Watch Out, Miss Duffy

I've run out of library trivia so I thought I'd share this with you.A couple of weeks ago Nottingham Writers' Club held their Verse of the Year evening. I don't normally do poetry but the theme was 'SatNav' and seemed like a good subject to squeeze a few rhymes out so I had a go. Unbelievably I won, so I present it here for your critical eye.Voice of an AngelStraight on at the next roundabout, keep...

Searcy State Mental Hospital

Circe was the first book I ever wrote and I got a publishing deal for the book.  However, the publisher forgot about Circe and it was shuffled around and buried and I had gotten to the point where I thought it would never see the light of day.  Circe is a dark book and I thought maybe that was for the best. ...

I've Become a Ghost

I haven't been blogging lately.  I haven't been commenting lately and truth be known, I haven't even been able to leave my house much lately.  I am wrapped in ace bandages and stitched up and slightly delirious from too much lortab.  Life goes on without me and I just watch and smile and I imagine this must be...

My Johnson's Lawyer

This one started out too vague to be certain. So we had to work it up a bit. See below.On Mar 20, 2011, at 1:06 PM, "Johnson" wrote:I need a commercial litigation lawyer to handle a collection matter, I will also need a referral if this is not your line of practice. Thank you as I lookforward to your response soonest Sincerely,JohnsonMY REPLY On Sun, 20 Mar 2011 13:32:47 -0700, "> wrote:Sure....

The Limits of Paranormal Belief

"Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside the range of normal or scientific explanation or that indicates phenomena that are understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure."I write about ghosts and hauntings and I obviously have a strong interests in ghosts and hauntings.  When I began writing true ghost stories in my blog a little...

Library Services

My mother still lives in Tamworth, Staffs where I was born and raised and she always saves me interesting stuff from the local paper. I think most local newspapers have a section these days which focuses on the history of their particular area and the Tamworth Herald is no exception.Because of the interest in libraries lately they took the opportunity to give a brief history of how they came about...

Chickamauga Battlefield in Pictures

Today I went to Chickamauga Battlefield.  It was a beautiful day and the sun bathed the battlefield in a gentle light that lent itself well to photography.  The second most bloody battle in the Civil War was fought at this battlefield just South of Chattanooga. Thirty-five thousand soldiers...

Dead Man's Bridge

Ditto's Landing used to be a thriving port town.  It is now a ghost town.  It really isn't even that.  It has vanished completely.  In 1807 James Ditto started to ferry people across the Tennessee River from what is now Ditto's Landing.  This business grew and by 1827, the town of Whitesburg was born...

The Ghost of the Lynched

The Madison County Courthouse looks new.  It is the center of downtown Huntsville, Alabama and it is known for its interesting architecture and murals.  The structure that stands there today isn't more than forty years old.   Its uniquely modern architecture and style dates it, but it was not the first court...

The Demon in the Dark

Last year at this time I was hard at work on Haunted North Alabama.    I did numerous interviews with people to try to get interesting ghost stories.   I got one of my favorite stories from a young woman who lived in Huntsville.  I couldn't post it on my blog at the time because I had to save it...

Gary's Lawyer

From: GARY JONLI Subject: Assist me Lawyer. Date: March 15, 2011 3:57:38 AM PDT Reply-To: garyjonli8080@gmail.comDear Lawyer,I am looking for a lawyer/Law Firm that can assist me in litigating the issue of an overdue loan of $155,000.00. Please advice if this is your area of practice. Thank you.Sincerely, GARY JONLIEmail: garyjonli8080@gmail.comTel: 1-647-705-5...

Reading Allowed

Continuing the library theme, I thought I'd tell you about an evening they held at my local last week.The idea was that you go along and read out a favourite piece of writing. It could be prose, poetry, anything you like. I went along for several reasons: It sounded interesting, I like to do anything I can to support my library, it cost only £1, wine and nibbles were provided.I was not disappointed....

Guest Blogger Lisa Shoreland Discusses Biltmore Estate's Haunted History

I am excited to welcome guest blogger, Lisa Shoreland, to my blog.  I love writers and am always happy to have new writers on my blog, but I like this guest post more than usual because I believe Lisa has to be psychic.  She has written an amazing post about Biltmore mansion in North Carolina and I am packing...

Death's Dream Kingdom Book Trailer.

I have the day off today and I am an absolute master in the art of procrastination.  I have a deadline next month and two chapters of Haunted Chattanooga left to write.  I have another book due to my publisher and a trip next week to plan, so I spent my day working on a book trailer for Death's Dream Kingdom, which will be coming out in ebook format in May and print in November.  ...

The North Port Ghost

My favorite ghost stories are the ones told to me by people.  I always like to think of ghost stories as the last oral traditions.  These days there a very few stories that are told around the table or camp fire like they used to before television and the Internet.  Ghost stories and urban legends are the last...

Shh...

I went to another excellent night at Nottingham Writers' Club last week where we listened to novelist and psychotherapist Maxine Linnell. Maxine read extracts from her book 'Vintage' which is aimed at the young adult market and she explained where her inspirations came from. She reminded us of the time when, as a young girl, she regularly visited the library and borrowed books from the children's...

Book Review: Ghosts and Haunts of Tennessee

Tennessee has some of the best ghost stories I have ever heard.  As an Alabama girl,  I'm often jealous of the state just North of me.  It is so rich in folklore and ghostly tales that it makes the rest of us look poor.  The Belle Witch alone could and has filled entire books with her witchly horror.This...