In Other News

 

Watching or reading the news today can be absolutely depressing. These past few years have made me want to hide in a blanket fort and never come out. Yet as a writer, I do get inspired by happenings in our world. So I have turned to news about the strange and the awesome.

Could 2022 be the year aliens come to Earth? ( https://www.space.com/2022-turning-point-study-ufos-uap ) There was a rise in sightings last year. Keep an eye on the skies.

This might also be the year that fairies come out of hiding and put humans back on track in taking proper care of the planet. Along with UFOs, there has been more sightings of tiny winged creatures like this one supposedly caught on a doorbell camera. ( https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/watch-fairy-filmed-by-doorbell-camera/ )

With more people having cameras and satellites snapping pictures of remote places, there aren't many places Bigfoot can hide. Believers have been telling us all along that the creatures exist, and maybe this year we'll find out for certain. ( https://ocj.com/2022/02/searching-for-ohios-bigfoot/ )

Let's not forget about ghosts. In the past few years with so many people quarantined, incidents of ghost sightings have skyrocketed. Is this because people never noticed the paranormal activity before, or because some people are lonely? ( https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/im-engaged-ghost-im-inundated-26354750 )

Whether you're a skeptic or not, all these headlines in Other News does spark the imagination!

The Winter People #BookReview Speculative Fiction Worth Reading

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Set in the rural Vermont town of West Hall, this is a story certain to give you thrills and chills. 

As it was my bedtime reading, it was creepy for that time of day. However, I was soon completely absorbed in this story and had to find out what was going on.

My sister lives near one of the real towns mentioned in the story, so I had to warn her to be careful in her woods.

Spooky, haunting, and addictive, The Winter People was worth staying up late for and I savored every page.

Synopsis: West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter.

Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara’s farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that has weighty consequences when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished.

In her search for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked into the historical mystery, she discovers that she’s not the only person looking for someone that they’ve lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself. Available in paperback, hard cover, ebook, and audio.

No (Real) Spooks Allowed

In this month’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post over on my blog, the question of the month is, Do you ever include traditions or customs from your real life family into your writing?

My short answer was no. But I gave my main character my grandmother’s maiden name and physical characteristics. This got me to thinking about my character’s ability to see and speak to ghosts. In her world, it’s a normal occurrence. As easy as breathing. 

But the ghosts Indigo Eady encounter are not any scarier than they would have been in life. They carry on with their afterlives how they lived their mortal lives. The problems come when they carry on in the space which is now occupied by the living. 

In my cozy mystery books, the stories come with a sense of humor and fun. My sleuth, Indigo Eady, along with her ghostly sidekick, Franny Bishop, a former Victorian madam of some repute, solve mysteries that no one else can.

What makes cozy mysteries so enjoyable to read are not the plots, though it’s fun to help the sleuths figure out whodunit. It's the characters and their interactions that keep you reading. 

Franny is always trying to find Indigo a man (because she knows men, which she doesn’t hesitate to remind Indigo of at every turn) before her shelf life is up. Indigo thinks Franny is an interfering old ghost. But make no mistake, these two are besties.

Cozy paranormal mysteries are fun. We laugh at the character's antics. We want to join in the investigation. Perhaps sit down and have a chat with a ghost about what’s in the ether, and what they do for fun. 

But in real life?

I’m pretty sure I’d head for the hills if I ever ran into a real ghost. I believe they exist.

I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do! I do! I do! 

The Cowardly Lion, The Wizard of Oz 

I kind of want to see a ghost. In broad daylight. Surrounded by a crowd of people. Holding my husband's hand. 

I don't consider myself a coward...

...but if I saw one in the middle of the night hovering at the foot of my bed, staring at me? Or touching me? You’d hear me screaming from here to the moon.

Have you ever seen a real "live" a ghost?

Would you want to see one? 

Franny's Mashup of Victorian and Modern Vernacular

One of the fun things about writing my characters is that they say the darndest things. I almost wrote that I can make them say anything I want, but that’s not strictly true. The story-line must fit their character, or they’d never let me get away with putting words in their mouths. They really do have minds of their own, especially my secondary character Franny!

