Tag Archives: Disquieting Visions

by | February 12, 2011 · 8:46 pm

Paranormally Speaking

By Tina R. McSwain

Intelligent Haunts

Whereas last week we talked about residual haunts which are basically a past memory replayed in the present, an intelligent haunt involves the presence of a spirit. Thus, they are responsible for actual haunted houses. Said spirit may manifest itself in any number of ways. This type of haunting usually has a “personality” associated with it. Just as some living people are jovial, and some are crass; some spirits may be malevolent while others are mischievous and playful. A child’s ghost for example, would act like a child. You may hear childlike laughter or giggling, hear the pitter-patter of little feet, or a living child’s toys may get played with or moved about the room.

The “ghost” may only appear to one member of the household or may put on a show for the entire family. The family pets may react to this unseen force as well. Sometimes the entity simply wants to make its presence known. Other times it may appear as if going about its daily routine while alive. This is a probable explanation for doors being opened and closed, cabinets being opened, drawers being pulled out seemingly by themselves, or items moving on their own. The spirit is still going about his or her business as if still living in the house, or working in the office. A spirit may also manifest in defiance of changes to the property. We hear all the time of remodeling projects bringing out the past inhabitants of the home.

Whatever the nature of this paranormal activity; this type of spirit is there for a reason. Many times the person died with unfinished business, or met an untimely demise. They could have died so suddenly that they are still coming to grips with their passing. They may not even realize they have passed. They could be lost, confused, or angry about having to “leave”. They may just flatly refuse to go, wishing instead to remain in the home they have lived in during life. On occasion, some people will “come back” to watch over their relatives or their property.

Intelligent haunts take many forms; EVP or voices, certain smells like cigar smoke or perfume, footsteps, hot or cold spots, apparitions, physical movement of objects, or even touching of the living is possible. How and where it most commonly manifests is important as to who it may be. Interviews with the family or other witnesses may prove useful in identifying the entity. Research on the property can also provide clues to the identity of the spirit as well as its motives for appearing.

Documenting the presence of a spirit is easier said than done. You may employ everything from EMF detectors and audio recorders to special cameras and “trigger objects” (something the ghost may recognize and want to move). While there are many ways to coax activity from the spirit, you must remember it is an intelligent force with a mind of its own. It may or may not want to come out and play or interact with you in the way you would like. Provoking is dangerous and absolutely not recommended. Provoking, daring or belittling the spirit can lead to retaliation and escalation of activity. Something a frightened family does not need.

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by | February 11, 2011 · 10:00 am

Freebie Friday – Debra Killeen

Debra Killen, our guest blogger this week has graciously shared the following FREE links to her books:

Link to excerpt from the prologue to forthcoming book:

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by | February 10, 2011 · 10:00 am

Here’s to reinvention!

by Gail Z. Martin

Postcards from Liminal Space—As I’m beginning to work on the new series (as yet unnamed, but don’t worry, readers here will be among the first to know), I realize that my characters are also traveling through the “between” places.  They’re grappling with questions like—who are you when everything has been stripped away?  If you lost everything, what would you try to rebuild, and what could you let go of?  When all the old markers of power and position no longer exist, can you still define yourself?  We’ve certainly seen a lot of people struggling with those kinds of questions in the real world, and coming to a variety of answers.  I’m fascinated with the process of reinvention, reawakening, re-imagining.  So as January ends and I step out of liminal space, I’m excited about the insights and possibilities, and enthusiastic about diving into the new series.  Here’s to reinvention!

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by | February 9, 2011 · 1:15 am

Plotting and Peeling Onions

By Crymsyn Hart

The smell of burnt toast has cleared. The walls of the writer’s block have tumbled away. All of the characters who have been kept prisoner behind the barriers are finally running rampant in my mind. Voices are screaming in my head for some release. The good thing about this is all the ghosts and vampires are now free to be themselves again. Of course, they have been peeling away many of their layers these past few days and comparing themselves to that of an onion. It is rather annoying, but then again, I have been doing a lot of cooking these past few days in regards to both plotting and actually being in the kitchen since the day job has gone away for now.

