Ghost Talk

Friday Fun Time!!!!

2012-02-24T04:00:00.009-08:00

First Grade Drawing - PRICELESS!
A first grade girl handed in the drawing below for her homework assignment.

The teacher graded it and the child took it home.

She returned to school the next day with the following note:

Dear Ms. Davis,

I want to be perfectly clear on my child's homework illustration.
It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint surrounded by male customers with money.
I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm.
This drawing is of me selling a shovel.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Harrington

How About That

2012-02-22T04:30:00.000-08:00

Did you know that you can look up a list of “symptoms” of a haunted houses online? I’m not sure why this surprised me, after all, you can also find a list of signs you need a new job, have fallen in love, or are addicted to pizza. So, why not? About.com has a list of 16 signs your house may be haunted. They are:

Possible Signals

Unexplained Noises

Doors and Cabinets Opening and Closing

Lights/electronics turning on and off by themselves

Items disappearing and reappearing Also called DOPler effect (Disappearing Object Phenomenon)

Unexplained Shadows

Odd Animal Behavior

Feeling of Being Watched

Stronger Signals

Mild Psychokinetic Phenomena- Actually seeing a door close or light switch off.

Feeling of being touched

Hearing cries or whispers

Cold or Hot Spots

Unexplained Smells

Very Strong Signals

Moving or levitating objects

Physical Assault

Other Physical Evidence – Unexplained writing, handprints, etc

Apparitions

And guess what? I’ve experienced 15 of these in my own home. And all fifteen are detailed in On Haunted Ground. What about you? According to this list, what are the odds that your house/office/favorite hangout is haunted?

Judging a Book by It's Cover.

2012-02-20T04:35:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend my publisher sent me the back cover of On Haunted Groundfor final approval and it got me thinking: What grabs your attention on a jacket cover? A tempting summary of the plot? An excerpt from the book? A tag line followed by advanced praise? Something else entirely? Let me know your thoughts!

Grins and Giggles

2012-02-17T05:26:00.000-08:00

I know we have several new faces, but occasionally on Fridays I like to take a break from ghosts and writing posts and just share some funny emails I've recieved over the years. (Yes, I keep them.) This one is a classic I got back in '09. Enjoy!

You got to love a cop with a sense of humor.

Recently, the Chula Vista Police Department ran an e-mail forum (a question and answer exchange) with the topic being, "Community Policing." One of the civilian e-mail participants posed the following question, "I would like to know how it is possible for police officers to continually harass people and get away with it?"

From the "other side" (the law enforcement side) Sgt. Bennett, obviously a cop with a sense of humor replied:

"First of all, let me tell you this...it's not easy. In Chula Vista , we average one cop for every 600 people. Only about 60% of those cops are on general duty (or what you might refer to as "patrol") where we do most of our harassing.

The rest are in non-harassing departments that do not allow them contact with the day to day innocents. And at any given moment, only one-fifth of the 60% patrollers are on duty and available for harassing people while the rest are off duty. So roughly, one cop is responsible for harassing about 5,000 residents.

When you toss in the commercial business, and tourist locations that attract people from other areas, sometimes you have a situation where a single cop is responsible for harassing 10,000 or more people a day.

Now, your average ten-hour shift runs 36,000 seconds long. This gives a cop one second to harass a person, and then only three-fourths of a second to eat a donut AND then find a new person to harass. This is not an easy task. To be honest, most cops are not up to this challenge day in and day out. It is just too tiring. What we do is utilize some tools to help us narrow down those people which we can realistically harass.

The tools available to us are as follows:

PHONE: People will call us up and point out things that cause us to focus on a person for special harassment. "My neighbor is beating his wife" is a code phrase used often. This means we'll come out and give somebody some special harassment.

Another popular one is, "There's a guy breaking into a house." The harassment team is then put into action.

CARS: We have special cops assigned to harass people who drive. They like to harass the drivers of fast cars, cars with no insurance or no driver's licenses and the like. It's lots of fun when you pick them out of traffic for nothing more obvious than running a red light. Sometimes you get to really heap the harassment on when you find they have drugs in the car, they are drunk, or have an outstanding warrant on file.

RUNNERS: Some people take off running just at the sight of a police officer. Nothing is quite as satisfying as running after them like a beagle on the scent of a bunny. When you catch them you can harass them for hours.

STATUTES: When we don't have PHONES or CARS and have nothing better to do, there are actually books that give us ideas for reasons to harass folks. They are called "Statutes"; Criminal Codes, Motor Vehicle Codes, etc... They all spell out all sorts of things for which you can really mess with people.

After you read the statute, you can just drive around for awhile until you find someone violating one of these listed offenses and harass them. Just last week I saw a guy trying to steal a car. Well, there's this book we have that says that's not allowed. That meant I got permission to harass this guy. It is a really cool system that we have set up, and it works pretty well.

We seem to have a never-ending supply of folks to harass. And we get away with it. Why? Because for the good citizens who pay the tab, we try to keep the streets safe for them, and they pay us to "harass" some people.

Next time you are in my town, give me the old "single finger wave." That's another one of those codes. It means, "You can harass me." It's one of our favorites.

Interview!

2012-02-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

Hey Gang! I'm over at I'm a Reader, Not a Writer today, so stop by for a visit. There is a prize involved... See ya there!

Cards, Flowers and...Ghosts?

2012-02-14T05:57:00.001-08:00

When you think about February 14^th, I’m sure candy and stuffed teddy bears come to mind. But what about a massacre? The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre happened in Chicago in 1929. The basic story is that a group of gangsters were waiting in a garage for a large shipment of booze, (this was during prohibition) when several men in police uniform busted in, disarmed the crooks, and had them all face the wall. But, instead of arresting them, the “police officers” then pulled out machine guns and shot them all to death.

Since all of the men killed belonged to the “Bugs” Moran gang, suspicion naturally fell on his rival, Al Capone. But, since Al was in Florida at the time of the murders, he was never convicted.

Of course, no story about brutal murders that have went unsolved would be complete without ghosts. The garage where the massacre occurred has been torn down, but people still claim to hear the sounds of machine gun fire and men shouting in the area. Supposedly animals get very agitated in the area, and sensitive people feel the overwhelming sense of terror. There are also many purported ghost photos of the area.

I, personally, have never been there. But if you happen to be in the area, a ghost tour might be a less conventional Valentine’s night out. J

The Library....

2012-02-10T05:47:00.000-08:00

As an aspiring new author, I know I should encourage everyone to rush out and buy a copy of every book they love, and an extra copy for their best friends... But I'm poor and the library is my friend. Most of the time. I am now discovering the drawbacks of using the public library. A book I have been waiting on for a year just hit shelves at the end of January. And..... I'm still waiting.....in a long line. Gah! I hate waiting. But of course the day I break down and but the book, I'll get a notice that it's ready for me to pick up at the library. AHHHHHHHHHH! Okay, I'm done now. Happy Friday.

I Disagree!

2012-02-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

I recently read a blog post by a fellow author that claimed writer’s block does not exist. Since I am currently suffering form a terrible case of it, I respectfully disagree. The author of the post went on to say that when the characters in your story stop “talking” to you, it is time for you to take the wheel and decide where the story goes next. I have rewritten several chapters because I tried this and the characters didn’t like the path I chose. It resulted in my main character not speaking to me for weeks. And so, again, I disagree.

But that is the wonderful/terrible/maddening thing about writing. We can both be 100% right. There is no fool-proof method, and no wrong way to write. If I tried to write a story the same way my daughter does, I’d lose my mind. She, on the other hand, can’t use any of the methods that work well for me. And that’s okay.

Back to the blog I read: After declaring that writer’s block did not exist, the blog author went on to list several tips on how she works through “the sludge,” and slow points in her narrative. I fully plan to try most of these methods out. You see, just because no two writers are the same, it doesn’t mean that we can’t learn a thing or two from each other. Even if we don’t always agree.

Calling All Writers

2012-02-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

Spencer Hill Press is currently looking for som awesome stories to publish in their second short story anthology. The theme this time is holiday tradition. So put on your creative thinking caps and come up with the real reasons behind any holiday tradition that captures your imagination. For more details, check out their website.

What's in a Name?

2012-02-03T05:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, a character will pop in my head, introduce him/herself, and tell me their life stories. And other times…. I know there is somebody, who does something, but I have no idea who or what.

So this has me thinking. How important are names to you, the reader? Do you like everyone to have a simple, easy to remember name, or an impossible to pronounce name with layers of meaning? What about titles? What grabs your attention, or does it even matter as long as the artwork on the cover is awesome? As always, I welcome your comments. Happy Friday!

PARTY TIME

2012-02-01T05:22:00.003-08:00

It’s Angelina’s Secret’s Birthday!!!! I know, some of you pre-ordered and started the festivities early, which is fine, of course. But since it is officially launch day, help yourself to some virtual punch, cookie cake, and of course take a few balloons home with you. (Angelina recommends the yellow ones.) And when your friends ask why you have pink confetti in your hair, be sure to tell them what the special occasion is!!!

A Helping Hand

2012-01-27T06:00:00.001-08:00

As it turns out, even after living in a haunted house for 20+ years, things can still happen that unnerve me. I had an experience last Friday that shook me (and my grandson) greatly.

First, let me explain that the living room in my house is a later addition to the construction, and there is a single step down to enter it from the rest of the house, and it is floored with ceramic tile. Last Friday, my grandson and I were sitting in the living room floor, playing with his toys when he decided he wanted a different toy that was laying in the hallway. He has mastered going up the step on his own, so I let him go on ahead of me. (It takes me longer to get up off the floor than it does him.) But for some reason, as soon as he climbed up the step he changed his mind about the toy and wanted to come down. He has not mastered going DOWN steps on his own. Before I could react, he was leaning far over the step, inches from tumbling down to smack his cute little face on the ceramic tile. And then… he wasn’t. Right in front of my eyes, he shot backwards at least a foot.

Of course, it terrified him and he started screaming. Protective Grandma kicked in, and I was furious with the ghost for scaring the poor baby. Coupled with the fact that I’d just seen him moved by invisible hands, I was more disturbed than I’ve been in a long time.

But when I explained the events of the day to my husband, and later my daughter, they both immediately did what I hadn’t: they thanked the ghost for looking out for the baby. Later, I thanked our ghost as well. After all, he or she did save my grandbaby from a nasty fall, and I don’t believe he was hurt at all, just surprised at being jerked back so quickly. But I don’t think the image of him sliding backwards is something I will ever forget.

So I guess even when I think I’ve seen it all, I haven’t.

As a side note, I think my grandson would have been just as upset if someone with visible hands had moved him. I know he is aware of the ghosts in my house, and my daughter tells me that he plays with an unseen friend in his own home as well.

An interview and a giveaway....

2012-01-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

Hi folks! Today I'm over at i swim for oceans doing an interview as part of the first ever Spencer Hill week. And, of course, there will be prizes. Hop on over and enter to win a signed copy of Angelina's Secret or.....wait for it.....are you ready?..... My MUSE! Yep, all authors have them, but I have more than one, so I'm willing to share. Of course, my muse has chosen to manifest himself as a ghost from the Crescent Hotel. Are you surprised? I though not. :) Good luck and happy haunting!!!

Evidence?

2012-01-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing I’ve learned since opening up about my belief in ghosts it’s that there are about as many different opinions on the subject as there are people to talk about it. One of the most hotly debated issues is capturing a ghost on film. Is it possible? Are they all fakes/shadows/dust? What is the best equipment/method for ghost capturing?

I will be the first to admit that I don’t have all the answers. But I do have a website. (Did you know I have a website? If not, don’t feel bad. My daughter didn’t even know until last week.) I am in the process of posting some of my own pictures that, unfortunately, we had to cut from the final copy of On Haunted Ground. Of course, I have my own opinions about what the images are. J But I promise that none of the pictures have been altered in any way, except cropping. Feel free to check them out and let me know what you think! http://authorlisarogers.weebly.com/ Just click on the “haunting images” tab in the sidebar. And be sure to check back occasionally, because I have several more pictures I just haven’t got around to posting yet.

Too Cute!

2012-01-20T05:36:00.000-08:00

Have a happy WEEKEND!!!!!!!!

Ah, Editing

2012-01-18T00:25:00.000-08:00

I love writing, I really do. I do not, however, love editing my work. Over and over and over. I just know I’m going to miss some huge, obvious mistake, and everyone who reads my book will laugh at me. So, being my obsessive compulsive self, I whip out my fine-toothed comb and go over my manuscript until my eyes cross. And then I pass it off to my family and make them go over it as well. Just in case.

That being said, who wants to guess what I received over the weekend? Yep, final (hopefully) edits for On Haunted Ground. And as much as I dislike editing, it is also really cool. That means my SECOND book will be on the shelves this summer. (giggles creepily) But now my eyes have uncrossed, so I’m going to re-read my manuscript one more time…

On Shelves Now

2012-01-16T05:58:00.000-08:00

Okay guys, this is the first anthology by my awesome publisher, Spencer Hill Press. It has stories from my awesome editors, and from my awesome daughter. *coughs* In a word, it's awesome. So go get your copy today!