First, a little about Franny. The sleuthing sidekick of reluctant ghost-whisperer, Indigo Eady, Franny Bishop also happens to be the ghost of a former Victorian madam of some repute. Walking with a foot in both worlds, she’s still “living” the high life in modern day Sabrina Shores. The old English market town is a haven for the dearly departed, and Franny leads quite the active afterlife. Indigo is not far off when she says that Franny exists in the modern world better than she does.

Existing as she does, Franny has become quite the unintentional logophile—a lover of words. And except for a few instances which you’ll see further down, she’s quite the colorful speaker.

And she has reason!

Sleuthing is tough work. Everyone needs an outlet when frustration strikes, right? Here are some of Franny’s favorite Victorian expletives (the corresponding definitions are mine):

Balderdash = B.S.

Blast a Spaniard = Dang it!

Doolally = Crazy

Numbskull = Dumb@ss

Cockamamie = Ridiculous

Pshaw = Surely you jest

And then there’s the telly. How many ghosties do you know who watch television? Franny does. She is addicted to late-night black and white crime shows, featuring tough-guy private dicks such as Mike Hammer, Sam Spade—and even Charlie Chan.

Franny loves to use the slang she picks up...

Clocked = Assaulted

Rozzer = Policeman

Gam = Sexy leg


“Oh dear,” Franny said. “You’ve done it now. Gone and clocked a rozzer.” 

Rob stood—if you counted stooping at the waist as standing, and I did. Franny lifted her skirts and floated around him tsking at his rumpled condition. 

Rob raised his pant leg to assess the damage and Franny stopped and bent to check out his knee. “A bit of a lump, but all in all, a nice gam, don’t you think, Indigo? Placed higher and you’d have made a clean getaway. You’re out of practice, dear.” She shook her head.

Franny doesn’t always get it right. Sometimes she's a bit confused, like in this scene where she tries a bit of matchmaking... 

“Life is too short, don’t waste it on boredom. You need to follow your dreams. And speaking of dreams, that Badger is a real dream ship. Have you spoken to him yet?” 

“You mean dream boat and Badger is ancient history, Franny. We were kids. Besides, we’ve both moved on. He has a girlfriend.” 

“Pshaw,” she snorted, in a most unladylike manner. 

Or in this scene, where she mixes up the term, "coming out"...

“If an event or anniversary woke him from the ether, he might only now be coming out,” Franny said. 

I snorted. Franny’s interpretation of modern slang tickled my funny bone. We’d recently discussed gay people ‘coming out’ after my break-up with Francois. I never expected to hear the term used in connection to a haunting.  

Franny continued, “You may laugh, but he could be a newborn.”

I laughed again. “You mean newbie.” As in newly departed. 

And what self-respecting ghost isn't concerned with how she looks?...

“...Do I look warm?” She patted her ebony hair. Her teal skirts flared from a waist so tiny that Barbie would be green with envy, and her bright white gossamer blouse hugged her ample bosom in flawless perfection.

As if she ever looked anything less than perfect. “You mean hot. And yes, you’ll do.” 

But seriously, can a ghost be faulted for using "cobblestones" instead of "road"?...

“Good thinking, Indigo,” Franny said, as if she were my conscience sitting on my left shoulder giving her approval. “Plenty of time down the cobblestones to spill the beans.”

“You mean down the road…” I corrected Franny automatically. 

I love Franny’s character. She makes me laugh all the time. I hope you enjoyed learning about her as well.

What do you think?

Is Franny a true logophile?

Or one forgetful ghost?

_______________________________________

If you enjoyed reading about Franny, these snippets are from my upcoming cozy paranormal mystery novella, 
A Scandal in Boohemia.

Indigo Eady can’t live on ramen noodles forever…

She jumps on the first job offered. All she has to do is work undercover at Sabrina Shores Theatre, find a ghost thief, and cross him over. Easy peasy, right? Until an actor is murdered and Indigo’s fingerprints are all over the pistol like ink on a Rorschach test.

Forced to dust off her rusty sleuthing skills to clear herself, Indigo enlists the help of her ghost friend Franny and her hunky ex-boyfriend Badger to help solve the crime. Now, how to keep her investigation from the handsome inspector?

***

Indigo Eady is a reluctant ghost whisperer, but she’s grown quite attached to Franny Bishop, a former Victorian ghost madam of some repute. Franny’s afterlife makes Indigo’s life look like she has one foot in the grave. Much to Indigo’s chagrin, Franny is determined to find her a man. After all, there are plenty of handsome men around ripe for the picking, and Franny’s an expert. In the meantime, Indigo and Franny have murders to solve. 

