THE INN BETWEEN by Wendra Colleen-review & interview

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 31, 2025

Teenagers J.T. and Sylvia have no memory of dying, only how much they hate each other. Trapped at The Inn Between, a B&B of the afterlife, they have nine days to discover how they died. If they solve the mystery, they can choose to evolve; if they don’t, they will be reborn with their memories wiped, destined to die young again.

In the realm of the living, Dr. Jillian Flaggerty, a young, newly minted parapsychologist, suppresses her childhood ability to rescue earthbound ghosts. She wants to avoid another trip to an institution and succeed in her first job. On a ghostly visit to Earth, J.T. realizes that only Jillian can see and hear him and begs for her help. Jillian denies J.T.’s existence until she uncovers a personal connection to the teen ghosts. Then Jillian has to choose between saving souls or her sanity as time winds down for J.T. and Sylvia to reconcile their differences, face the truth of their deaths, and avoid being reborn.

If you’re looking for an escape like Cemetery Boys, Neverworld Wake, and The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts with a dash of The Good Place, don’t wait to read this high-stakes supernatural novel.

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REVIEW: “The Inn Between” by Wendra Colleen sounded like an intriguing read!

The concept of two teenagers, J.T. and Sylvia, stuck in a liminal space where they have to confront their past and each other was an interesting premise. The stakes are high, if they can’t figure out how they died, they face the grim fate of being reborn with no memories, doomed to repeat their short lives. (Not something I’d read before, and it pulled me in.)

The setting of a B&B in the afterlife provides a unique backdrop.

It allows not only of the characters’ shared history and conflicts but also gives the story a somewhat cozy yet eerie atmosphere. (Not quite the Bates hotel eerie though 😝)

The dynamic between J.T. and Sylvia, who already dislike each other, adds tension and drama. As they navigate their circumstances, they learn to cooperate, and ultimately understand what led to their deaths (and maybe an understanding of their lives!)

Dr. Jillian Flaggerty’s character adds yet another layer. As someone with a parapsychological background who has suppressed her abilities, her almost (for me) represents the struggle between accepting one’s true self and societies expectations. The fact that she initially denies J.T.’s existence until she discovers their connection introduces an interesting twist.

Overall, the blend of supernatural elements, character development, and a race against time creates a compelling story that raises questions about life, death, and what it truly means to reconcile with one’s past.

I won’t say I loved it. But what I will say, is that it stayed with me for a few days.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie B🦋

TRC: Hi Wendra and welcome to The Reading Café. Congratulations on the release of THE INN BETWEEN.

We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Goodreads/Amazon Author/Website/The Reading Cafe/

Wendra: It sounds impressive to say I have a doctorate in experimental psychology and deployed to the Iraq War as a civilian, but bottom line, I am unconventional, an outcast, really, like many of my characters. I never fit in anywhere, which is why I adopted the motto, “Embrace Your Weirdness,” which is on my website and the banner on my newsletter. While I started writing when I was in grade school, I’ve taken huge breaks throughout my life and didn’t really take it seriously until nearly two decades ago. By seriously I mean pursuing it as a profession, not a hobby. And I will fully admit that screenwriting is my first love. The high structure (e.g., on page five, there MUST be an inciting incident) and focus on dialogue totally resonates with my strengths, but I found out that making it as a screenwriter was far harder than making it as a novelist. So I taught myself how to write short stories and then novels, the latter being the heaviest lift next to getting my doctorate!!

TRC:Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Wendra: While both my parents are big readers, I’m quite sure it hearing my mother pound on her typewriter (yes, typewriter!) far into the night after working a day job greatly influenced me. She had an agent, she was traditionally published, and she always had the magazine Poets & Writers everywhere! She’s now in her 90s and only recently has taken a break from writing. But, I will add that this influence was not conscious. The desire to write just grew over time. When I was in a horrible period between graduating with my doctorate and being unemployed because it was during the dot com bust, I started writing for TV shows that I liked to keep my spirits up. In MS Word (as opposed to Final Draft)! I was stunned at how much joy that brought me, but it also taught me a valuable lesson: I was only able to write episodes for shows like THAT 70S SHOW and THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN because the writers had done such an excellent job of developing the characters. All I had to do was come up with an interesting situation and they almost wrote themselves. I did let a family friend who is a professional novelist and screenwriter see the THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN spec, and he was impressed. That was also very encouraging. I have an original musical screenplay that someday might see the light of day, who knows!

TRC:What challenges or difficulties have you encountered writing and publishing?