Dear Writer's Block, I HATE YOU

2012-01-13T05:21:00.000-08:00

So, I have this problem. When I’m really busy, I mean so busy I don’t have time to look at a computer, let alone write, my mind is brimming with great ideas for my next book. But set me in front of a computer with hours of empty time and… I stare at a screen as blank as my mind. So, in search of inspiration, I check my e-mail, head over to facebook, look for new comments on my blog, you see where this is going, right?

I’ve started carrying an “idea journal,” so I can jot down my flashes of brilliance, and it does help, a little. But then I end up typing a paragraph, just to delete it, wondering “Where was I going with this, again?”

And now to the point: Can anyone help me? Seasoned writing veteran or someone who has a friend whose cousin found a trick while writing a term paper. I’m not that picky. I just need some ideas quickly, before I toss my computer monitor out the window.

Have a great weekend. J

Now Available!!

2012-01-11T05:21:00.000-08:00

Llewellyn Worldwide is now accepting pre-orders for my second book On Haunted Ground. Get yours here.http://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738732367

THE NEW WINNER IS........

2012-01-09T06:03:00.000-08:00

Mindy Fangedmom!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOHOO and Congratulations Mindy. Email me your mailing address at lisajrogers (at) aol (.) com

A Classic

2012-01-06T05:24:00.000-08:00

I occasionally go through funny old e-mails to brighten my mood. This morning I found this little gem. Hope you have a happy Friday!

ONLY A MAN WOULD ATTEMPT THIS....THIS IS TOO FUNNYPocket Tazer Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife.

A guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Tazer for their anniversary
submitted this:

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked
my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a
little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came across was a
100,000-volt, pocket/purse- sized tazer.

The effects of the tazer were supposed to be short lived, with no
longterm adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat
to safety....??

WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home.
I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button.
Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button and
pressed it against a metal surface at the same time, I'd get the blue
arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.

AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn
spot is on the face of her microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it
couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, right?

There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting
little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I
really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target.

I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second)
and then thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going
to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did
want some assurance that it would work as advertised.

Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading
glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and
tazer in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would
shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause
muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; and a three-second
burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out
of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the
batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long,
less than 3/4 inch in circumference (loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA
batteries); pretty cute really, and thinking to myself, 'no possible
way!'

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one
side so as to say, 'Don't do it stupid,' reasoning that a one second burst
from such a tiny lil ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to give
myself a one second burst just for heck of it.

I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and...

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. WHAT THE... !!!

I'm pretty sure Hulk Hogan ran in through the side door, picked me up in
the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and
over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with
tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles
nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest
position, and tingling in my legs! The cat was making meowing sounds I had never
heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace,
obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the
living room.

Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a tazer, one
note of caution: there is NO such thing as a one second burst when you zap
yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand
by a violent thrashing about on the floor! A three second burst would be
considered conservative! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time
was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had
left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were
on the mantel of the fireplace.. The recliner was upside down and about 8
feet or so from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and both
nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with
Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling.
Apparently I had crapped in my shorts, but was too numb to know for
sure, and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head,
which I believe came from my hair.

I'm still looking for my testicles and I'm offering a significant reward
for their safe return!

PS: My wife can't stop laughing about my experience, loved the gift and
now regularly threatens me with it!

If you think education is difficult, try being stupid!!!!

Unclaimed prize. Looking for Judy!!!

2012-01-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

Judy I've tried contacting you through the e-mail you left, but it keeps saying that isn't a valid address. Please email me at lisajrogers(at) aol (dot) com If I don't hear from you by Monday I'll have to choose another winner.

Thanks

The winner is...

2012-01-04T06:27:00.000-08:00

JUDY!!!!!!!!

Congratulations Judy and a BIG WELCOME to all who have recently joined Ghost Talk.

A Comforting Experience

2012-01-02T05:13:00.000-08:00

One of my goals in starting this blog was to share my personal ghost experiences. Not the bone-chilling tales of horror, (fortunately, I’ve had very few of those) but the stories that will explain why I actually enjoy having ghosts around. I had such an experience on Christmas day.

I was lucky enough to be able to spend Christmas with all of my grandchildren. My one-year old granddaughter and I have a game where we look at the various pictures in the house and she names her relatives. Soon after she arrived on Christmas day, she pointed to a cross-stitched picture of an elderly man in a hunting cap and proudly announced “Paw-paw.” Neither of her “paw-paws” look anything like the man in the picture. But her great-grandfather looked quite a lot like him. In fact, that is why I hung the picture up in the first place.

Her great-grandfather passed away several years before my granddaughter was born, but she acted like he was someone she saw frequently. Now, this is not the first time I’ve suspected that my father-in-law is still around. Over the years I’ve felt his presence many times, but I haven’t seen him since he passed away. Obviously, my granddaughter has. I think it is nice to know that he may not have missed out on our special day.

Let me know what you think. And be sure to scroll down and enter the New Year give-away. Contest closes at midnight January 3^rd.

Happy New Year Giveaway Hop

2011-12-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi blog-hoppers, welcome to Ghost Talk. Let me tell you a little bit about this blog. As the name implies, I love to hear about ghost stories, and try to pass them along to others as often as I can. I am an author, and my first two books will be out in 2012. Angelina's Secret, my YA fiction debut, will hit shelves in Feburary, And On Haunted Ground, a collection of my own real paranormal experiences will be out in May. With my new experience as a writer, many of my posts will be about books, writing tips/questions, and occasionally, just some random thing I found interesting.

Okay, on to the contest. I am giving away one autographed copy of my debut novel, Angelina's Secret. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post. The contest will end Jan. 3rd. U.S. Mailing addresses only, please. Be sure to check out my previous post with the Angelina's Secret book trailer.

And after you've entered the contest, be sure to hop over to the next blog.

I'm Still Here!

2011-12-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

I just want to apologize for my recent lack of posts. Santa brought me an evil virus for Christmas. :( But I'm not going to let that stop my giving spirit. Be sure to stop back by on Friday. I'm participating in a blog hop, and there just may be a prize involved.

BOOK TRAILER!!!!

2011-12-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

Let me know what you think!

Tis The Season...for ghosts?

2011-12-20T05:22:00.000-08:00

Well, there’s no denying it now. Christmas is upon us. And I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Unlike Halloween, Christmas just isn’t a holiday that screams Ghosts! To me, but lately I’ve been wondering if that is just me. After all, A Christmas Carol stars the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. And then there is that song, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago. So tell me, do you have any Christmas ghost stories?

Proud Momma

2011-12-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

I know I've mentioned before that my daughter, Keshia, is being published in the UnCONventional anthology, coming out in January. Well, the folks at Spencer Hill are letting you have a sneak peak at her story now, so follow this link and check it out. It's quite good, if I do say so myself. :)

Awesome Giveaway

2011-12-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Okay guys, Kiersten White, author of the Paranormalacy trilogy is doing an ARC giveaway for her third book, Endlessly!!!! So hop on over to her blog and enter. Or, don’t because my daughter really wants to win it herself. J Either way is fine with me.

Having a Bad Day?

2011-12-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

I'm Plotting...

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

I just finished an article on plot devices; the good, the bad, and the over-used. On the surface, it seems simple: Just tell the story. But as a writer, I don’t want my readers to be bored, feeling like they always know what is going to happen four chapters before it actually takes place. But then again, I like to throw enough hints out so that when the major plot twist takes place, you, dear reader aren’t left yelling “WHAT THE CRAP??? THAT MAKES NO SENSE!”

So I am left struggling to find a happy balance. All good stories have little hints along the way: dark and scary weather, a jealous sibling/friend/rival, a random conversation with a stranger, a MC in some unnamed danger, etc. So tell me, as a reader, what do you like to see, and what makes you roll you eyes and skip to chapter 16 where, surprise, the guy gets the girl?

Why did I Not Know This?

2011-12-05T06:49:00.000-08:00

I have the awesome ability to find out about really cool things…after they happen. Last Saturday, Dec. 3^rd, was the second annual “Take your child to a bookstore” day. Apparently, bookstores all across the United States, England, Canada, and Australia participated by having sales, cookies, story time, and giveaways. Of course, I didn’t check my email, and therefore didn’t get the announcement, until this morning, December the 5^th. *sighs* But the date is now marked in my calendar. Even though my own children are probably a bit old to celebrate with, but I do have grandchildren. And I know of a great local bookstore with a toy train running through the children’s section… What about you? Did you know this holiday existed? And if so, did you celebrate?

Hello, December.

2011-12-01T08:48:00.001-08:00

Well folks, it’s December, which means NaNoWriMo is officially over. Did you reach the 50k word goal? I…did not. But I did write, I promise. I’m working on a new project, and it’s going to be AWESOME. I can’t tell you what it is yet, but I can tell you you’ll love it. Isn’t anticipation great? J

Night-time Visitor

2011-11-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, I ran across an interesting article about a 5-year-old boy who claims he can’t sleep at night because a “man with a gray face” sits on his bed and keeps him up talking all night. I, of course, was immediately intrigued. “Angelina’s Friend” the short-story Prequel to Angelina’s Secret is a fictional account of basically the same thing: a young child visiting with the house’s unseen occupant. But unlike Angelina’s parents, this child’s parents actually believe him. Although they have never seen this man, they have heard what sounded like movement in parts of the house they knew to be empty, furniture too heavy for their small son to move has been re-arranged, and objects on shelves over their son’s head have been moved to the floor. The boy’s father (who is a former unbeliever) noted that such activities have increased since they began remodeling their home. This caught my attention because my personal experiences always seem to increase when I remodel as well.

But what I found even more interesting was the comment section after the news article. Of course, everyone on the internet is an expert. The poor kid was “diagnosed” with everything from an overactive imagination to sleep paralysis. And from readers who believed his claims, the reactions varied from “It’s a lonely, harmless ghost, who’s glad someone can hear him,” to “Move immediately” or “Call an exorcist.”

Check out the article yourself, and tell me what your take on the situation is.

THE WINNERS ARE.........

2011-11-25T01:18:00.000-08:00

A BIG thank you to all who joined the ARC giveaway. The winners are as follows:
Krystal Larson won the autographed ARC of Angelina's Secret
Ash Krafton won the beautiful glass angel
Aliraluna won the autographed rack card and bookmarks
Please send me your mailing address ASAP send to rzambo13@aol.com
CONGRATULATIONS to you all and thanks for helping to spread the word.

ARC GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-11-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

Win an ARC!!!!!!!!! Or other cool stuff.

Even though Angelina’s Secret isn’t scheduled to be released until Feb. 1, 2012, YOU can read it now… that is if you win it. To win all you have to do is be a follower of this blog and leave a comment. There are other ways to gain more entries, but first let’s look at what’s up for grabs.
The prizes:
Grand Prize: An autographed ARC copy of Angelina’s Secret.
Runner Up: A beautiful glass angel (Just like the one mentioned in the book… which you haven’t read)
Second Runner Up: An autographed rack card
All prizes can only be shipped to a U.S. mailing address. Sorry my international friends, I’ll do another giveaway after the release that will include you too.

            How to Enter:
You must be a follower of this blog. Leaving a comment =1 entry for new followers and 2 entries for old followers
Posting on your blog or Facebook about this giveaway =1 entry for each
Like Angelina’s Secret Facebook fanpage =1 entry Vote for Angelina’s Secret on Goodreads 2012 Debut Authors list = 2 entries Placing Angelina’s Secret on your “to read” list on Goodreads = 2 entriesPlease total your entries and leave in comment section. Example:
Old follower comment =2
Share on FB =1
Like fanpage = 1
Voted on goodreads =2
TOTAL 6 entries

            The contest will close on November 24th (Thanksgiving) And winners will be announced November 25th (Black Friday!)
            Good luck!

Why I love Kids...

2011-11-11T08:23:00.001-08:00

1. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?

-You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. -- Alan, age 10

-No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.

-- Kristen, age 10

2. WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
-- Camille, age 10

3. HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF 2 PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8

4. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8

5. WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

-Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)

-On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-- Martin, age 10

6. WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

-When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7

-The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
- - Curt, age 7

-The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
- - Howard, age 8

7. IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them. -- Anita, age 9 (bless you child )

8. HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-- Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is .........

9. HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a dump truck . -- Ricky , age 10

I'm Moving to Wales!

2011-11-09T05:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, not really. But look at this place:

A lighthouse converted to a residence, two miles of beach, and a ghost. All for £100,000. What more could I ask for?

Built in the 1770’s, it is one of the earliest lighthouses in Wales. Supposedly, the most common occurrences at Point of Ayr Lighthouse are sightings of a man, Raymond, according to paranormal investigators, dressed in work clothes around the lighthouse that vanishes into thin air. Visitors to the lighthouse have also reported mysterious footprints in the sand, banging noises, strange lights, and disembodied voices.

So, would you live here?

FREE FREE FREE Download

2011-11-08T10:36:00.000-08:00

It's here!!!!!!!!!!! Angelina's Friend, a short prequel to Angelina's Secret is available here http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/Angelina_s_Friend.php
as a free download.
I'd love to know what you guys think about it.