#UnRealms October Twitter Chat - Ghosts!

36 days until Halloween!

It's one of our favorite times of year. Spooks, scares, and fun.

What goes bump in the night?

Is it a ghost? What does the spirit want?

Maybe it's just someone playing a trick.

Or the ghost wants to be appeased with candy.

Or something much... much... worse...

Join the Untethered Realms authors on Twitter all October for an on-going chat about ghosts. We love to talk about the paranormal and the fun stories and legends surrounding them.

Please use the hashtag #UnRealms.

You can find us on Twitter at @UnRealms.

Spooky Stories from the Authors of Untethered Realms

Christine Rains

I'm one of those folks who want to believe. There are unexplained things out there, but I've never had a paranormal experience myself. I've been on ghost tours and strolled through cemeteries in the middle of the night. Nothing. Well, except...

During college, I helped a friend care for her two young sons who were nearly one and three at the time. I had an old Ouija board that we'd play around with, and my friend claimed it worked for her. Not long after, her oldest son started talking to someone who wasn't there. Kids have imaginary friends all the time, right? There were strange noises at night. But kids thump around and knock against walls. Nothing convinced me something definitely was going on other than kids being kids, but one incident did leave me wondering.

I had the youngest in my arms as I walked up the stairs to the second floor. The other boy walked in front of me. Both yammered on animatedly until they suddenly stopped. In sync, they turned their heads to the far left bedroom and looked at something unseen to my eyes. They followed it across the hall to the other bedroom. Neither of them were frightened, but I did wonder what they saw.

Cherie Reich

Well, there was this one time some friends and I were the ghosts who scared off some kids, but that's probably not very spooky. For us. *grins*

Back when I was moving to Missouri for college, my parents, sister, and I stopped at a hotel in Illinois, not far from St. Louis, Missouri. The motel was one of those typical cheap places where it is two floors and all the doors open to the outside. I had a bad feeling about the place, but we were tired. It's a long drive from Virginia to Missouri, after all, so I pushed those feelings aside.

I feel asleep rather easily, but come morning, a strange sensation flowed over me. I was between waking and sleeping. I could hear the TV on and my family getting ready for the last bit of our drive. Before I could open my eyes, I heard a deep voice saying, "I will find you wherever you go."

My eyelids flung open and I startled up. No one had heard what I did. No one in the room had spoken those words. Scariest of all, I had heard that voice once in the dead of night when I was thirteen.

Luckily, I haven't heard it since, but I wouldn't stay in that motel again.

Gwen Gardner

The Whaley House is considered one of the most haunted houses in America. Built in 1857, it is located on the site of the infamous hanging of Yankee Jim Robinson in 1852, among other things. Owned by Thomas and Anna Whaley, the house has a long history of death and tragedy.

So what better way to celebrate Halloween than a real live ghost hunt in a real live haunted house? That's what my sister and I did last year. From 10:30 to midnight a handful of strangers intrepidly crossed the threshold to wander throughout this famous house in hopes of making contact with ghosties.

We learned the history of the house, which included the loss of Thomas and Anna's son, Thomas Jr., at just eighteen months old. We used EMF meters (Electromagnetic Field Meters) for detecting the presence of ghosts, EVP recorders (Electronic Voice Phenomena) for picking up ghostly voices and of course you're welcome to bring your own camera. An interesting experience, when you think about the living making contact with the not-so-dead. It was cool seeing colorful lights indicating the presence of ghosts and hearing the electronic-like voices of spirits reaching out to us from beyond the grave.

But the most interesting part was this photo taken by someone in our group:

Notice the arm and body of a woman bending over the cradle. Could this be Anna Whaley, still rocking the cradle of her infant son, Thomas, after all these years?


M. Pax

If I had never seen a ghost for myself, I would still be a skeptic, but I did, and I know it wasn't any kind of trick. Husband Unit saw it at the same time and so as to not contaminate one another, we went and wrote down what we saw then exchanged papers. We saw the same thing.

A year ago, we went on a ghost hunt to a cemetery with a local medium and other truth seekers. The night can play tricks, so I can't say anything definitive happened. But I did hear footsteps on the gravel at one point when no one was walking and what sounded like someone knocking on a gravestone in response to a question we asked. My husband thinks this is a ghost by the tree. I'm not as certain, but you be the judge.