Ideas strike me these days now that my mind is open to not having a day job. I find myself writing many of them on my blackberry between traffic stops or when I wake up in the middle of the night. Dreams are wonderful for great plotting tools. I’ve written some of the best things from my dreams. Other times I’ll be watching a movie and something about it strikes me then it starts to take root in my brain. The characters come to life and the plot begins to branch out. Soon smaller branches become subplots. Those subplots touch upon other characters and then they begin to take over the whole story sometimes tugging it away from me. I hate it when the characters do that, but this post isn’t about that.

Others have many different ways of how they deal with keeping their plots straight. They write down exactly what will happen and where they want their story to go. Others fly by the seat of their pants and write what comes as they write. I go between both these days. I used to just write as I went along, the characters leading me down the paths of their lives, but lately, I have started to record how I want my stories to go. Making me the master of my characters destinies. So that brings us back to the onion analogy.

I’m peeling back the layers of the plots I have circling, discovering more about the characters. The latest outline of story I’m working on has been written down, and the characters are struggling against it already. I guess they don’t like the smell of onions. Oh well, they might not like it, but they have to live with it. I do.
If you find yourself with your own onion, struggling with the plot that your characters are running away with. You have to peel another layer away and if that makes your characters cry, oh well. Sometimes you have to get the plot out the way you want and it doesn’t matter what anyone else in your head says.

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by | February 8, 2011 · 5:00 am

Go Write Something

by J. F. Lewis

Theoretically, I’m supposed to be writing about Little Green Note: Number Four, but I don’t want to, so NYAHH! 😉 (If you were really interested, it was “Make the Plot Work!” and my only real advice, is: Yeah, you should really do that).

The other night at a party, I had a conversation I wind up having a lot when people realize that I have a day job. They are shocked. Sometimes they exclaim, “But you’re novelist!” Other times they ask, “How do you find the time?” This dovetails nicely with another conversation I have a lot (also at parties or in training classes or standing outside of violin lessons). That conversation begins with some variation of “I wish I had the time to write a novel” with an occasional side of “Hey! Could you write it for me?”

Want to know a secret? I don’t have time to write either. Tonight, I want nothing more than to flip on my Xbox 360 and play Dead Space. I’ve been meaning to play beyond the first save point for over a year, but I just haven’t managed it yet. I’ve played several levels of LEGO Indiana Jones with my boys, but that was during their time. I’ve played a fair amount of Epic Mickey, but that was during family time too. Dead Space is creepy and first person shooter-y and… it’s something I can only play during *my* time.

I’d also like to be reading K. J. Parker’s most recent novel, THE HAMMER and… I am, but now that I’m on a deadline (and trying to write fast enough on my YA project to read a chapter a night to my boys at bedtime) I have a tendency to read it in the bathroom, unless I’m writing in there, too.

Janet (that’s my wonderful and insanely patient wife) and I tend to watch one TV show a night instead of the two we had time for previously. But you know what? As I type into the night and blank pages are filled with little black letters that make words and punctuation which help divide, shape, and convey thoughts, actions, and emotions… when I see the smiles on the faces of my sons at night and, yes, when I cash the checks my agent mails me… I’m having a blast.

So let me ask you a question. If you have a story to tell… if you have a desire to write… why the heck aren’t you writing right now? Go do it. I do.

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by | February 7, 2011 · 10:00 am

“Unholy War”

by Debra Killeen

Ah, a New Year and a new writing project, coming together at the same time!   Where else can you get the excitement of getting something new started and at the same time be completely intimidated at the work you’ll have to put into it?  How about tackling religion, politics and magic in a medieval society?  Which characters will turn to the “Dark Side” and which ones will redeem themselves?  Who will die and who will live?