Everyday Haunting

2011-11-07T05:03:00.000-08:00

As you all know, the resident ghosts at my house make their presence known so often that I hardly think about it anymore. But occasionally something happens that I think is worth mentioning.

I watch my infant grandson a few days a week, and I have no doubt that I can’t see all of his playmates. Frequently I’ll catch him laughing at something above my head, or staring intently down an empty hall. But since they don’t seem to bother him, I don’t mind the ghosts playing with him. In fact, I appreciate it. Entertaining a small child by myself is exhausting!

My grandson is at the age where he is discovering cabinet doors. Pulling open a door and then letting it bounce closed can keep him entertained for quite a while. One day last week I’d just put him down for a nap and tiptoed off to catch up on some housework when I heard the unmistakable sound of a cabinet door bouncing closed. Since one of my grandson’s favorite cabinet doors is just within his reach from his crib, I assumed he’d decided that nap time was over. But when I walked in the room, he was still asleep, exactly where I’d laid him down.

Not long after I’d returned to my dishes, I heard the door bouncing again. Returning to his crib, I could see that my grandson was still sound asleep. Then I figured it out. My grandson hadn’t been over in several days, and the ghosts missed him. “Okay,” I said aloud. “I know you want to play, but the baby needs to sleep. Please don’t wake him up.” I left the room, and the sounds did not continue.

However, after about an hour, I went to get my grandson up from his nap. As soon as I walked in the room, I noticed that something was off. His crib had been slid about two feet away from the wall. Being a proud grandma, I believe that my grandbaby is the strongest little boy in the world, but I know he didn’t move that crib, especially since he was in it. And since I was the only other person in the house, the only logical conclusion is that the ghosts moved it; perhaps so that they could continue to open the cabinet door without waking the baby, like I’d asked.

What do you think?

I Want These!

2011-11-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, something awesome comes along. What do you think of these?

I think I stepped in something...

I'd like to thank the little people.

Why, yes. I do love my heels

NaNoWriMo

2011-11-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

It has begun. What is “it,” you ask? National Novel Writing Month. Apparently, I’ve been living under a rock, because I’d never heard of this most awesome event until yesterday. But it was started in 1999, and last year over 200,000 writers participated! The goal is to write 50,000 words (around 175 pages) between November 1^st and November 30^th.

As I have discovered, sometimes the hardest part of writing a novel is actually putting words on the page. I’m a bit OCD, and if I can’t think of the perfect word, I’ll simply stare at the blank screen, accomplishing nothing. For hours. But participants in NaNoWriMo don’t have time for that. Simply getting ideas on paper is a huge step in the right direction for any aspiring author. After all, when you do think of the *perfect* word, you can always go back and delete the mediocre word you’d used earlier. If you’d like to participate in NaNoWriMo, sign up at http://www.nanowrimo.org/ for support, feedback, and an official word count. I can’t guarantee I’ll reach 50k, (That’s a lot of words people!) but I am hard at work on my next novel, and I promise I’m trying to mend my wicked OCD writing ways.

Happy Day of the Dead!

2011-11-01T04:12:00.000-07:00

Today is Dia de los Inocentes or Day of the Innocents, part one of a two day Mexican holiday honoring the dead. Today and tomorrow, people will visit cemeteries where loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with Marigolds, the “Flower of the Dead.” They will also build alters containing the favorite foods, beverages, and items belonging to deceased loved ones at the cemetery and in their homes in hopes of encouraging the souls of the departed to visit them. Toys are commonly purchased for children who have passed away, and bottles of tequila are left for adults. (If that isn’t a bribe, I don’t know what is!)

Unlike the somber American Memorial Day, Day of the Dead is often a festive event. The streets are decorated with skeletons, candies shaped like skulls, and picnics at the cemetery are common. It is viewed as a time of happiness and celebration because loved ones who have passed away can come back to visit their families.

Although I don’t celebrate this holiday myself, I love the idea of a time when spirits, or ghosts, are encouraged to come back and visit us. What do you think?

Happy Weekend!

2011-10-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

And now for a well-deserved vacation at my favorite haunted hot spot. I may have some fun things to share next week. But for now, have a safe and happy Halloween!!!

Looking for Halloween plans?

2011-10-26T04:53:00.000-07:00

Have you made your Halloween plans yet? If not, I have a few suggestions for you, based on mass amounts of research. (T.V. programs and internet searches)

Savannah GA- The most haunted town in America

Reasons to go:

Several parts of the town supposedly built on top of old cemeteries. (Bonus creepy points)

The17-hundred-90 Inn, where Anna Powers leaped to her death off a 3^rd floor balcony. She supposedly haunts room 208

Mercer Williams House – from the true crime novel Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil.

Tombstone, Az.

Reasons to go:

The O.K Corral shootout happened just days before Halloween in 1881

Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, known for poltergeist activity, possibly even haunted by Doc Holliday.

Bird Cage theatre, you can hear disembodied gamblers and opera singers

The town is named Tombstone. Come on!

Salem Mass.

Reasons to go:

Salem With Trials, need I say more?

New Orleans, LA

Reasons to go:

Some of the best ghost tours in the US (So I’ve heard)

Witchcraft ceremonies

Voodoo

Brandywine Valley, PA

Reasons to go:

Eastern State Penitentiary-What’s creepier than an abandoned Gothic church-turned prison?

And on a side note, they have a Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off

Estes Park, Co.

Reasons to go:

The Stanley Hotel, the setting for Stephen King’s The Shining offers hotel ghost tours, including an underground tunnel.

Providence, R.I

Reasons to go:

Jack O’Lantern Spectacular, Over 10,000 carved pumpkins are on display at the Roger Williams Park Zoo.

Okay, so it doesn’t have anything to do with ghosts, but how cool is this?

Tammy and Jonathan... the rest of the story

2011-10-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

I just love s’mores, don’t you? Anyway, back to the story.

Tammy was surprised to see Jonathan’s car in the drive when she returned from her library trip. Rushing in the house to share her discovery, she was stunned to see Jonathan kneeling in their bedroom, ripping up the carpet. “What are you doing?” She yelled, dropping her purse in the doorway.

“I hate this carpet. The old carpet was much better.”

“Old carpet?” Tammy asked, confused. “Honey, this is the carpet that came with the house.”

“No. It isn’t” Jonathan snapped. I hate it. Get it out of my house.”

“Okay.” Tammy was dazed. Jonathan never acted like that. She would have been surprised if he even knew what color the carpet was. But, after helping him haul the roll of carpet out to the curb, he did seem to calm down. It wasn’t until a few days later when Tammy noticed Jonathan rubbing a rust colored spot on their-now bare-floor that she remembered to tell him what she’d learned at the library.

“So, I’m not crazy. I really want to move.” She finished.

“This is my house.” Jonathan snarled. “I’m not leaving. You can’t make me.”

“Jon,” Tammy sighed. “I know you love this place. I’m just talking about moving across town. I’m really uncomfortable here.”

“NO!” Tammy stared in shock at the butcher knife sticking out of the wall, inches from her head. Jonathan had never been violent, but looking into the eyes of the man in front of her, a cold chill ran down her spine. That wasn’t Jonathan. He looked the same, except for his eyes. Jonathan’s green eyes were gone. The eyes glaring back at her were brown, and so dark they were almost black.

“Okay. Forget I brought it up.” Jonathan relaxed as soon as the words left her mouth. But Tammy was still terrified. She knew something wasn’t right. And then the dreams started. Jonathan woke up confused and disoriented almost every night. He would scream about bodies in the walls, something under the floor that was out to get him, and he would threaten to kill Tammy if she tried to take him from the house.

It wasn’t long before Jonathan lost his job. He’d simply quit going to work. He spent his days pacing up and down the halls, stopping to talk to people who weren’t there. Tammy was devastated, but she didn’t know what to do. Every time she tried to help him, he threatened her. And more than once he became violent when she suggested that they leave, even for the weekend.

Too afraid to stay home all day with her husband, Tammy started spending more and more time in the library archives. The murders at her home were constantly on her mind. The most detailed information she could find was about the brothers who’d rented the house before she and Jonathan bought it. Just out of college, they moved to town in hopes of starting a business together. By all accounts, they got along well. But then there were police reports. Apparently, the older of the brothers became violent. The reports called him “mentally unstable.” He often didn’t know where he was, and didn’t recognize his own brother. When their bodies were found, the older brother was in the living room, both of his wrists slashed. The younger brother was in one of the bedrooms, multiple stab wounds covering his torso.

Of the family that had been there before them, Tammy found less information. Only that the family had been well thought of, the son a model student. His father was even up for a promotion at work, which would let them move to the city. Both parents were found, stabbed to death in bed. The son was rocking back and forth in a corner, chanting “Don’t sell the house.” He died, Tammy discovered, a little over a year ago in a hospital for the criminally insane.

Don’t sell the house. The phrase bounced around in Tammy’s brain. What was it with that house? Jonathan seemed obsessed with it as well. Tammy knew she had to dig further. To her surprise, there wasn’t much to find. The first family to have lived in her house were the ones who had been murdered. They’d had the house built. Just when she was about to give up, a footnote caught her eye. The house had been built on the same spot where another had burned down, several yeas before.

It didn’t take long for Tammy to find the story. The house that had once stood on her land was called the McCarthy house. Apparently, it had been in the same family for generations, and was a great source of pride. But, as sometimes happens, the house fell into the possession of a McCarthy with few good traits. A gambler and the town drunk, he soon found himself in danger of losing the family home. The night before he was supposed to be evicted, the house burned to the ground, owner still inside.

The last three homeowners had met violent ends. Tammy’s mind reeled. She knew she had to get out, with or without Jonathan. After making a frantic call to her sister, she rushed home to pack her bags.

After three days and no word from Tammy, her sister called the police. When they arrived, they found Jonathan in his recliner, multiple stab wounds to his chest. On the coffee table there was a message written in blood. She wanted to leave us. We couldn’t let that happen.

After Jonathan’s funeral, the house was torn down. The land has sat empty for years. But I heard last month that someone bought the hand and is building an apartment complex. Tammy- or her body- was never found.

So, who wants a Pumpkin Latte?

By Keshia Swaim

Ghostly Tales

2011-10-21T03:51:00.000-07:00

In honor of Halloween, one of our favorite times of the year, my daughter, Keshia, will be bringing you some ghostly tales...

I love this time of year. The leaves are changing colors, I can get pumpkin spiced anything, and Halloween is just around the corner. Which means that the travel channel is helping me add to my list of “places I must visit” and there is another “scary movie” coming out every time I turn around. It’s also the perfect time to sit around the campfire and share ghost stories. I’ll go first!

About twenty years ago a friend of a friend of mine got a new job out-of-state. After just a few weeks of searching, he and his wife found the perfect house: three bedrooms, big kitchen, a nice backyard, and, most importantly, the price was right. It wasn’t long before they were all settled in.

Jonathan loved his new job, and thought everything was great. Tammy, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure about their move. As soon as they’d moved in she began complaining that she didn’t like being alone in their new home. Jonathan assured her that the noises were just the house settling, and that she was just uneasy in a new place.

But Tammy knew it was more than that. At first, it there were only little things: a radio playing when she thought she’d turned it off, or the coffee cup she remembered leaving on the bar appearing in the living room. And there was the constant feeling of being watched. Since she knew how happy Jonathan was, she tried to keep her complaints to herself and be a supportive wife.

That changed the night she woke to see a shadow standing over Jonathan’s side of the bed, arm raised as if holding a knife. She screamed and the shadow disappeared, but not before she caught the glint of a steel blade in the moonlight. Jonathan bolted out of bed at Tammy’s scream. Even though she saw the shadow disappear, she wouldn’t sleep until Jonathan circled the entire house, checking every lock, and making sure all of their kitchen knives were in place.

Maybe it was just because Tammy was now constantly on edge, but she sensed a definite change in the house after that night. The air was always heavy, as if it was about to storm. The feeling of being watched grew so strong that she kept a can of pepper spray in her pocket at all times, and she woke up at least twice a week, soaked in sweat, screaming from some terrible dream she couldn’t quite remember.

For weeks, she begged to move. But Jonathan wouldn’t consider it. He couldn’t understand what had gotten into his wife. She had never been an overly nervous person, but now she wanted to move because of a bad dream. Not knowing what else to do, he suggested that Tammy start volunteering in the community, or even get a part-time job to get her out of the house some.

Tammy agreed that time away would be best, and started filling out applications. When she handed in her first application, at the local library, the librarian immediately commented on her address. “So you’re the one who bought that place. Isn’t it creepy living there, after everything that happened?”

Tammy was immediately interested. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh. You didn’t know about the murders?” She directed Tammy to the town’s newspaper archives.

Tammy quickly learned that a couple had been murdered in the master bedroom-her room- by their teen-age son. Not only had the realtor failed to mention that, he also forgot to mention that the house had been rented out to two brothers before she and Jonathan bought it. Their bodies had been discovered in the living-room several days after they died, an apparent murder-suicide.