Wendra: Teaching myself how to write a novel (which, as one learns, is a constant evolution) took years, I can’t lie. It was SO hard, but it did force my brain to stop thinking in terms of short stories or screenplays, which come much more naturally to me. If anyone is wondering why I didn’t pursue an MFA, it’s because I already had three degrees. I didn’t want any more loans. And, many writers I admired, like Ray Bradbury, never pursued a traditional degree of any kind. I knew it was possible to learn on your own.

Becoming indie (self-published) has been almost as hard as learning how to write novels! I think I opened sixteen new accounts the year I put out my first book, which I wrote so long ago. You cannot do enough research on the time and cost it will take to be indie. I queried three books before I decided to go indie, and to be honest, I never thought I would go that route. I was hard core “traditional publishing or bust!” However, I think the defining moment came when an agent requested all three of my books and summarily rejected all of them. But then she said this: “But be sure to send me your fourth book!” That was it. Something in me changed when she said this. I was just done waiting for my career to start. My aim is to put out a book a year, which is slow for an indie, but given a demanding day job, I don’t want to pressure myself more than that. It’s also why my newsletter remains monthly so far.

Lastly, I’ve been extremely challenged to make audio books. I took a course, my husband built the soundproof room by converting a closet, and I actually have fully recorded book 1, but there are technical things that I still can’t complete, even with the help of the course. I will finish it, but know that using equipment to do audio books or podcasting is far beyond having a dynamic personality; you need to get comfortable with the technology. It’s another journey.

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise THE INN BETWEEN?

Wendra: It’s about two teen enemies who find themselves stuck at The Inn Between, a B&B of the afterlife. They have nine days to uncover how they died or they will be reborn, destined to die young all over again. The only person who can help? A young, ghost-denying parapsychologist back on Earth. Does the afterlife suck or what?

TRC: Do you have plans for a series involving the characters, and if so, how many books do you have planned?

Wendra: I leave every book open with the potential for a sequel, but so far I keep writing new books. However, they do have themes of the afterlife, inhuman creatures (monsters, demons, superheroes), magical powers, or a mix of these. After The Inn Between, I have one more book that is ready to be published, but in the meantime, I’m getting beta feedback on book four and five. I’m just starting book six. I did write a sequel to my first book, Evil Was a Child Once, so if there ever is (cough) a groundswell of demand, I would go back to that and polish it. I also have a tentative sequel in mind following book three, again, if I felt there was sufficient demand. It would be much lighter, more comedic, than book three, though there is significant humor already in the third book. My books keep getting funnier so I think that’s a good sign that I’m doing something right in my life!

TRC: What kind of research/plotting did you do, and how long did you spend researching /plotting before beginning THE INN BETWEEN series?

Wendra: Because of the pandemic, I was able to conduct a lot of research in a matter of months and was querying by the following year. This was much faster than my first book. Of course, now I’m trying to research, write, draft, and polish all in ONE YEAR, which is intimidating, but by Goddess, I want to do it. In fact, here is my goal, really: I want to get to the point that I can repeat, and mean it, the quote from Quentin Tarantino about his experience penning Inglourious Basterds: “I’m just taking notes.” I don’t recall where I heard this quote, but I was immediately impacted and knew that was the level I wanted to reach.

TRC: Are any of the characters based on real people or people in your life?

Wendra: My first thought was no, but then oh wait, I suddenly recalled that I did have a sense of someone in mind for the Reverend Mather (Evil’s father) in Evil Was a Child Once, my first book. And physically, the spiritual mentor Mr. Hill in The Inn Between definitely looks like someone I knew. Both of these inspirations were professors from grad school. I had one really bad mentor in my master’s program that I still hope to turn into a fantastic villain. Talk about writing itself. But the main characters? Nah, purely from my head, even if some of their experiences might come from my own background.

TRC: Believability is an important factor in writing story lines especially stories of involving the paranormal. How do you keep the story line believable? Where do you believe some author’s fail?

Wendra: I’m sure I do fail at times, but I hope it’s minimal. I think believability requires significant research that then informs a lot of detail, even if it’s a concept you invent. I’ve read a lot about the afterlife, including how scholars study it. There is a completely fictional concept in the nuclear holocaust novel Swan Song by Robert McCammon called Job’s Mask that he described it in such detail and so realistically that I actually googled it to see if it was inspired by something genuine. You’ll laugh that I did that if you read it, but it shows what a talented author he is!

