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Originally known as All Hallows’ Eve, Halloween
is linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain. This last day of autumn
was considered the time of year when the barrier between the paranormal and
physical worlds grew thin.
The Christian holiday of All Saints’ Day (All
Hallows) also influenced Halloween. It was said that the souls
awaiting release on November 1st had one last night to extract
revenge on their enemies before leaving the earth. Cautious
Christians would disguise themselves with masks to avoid recognition.
The
custom of carving pumpkins originated from a Samhain practice of remembering
souls with turnip lanterns. Trick-or-treating can be traced back to
“souling”, a medieval practice which involved the poor and hungry travelling
door-to-door and offering to pray for the dead in return for food.
My favorite Halloween tradition is visiting
haunted houses. In the town next to ours, a large farm designs an
incredibly creepy haunted house each year. It’s out in the woods,
almost pitch black inside, and people are hiding in corners to jump out at
you. There’s no guide, so sometimes a group takes a wrong turn, only
to discover a ghoul standing behind them. I scream the entire time,
but it’s fun, because in the back of my head I know it’s not real.
The medium in GULL HARBOR, however, spends her summer in a truly haunted house. Claire Linden arrives in Gull Harbor ready to take on an aggressive ghost—now that she’s embraced her psychic gift, she’s confident she’ll be able to rid her temporary home of the restless spirit that drove the owners to hire her. However, she doesn’t expect to encounter Max Baron, the man who promised to love her forever, then abandoned her without an explanation five years ago. As Claire unravels the truth behind the haunting, Max must share his secret in order to stay close enough to help protect the woman he still loves from a danger that extends beyond the paranormal…
If
you like that story, try SILVER LAKE as well...another
suspenseful ghost story/mystery with plenty of romance. Will Rain and
Jason get another chance at first love before a desperate spirit tears them
apart again...forever?
My latest ghost mystery came out this year, with plenty of steamy romance to counteract any chilling scenes. HAUNTED SOULS was inspired by a trip to the Old Jail, a historic building on Cape Cod which is considered actively haunted. And the title has a double meaning, as Brett and Emily each have their own torturous choices and memories to overcome if they have a chance for a future together.
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| A picture I took of the Old Jail...seriously, what's up in the top right window? And in this pic, there's a red flash in the lower window that isn't in any of my other shots. |
Happy Halloween and Happy Haunted Reading!
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