Tammy rushed home to tell Jonathan what she’d learned. Finally, she had proof. The house really was evil. They had to leave. Unfortunately, it was already too late for Jonathan.

To be continued…

Can someone pass the marshmallows?
Keshia Swaim

COVER REVEAL!!!!!!!!!!

2011-10-14T04:43:00.000-07:00

This is the cover for On Haunted Ground. The book is scheduled to be released May 8, 2012. What do you guys think about it?

My Road To Publication Part 7

2011-10-13T04:25:00.000-07:00

Wow… Part 7!!! I apologize for this taking so long. I’ve tried only to hit the highlights, but I guess my road was a little longer than I thought. This will be my final post on the subject so I’ll get right to it.

After sending my query to Spencer Hill, Kate did ask to see the full MS. Of course, I sent it out immediately. I had had other request from agents and publishers to see the full MS so I knew it could take three months or more to hear back from her.

Putting my experience to work for me, I tried not to think about it. I knew these things took time, sometimes a lot of time. I bit my nails and paced the floor. Before I knew it, two whole hours had passed. Yep, seriously… two hours!

Trying to get a handle on the situation, I limited myself to checking my e-mail to only twenty or thirty times a day. Within the week, I saw where Kate had emailed me back. My heart pounded wildly in my chest. This is too soon. She must have really hated it. The other rejection letters ran through my mind. “Not a good fit for us at this time. I didn’t fall in love with it. This is a subjective business…”

With my hands shaking, I finally clicked to open the e-mail. I could see this wasn’t a typical form rejection. It was a full-length letter with suggestions on improving my MS. This had never happened to me before. On one hand, I was a little disheartened. If she had all of these suggestions, she must not have liked it. Right? But, she was giving me some great advice, little nuggets of gold to help improve my MS, and for that, I was very thankful.

Reading to the end of the letter she said if I was interested in having Angelina’s Secret published through Spencer Hill, I should contact her and we’d set up a time to talk on the phone.

If I was interested? Oh yeah, I was interested!!!

The call came, the deal was made, and I was ecstatic. Angelina’s Secret was going to be published. Even though I am a writer, I can’t come up with the words to tell you how great this felt. I had worked so hard for so long and now… My book was going to be published!

I was overjoyed. Still basking in this wonderful feeling, I received an e-mail from my agent saying he had a publisher that was VERY interested in Our ParaNormal Lives. This was too good to be true, but it was indeed true. After a few back and forth’s I was offered a contract through Llewellyn Publishing.

Working simultaneously to see these two books published has been exhausting and thrilling. Angelina’s Secret is scheduled to be released on Feb. 1, 2012, and with a new title On Haunted Ground is scheduled to be released May 8, 2012.

Check back tomorrow for the cover reveal for On Haunted Ground.

My Road To Publication Part 6

2011-10-11T04:04:00.000-07:00

My agent did as I asked; he quit submitting my MS and I got busy polishing it. This was a tedious process and it took five grueling months to complete. After finishing, I sent it back to my agent and he again started submitting it to publishers.

Knowing I had done everything I could possibly do for Our ParaNormal Lives, I returned my attention to Angelina’s Secret. It was then that I truly realized just how much I loved writing fiction. My characters had started talking again and before I knew it, I had another completed MS.

Still hoping my agent could find a home for my first book, I tried to find a place for my second one. After writing the dreaded query letter and synopsis, I searched for agents who represented YA fiction. Finding the ones I felt would be a good fit, I lovingly sent my baby out into the world.

When the rejection letters rolled in, I told myself these things take time. I tweaked the query and the synopsis and tried again and again.

Between the fact that my agent wasn’t having any luck in placing my first book with a publisher and I wasn’t having any luck in finding an agent for Angelina’s Secret I was getting VERY disheartened.

I was tired, frustrated, and depressed, but I think the worst part of all was the self-doubt. I kept thinking Who am I kidding? I had given both of my books my very best. It was time for me to admit that my best just wasn’t good enough. I wanted to give up, I really did, but at the same time, I couldn’t. I had worked way too hard. I owed it to myself and to my books to keep trying.

Needing a break from the querying process, I decided to enter Angelina’s Secret into a contest for unpublished YA authors. Step one required me to submit a pitch, which is very similar to a query letter. Oh yay! How I hated those things.

I strapped myself to my computer with the intention of tweaking my letter AGAIN. Looking for any excuse not to work on it, I visited query tracker. Browsing through the various topics, I found a post that said there was an author who was helping people polish their pitch letters for the up coming contest.

Still looking for excuses to not actually have to work on my letter I rushed to the author’s blog, http://thedisgruntledbear.blogspot.com/ It was true, author Kate Kaynak was helping people polish their pitch. This was way cool! A real live author was going to help me with my pitch. I gave mine another look and submitted it. I checked the blog obsessively as I waited for my turn to be critiqued.

When my turn came around, I held my breath and read her response. WHAT???? I read it again, and then again. She said if I were to submit it to Spencer Hill, she would have to ask to see the MS.

I rushed from one website to another. I learned not only was Kate an author she was also a publisher and she wanted to see my MS. It goes without saying, I immediately sent my query to Spencer Hill.

My Road To Publication Part 5

2011-10-07T04:32:00.000-07:00

Even though I hated having to put Angelina’s Secret aside, I was super excited with the prospect of getting Our ParaNormal Lives published. After talking with my agent and exchanging several e-mails with the interested publisher, it was beginning to look as though this was truly going to happen. My dream was coming true. I was going to be a published author. All of my hard work was finally going to be rewarded. I was on top of the world—then my MS was rejected.

I. Was. Devastated.

I took a few days to have my own private little pity party. It was private because no one in their right mind wanted to be anywhere close to me. I was mad! I had been done wrong! Very wrong! Couldn’t these people see how hard I had worked? Didn’t they care how many hours I had put in? Apparently not!

I wallowed in my self-pity. I whined. I cried. I shook my fist and yelled about the injustice of it all. Surprisingly enough, none of this made me feel any better at all. I finally consoled myself with the thought that it was their loss. Another publisher, a bigger publisher, a better publisher would read my MS and LOVE it, like it deserved to be loved.

I dried my tears and returned to my new work in progress. Apparently, my mood was so bad that even my fictional characters didn’t want to be around me. I tried to write but my characters had fallen silent. This was the same characters that just a week or so before had talked so much that I couldn’t keep up.

Not getting anywhere with my current work, my mind kept going back to the other MS—the one that SHOULD have been published. I gently tucked Angelina’s Secret back into the deep crevices of my computer and I opened the document for Our ParaNormal Lives.

I hadn’t read it in over a year and it… well… to be honest… could use some work, a lot of work. I could see why it had been rejected. The concept was good… but the writing… not so much.

I contacted my agent and did the unthinkable. I asked him to stop submitting the MS and give me the chance to make it shine.

My Road To Publication Part 4

2011-10-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

As promised, I’m going to reveal the biggest secret I’ve ever uncovered…

Pssst lean in a little closer. Authors don’t write fiction—their characters do. If you’re not an author, I’m sure this sounds a little nuts. If you are an author, you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying UH… DUH.

Before I started writing, I had seen hints of this being true. I had heard of the writers muse and of the characters coming to life. I assumed that either this particular author was crazy or she just meant that she was such an awesome writer that her characters seemed like real people. I was WRONG.

Sitting down to write Angelina’s Secret, I had an idea of where I wanted the story to go. I didn’t however have a clear picture of how to get it there. The more I worked on it, the easier it became. Not because I was such an awesome writer, but because my characters had come to life and they told me where to take the story next. All I had to do was type. There were days I had all of them crowded around my computer telling me what to write. Sometimes I would literally call out, “Slow down. I can’t type that fast.” (It’s a good thing I usually write when I’m at home alone.)

As cool as this is, it also has its downfalls. This was after all, my story and I had a few ideas of my own, but sometimes they didn’t match the ideas of one or more of my characters. If I chose to do it my way, they quit talking and my writing came to an abrupt stop.

The first bazillion times this happened, (I guess I’m a slow learner) I would sit and stare at my computer willing the next scene to unfold. It refused. The cursor on my screen blinked, taunting me. Knowing my characters had a stronger will than I did, I’d finally give in and do it their way and the story would progress.

As much as I’d come to love my characters, I got tired of their temperamental ways. When I learned a publisher was strongly considering my first book for publication I decided to shelve Angelina’s Secret and refocus my attention on my first book. The one that I, not my characters had written.

Come back on Friday to see how this turned out for me.

My Road To Publication Part 3

2011-10-03T04:42:00.000-07:00

Even though I hoped my agent would soon call to tell me about an offer… he hadn't. I knew these things took time so I waited, and waited, and waited. I checked my e-mail obsessively and waited some more.

Writing the book and then going through the process of finding an agent had taken up so much of my time that now, I didn’t know what to. After a month or so of waiting, I decided it was time to start another writing project. But what?

I toyed around with a few ideas and did some research on the ideas I’d come up with. I finally chose my topic and started. I scrapped it, started another, and scrapped it too. For some reason, I just wasn’t feeling it. Back to checking my e-mail a hundred times a day and not having a clear picture of my next project in mind, my husband suggested I write a fiction book.

Fiction? No… I couldn’t. Even though I mainly read fiction, I couldn’t see myself writing it. I was a non-fiction writer. That I could do, but fiction… no… not me. With fiction, you had to be more creative. You had to make stuff up. With non-fiction, you just told a real story, in a creative way. The difference was huge.

It took some time, but the idea of writing fiction started to grow on me. My husband and I kicked a few ideas around. I liked the story line we’d come up with, but still didn’t know if I was cut out to be a fiction writer.

I finally decided to try it and see what happened. After all, I could always scrap this project too. It had to be better than staring at my inbox all day. With a skeleton of an idea for my new writing endeavor, I sat down at the computer and discovered something AMAZING.

Be sure to stop back by on Wed. and I’ll share the biggest secret I’ve ever uncovered.

My Road To Publication Part 2

2011-09-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

My first reality check was discovering that the larger publishing houses do NOT deal directly with the authors. (See, I told you I was naïve.) They deal with the author’s agent. Soooo I decided I must need one of those. I mean, how hard could it be?

Now knowing I needed an agent; I began trying to educate myself on exactly how this publishing process worked. I read many, many, books on the subject. Still trying to clarify everything in my mind, I diligently searched the Internet, looking for more answers. That’s when I stumbled on an amazing site called Query Tracker. Here I was able to learn more about the publishing process, but more importantly, I was able to connect with other aspiring authors. If you haven’t heard of QT you can check them out here http://querytracker.net/index.php to connect with other authors go here http://querytracker.net/forum/

After writing, rewriting and polishing my query, I started the long and oftentimes heart wrenching process of finding an agent. To my surprise, this ended up being more like a full time job. After receiving several, (okay a bunch) of form rejections, I reworked the query letter. I went through this process multiple times. When my query letter started producing more request than rejections, I knew it was finally doing its job.

Getting quite a few requests from agents wanting to see the MS, I knew I was close to getting an agent…then the rejections came… one after another. Using the same thought I’d had with my query, I knew the MS must need a little more work. I stopped looking for an agent and put that effort back into making my MS shine. When it was the best possible work I could do, I started once again looking for an agent. Having enough rejection letters to wallpaper my house I finally placed the book with a reputable agent and let me tell you, It. Felt. Good. My work, for the time anyway, was complete. I was sure my agent would call any day to tell me he had just received an offer.

Check back on Monday to see how right… or wrong… I was.

My Road To Publication Part 1

2011-09-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

I know some of you are aspiring authors so I’ve decided to do a few short post (maybe more) describing my journey down the road to publication. Please feel free to leave comments and ask questions.

I always dreamed of being an author, but between raising kids, work, and life in general, that dream kept getting put on hold. With my daughter in college and my son, a senior in High School, I decided the time was finally right for me to get this dream started.

Going with the thought of, write what you know, I started my first book. On Haunted Ground, originally titled, Our ParaNormal Lives, this is a non-fiction work and it took a little over a year to write. Of course, some of that time was spent trying to relearn all of those little grammar rules I’m not quite sure I ever knew.

Finishing the book, I remember feeling a great sense of accomplishment. I had actually done it!!! Now, all I had to do was get it published… and yes… unfortunately, I was that naïve. I thought writing the book was the hard part.

Be sure to stop back by to learn of my reality check.

How Cool Is This!!!!!!!!

2011-09-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

Fellow author Dan Cohen has teamed up with Spencer Hill Press to offer YOU a chance to appear in his book trailer. The details below were copied from the publisher's website. http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/MOTV_Trailer.html

MOTV Trailer

Want to be in a book trailer? Now's your chance!

Here's the deal: Sam Lock, the star player of your beloved Carver (Texas) High School football team, just choked during the crucial play of the championship game. We want the reactions of the fans, and you are the fans.

First, wear green and gold. Have fun; feel free to use face paint, accessories, etc., like you have a ton of school spirit. Alternatively, go goth with a tiny green and gold "C" on your black nail polish or something. You can dress like a nerd, a cheerleader, a stoner, a jock, a member of the marching band, a seriously over-involved booster parent, or whatever you'd like. Have fun and be creative!