Just a few of the questions I’m now asking myself as I begin what could turn into one novel or a trilogy, the project with a working title of “Unholy War.”  In the universe I’ve created in my first fantasy series, “The Myrridian Cycle,” I’m moving the timeline forward about a dozen years, giving a few characters the chance to grow up, others to fully mature into their roles, and a few to get crankier in their old age.  Such fun!  I’ll add new characters to the mix, good and evil, and broaden the range of ethnicities and religions, and magical systems to fit into those religions.

Most of the research is done, though you just never know where you might find little gems of trivia.  This past summer I was reading some psychologically oriented books, relating gods and goddesses from the Greek pantheon to Jungian archetypes present in the modern world, and what should I find?  A reference to Arabic hospitals in the Middle Ages.  I pounced on it, noted it down, and I expect to have some kind of hospital turn up in the new narrative.

I’m currently working on a loose plot outline – where the action will start, what’s going on with the known characters, and what’s just over the horizon that’s going to plunge the characters into a new adventure.  An adventure in which some of them are going to be less-than-thrilled to participate.  Political intrigue – there will be much back-stabbing and warring egos as nobility from several kingdoms come together and jockey for position in the crusading army.  Religious intrigue – evil characters from several religions, and plenty of good-hearted people to make up for them.  With luck, a theme of religious tolerance in there somewhere, but not enough to get in the way of the action!

Who will tell the story?  One character’s viewpoint, or several?  It’s an ensemble cast, so I’m leaning toward multiple viewpoints, with the goal of not confusing readers.  Exotic locations, diverse populations, and I expect a flying carpet or two.  Why set a story in the Holy Lands and their surroundings and not put in flying carpets?

In a few years, I hope to be sharing the final version of this tale with readers, whether in one volume or more, providing them several hours of entertainment and enjoyment.  In the meantime, the final novel in “The Myrridian Cycle,” Kingdom in the Balance, is scheduled for publication in a few months.

Happy 2011!

Debra Killeen is the author of the award-winning “Myrridian Cycle”.  Her fourth novel, Priestess Awakening, was published this past spring, with the final novel, Kingdom in the Balance, to be released in 2011.  Debra lives in Wilmington, NC – more info is available at www.myrridia.net

You can listen to the audio from when Debra was a guest of Blog Host, Gail Z. Martin’s Ghost in the Machine podcast here:  https://www.audioacrobat.com/play/WcQm7pdk

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by | February 4, 2011 · 3:02 pm

Paranormally Speaking

Paranormally Speaking

By Tina R. McSwain

Residual Haunts

A residual haunt can be thought of as an energy imprint, or perhaps a loop in time that repeats itself. This is by far the most common type of haunting. These hauntings do not involve an actual spirit. They are basically a memory of the past being replayed in the present. This type of paranormal activity will occur regardless of the presence of the living. Manifestations usually occur on or around specific dates or times of the year; usually around the anniversary of the traumatic event that caused the spiritual imprint. However, the residual haunt is not necessarily caused by tragedy, it can be a happy event as well. For example, a party, wedding or family gathering. If you were to walk up to an old abandoned southern plantation, walk through the front doors and clearly hear laughter and music only to fling open the parlor door to find nothing, you would have just experienced a residual haunting. 

 

Residual haunts present themselves with everything from noises to full blown apparitions. The key difference between a residual haunt and an intelligent haunting is the presence of an actual spirit. While witnesses may report apparitions, foot steps or even voices, these manifestations do not attempt to communicate or interact in any way. They show no awareness of any living people or the surroundings. For this reason, many residual apparitions appear to be at odds with their physical environment…walking in and out of walls for example. In their time, there was a doorway there. The memory replays as the property existed at that time, with no regard to current modifications. There is a well known case in Rome of a column of Roman soldiers walking down an avenue, but only their upper torsos are visible. In the time of the Roman Gladiators, the road was many feet lower, so they are walking along the road as it existed then. Today, that road has been built up over 2000 years, and is at its present height.

