacle in your life that is holding you back such as fear, anger, jealousy, whatever it might be, don’t hesitate to call on your friends and family to help you. Remember that they are a support system that is there for you! I couldn’t have gotten through all my grief, fear, and anger without Felicity, my boyfriend, David, my friends, Jasmine, and Katrina, and of course my dad, Charles and stepmom, Shirley.
Russ: What an inspiring story! Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today, Lee Ann.
Lee Ann: Thank you for having me!
Russ: And everyone out there if you haven’t read the first part of Lee Ann’s story, ‘The Loop Breaker: A Beacon and the Darkness,’ you should definitely do so! The exciting and revelatory second part of her story, ‘Secrets of the Falls’ is now also available through Winterwolf Press at website: www.winterwolfpress.com. Thanks everyone!