Second, talk into the camera as though you're being interviewed by the local news or by one of your school's video bloggers. You're angry or dismayed or otherwise in shock, since football is practically a religion in your Texas town (don't go overboard on the accent, please!). Read the opening chapter here if you'd like to improvise your own lines. In fact, improvisation is encouraged.

Here are some suggested lines. You can use just one or send us takes of several. We prefer several short clips, rather than one long take.

"He choked!"

"What a loser! He could've gone pro!"

"He'll never live this down."

Or you can just sob hysterically while a friend hugs your shoulder.

You may enter as many times as you like; please have your submissions in by November 30th, 2011. By sending us the clip, you are consenting to allow us to use it for the book trailer, but everyone who appears on camera needs to print and sign a release form (download a PDF here) as well. If you're under eighteen, please have a parent sign, too.

The release forms can then be mailed to:
MOTV Trailer
Spencer Hill Press
PO Box 247
Contoocook, NH 03229

Or scanned and sent as PDF attachments to: editor@SpencerHillPress.com

Digital clips can be sent as attachments to: submissions@SpencerHillPress.com

Everyone who submits a clip will receive a Masters of the Veilrack card signed by the author. If we use your clip in the trailer, you'll receive an advance reading copy of Masters of the Veil (shipped to a US mailing address) inscribed to you by author Daniel Cohen.

Brennan's Restaurant

2011-09-19T04:19:00.000-07:00

As with all vacations, even virtual ones have to end. As much as I have enjoyed playing on the internet and dreaming of a getaway, it's time for me to get back to work.

Even though our lovely hotel offers fine dining, I thought for our last night in New Orleans we'd go some place new for dinner--and of course it's also haunted. You can read about it below or click here
http://www.hauntedneworleanstours.com/toptenhaunted/toptenhauntedresturantsnola/
to see other haunted restaurants around town.

Brennan’s Restaurant

Located at 417 Royal Street in the heart of the French Quarter, Brennan's Restaurant has been a culinary phenomenon in New Orleans since it opened its doors in 1946. The Brennan's menu is known and highly regarded throughout the world and most visitors do not want to miss an opportunity to have a meal at this famous location while visiting the Crescent City.

The Royal Street location that Brennan's now occupies was maintained as a private residence throughout the 19th century and into the 20th century, until Edward Brennan founded his famous restaurant. Most of the paranormal activity that has been identified at Brennan's is attributed to the families who owned and occupied this former New Orleans town house in the early years of the 19th century. The location passed through several owners and so the identity of the ghostly spectres cannot be verifiably traced, however, their presence is undeniable.

Members of the Brennan family who currently own and operate the restaurant readily admit that there are ghosts at the location. Once famous haunting there involves the infamous spectre of the second-storey Red Room. Said to be the spirit of a former owner who lost everything in financial ruin and who committed suicide after murdering his family, the ghostly atmosphere of the Red Room is usually all anyone needs to convince them that the place is haunted. Staff and employees, however, often have to go to the room for linens or tables and additional chairs, and there have been reports of a mysterious misty figure who literally haunts their steps the entire time they are working upstairs. Patrons who have rented the room for special events have reported the ghostly image of a man dressed in 18th century clothing seen peering in disapprovingly at the festivities. Some have encountered simply a feeling of his presence, an anger and foreboding, just outside the main door to the Red Room.

Another active spectre is said to the be ghost of the late Chel Paul Blange who created many of Brennan's signature dishes and helped build the reputation of the esteemed eatery.

European Chef Paul Blange, who worked for decades at the famous eatery and was so devoted to the restaurant that when he died the restaurant’s menu, a knife and fork were placed across his chest of his dead body as he lay in the coffin. "No one ever thought Chef Blange would leave Brennan’s, and apparently, he never did," says Jimmy Brennan, an owner of the establishment.

The Chef is said to lurk in the kitchen, his natural location in life, and many of the chef staff have reported the feeling of being watched, and even of something touching them while they are preparing meals. Late at night, when the guests have gone and staff are locking up, Chef Paul will bang doors and pots in the empty kitchen. And this is where the ghost is most often sighted.

Another former employee is said to haunt and be sighted in the wine cellar that he made famous. Herman Funk, a wine master whom Brennan's employed to build their fabulous cache of famous and renowned wines and spirits, is said to be still attached to his job even in the afterlife. Most employees don't like going to the wine racks alone, although they brave their way through it. For every clink of a bottle the employee makes, it is said, there is a mimicking "clink" of another bottle just out of reach. This, they say, is Herman Funk making his suggestion for a wine selection. Employees who have been there awhile admit that they will usually go with Funk's selection, in addition to what the guest might request, bringing patrons a choice "just to keep Herman happy."

For a haunting in the most sumptuous surroundings, Brennan's, the famous French Quarter restaurant, offers it's red dining room. Tucked away upstairs and lit by gas chandeliers, the room was the scene of a murder-suicide during the Civil War when the owner of the house killed his wife and son then hanged himself from the elaborate brass chandelier.

"I've seen the ghost there myself," says a waiter at Brennan's for10 years. "The cleaning crew won't go in there at night, but a lot of people request that room for dinner. They hope to see the ghost.

Official web site /www.brennansneworleans.com

St. Louis Cemetery #1

2011-09-16T04:39:00.000-07:00

Saint Louis Cemetery is the name of three Roman Catholic cemeteries in New Orleans. Most of these graves were constructed in the 18th and 19th century. Since St. Louis Cemetery #1 is the oldest and most famous we will focus on it for the purpose of our virtual vacation. This cemetery opened in 1789, replacing the city's older St. Peter Cemetery (no longer in existence) as the main burial ground when the city was redesigned after a fire in 1788. For more pictures of this beautiful historic cemetery go here http://images.travelpod.co.uk/users/lgthib/1.1247098243.st-louis-cemetery-nox-1.jpg

Some of the more interesting tombs in St. Louis # 1 are a huge tomb that holds the remains of some of the participants in the Battle of New Orleans; chess champion Paul Morphy; New Orleans' first black mayor, Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial. But the most famous and interesting tomb here is said to be where Voodoo Queen Marie Leveaux is buried.Even though she died 130 years ago people still flock to her tomb in hopes of being blessed by her supernatural powers.

To see the full article go here http://www.hauntedneworleanstours.com/cemeteries/nolacemeteries/

Marie Laveaus Ghost is said to haunt the cemetery and many Ghost photos, and EVP's occur. This New Orleans graveyard is said to be haunted by the ghost of the world famous Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau. Her spirit has been reported inside of the cemetery, walking between the tombs wearing a turban , and mumbling a New Orleans Santeria Voodoo curse to trespassers.
Her Voodoo curse is loud and even heard by passerby's on nearby Rampart Street. Locals say this has started in recent years for she is alarmed by the many vandals and state of the cemetery. Voudon Believers and Tourist and locals still come to her tomb every day and leave many, many Voodoo offerings (candles, flowers, buttons, monke cock good luck statue, Mardi Gras beads, Gris Gris bags, Voodoo dolls, and food in hopes of being blessed by her supernatural powers from beyond the grave.) Many have been known to make a wish at her tomb marking three X's. While others say they have her Ghost on film emerging undead from her tomb. They say her soul appears here as a shiny black Voodoo cat with read eyes. If you see it run!
The Tomb is also said to be haunted by her great Voodoo snake called Zombi. Some say they have felt her touch them letting them know their wish will come true. One recent haunted Cemtery tour guest at Marie laveus tomb states that she picked up a statue on the ground of a Monkey and cock. The Tour guide explained it was left there and meant to be taken as a good luck statue and that it grants three wishes.""as I picked it up, some strange force ripped it out of my hands.""Marie Laveau did not want me to have it ." She said. "It landed un broken back where I picked it up from, another person on the tour picked it up and the same thing happened." then another lady picked it up and nothing happened. The entire tour was stunned and the guide too."

Marie Laveau

2011-09-14T04:19:00.000-07:00

Where, but New Orleans, could you expect to go on a haunted cemetery tour? As part of our virtual vacation package, we are going to tour the most popular one. Before we go to the St. Louis Cemetery #1 we need to learn a little bit about its most famous occupant—Marie Laveau.
http://www.voodooonthebayou.net/marie_laveau.html

Marie Laveau

New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum

Marie Laveau lived in New Orleans and became the Queen of the Voodoos.

"The beautiful Marie Laveau, and yes she was beautiful, was born a Free Woman of Color in 1794 and died an old woman in 1881. She became the most famous and powerful Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. She was respected and feared by all. Voodoo in New Orleans was a blend of West African religion and Catholicism. Voodoo deities are called Loahs and they are closely paired with the Catholic Saints. All people in New Orleans were Catholic and slaves were baptized. Marie was a devout Catholic and attended Mass daily. Marie began as a hairdresser and later became a nurse during the Yellow Fever epidemics. She was skilled in the practice of medicine and knew the healing qualities of indigenous herbs. Concerned about the soul too, she would sit with the condemned in their last moments sometimes serving them their last meal. She was the first commercial Voodoo Queen and she specialized in romance and finance. She was an astute business woman. Marie was all-knowing and all-powerful. She could easily help you get a lover, keep a lover or get rid of a lover. Marie married Jacques Paris at St. Louis Cathedral when she was 25. He disappeared 6 months later and from then on she became known as "The Widow Paris". A year later she became the common law wife of Christopher Glapion and had some 15 children by him. The youngest of these, also Marie, followed in her mother's footsteps and succeeded her. It is believed that you can come to Marie's tomb and ask for something. She accepts money, cigars, white rum and candy as offerings. Appeals must be made 3 times with full concentration. In voodoo it is believed that when a Voodoo Queen dies her spirit re-enters the river of life and moves to the next realm, adjacent to this one.

Hotel Monteleone

2011-09-12T04:02:00.000-07:00

Unlike my real pockets, my virtual pockets are deep, so I spared no expense in choosing the hotel for our trip to New Orleans. I booked each of us a room at the Hotel Monteleone. Like all of my favorite hotels, the Monteleone is an historic land mark and a member of Historic Hotels of America. It was built in 1886 and has documented more than a dozen earthbound entities. Not only does this hotel have ghosts, but it boast of a state-of-the-art fitness room, a heated rooftop pool with breathtaking views of downtown New Orleans. Of course, it also has a full service day spa to help relieve our tired muscles from all of the sightseeing, shopping, and ghost hunting we are going to do. For more information on this beautiful hotel you can go here:
http://hotelmonteleone.com/

To learn more about the ghosts and things we might get to experience while staying here be sure to watch the attached video.

Have a haunting experience.

Many people who come to Hotel Monteleone don’t want to leave. Some never do…
Generations of hotel guests and staff have regularly experienced haunted events that would cause even the staunchest skeptic to take pause. This haunted hotel has a restaurant door that opens almost every evening and then closes again, even though it is locked. An elevator that stops on the wrong floor, leading a curious couple down a hallway that grows chilly and reveals the ghostly images of children playing. Hotel Monteleone is known for being one of the premier haunted hotels in North America.
In March 2003, the International Society of Paranormal Research spent several days investigating Hotel Monteleone. While at the hotel, the team made contact with more than a dozen earthbound entities. Among them were several former employees, a man named William Wildemere who died inside the hotel of natural causes, and a boy who was much older when he died but enjoys returning to Hotel Monteleone as a 10-year-old to play hide-and-seek with another young spirit.

Read our Ghost Story,
“There’s A Ghost In My Room”

Virtual Vacation

2011-09-09T04:31:00.000-07:00

Doing back-to-back edits on my fiction and non-fiction books has caused the little gears in my brain to quit functioning and I find myself in desperate need of a vacation. Unfortunately, neither time nor money will allow for such frivolity. For now, I have to settle for a virtual vacation and I invite all of you to join me.

Think about it, we could go anywhere! The virtual world is literally at our fingertips. We could take a luxurious cruise to the Bahamas’s, ski the glorious mountains in Colorado, or enjoy the beaches of California. Ahhhhhh, as good as all of that sounds—it’s not for me.

The best way for me to relax and unwind is to visit places that are rumored to be haunted. I like to delve deep into the history of such places and learn all I can about them and then of course I like to see if I can find any truth behind the haunting rumors.

For this virtual vacation, we will be going to New Orleans. While many of us may wonder if ghosts really exists, I’ve heard it said that in New Orleans most people don’t even question it. Instead of asking you if you believe in ghosts, they ask if you’ve met any of their ghosts.

Even though I’ve never gotten to visit this great city, I’m intrigued with their many tales of ghosts. So get your virtual suitcases packed we will be leaving bright and early Monday morning, and don’t forget the coffee.

YEE-HAW

2011-09-02T06:36:00.000-07:00

Angelina’s Secret has gone into the galleys!!!!!!

And what does this mean? Well…it means it’s getting closer and closer to its release date. It also means the ARC’s will be coming out soon. If you are a YA book reviewer and you’d like to receive an ARC of Angelina's Secret Please contact Spencer Hill Press. (http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/Contact.html)

e-mail (editor (at) spencerhillpress (dot) com)

So again, YEE-HAW, and yes it’s okay for me to say that I’m from Oklahoma.

