I'm blogging
with Delilah Devlin today about my most recent release, COMES A SPECTER, Book 2, Ghostland Series. I'm also giving away luxurious, specialty bars of bath soap (from Keta's favorite soap vendors)
If you'd like "IN" on the contest, go to DELILAH'S BLOG and follow the simple, easy-peasy instructions (sign up for my NEWSLETTER and leave a comment on Delilah's blog).
Here's the identical post that appears on Delilah's Blog:
* * *
First, thank
you so much, Delilah, for hosting me on your blog. Much appreciated.
Since it's
Halloween month, I want to talk to you about ghosts and the five haunted cities
you should put on your Bucket List ("Things To Do Before I Leave This
Earth").
Not long
ago, I was browsing through my back list of books and came to a surprising
realization—many of my books have ghosts between the pages. The translucent
spirit is usually a secondary character (at least so far – lol). I had to ask
myself two questions: 1) Why do I gravitate toward writing about dead people…
er, I mean those who have crossed over and, 2) Does it have anything to do with
seeing them as a child? Yes, you read that right—I started seeing ghosts about
the time I turned three years old.
My wonderful
Mom, now 91 years young, will vouch for me. She remembers those days with
excellent recall. Every night, I insisted there were little people sitting on
the coving near the ceiling of our very old home. I remember being frustrated
that she couldn't see them like I could.
I still
don't know if that's why I write about them but it's an interesting theory, isn’t
it?
Anyway, back
to the haunted cities. If there's any way you can get to these ghost-sighting
places, you should really check them out. You won't be disappointed.
1) Savannah, Georgia
It’s believed that Savannah was built on American Indian burial
grounds, which goes hand-in-hand with hauntings. It was also the site of
Revolutionary and Civil War battles and yellow fever outbreaks. Best-selling
novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil boosted the city's spookier side,
putting such locales such as Bonaventure Cemetery on the national radar.
Or go the DIY route and take your pick of haunted restaurants,
like The Pirate’s House or The Olde Pink House. If you’re brave enough, spend
the night at a haunted hotel: Room 204 at the 1790 Inn & Restaurant is
reportedly visited by a ghost named Anne. She can be heard crying after turning
off the lights. The Marshall House was once used as a hospital during the Civil
War and yellow fever outbreaks, and tales abound, from ghost children who bite
to soldiers carrying severed limbs. Other majorly haunted sites include Moon
River Brewing Company, which was the city’s first hotel in 1821, and featured
in an episode of Ghost Adventures.
2) Washington, D.C.
The White House, The National Theatre and Hay-Adams Hotel are
among the city’s haunted hot spots. Get the lowdown on its seedy past with
Washington DC Ghost Tours, Scary DC or Washington Walks. However, The U.S.
Capitol Building, which was built in the mid-1800s, is filled with specters,
from construction workers to politicians (John Quincy Adams actually died
there). In fact, there’s even a “demon cat” that appears right before national
tragedies.
Historical hauntings also happen at The Octagon House. Dolley
Madison, wife of president James Madison, lived there for a spell, and loved
throwing parties; she’s sometimes seen in her party frock. Less happy
occurrences in the mansion’s past include rumored murders and unexplained
deaths. If you take a self-guided tour of the now museum, don’t be alarmed to
feel cold spots on the staircase or hear knocking inside the walls.
3) Chicago
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 lasted two days and killed at least
300 people. However, even worse was the 1903 fire at the much-touted fireproof
Iroquois Theater, which killed more than 600 people at an afternoon
performance. In fact, the alley behind it has been nicknamed “Death Alley,”
after those who jumped to their death to escape the fire. It’s also where
recovered bodies were temporarily placed. The Oriental Theater (pictured) now
resides on the spot, and people have seen ghosts in period dress, heard screams
and smelled smoke.
Try your luck by booking a room at the Congress Plaza Hotel, said
to be overflowing with ghosts. Room 441 is believed to be among the most
haunted, with a woman that shakes the bed, shadowy figures and projectile
objects. Even scarier, there’s a sealed shut room with no doorknob on the 12th
floor. You probably wouldn’t want to spend the night there anyway. Weird
Chicago Tours and Chicago Hauntings cover more haunted spots around the city.