Cathrina Constantine

I believe in ghostly spirits and paranormal activity. My husband is levelheaded and very, very hard to convince. With that said, this is his account: 

He'd been watching television late at night. As typical, he'd fallen asleep. He woke to find ~ what he calls, the grim reaper standing between the door frame. A white ghostly apparition wearing a hood and holding a harvesting sickle. Then it disappeared.

He's a man that doesn't scare easily, and it freaked him out! The next day I said, "You must've been dreaming." He's insistent that he was wide eyed and awake. If it was anyone else I'd be skeptical, but not with my pragmatic husband. I believe him. 

To this day, he will recount the scene when asked.

Catherine Stine

Boo! I love Halloween. And yes, I do believe there are webs of invisible energy fields, and when someone passes, their energy lives on in some form, inside this web. That's just physics, folks--energy doesn't "die" it transforms. The night my dad passed (before I knew), I got up suddenly, went downstairs, checked the time and just then, the phone rang. When I picked it up, I heard the sound of shuffling feet. I asked who was there. No one. But I got the shivers and goosebumps all over. Then, I went back upstairs to sleep. My brother called, a little over an hour later and said my dad had died at the EXACT time I got that phone call.

Yes, it was someone's pocket dial, but I am SURE that my dad somehow had an influence in it. I have more stories like this, but I'm out of room. Here's me, below, already ready for this holiday. Can you say, Good Witch?!

***

Group post - the ghost of past stuffing?

(Scrooged)

Most are familiar with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and his visitations from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. We at Untethered Realms have our own ghosties in residence and tweaked the idea for the holidays. Ready for an adventure? Where would you like to go?

***

River Fairchild –

I’m snagging the ghostie of the Future and heading straight for the invention of the food replicators used in Star Trek! It’s the love to eat / hate to cook and clean syndrome. I’ll snag the first one off the assembly line and take it back home with me!

***

Christine Rains -

Oh! I like River's idea. Calorie free hot fudge sundaes like Deanna always ate! Yeah. But since River already went on that adventure, I'd like to go on one closer to our time. I'd have the ghost of the Future take me ahead about forty years or so to see how my son is doing. Because as a mom, I'm always worried if I'm messing things up.

And look. Wow. Who is that handsome doctor/chef/astronaut/comic book writer in the future tech glasses? A parent can dream!

***

Gwen Gardner -

No trip with the ghostie of Christmas Future for me -- I don't want to know what's in store. 

And I'm well acquainted with the present already, so that's out, as well. 

That leaves a tour with the ghost of Christmas Past. While I'd love to visit Victorian times, I wouldn't want to live there. I sort of love our modern instant gratification thing; hot water, convenient transportation, fast food. 

But if I could go back about 30 years in the past, I'd tell my younger self: 1) get your butt in gear and start chasing dreams, and, 2) quit wasting precious time just because you're afraid to fail,

So now I'm just going to have to live an extra long life, just like Scrooge, to make sure I fit everything in. #NoRegrets

***

M. Pax -

Bet you expect me to take the future ghostie way ahead to see if the Backworlds is true or not. It's tempting, but I also have a passion for history. Did you know Thanksgiving was created by aliens? They gifted us the ambrosia of stuffing. Mmm. My favorite food. So, I'd have to venture into the past to see the aliens bringing us the sweet nectar of stuffing. Yes!!

***

Ellie Garratt -

I'd have the ghostie of Christmas Past take me back to 1977, so that I could see the first Star Wars film at the cinema. I was only five years old when it came out, so I never had the chance to see it or the other two on the big screen. I was obsessed (still am) with Star Wars. I asked for a Millennium Falcon and stormtroopers for Christmas that year! Alas, I was given a Barbie doll. I'm still waiting for my Millennium Falcon. Maybe this year I'll be lucky?

Creative Commons 2.0 (by-nc-sa)

Julie Flanders -

I'm another who would choose the Ghost of Christmas Past. I'd go back in time to 1930s Cincinnati so that I could spend Christmas with my maternal grandparents. I never knew my grandfather as he died decades before I was born, and I was only nine when my grandmother died, so I've always wished I could have spent more time with her. Even though the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, my mom's family still loved Christmas and celebrated it in the traditional German ways. Being German, they also loved their beer. I'd ask Mr. Past to take me back to one of their Christmas Eve celebrations for the night so I could enjoy sitting down for a beer (or two) with my grandparents. 