Alcatraz Part 3

2011-08-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

For my third and final post (at least for now) about Alcatraz, I'd like to share this video I ran across. It combines Alcatraz's intense history with the stories of those who may still call it home.

Alcatraz Part 2

2011-08-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

As I searched the Internet, it seemed the ghost stories of Alcatraz were endless. People claim they have witnessed everything from hearing screams to smelling smoke and seeing the heavy metal doors closing on their own. Some even say they have seen full-bodied apparitions who talk about the abuse they suffered during their incarceration. If, as many believe, ghosts return to haunt the places where they suffered traumatic experiences it’s no wonder Alcatraz is haunted. Although some of these stories seem a little outlandish, others make me want to jump on a plane and go see for myself.

They say that even before the prison was built, mystery and fear surrounded the island. Supposedly, the Native Americans believed the island was an energy portal where evil spirits were allowed to come through. Some think this may explain "The Thing" with glowing eyes that had been witnessed over the years by both prison staff and inmates.

During the 1940’s, an inmate was put in “The Hole” for breaking one of the many rules at Alcatraz. According to the guard, the inmate began screaming soon after being locked in. The prisoner claimed that some creature with "glowing eyes" was in there with him. The man’s screams continued into the night until finally, there was silence.

The following day, when the guards went into the cell, they found that the inmate was dead and there were handprint marks around his throat.

To add to the mystery, on the day following the tragedy, several guards who were performing a head count noticed that there were too many men in the lineup. Then, at the end of the line, they saw the man who had recently been strangled. After getting the guards, attention the man disappeared.

Some believe “The Thing,” with glowing eyes murdered the prisoner while others think it was the ghost who many prisoners and guards claimed to continually see walking “D” block wearing 1800’s clothing. Of course, others point their finger at the guards thinking one of them had simply been fed up with the man’s screaming.

Alcatraz, home of murderers, gangsters, thieves…and perhaps ghosts.

2011-08-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

If you believe in ghosts, there are some places you just expect to be haunted. Alcatraz is one such place. The construction of Alcatraz began in 1854 and housed its first prisoners in 1859. These 11 anonymous soldiers of Company H. slept side-by-side, lying on the stone floors. There was no running water or heat in the cells. Sanitary facilities were almost non-existent, and disease was rampant. The army used this prison until 1933. At that time, the Federal Government opened a maximum-security prison to deal with what society considered the most vile criminals. Some of which included infamous mobsters such as, Al Capone, George "Machine-Gun" Kelly, Alvin Karpis and Arthur "Doc" Barker.

Alcatraz was known for its poor treatment of prisioners. If a prisoner didn’t follow the rules, he could be confined to the “Strip Cell.” This was a dark steel cell, where inmates would be stripped naked and given water and bread once a day and “occasionally” a meal. At night they were provided with a mattress, which was taken away during the day. The toilet consisted of a hole in the cell floor. When a prisoner was sent to the Strip Cell, their time was spent in pitch-dark solitude.

Due to the number of deaths suffered at Alcatraz and the claims of unspeakable torture, many say that some prisoners are still there serving out their sentences.

Come back next week to learn about the alleged haunts at Alcatraz.

The winners are...

2011-08-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

A BIG thanks to all who entered the blog jog giveaway. The Winner of the shimmering glass angel is The Inner Butterfly.

And the winners of the autographed rack cards are Nicole and Coley

Please Email me at Lisajrogers@aol.com with your mailing addresses.

Congratulations!!!!!!!!

A Real Paranormal Encounter

2011-08-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

Several post ago I asked how many of you would be afraid if you witnessed some type of paranormal activity, even something simple such as an object moving on its own. Most people responded with a yes, and I have to admit, I was a little surprised by that.

Now, for those of you who seriously believe in ghosts, and answered yes, I have to ask, where does this fear come from? Personally, I think we’ve let Hollywood convince us that witnessing paranormal activity has to be a bone-chilling experience. It doesn’t—at least not always.

For those of you who don’t know, I live in a haunted house, and have for almost 27 years. My book, On Haunted Ground, tells the story of what it’s really like to live with ghosts.

An example of what I’m talking about happened today. I live in Oklahoma and we were experiencing a bad thunderstorm. When I went into the kitchen to get a drink there was a loud clap of thunder and the lights went out.

We’ve lost our electricity many times, so this wasn’t anything new. What was new was for a split second I thought my electric fragrance burner was still on. Looking into the dark dining room, I could see a light shining in that general direction. On closer inspection, I realized what I was seeing was a bright glowing orb hovering above the burner. The power, thank goodness, came back on and the light disappeared.

As always, I’d love to hear what you thought of my experience and if you’d like you can share some of your own.

If you haven't already entered the giveaway you can do so here http://talkingaboutghost.blogspot.com/2011/08/ghosts-angels-and-giveaway_06.html

Dreaming Of The Day

2011-08-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

As most writers, I LOVE to read. Whether you’re going to the beach or you’re curled up in your favorite chair at home, a good book just makes it better.

Sadly, I’ve had to put this passion aside for a little while. ***sigh*** As some of you know, the day I finished a round of edits for Angelina’s Secret, I started the initial one for On Haunted Ground.

Nearing the end, fingers crossed, of these particular edits I’m dreaming of taking a few days off to read, and read, and read. I have two books on my shelf, Accused by Kate Kaynak and Half-Blood by Jennifer Armentrout, that are whispering read me, read me. They will be the first books I devour on my reading binge. Like any addict, two will not be enough so any must read recommendations out there?

Ghosts, Angels, And A Giveaway

2011-08-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Blog Jog Day! I hope you enjoy Ghost Talk. After you enter the giveaway click over to The Queen of Cool at http://sheisdallas.com/category/fort-worth-fiction/ to see what the next Blog has to offer! Lost in the links? You can always go back to the main Blog Jog Day Blog at http://blogjogday.blogspot.com and find a new link to jog from.
My name is Lisa Rogers and I'm the author of Angelina's Secret, a YA fiction. I’m also the author of, On Haunted Ground, an Adult nonfiction. Even though these two books are very different, they do have one thing in common—ghosts. Yep that's right even the nonfiction one.
Both books are scheduled for release in 2012. You can find out more about Angelina's Secret here:
http://www.midpointtrade.com/detail.aspx?isbn=978-0-9831572-8-1
For this blog jog, I'll use http://www.random.org/ to choose three lucky winners with the prizes shipped to a US mailing address.
The first name picked will receive a beautiful little glass angel that glimmers by day and lights up at night. ***Oooooh*** Of course you won't know the significance of the angel until you read the book....which isn't out yet.

The next two names picked will receive an autographed rack card of Angelina's Secret.
All you have to do to enter the giveaway is become a followew of Ghost Talk and answer the question below:

Do you believe in ghosts?

Post your answer in the comments section by midnight Aug. 14. That's all there is to it no jumping through fiery hoops or anything.
Good luck everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Just Too Cute

2011-08-05T02:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of those videos that just makes you feel good. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Burning Question

2011-07-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

Most of you know I haven’t been around the blogging world much lately because I’m in the middle of revisions for On Haunted Ground. ***sigh*** While working on said revisions, I came up with a question I’d really like some feedback on.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, if you were at a place rumored to be haunted and you witnessed something you couldn’t explain, such as an object moving on its own, would you be scared, intrigued or indifferent?

One Proud Momma

2011-07-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share some exciting news!!! As some of you know the wonderful people at Spencer Hill have been diligently working on getting several books ready for publication in 2012. Among these books is the much anticipated UnCONventional. My daughter, Keshia Swaim will have one of her short stories in this book. WOO HOO Congratulations Keshia .

To learn more about this book and its awesomeness go here
http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/UnCONventional.html

thats what i call it talent

2011-07-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

This is sooooooo funny

A Little Off Topic

2011-06-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with ghosts, writing, or publishing but I wanted to share it anyway. The other day I was playing around on the Internet and inadvertently signed up to receive the dreaded promotional emails. The next morning I had three emails from this company. Not being interested in what they were advertising I hit the delete button. Later that day I had four more—a little irritating but no harm done. I pressed my trusty little delete button once again.

To make a long story short over the next couple of days I received about 25 emails from this company. Thinking they were a little over zealous with their advertising I decided to take advantage of their opt out button. (You know that little thing you have to scroll all the way down to find then squint your eyes to see) Being a little OCD, and wanting to keep my inbox clean, I’ve clicked this button many times over the years. Usually a message will pop up asking if you’re sure that you no long want to receive emails from this company. You click okay and you’re done.

NOT THIS TIME… When I clicked that I no longer wanted to receive emails a picture of a lonely looking man came on my screen. It said this is Derrick, he’s the one who thought you would enjoy receiving these emails. Would you like to punish him? Being the sweet kindhearted person I am, I pressed the yes button. A short video started to play. A man, presumably Derrick’s boss, comes out of his office and proceeds to chew Derrick out. The boss then throws a cup of something; I like to think steaming coffee, on him.

The scene closes by saying now don’t you think that was a little harsh? If you’d like to make this up to Derrick you can choose to continue receiving our emails.

ROFL Don’t you just love creative people!!!!! I have to admit it sort of made me want to sign back up so I could opt out again.

Cat gets caught barking by a human and resumes meowing

2011-06-24T02:34:00.000-07:00

NEW NEWS

2011-06-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

My second book has a new title. And it is...
On Haunted Ground
What do you guys think?

IT'S OFFICIAL

2011-06-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

As an author, there aren’t many things that compare to the feeling of knowing that one of your books is going to be published--But finding out that two of your books are going to be published is pretty sweet too.

WOOHOO IT’S TRUE!!!!!! Two of my books will be published in 2012.

By now, most of you know that my YA novel, Angelina’s Secret, is scheduled to come out through Spencer-Hill Press February of 2012.

But, ***drum roll please*** most of you didn’t know that my adult, non-fiction book, tentatively titled Our ParaNormal Lives, will be published through Llewellyn Publications. Its projected release date is August 2012.

I. Am. Pumped. And a wee bit tired J

An Author's Life

2011-06-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

I used to daydream what it must be like to be an author. Ahhh what a life! I imagined that most authors probably lounged around in their pajamas until noon. Then they probably took their iced tea, with a twist of lemon, to the porch and gazed out over their beautiful gardens until just the perfect word came to them. When the right word did come, they’d meander back into the house and let their fingers fly across their keyboards, much like a musician might play the piano.

In the real world

Getting my first publishing contract was without a doubt one of the most exciting things that had ever happened to me. I had worked so long and so hard for this that when I got “the call” it was everything I could do just not to sob my heartfelt gratitude into the phone. It had finally happened! I was going to be a published author.
As far as my daydreams about an author’s life… Well, I must admit I do sometimes stay in my pajamas until noon. It isn’t however because I’m lounging, it’s because I simply haven’t had the time to get dressed. The part about the iced tea on the porch—um—no. The only time I even see my porch is when I notice we are completely out of food and I make a mad dash to the car. It is then that I sometimes notice my gardens, you know, the ones that are now overtaken by weeds.
As far as finding the perfect word... well...that might work in song lyrics or poetry but do you have any idea just how many words are in a novel? Don’t get me wrong, I do try to find the best word imaginable but generally, I start with having an idea for a scene, which I must get down on paper before it leaves my tired little brain never to return. Instead of my fingers flying across the keyboard, I peck out a sentence or two with one hand while I’m holding my adorable 10 week old grandson with the other. It is later, usually around midnight, when I take the idea and break it down into finding the right words for what I want to convey.
Even though things aren’t quite what I had envisioned, I must say I love being an author and I wouldn’t change a thing.

My Recent Getaway

2011-06-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Isn’t it amazing how a vacation can simply wear you out? I returned home late Monday night from a much-needed getaway. As usual, I went to Eureka Springs Arkansas and stayed at the magnificent Crescent Hotel—and yes I have a ghost story to tell.
My husband and I were to meet some friends for lunch but as lunch dates sometimes go, we ended up extending it to include several outings. Long story short our “lunch” took up most of the day. Not getting into bed until very late the night before, we decided to take a 30-minute nap. I had just gone to sleep when I heard what sounded like my husband emptying his pockets on the nightstand. I rolled over to ~~yell at him~~ nicely ask him to be quiet. To my surprise, he was sleeping next to me. Typically, I would have grabbed my camera but I was truly exhausted so I went back to sleep.
After the alarm went off, I told my husband about the noise. He smiled and said, “I heard it too but I heard it twice.” He then went over to the closet and rattled the hangers. The hangers made the exact noise we had both heard. Being “professionals” at this sort of thing, we looked for a logical explanation. There were no vents in the closet or anything else we could find that would make that sound. Except perhaps, an unseen resident, telling us we shouldn’t waste such a beautiful day sleeping.
I did take a lot of pictures of the hotel but as of yet I haven’t had time to look through them to see if I captured anything out of the ordinary. If I did, which isn’t unusual at the Crescent, I will try to post them here later

VIOLENT Dibble/Washington/Goldsby Tornado! May 24, 2011

2011-05-26T03:18:00.000-07:00

So, living in Dibble, this is how I spent my Tuesday evening. What did you guys do?