4) San Francisco, CA
The lawless gold rush period and the 1906 earthquake, which
triggered a fire that killed at least 3,000 people, likely contributed to San
Francisco’s haunted present. However, Alcatraz Island is also notoriously
haunted. Tales of death, murder and insanity surround the prison that once held
mobster Al Capone. You can visit at night for the chance to experience cold
spots, whispering in empty cells and sounds of slamming doors. Learn about
other haunted sites, from the USS Hornet to Chinatown, with San Francisco Ghost
Hunt Walking Tour, Haunted Haight Walking Tour or SF Chinatown Ghost Tours.
Although about an hour from the city, it’s worth detouring to
visit the Winchester Mystery House, whose history is just as fascinating as its
hauntings. Long story short, a medium advised Mrs. Winchester to never stop
building a house in order to prevent ghosts from haunting her. Mr. Winchester
took this to heart, and after 38 years of endless construction, the result was
160 rooms with baffling architecture, from doors that open into walls to
staircases that don’t lead anywhere. Ironically, despite her efforts,
Winchester is most certainly haunted; take a candlelight tour in October and
watch out for lights turning on or Mrs. Winchester herself calling your name.
5) Portland, Oregon
At one point, Portland was considered one of the most dangerous
port cities in the world thanks to prostitution, gangs, opium dens and gambling
rings. One of the most persistent stories from this era is about the Shanghai
Tunnels, which are underground tunnels that connected hotel and bar basements
to the docks. Originally intended to transport goods from the waterfront,
they're rumored to be where hired hands in the 19th century would kidnap, or
“shanghai” men to work as slaves on ships bound for Asia. Victims would be
dropped into the tunnel via trapdoors found in bars and imprisoned in cells
until their ship set sail. Some ghost tours such as Beyond Bizarre Ghost Tour,
Haunted Pub Tour, Hawthorne Ghost Tour and Shanghai Tunnels/Portland
Underground Tours start at Hobo’s Restaurant, where there’s a basement entrance
to the tunnels. Besides hearing screaming and crying, people report seeing
Nina, a prostitute who met an untimely end at the bottom of an elevator shaft
of what’s now Old Town Pizza.
Happy Ghost Hunting!
I'd like to share an excerpt from my most recent book Comes A Specter, Book 2, Ghostland Series.
Several reviewers said the ghost scared the bejeebers out of them (although
they loved the book).
Setup: Sutter
(known as the shaman Yellow Smoke) confronts the ghost, Ten Wounds.
Excerpt:
A haze of gray
mist swirled around the spirit's form, his human form. If the situation
weren't so serious, Sutter could have shouted with joy. He took in the ghost's
visage. A quiver hung from his shoulder, stocked with sharp, pointed arrows—a
sign he'd transformed into the fierce warrior who once walked the earth.
Steeped in blood (no doubt from his recent kills), his clothing hung in tatters
around his massive frame—a vest made of animal hides, a breechcloth and fringed
leggings. Sutter's gaze traveled to his painted, pock-marked face. Yellow and
white stripes marked his forehead and chin, and black circles blended into his
dark eyes. For a brief second, Sutter's insides quivered and ropes of tension
knotted every cord and fiber of his body.
Bleary, unearthly eyes speared Sutter when the
wraith raised a hand of claw-like fingers and pointed at his enemy’s chest. The
wind, much like the sound of a thousand women wailing, keened into the
deafening silence. Fire exploded from the ghost's eyes—flames the fires of Hell
couldn't compete with.
Sutter shouted
over the infernal noise and flames. "You are not welcome here! Hear my
words, you are dead!"
Like a misty
cloud of energy, Ten Wounds lurched forward, a staccato rhythm of hisses and
howls spewing from his foam-drooling mouth. Sutter had never imagined such a
demonic apparition.
* * *
Contest! Contest!
To qualify to win a luxurious, specialty bar
of soap (from Keta's favorite vendors) sign up for my Newsletter HERE and leave your email address in the comment section below. Two
winners will be selected and the soaps mailed out several days after this post.
Thanks so
much for visiting Delilah's blog and reading about Comes A Specter, Book 2,
in my Ghostland Series (Comes an Outlaw, Book 1 available HERE.)