Scenes from Christmas Eve in Cincinnati - 1920 (from the Taft Museum of Art) 

More Woo Than Boo!

The dark shadow in the corner. The misty figure in the cemetery. The puff of warm breath on the back of your neck when you're alone in the room.

Those things might cause some to run away screaming, but there are those of us who are fascinated by the supernatural. It's the allure of the unknown. How your heart beats faster, how your senses seem more sensitive, how every little thing has the possibility of being something extraordinary. It makes you feel more alive.

I'm a big fan of ghost hunting shows. A lot of the time, things are explained by simple reasoning, but then there are those moments when you can't explain something. The strange voice on a recorder or the shimmering image on the video footage. It's like a treasure hunt to find solid proof of the supernatural.

Fear still tickles at the back of my mind, but my curiosity has me more in love with experiencing something paranormal than it does telling me to run away. And I'm certain many other people feel the same way. We want to know and those bumps in the night won't scare us away. They will only woo us further.

Are you fascinated by the supernatural or would you rather have nothing to do with it?

* * * * *

Check out The Paramours who are more in love with ghosts than I am!

Blurb: The Paramours - ghost hunting with a kiss.

When Nina Azure’s talent as a ghost dancer doesn’t persuade a handsome phantom to talk, she entices him with sizzling sexual energy. Ben Moore’s spirit is tied to this world with guilt, but he breaks his self-imposed silence for the beautiful Nina. Lust makes him fully physical and she loses herself to desire. She must help him carry on to the afterlife, but her attraction to him is immensely powerful. She must push aside her own feelings and let him go—and perhaps find romance among the living.

 

Buy links: Ellora's Cave * Amazon * Kobo

 

Add it to read on Goodreads.

Releasing this Friday:

Blurb: The Paramours - ghost hunting with a kiss.

Claire McKinney has a theory that poltergeists aren't evil spirits or negative energy. When she locates a powerful vortex at the center of a haunting, she discovers a gorgeous man trapped inside. Zendal cannot escape on his own, but if Claire can create enough sexual energy with him, he will be able to break free. Intense as their passion is, it does not release him from the vortex. Claire finds herself caught not only by the ominous portal, but by Zendal's carnal zeal as well. Can she extricate them from the trap or will they forever be its prisoners?

 

Add it to read on Goodreads.

Books Worth Reading: Check-Out Time by Mark Rigney

Back in April I had the good fortune to meet Mark Rigney at the Ohioana Book Festival. Mark was my table-mate, and I couldn't have asked for a better partner to help pass the time between book sales. I won't deny that there was quite a bit of time between book sales for me that day. ;)

It was great to meet a new friend and even better to discover that he is a super-talented author whose book I really enjoyed reading.

Check-Out Time features the characters of Reverend Renner and Dale Quist in their third adventure together. Renner is a fussy, peevish Unitarian minister and Quist is a gruff former linebacker and retired investigator. The narrative switches back and forth between the two characters and I honestly couldn't decide which one I liked better. Each time I would think Renner was my favorite, Quist would do something to change my mind. While they are an odd couple, they are both engaging and thoroughly enjoyable characters.

The story begins when Renner receives a spooky invitation to come to a long-demolished hotel in Columbus, Ohio. He can't resist going off in search of the sender. Despite the fact that the hotel no longer exists, Renner is able to enter it and soon encounters the ghosts of guests who stayed at the hotel during its luxurious heyday.

To Renner's dismay, the building is much harder to leave than it was to enter, and he finds himself trapped in a hotel that could give The Overlook a run for its money. Quist follows Renner to Columbus and works to save him, but the hotel has no intention of making that job easy.

In addition to loving the two main characters, I also loved the setting of Columbus. I went to college there and have fond memories of the place and an affection that continues to this day. I don't remember ever reading a book set in Columbus before so I enjoyed wandering the streets of the city with Quist as he tried to rescue Renner and bring him back to the physical world.

This is a creepy story that sent a shiver up my spine more than once, but it is also quite funny thanks to its two leads. I highly recommend it, and I look forward to reading the next Renner and Quist adventure.