Interview with Cathy Nance

2011-05-24T04:38:00.000-07:00

INTERVIEW WITH PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR

CATHY NANCE　

When did you first become interested in the paranormal?
I would have to say that my interest has always been there because I had many experiences through my life. I needed answers as to what it was and why the minute that it began.
Have you always believed in ghosts?
I have always believed in ghosts because I always saw them or had experiences with them.
How long have you worked as an investigator?
I have been investigating on and off my whole life. I became really serious when I joined a team in 2008. We were going out every week and sometimes up to 4 times per week.
Do you get more calls from homeowners or business owners requesting investigations?
We get more calls from homeowners.
What percentage of the places you’ve investigated seems to have paranormal activity?
Half of the locations have things we can’t explain. Of those locations we look really hard at the evidence before we say a location is haunted. We do not say a location is haunted or has paranormal activity just because we have some things happen we cannot explain.
Not asking for names or locations, but can you tell us about one of your most memorable investigations?
One of my most memorable locations was in south Oklahoma. The location had an evil attached to it that you could feel as soon as we went in. One of our members fell down and was muttering things that could not have been her own voice. We began to ask the entity to leave her. We captured the whole event on film. It was scary to be there. I was going up the stairs by myself and something came up behind me and was breathing on my neck but there was nothing there.

Considering all the available tools to paranormal investigators, which one or ones have, you personally had the best luck with?
I love my camera and my audio recorder, I take hundreds of pictures when we go out. 99% of the time there is nothing unexplainable in the photos. I have captured some pictures that are fantastic though! I also love evps. Especially when they are communicating with you by answering a question or remarking on what you are doing.
Which ones have produced the least results?
I have no problem with any equipment. I believe it all has its place on an investigation. “Feelings” are something very hard to prove so of everything we use “impressions” would have the least impact.
Certain places such as cemeteries, old hospitals, light houses, etc have the reputation of being haunted. In your opinion, is there any validity to this?
Yes there is validity. I believe that as we move through life sometimes whatever we are doing or saying can become recorded to the environment and can be replayed over and over. I also know that I have encountered intelligent spirits before within these types of locations,
Even though my debut novel, Angelina’s Secret, is a work fiction, the story eludes to the fact that children are more sensitive to the presence of ghosts. Have you found that to be true?
Yes children are more sensitive. Animals are also more sensitive. Specifically children are fresh from the other side and so they retain some essence of it. Many children have invisible friends until they are around the age of 3. Somehow 3 is a significant age for abilities to see. There are also children who continue with this until the age of 7. This is another significant time in which most people loose whatever abilities they had. A very small percentage of people retain the ability. These people we refer to as psychics or gifted.
Do you have any other stories you’d like to share?
As a nurse once I was working the skilled unit in a facility. I was passing medications that day. I was almost at the end of my med pass and only had 3 more rooms left to go into. As a charge nurse I had keys to the facility which I carried around my neck. These keys were numerous and heavy. I knew some keys by heart from using them constantly. Other keys were almost never used. If I had to find a key it may take me awhile to do so. One of these keys was to the alarm system. If the system was tripped I would have to run to the alarm and look for the key to turn it off by trying each one until I found the one. I did not like to do this because it hurt my ears and bothered everyone. It always took way too long for me to find the right one too. So on this day I was almost done with my pass and I was at the moment pulling meds for a patient. I saw out of the corner of my eye a woman coming down the hall. She was young with long blond wavy hair and was wearing a long beige coat. It was Saturday and a normal day for visitors so I was going to make note of where she was going. She passed right behind me in full stride going down the hall. I turned to tell her not to go out the end of the hall which had an alarm which would trip. She disappeared! Boom nothing there! I thought wow where did she go. I had to put the medications back into my cart and lock it up quickly. I then proceeded down the hall into the few rooms left to look for her. She was nowhere to be found. This is an example of a typical experience for me. It is also a perfect example of a hospital and how activity can happen anywhere

Meet Society Of The Haunted

2011-05-23T03:32:00.000-07:00

A year or so ago I had the pleasure of meeting a group of very interesting people. Like most of us, they all have "day" jobs. It's what they did after hours that I found intriguing. They were and are paranormal investigators. After working all week at their regular jobs, they spend their down time looking for ghosts.

Upon meeting them, it only took a few minutes to realize that these people love what they do and they take this job very seriously. They call themselves Society of the Haunted and they have 25 years combined experience in researching, educating, and investigating the paranormal. Many of the members have been featured on Animal Planet’s The Haunted. Cathy Nance, a friend of mine, is the case manager and you can get to know more about her and the group here. http://www.societyofthehaunted.com/ Go ahead and check them out. I'll be posting an interview I did with Cathy tomorrow.

Are you terrifically innovative???

2011-05-20T04:27:00.000-07:00

These are awesome. Let's see how terrifically innovative you are. If you can come up with some on your own please post them in the comments section.

From the Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational where they asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year’s winners. Each is an artificial word with only one letter altered to form a real word. Some are terrifically innovative.

1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people, that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The Bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

4. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

5. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

6. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.

7. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

8. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

9. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

10. Karmageddon: It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

11. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

12. Glibido: All talk and no action.

13. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

14. Arachnoleptic Fit ( n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.

15. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

16. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.

And the pick of the lot:

17. Ignoranus: A person who’s both stupid and an a**hole.

Life is full of...Blessings

2011-05-17T03:53:00.000-07:00

If you've noticed that my blog isn't being updated as frequently as it once was, I apologize. The little thing that we refer to as life marched right into my house last week and bopped me on the head. The good news is, all of these things are wonderful blessings.
Sometimes, even blessings can cause a disruption in the flow of our schedules and that is exactly what is happening to me. The first and biggest blessing to greet me last week was my 6-week-old grandson. His mommy, my daughter, had to return to work, so now little Joey spends his days with me. A blessing? Most definitely! Exhausting? Oh yeah!
After having Joey in my care for only two days, I received my MS of Angelina's Secret back from my awesome editor at Spencer-Hill. Ahhh how I've waited for this. I've longed to dig back into this manuscript and really make this book shine. Another step closer to seeing a lifetime dream come true.
Trying to schedule myself, (I'm big on that,) on exactly how to care for a newborn and dedicate the needed time to edit my MS I get an email from my agent. He notified me that a book I've been trying to get published for several years now is getting some serious attention from a publisher. This book is non-fiction and WOW it's going to requires a lot of additional work I never considered. I need to get model releases, artist releases, property releases, etc on things from years ago. This is going to take some serious time, which at the moment I seemed to have lost all sight of.
I will continue to try to post updates, little ghosts tid bits, and of course, things for fun--I just won't be doing it as often.

Extreme Counseling

2011-05-13T03:29:00.000-07:00

This one is just too funny to not share.

And the Winner is....

2011-05-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Rachel Quatrone, Gypsywolf, and Mindy Fangedmom. You are the winners of an autographed rack card for Angelina's Secret. Please email me at lisajrogers@aol.com with your name and mailing address. Thanks for entering!!!

My Childhood Imaginary Friend Turned Out To Be A Ghost

2011-05-10T03:06:00.000-07:00

The winners for the rack card giveaway will be chosen early Wed. morning. If you entered, be sure to check back. If you haven't entered, you still have today to comment under the giveaway section..

Cruising the internet a few weeks back I stumbled on an awesome website http://www.trueghosttales.com
As I was reading a few of their ghost stories I found one that really piqued my interest because it dealt with an imaginary friend who turned out to be a ghost. "Hmmm," I thought. Even though this story is very different from Angelina's Secret, I REALLY wanted to share it on my blog. Unfortunately, at the bottom of the page it said that no part of the story could be used without permission. After sulking for a few minutes I decided to write to the nice people at true ghost tales and ask for permission--which they granted. So yay, no more sulking. I hope you enjoy...

My Childhood Imaginary Friend Turned Out to be a Ghost

Well this is my story and I haven't told many people about it because it is 
not like any ghost story that I have ever heard, none of these stories ever 
even come close which makes me wonder what happened when I was small.

I was 3 years old at the time and we had moved into a new house, one that 
one family lives in the first floor and another family lives in the second. 
My room was in the corner of the house and it had a small walk in type 
closet that I loved to play in.

When we moved into this house I noticed a little girl living there, at the 
time me being 3 I thought she was a real little girl. She was clearly 
visible, not see through or a shadow. She looked just like me but with 
bright blue eyes, a pink dress and blonde hair.

I started to talk to the little girl and she told me her name was Sally, and 
that her parents had moved to North Dakota and left her here. I was only a 
child and didn't think anything of it so I told her that we would be best 
friends until her parents came to get her. I told my mom and dad about Sally 
and they brushed it off as she was a typical "imaginary" friend that most 
children have.

Sally and I got very close, she would tell me how she liked the color pink 
and summer time, Sally and I would play all the time and I could touch her, 
hear her, everything. We would hold hands all the time when we were in the 
grocery store and going to the park. My mom and dad started to get concerned 
because my mom would have to cook Sally a meal as well and to me I would see 
her eating and she would finish her meal as I would and we would return to 
play, but to my mother the food went untouched.

On Easter that year she only bought me an Easter basket and I demanded that 
sally gets one as well. So my mother went out and got her one and then hid 
both of them for us to find. One day I came into my room and smelled smoke, 
I ran to the closet and I saw sally laying on the floor with flames around 
her. I started to cry and I ran to my mom and dad and screamed there was a 
fire in my closet and sally was going to die. My mom and dad rushed to the 
closet and they found nothing, no fire, no Sally. But I could feel the heat 
of the flames and I was screaming in my mothers arms to save her. My mom 
took me into her room until I fell asleep.

My mother was very good friends with the land lord downstairs and they would 
talk often when seeing each other, so the next day my mom talked to the lady 
down stairs and out of curiosity she asked about the previous owners. The 
woman asked my mom why she wanted to know so badly and my mom replied she 
was just curious. The woman told my mom that the family that lived here 
previously had one daughter and one day there was an electrical fire in the 
closet off of the second bedroom and she died.

My mother being extremely frightened asked what her name was and where the 
parents had moved, the landlord seeming skeptical said the little girl's 
name was Sally and she was 4, after her death the parents moved to North 
Dakota to live with the wife's mother.

My mother came back up stairs and started to pack. We moved out that night 
to a house outside of Winnipeg on Henderson Highway. It was a very large 
house and when we got there Sally was sitting on the stairs going up to the 
bedrooms and I was happy to see her and that she didn't die. I told my 
parents that Sally was alive and she was here, and that she had moved with 
us. My mother already having dealt with a lot of stress and shock just gave 
up and she accepted Sally.

Then a few weeks later Sally was gone, and never heard from again. But she 
was my "imaginary" friend for over a year and I had full contact with her at 
all times. My parents refuse to tell me where the house we used to live in 
is because they know I will go back to see if anything happens.

Contributed by Carmella and Copyright © 2007 - 2011 TrueGhostTales.com ( 
http://www.trueghosttales.com/stories/sallys-ghost.php and 
http://www.trueghosttales.com/imaginary-friends.php ) all rights reserved 
and used here with express permission.

In Honor Of Mother's Day

2011-05-06T03:50:00.000-07:00

Keeping with the Friday Fun e-mail, I just couldn't pass this one up.

(Answers given by elementary school children)

Why did God make mothers? She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

How did God make mothers? Magic plus super powers and a lot of string.

What ingredients are mothers made of? God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom? We're related.

What kind of little girl was your mom? I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad? My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house? Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goof ball.

What's the difference between moms and dads? Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

What does your mom do in her spare time? To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mother perfect? Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be? She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.

Don't forget to comment under the section GIVEAWAY for your chance to win an autographed rack card of Angelina's Secret!!!
go here http://talkingaboutghost.blogspot.com/2011/05/giveaway.html

Bell Witch Cave

2011-05-05T03:49:00.000-07:00

Continuing with the haunted vacation theme, if you know of a good place or have previously visited one that I mention on the blog please let me know. Today I'm looking at the well known Bell Witch Cave located in Adams TN. This place sounds awesome! You can tour the historic Cave,visit the Bell Cabin, or canoe the Red River.
An American Haunting
No supernatural story in American history is more famous than that of the Bell Witch. In fact, tales of the spirit were so widespread that they caught the attention of a General and future President, Andrew Jackson.

To view the official site of the Bell Witch Cave go here http://bellwitchcave.com./

Winchester Mansion

2011-05-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

Most people plan their vacations around something they want to see or do. They might even just be looking for a quiet place to relax and unwind. Where vacations are concerned, the possibilities are endless. As they say, we all march to the beat of a different drum. When my husband and I plan a vacation we are typically drawn to places that are rumored to be haunted. If your drummer shares my fascination of the unknown, you’re sure to like the next several post. With vacation season approaching, I thought it would be fun to explore some of the better known “haunted places.”

Today let's look at the famous Winchester mansion. Below you'll find an excerpt from their website to whet your appetite.