What takes me out of the story is when writers violate their own rules, i.e., no one can see the ghost and then suddenly they can, without explanation, or a person has certain magical powers and then they can do almost anything. The latter is what has made me avoid a lot of superhero films—they start off rather authentically and then the hero/heroine gradually seems to have the power to do anything. And then that’s boring for me.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Wendra: I think within your genre, yes. That is, someone who prefers military science fiction isn’t going to be drawn to any of my covers, but if they like paranormal literature, they absolutely might be. Given all the research on how much the physical appearance of humans influences us, I think the cover of a book probably has significant impact with respect to first impressions, at the least. First impressions are always critical, though they are not the sole criteria that drive a purchase, of course.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Wendra: Both. Absolutely both. I think every author has experienced the delight of being surprised when a character does something unexpected, something that might even change the plot.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Wendra: For me, I have to experience what my characters are experiencing. If I’m not worried, fearful, or angry in scenes that are supposed to evoke that, I’m doing something wrong. Also, I often can “see” things play out visually, a product of being a screenwriter at heart. If I can’t “see” it, it’s often the wrong call in the scene.

TRC:Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Wendra: Listening to almost entirely John Williams’ movie scores is my reward while I write. I don’t let myself listen to music while I’m developing the plot or characters; only when I’m actually writing the novel. I can’t listen to anything with lyrics and John Williams’ scores are particularly inspiring because of my desire to write screenplays (and see them produced). However, I’ve never noticed his scores influencing my writing, only making the writing process much, much more enjoyable. My heart still breaks when I recall that he has retired!!

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Wendra:The idea that we only write when inspired. This is an old one but one I repeatedly dispel. To be a successful writer, you have to write a lot, NOT just when you’re inspired. I would write every day if I weren’t indie and having to deal with so many other things like marketing and typeface and teasers. So I settle for trying to write MOST days, but ideally, every single day that I can. That’s what works for me, though I know that doesn’t work for everyone.

TRC: What is something that few, if anyone, know about you?

Wendra: I’m such an extravert and so confessional in my newsletter that there is probably very little anyone does not know about me, LOL!

TRC: On what are you currently working? Do you have plans for a new series?

Wendra: I’m getting feedback chapter by chapter on book four each month and revising accordingly, planning on sending my sister book five because I finally wrote a book I think she might like and be my target audience for, but I’ve started book six in recent months. It’s still very nascent, but if the stars align, I’d like a draft zero before 2026. For me, it’s all about draft zero. Then I know it will happen. Book six came from a dream. I don’t recall what happened, but I saw the title, “Beth & The World of Demons” in my head when I awoke and thought, “Hm, I’d like to know what that’s about!” So I started writing to figure out what it could mean.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Wendra: I don’t know if this will ever be my fate, but I have a good friend who makes six figures writing several indie books a year. She does it full time, which is not possible for most of us, but I mention her as an example of someone who is far more successful than many of my traditionally published friends who have to wait years to see one book appear on the shelves and then they still don’t make any money past the few thousand they got for their advance. Plus, they don’t own their work, they still have to do a lot of the same marketing I do, and the traditionally publishing industry is so unstable that many authors are on their second, third, or fourth agent. So, my point: going indie can work. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.

Also, I really don’t like social media but love doing my newsletter. It’s not long, but you get book reviews and tales of the supernatural. You can sign up by scrolling down the page at my website, wendracolleen.com, or you can email me at wendracolleen@wendracolleen.com and I’m happy to add you.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – anything with sugar.

Favorite Dessert – ANYTHING WITH SUGAR 

Favorite TV Show – STRANGER THINGS but ONLY Seasons 1-3. Yes, I watched Season 4 and while I have read enough about the Duffer Brothers to understand that Season 4 is actually what they have always wanted to do, oh my. I like the more subtle creepiness of the first three seasons BY FAR. Season 4 was actually traumatizing.

Last Movie You Saw – The 1990 film PARENTHOOD. I watch it every summer, no joke. My ultimate feel-good flick!!

Dark or Milk Chocolate – I prefer milk, but due to health issues, I have to eat only dark. Ugh. I eat very little of it and only 70% dark because anything stronger makes me gaaaaaggg….

Secret Celebrity Crush- Jason Mamoa, but it is no secret! But my first crush was Daniel Day Lewis. Fortunately, I married someone who has a lot of similar features to DDL so I no longer needed to crush on him!

Last Vacation Destination – England! Our last vacation was 2017 and it was wonderful!!

Do you have any pets? – My three rescue dogs rule my life. You should see my house. Or, better yet, don’t ever come to my house without three days warning.

Last book you read – I decided to pick up on old one called The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike. It was very good, but the blurb was misleading, FYI – this book was very well done, but it had little to do with the supernatural, which is why I chose to read it.

TRC: Thank you Wendra for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of THE INN BETWEEN. We wish you all the best.