Residual hauntings can be very disturbing to those being haunted. (How would you react to strange footsteps in the middle of the night? Or, every year around spring, you’d see a bride walking down the staircase?) These situations can be frightening to any who experience them. But, it’s important to understand the harmless nature of these manifestations. This type of haunting cannot cause physical harm. There is no entity behind the occurrences. It must also be understood that nothing can be done to get rid of the “ghost” either. There is no presence there to remove.

 

This type of haunting can also be experienced in the form of an old movie playing out in front of you.  There are many reports of battles being fought again and again, complete with the smells and horrors of war.  Car, airplane or train crashes repeatedly occur.  Sometimes only the sounds of these events are heard.  Other times, they are replayed exactly as they once happened.

Being somewhat a fan of maritime history, I have often wondered if the Titanic sinks over and over again every year on the anniversary of the ship’s disaster? If you’re ever in the north Atlantic at 2:20am on April 15th, keep a look out and scan the dark waters for an ocean liner in peril.

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by | · 10:00 am

Freebie Friday – Gifts from Marc Bilgrey

Marc Bilgrey, our guest blogger this week is kind enough to share the first two chapters of And Don’t Forget To Rescue The Princess. Simply visit his website at www.marcbilgrey.com. While you’re there, read an article he wrote for aspiring writers about how he wrote the novel. And check out some of his panel cartoons and comic strips.. He writes and draws them for magazines and books. Marc put up new ones every week.

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by | February 3, 2011 · 10:00 am

The Two-Faced God

by Gail Z. Martin

Postcards from Liminal Space—January was named for Janus, the two-faced god.  It makes sense.  It’s a month when we look forward and backward, when we’re nostalgic over what’s ending and tentatively excited about what’s beginning.  I can relate.  I’m wading into beginning a brand new series—new characters, a new world, a whole new world building exercise.  At the same time, I’m getting ready for the launch of The Sworn, which is the newest book set in the world of the Winter Kingdoms.  So I’ve got a foot in old and new, and it’s a little strange.

It’s really exciting to flex my imagination and bring a whole new cast of characters to life.  My mind is becoming a very crowded place!  And it’s also fun to work out their history, the culture and society, the beliefs and mythology—I’m exploring brand new territory, and once I find my way around, I’ll bring you with me.  At the same time, the beginning of any new journey is unsettling, because the traveling always changes the traveler.  Should be interesting.

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by | February 2, 2011 · 4:06 pm

New Books by Our Resident Bloggers

The Sworn by Gail Z. Martin is now in stores.

As plague and famine scourge the winter kingdoms, a vast invasion force is mustering from beyond the northern seas. And at its heart, a dark spirit mage wields the blood magic of ancient, vanquished gods.

Summoner-King Martris Drayke must attempt to meet this great threat, gathering an army from a country ravaged by civil war. Neighboring lands reel toward anarchy while plague decimates their leaders. Drayke must seek new allies from among the living – and the dead –- as an untested generation of rulers face their first battle.

Then someone disturbs the legendary Dread as they rest in a millennia-long slumber
beneath sacred barrows. Their warrior guardians, the Sworn, know the Dread could be pivotal as a force for great good or evil. But if it’s the latter, could even the Summoner-King’s sorcery prevail?

The Sworn is Book One of The Fallen Kings Cycle, and it picks up the adventures of Tris, Jonmarc and the Winter Kingdoms gang six months after the end of Dark Lady’s Chosen.  There are all new challenges, lots of dark magic and the biggest threat Margolan has faced in 400 years.

You can read the first chapter of The Sworn by clicking here

Or, you can listen to Gail read from Chapter One by clicking here.

Crossed: A Void City Novel by J.F. Lewis is also available now.

You can purchase Crossed from Amazon by clicking here.

You can also read an enlightening guest post on Greta by clicking here.

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