Mansion Tour
Tour through 110 of the 160 rooms and look for the bizarre phenomena that gave the mansion its name; a window built into the floor, staircases leading to nowhere, a chimney that rises four floors, doors that open onto blank walls, and upside down posts! No one has been able to explain the mysteries that exist within the Winchester Mansion, or why Sarah Winchester kept the carpenters' hammers pounding 24 hours a day for 38 years. It is believed that after the untimely deaths of her baby daughter and husband, son of the Winchester Rifle manufacturer, Mrs. Winchester was convinced by a medium that continuous building would appease the evil spirits of those killed by the famous "Gun that Won the West" and help her attain eternal life. Certainly her $20,000,000 inheritance was sufficient to support her obsession until her death at 82!

To see more go here http://winchestermysteryhouse.com/ take your time to look around its pretty cool!!!
Before you go check it out, don't forget to go to yesterdays post, GIVEAWAY, and comment to enter for an autographed rack card.

GIVEAWAY

2011-05-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

Look what came in the mail!!!!!!!!!! Rack Cards for my debut novel, Angelina's Secret.

Even though I thought about keeping them all to myself so I could hug them, and look at them, and love them, I've decided to give a few of them away. If you want one, all you need to do is sign up to "Haunt This Page"
and comment under this section between the dates of May 3, 2011 and May 10, 2011.
If you're viewing this from a different feed be sure and go to my official blog
http://talkingaboutghost.blogspot.com/ to enter.

On May 11, random.org will choose, **drum roll please** not one, not two, but three winners who will receive an autographed rack card for their very own. The winners will be announced on the blog and they will have 48 hours to contact me with their mailing address. This contest is open to US residents only.

There's no Their They're -- Fun With Homonyms

2011-05-02T03:51:00.000-07:00

Monday, Monday why must you come and ruin a perfectly good weekend? **sigh** Ah well, we can at least be productive and learn something. After reading, "My Spell Checker" look at the rest of this article over homonyms.
http://www99.epinions.com/content_3048579204
MY SPELL CHECKER

I have a gnu spell checker; it came with my pea see.
It plane lee marks four my review miss steaks aye dew knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it, yore shore reel glad to no;
Its very polished in it’s weigh. My checker tolled me sew.

Each frays come posed up on my screen eye trust to be a joule.
The checker pores or every word to cheque sum spelling rule...

Friday Fun e-mails

2011-04-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

It's FRIDAY!!!!! In honor of the most anticipated day of the week let's have a little fun. This has to be one of my all time favorite e-mails. Most of you have probably gotten this several times but it's always worth reading again. Is it just me or can the rest of you see MOST of the men in your family doing this?

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Julie.. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse- sized tazer. The effects of the tazer were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety.....??

WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button and pressed it agains t a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. AWESOME!!!

Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave. Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-A batteries, right? There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and tazer in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries. All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumfer ence; pretty cute really and (loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-A batteries) thinking to myself, 'no possible way!' What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.. .?

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, 'don't do it dipstick,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and . .

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD . . WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION . .

WHAT THE H+LL!!!

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs? The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.

Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a tazer, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor.. A three second burst would be considered conservative?

IT HURT LIKE H+LL!!!

A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling.

Apparently I pooped on myself, but was too numb to know for sure and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head which I believe came from my hair. I'm still looking for my n+ts and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return!

P.S. My wife, can't stop laughing about my experience, loved the gift, and now regularly threatens me with it!
If you think education is difficult, try being stupid !!!

Ghosts in the White House--Yeah, that White House

2011-04-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite things combined, YIPPEE history and ghosts doesn't get much better than that.

The most famous address in America--1600 Pennsylvania Avenue--is also perhaps the country's most famous haunted house. Presidents, first ladies, White House staff members and guests have reported feeling ghostly presences, hearing unexplained noises and even running into actual apparitions--even on the way out of the bathtub, in one particularly famous case.
click here for the rest of the story http://www.history.com/topics/ghosts-in-the-white-house

Ghosts in the news

2011-04-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

So many times when we hear the word ghosts we tend to think of fictional stories told around the campfire. Have you ever stopped to wonder if just maybe there may be something behind the stories or legends of ghosts? If so you're not alone. according to a gallop pole taken in 2005 one third of Americans believe in ghosts.

I'd like to take at a look at some stories that may have some validity to them. If you know of a ghost story that has made it to the news or somewhere outside of the campfire please send me a link. To get us started take a look at this one.

Ghostbusters called in and ride moved at Thorpe Park over ghost sightings

view complete article here. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23920888-ghostbusters-called-in-and-ride-moved-at-thorpe-park-over-ghost-sightings.do

Back To The Basics

2011-04-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

If your *cough* you're like me, you find yourself struggling with all those little grammar rules you once supposedly learned in school. When I was writing Angelina's Secret my daughter, Keshia, proofread my manuscript and caught many of my mistakes. Realizing most people may not have their own genius daughter to rely on, I've searched the Internet looking for articles to help other writers remember some of these beastly little rules. I found this one very helpful.
Know the difference between to, too and two

TO

To offers writers two uses, as follows:

1. To as a preposition: To is one of the most often used prepositions to introduce a prepositional phrase, which indicate location and condition, among others.
For example: to the store, to another city, to the boats.
Punctuation: No commas are used with this To.

You can view the complete article here.
http://writemindset.com

Know the difference between to, too and two

Just For Fun

2011-04-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

I received this email and thought I'd share the laughs!!!

SOME OLD SOME NEW

You can’t make this stuff up! Make sure you read all the way to the end.

     NEW YORK   - resident Kathy Evans brought humiliation to her friends and family
when she set a new standard for stupidity with her appearance
on the popular TV show, 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.'

Evans, a 32-year-old wife and mother of two, got stuck on the first question
and proceeded to make what fans of the show are dubbing 'the absolute worst use
of lifelines ever.' After being introduced to the show's host
Meredith Vieira, Evans was posed with a typically easy initial $100 question.
   The question was: 'Which of the following is the largest?'
   A) A Peanut
B) An Elephant
C) The Moon
D) Hey, who you calling large?
   Immediately Mrs. Evans was struck with an all consuming panic as she did not
readily know the answer. 'Hmm, oh boy, that's a toughie,' said Evans,
as Vieira did her level best to hide her disbelief.
'I mean, I'm sure I've heard of some of these things before,
but I have no idea how large they would be.'
   Evans made the decision to use the first of her three lifelines, the 50/50.
Answers A and D were removed, leaving her to decide which was
bigger, an elephant or the moon. However, faced with an incredibly
easy question, Evans still remained unsure.
   'Oh! It removed the two I was leaning towards!' exclaimed Evans...
'Darn. I think I better phone a friend.'
Mrs. Evans asked to be connected with her friend
Betsy, who is an office assistant.
   'Hi Betsy! How are you? This is Kathy! I'm on TV!' said Evans,
wasting the first seven seconds of her call.
'Ok, I got an important question. Which of the following is the largest?
B, an elephant, or C, the moon. 15 seconds hun.'
Betsy quickly replied that the answer was C, the moon.
Evans proceeded to argue with her friend for the remaining ten seconds.
'Betsy, are you sure?' said Evans. 'How sure are you? Duh, that can't be it.'
   To everyone's astonishment, the moronic Evans declined to take her friend's
advice. 'I just don't know if I can trust Betsy. She's not all that bright.
So I think I'd like to ask the audience,' said Evans.
   Asked to vote on the correct answer, the audience returned 98% in favor of
answer C, 'The Moon.' Having used up all her lifelines,
Evans then made the dumbest choice of her life.
'Wow, seems like everybody is against what I'm thinking,' said the
too-stupid-to-live Evans. 'But you know, sometimes you just got to go with
your gut. So, let's see... I'm going to have to go with B, an elephant. Final answer.'
  Evans sat before the dumbfounded audience, the only one waiting with bated breath -

and was told that she was wrong, and that the answer was in fact, C, 'The Moon..'

Caution...they walk among us!---------------------This one is equally unbelievable.. (No comments needed!)

They Walk Among Us!----------------------------
Some guy bought a new fridge for his house.
To get rid of his old fridge, he put it in his front yard and hung a
sign on it saying: 'Free to good home. You want it, you take it.'
For three days the fridge sat there without anyone looking twice.
He eventually decided that people were too mistrustful of this deal.
So he changed the sign to read: 'Fridge for sale $50.'

The next day someone stole it!
They walk amongst us!-------------------------------------  I stopped at Mc Donald’s and ordered some fries.  The girl behind the counter said “would you like some fries with that?”
--------------------------
*One day I was walking down the beach with
some friends when someone shouted.....
'Look at that dead bird!'
Someone looked up at the sky and said...'where?'
They walk among us!

----------------------------------------------------------
While looking at a house, my brother asked the
estate agent which direction was north because
he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning.
She asked, 'Does the sun rise in the north?'
My brother explained that the sun rises in the east
and has for sometime. She shook her head and said,
'Oh, I don't keep up with all that stuff......'
They Walk Among Us!--------------------------------------------
My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria,
when we overheard an admin girl talking about the
sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the beach.
She drove down in a convertible, but said
she 'didn't think she'd get sunburned
because the car was moving'.
They Walk Among Us!------------------------------------
My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car
which is designed to cut through a seat belt
if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the car trunk.

They Walk Among Us!
-------------------------------------------------

I was going out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain.
My friend said, 'Ouch! The chain must rip
out every time she turns her head!"
I had to explain that a person's nose and ear
remain the same distance apart no
matter which way the head is turned...
They Walk Among Us !-------------------------------I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area and went to the lost luggage office and reported the loss.
The woman there smiled and told me not to worry
because she was a trained professional and
said I was in good hands. 'Now,' she asked me,
'Has your plane arrived yet?'...
(I work with professionals like this.)
They Walk Among Us!------------------------------------------------ While working at a pizza parlor I observed a man
ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut
into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time
then said 'Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry
enough to eat 6 pieces.
They Walk Among Us!
And last, but not least:
Dumb as a box of RocksA VERY GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE KIND OF REPRESENTATION WE HAVE IN CONGRESS,TRUE STORY:
A noted psychiatrist was a guest speaker at an academic function where Nancy Pelosi happened to appear. Ms Pelosi took the opportunity to schmooze the good doctor a bit and asked him a question with which he was most at ease.

'Would you mind telling me, Doctor,' she asked, 'how you detect a mental deficiency in somebody who appears completely normal?'

'Nothing is easier,' he replied. 'You ask a simple question which anyone should answer with no trouble. If the person hesitates, that puts you on the track..'

'What sort of question?' asked Pelosi.

Well, you might ask, 'Captain Cook made three trips around the world and died during one of them. Which one?''

Pelosi thought a moment, and then said with a nervous laugh, 'You wouldn't happen to have another example would you? I must confess I don't know much about history.'

Sadly, not only do they walk among us, they vote and their vote equals ours and they also reproduce!

Traffic Camera

A man was driving when he saw the flash of a traffic camera. He figured that his picture had been taken for exceeding the limit, even though he knew that he was not speeding... Just to be sure, he went around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed. Now he began to think that this was quite funny, so he drove even slower as he passed the area again, but the traffic camera again flashed. He tried a fourth time with the same result. He did this a fifth time and was now laughing when the camera flashed as he rolled past, this time at a snail's pace... Two weeks later, he got five tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt..

You can't fix stupid.

My Turn...

2011-04-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Since I asked you to share your ghostly encounters, I’ve gotten several emails with request for me to share some of mine. So, I guess it’s my turn.

As I mentioned in the last post, I love staying at the Crescent Hotel. The first time I actually stayed there was for my 20^th wedding anniversary. Since 20 years is kind of a big deal, we decided to go all out and booked the honeymoon suite. After the six hour drive to get there, we checked in and decided to take a nap before going into town. After getting up, we changed clothes and left the hotel to do some sightseeing. Returning a couple of hours later, we found our bed had been made and our clothes were put up. The room was not only clean, but it smelled of lilacs. I thought this was a little strange because I’d never stayed in a hotel that cleaned your room just hours after you checked in. Knowing the hotel was supposed to be haunted I suspected we might be experiencing something paranormal. At that time my husband did not believe in ghosts so he was convinced “someone was messing with us.”

The next day we were visiting with a staff member and asked them if it was customary for the room to be cleaned after only being there for a few hours. The man smiled and said the hotel staff only cleaned the rooms in the mornings but that sometimes the “out of body residents” took it upon themselves to tidy up the rooms.

My husband, the skeptic wasn't buying any of it. He loved the Victorian charm of the hotel and was in awe over the town—but ghosts—no—that was impossible. He did however have a hard time explaining how our room would suddenly fill with the fragrance of lilacs and then quickly dissipate throughout our stay.

Ghost Hunters Crescent Hotel

2011-04-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows there’s no place I’d rather be than sitting out on the veranda at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs Arkansas. I have spent countless nights there. I simply can’t get enough of the hotels Victorian charm and of course its ghosts. Some of you may have seen this footage before when it aired on Ghost Hunters but it’s worth watching again.